You wake up in a glowing chamber with a mysterious voice in your ear and no idea what to do next. Take a breath. There’s no wrong way to approach this, and you can take it at your own pace.
The Great Plateau is Breath of the Wild’s opening area, and everything it teaches you stays useful for the rest of the game. Here’s your checklist for those first hours, step by step.
Great Plateau Overview
The Great Plateau is a walled off highland in the middle of Hyrule, surrounded by cliffs you can’t safely climb down. You’re stuck here until you earn the paraglider, and that’s on purpose: it’s the game’s tutorial, just without the hand holding.
- Checklist: 1 tower, 4 shrines, the Temple of Time and plenty of Korok Seeds.
- Climate: mostly mild, but the area around Mount Hylia in the southwest is freezing.
- Enemies: Bokoblins, Keese, Chuchus and a few Decayed Guardians, some of which still fire lasers.
- Goal: clear all four shrines, then meet the Old Man at the Temple of Time for the paraglider.
Your First Hours, Step by Step
Step 1: The Shrine of Resurrection
Take the Sheikah Slate from the pedestal, then open the two chests for the Old Shirt and Well-Worn Trousers. Equip both, use the next pedestal and head outside for that famous first look at Hyrule.
Step 2: Meet the Old Man
Head down the hill to the campfire. Talk to the Old Man, then grab the Torch and Baked Apple nearby. Pick up a Tree Branch and any Hylian Shrooms or apples on the way: they’ll be your first meals.
Step 3: Activate the Great Plateau Tower
Follow the marker on your Sheikah Slate to the pedestal in the ruins and examine it. The tower rises out of the ground, and you get your first map. Our Great Plateau Tower guide covers this stop.
Step 4: The Four Shrines
After the tower, the Old Man points you toward the shrines. Each one gives you a rune for your Sheikah Slate and a Spirit Orb. Do them in any order:
| Shrine | Rune | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Oman Au Shrine | Magnesis | Northeast, near the Old Man’s lookout |
| Ja Baij Shrine | Remote Bombs | East, by the Eastern Abbey |
| Owa Daim Shrine | Stasis | Southeast, by the River of the Dead |
| Keh Namut Shrine | Cryonis | Southwest, in the snow near Mount Hylia |
Easily missable, so heads up: the Old Man shows up near most shrines with a short chat or a hint. It’s worth stopping to hear him out.
Step 5: Handle the Cold
Keh Namut sits in the snow, and the cold drains your hearts fast. You have two choices:
- Cook something spicy: a dish with Spicy Peppers gives you cold resistance.
- Earn the Warm Doublet: the Old Man’s cabin has his diary with a recipe for Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry (raw meat, a Hyrule Bass and a Spicy Pepper). Cook it, bring it to him and he gives you the Warm Doublet.
The doublet is the better deal, since you’ll wear it in cold areas for hours afterward. Our Breath of the Wild recipes and cookbook has the rest of the menu.
Step 6: The Temple of Time and the Paraglider
With four Spirit Orbs in hand, head to the Temple of Time. Pray at the Goddess Statue inside if you want to trade your orbs for a Heart Container or Stamina Vessel right away. Then meet the Old Man on the temple. He finally reveals who he is and gives you the paraglider.
Step 7: Glide Off
Jump from the edge, open the paraglider and head toward Kakariko Village. The real adventure starts now.
Rewards From the Great Plateau
- Sheikah Slate: your map, camera and rune holder.
- Four runes: Magnesis, Remote Bombs, Stasis and Cryonis.
- Four Spirit Orbs: enough for your first Heart Container or Stamina Vessel.
- Warm Doublet: if you cook the Old Man’s recipe.
- Paraglider: your ticket off the plateau.
Lore Connection: the Old Man calls the Great Plateau the birthplace of the kingdom of Hyrule, and the Temple of Time and the ruined abbey hint at the kingdom that fell a hundred years before you woke up. This random old man actually connects to the main story in a big way, which you’ll learn on top of the temple.
Tips for Your First Hours
- Take Your Time: nothing here is on a timer. Wander, cook, chop trees and chase Koroks. Our Great Plateau Korok guide helps with those.
- Cook early: cooked meals heal far more than raw food.
- Use fire: a torch and dry grass make short work of Bokoblin camps.
- Avoid the Guardians: the Decayed Guardians that still fire lasers are rough early. Use cover and keep moving.
- Nothing is lost: you can return to the plateau any time after you leave.
Plotting a route for later? The Breath of the Wild interactive map shows shrines, towers and Koroks across Hyrule.
Great Plateau FAQ
How many shrines are on the Great Plateau?
Four: Oman Au, Ja Baij, Owa Daim and Keh Namut. You need all four to get the paraglider.
How do you get the paraglider?
Complete all four shrines, then meet the Old Man at the Temple of Time.
How do you get the Warm Doublet?
Cook the Spicy Meat and Seafood Fry from the Old Man’s diary in his cabin and bring it to him.
Can you go back to the Great Plateau later?
Yes. Once you have the paraglider you can return whenever you like, and the shrines are fast travel points.
Take Your Time: it’s a marathon, not a sprint. The plateau is the gentlest place in the game to learn how Breath of the Wild thinks. When you’re ready to plan the rest of the trip, start at our Breath of the Wild hub.
