Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity Guide to the Basics

If you have played the previous Warriors games you will be familiar with the style of hack-and-slash combat and such in these games. But for those readers that are coming to this Warriors game having played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we thought we would share some tips and tricks so you can get the most out of the game! 

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity takes place 100 years before the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Hyrule Warriors is a combination of the beat-’em-up combat of Dynasty Warriors mixed with the action-adventure elements from Breath of the Wild. It adopts the visual style, story, and characters of BOTW but has its own take on combat!

Let’s start with the basics…

The Map

Once you have completed the introduction mission you get the map of Hyrule. This is the same map from Breath of the Wild but with a few differences. You can’t explore the map as you could on foot, instead, icons appear on the map and you can switch between them. But what do all the icons mean?

Crossed swords Icons: Icons with a crossed sword are the main story missions which further the game’s storyline and allow you to unlock new characters.

Single sword Icons: These icons are challenges that may help you advance your skills or put you to the test so you can level up your characters. It’s important to play these areas in between story missions and to not rush through the story missions. Completing certain missions and quests will unlock new ones, which in turn give you more unlockables for your party.

Character Icons

Character Icons:  These icons are in the shape of the characters heads, they represent each character. Completing these quests allows specific characters to learn new combat skills.

Pot Icons: Little pot icons will show locations where you can turn in items of food and learn recipes to cook. If you take meals before missions these grant temporary buffs for that level of the mission. Meals can be chosen before a mission starts by pressing A on the cooking panel to pick a meal.

Vase and Horse Icons: These icons are shops/stables and merchants who buy and sell items. However, not every merchant will appear every time at an icon. You can check all the shops at once to find out who is selling by pressing the R shoulder button to bring up a list. Once you have found the merchant you want, press A. If a merchant isn’t available you can play a mission or quest and increase your chances of a merchant appearing as they do reset.

Divine Beast Icons:  Glowing icons in the shape of a Divine Beasts on the map are particular challenges for the Divine Beasts. In these challenges, you control one of the four Divine Beasts, Vah Naboris, Vah Medoh, Vah Ruta, and Vah Rudinia

Heart Icon:  After chapter 4 is finished a Heart icon appears on the map. The heart indicates how much of a particular area of the map you have completed. You’ll receive 100% completion bonuses for finishing all the quests in every single region.

Crowded Map

The map will get very crowded with icons but pressing the L shoulder button to bring up the merchants list and using the R shoulder button brings up a chapter list. This makes it easier to negotiate you way around.

Once you have completed chapter 2 you unlock the Researchers Quest. Upon completing that quest you gain the ability to register up to two missing items you may need to complete quests. This will cause quest area icons containing the items you need to pulse with a green ring around the icon. You’ll be notified after completing an area if you have enough of the items to complete the quest. Further into the story after Chapter 4, you gain the ability to register up to three items you’re missing. This is a handy addition and I recommend using it to track down items. 

Helpful Tips

Cut grass, trees and other flora and fauna in levels! These will drop materials every so often. Break wooden crates and objects like barrels can also be destroyed. These will often drop rupees. The great thing is you don’t need to stop and pick up the materials that drop when you devastate your surroundings as they will automatically transfer to your inventory. You do need to stop and open chests when you kill a boss and the same for any chests you find out in the Wild.

Visit the Guild and Camp

Visit the Blacksmith Guild

Hylian Blacksmith Guild is the place to visit to improve the power of your warriors’ weapons as you progress through the game. Fusing weapon you require through drops while completing missions. The Blacksmith lets you power up weapons by either, making them hit harder, absorb new powers, or increasing their experience.

Visit the Military Training Camp.

Visit the Military Training camp to level up characters in exchange for Rupees. This a brilliant way to level up characters that you don’t use as frequently. It saves you a lot of time replaying battles over and over again if you don’t want to do that.  However, when you’re using the Training Camp, you can only level up characters to the level of your highest levelled character. This means that if you use Link all the time and he is at level 41, then you can pay rupees to quickly level your other characters to his level and so on.

Replay Missions to Gain EXP

Replay Missions.

If you’d rather not spend your Rupees in the Training Camp, you can always replay main missions to get some additional EXP.  Link is usually required for most of the main missions, you can swap him out with anyone on your team when you replay a mission. If you’re trying to level up multiple characters, make sure to bring them along too.

Gaining battle experience is the best way to make a character stronger. It’s much more fun, so just jump back into any of the missions and with using a different character you’ll make your warrior strong.

Visit the Meditative Training.

In the Meditative Training, you can pick a character and fight lots of enemies to get used to each characters moves and combos. And find out how each character handles the Sheikah Runes. 

Combat and the Battlefield

Swap Characters

In some missions, where there is more than one character taking part, you can swap characters at any time by pressing Up on the D-pad. This is something you should try to do often, as it’s good to get to know the different moves all of the characters have in combat. For example, Zelda uses Sheikah Slate moves and combos and Link uses swords, spears and two-handed weapons and they all provide different move sets and effects.

Use the Allies Screen

If you pause the game by pressing the plus button during a battle a map appears. Here you will get a full view of the map and the option to direct your companions. Choose a character and then move their map marker with the left stick to set a destination and press A. Once set, your other characters will run over to that spot and begin fighting any enemies there.

Sheikah Runes

Sheikah Runes

Use the Sheikah Runes that each character has during battles. It is sometimes worthwhile to save some of them for bigger enemies such as with Stasis as it makes large enemies more vulnerable than usual while you’re doing a spin attack. To use the runes you hold down the R shoulder button and then the appropriate button to use i.e press A, B, X, or Y.

Stasis 

Pressing the X button brings up Stasis and it freezes groups of enemies for a short time and makes large enemies more vulnerable than usual while you’re doing a spin attack.

Chuck Bombs

Remote bombs 

Remote bombs allow you to toss a handful of explosives at enemies and break the shields of larger enemies. Press the Y button once you call up the rune menu. 

Cryonis 

Cryonis creates a block of ice you can jump off of, freezes nearby enemies, and also staggers big enemies who are performing a charging attack when they hit the wall. Press the A button once you call up the rune menu.

Magnesis 

Magnesis grabs any metal objects around you, causing bolts of lightning to fly around, and it zaps and disarms larger enemies who are carrying metal weapons. Press the B button once you call up the rune menu.

Different Attacks for Each Character

All characters have a regular attack. But they also have strong, special and unique attacks they can perform. If you chain these attacks together they form combos and stronger attacks on enemies.

Regular Attacks

Regular attacks are performed by pressing the Y button and they make up your most common combos for your characters. By continually pressing the Y button you can inflict lots of damages to enemies. Progressing through the game you will add more button combinations to your regular attacks strings making them deal more damage!

Strong Attacks

Press the X button to perform a strong attack These more powerful attacks hit harder but also show off each individual character’s play style.

Special Attacks

Pressing the A button performs a more powerful attack that can be let loose once you have built up enough power. As you defeat enemies, a yellow gauge on the top right of your screen under your health hearts will glow. Once filled, you’ll be able to unleash a single, destructive attack on your enemies.

Unique Actions

Pressing the ZR button will perform a special abilities attack in the play style of each character. The moves on their own aren’t especially powerful, but they do add to your range of attacks. Each character has their own Unique Action, such as Link’s Unique Action is a volley of arrows, adding range to his close-range set of attack moves.

Stay alert means Staying Alive

Alerts During Missions.

Alerts icons will appear on the map during missions, as new enemies and objectives arrive. While many of these objectives are just larger enemies or special characters arriving, some will be quests to protect others or timed objectives. Make sure you’re routinely checking the map during missions. 

Restore Health during Battles

Holding down the L shoulder button brings up your Items menu. Press the B button to consume any food you find and restore health.

Fill the Gauges

Power Gauge

To fill up your power gauge in the top left corner below your characters’ hearts. By defeating smaller enemies and when it’s full you can release a devastating attack by pressing the A button. To fill it up quickly, defeat minor enemies in the area.

Weak Point Gauge

In battles, the more powerful enemies on the field will have a Weak-point gauge that slowly lowers as you attack. Try completely breaking it down and they will be stunned temporarily. You should use the time they are stunned to release a powerful A button attack on them!

Weak-point Rune 

Sometimes while you fight a large enemy it will build up to do an attack and a Sheikah Slate Rune symbol will appear above its head. This is its Sheikah Slate Rune weaknesses. It is also your cue to pull out your Sheikah Slate runes and attack with the corresponding Rune to temporarily stun the enemy.

Learn to Dodge to get a Flurry Rush Attack

Instead of using your Shield with the ZL button, you should try dodging with the B button.  You will still avoid taking damage and you might get the advantage of being able to perform a Flurry Rush Attack. Where you get the opportunity to land loads of hits on the enemy without them being able to hit you back. Press the Y button repeatedly when the Flurry Rush Attack is available.

Take to the Air

Use the Glider.

To get in the air during battles you run into a wall, a rock, a barrel, or whatever you can’t break and hit the B button twice to get into the air and start gliding. You can perform normal attacks in the air and you can even end with a strong attack by hitting the X button and slamming back into the ground. Some strong attacks and Sheikah Rune attacks will boost you up into the air too.

Hold X 

You can hold the X button when performing certain combos. For some characters, especially for Link, holding the X button as you perform your strong attack will allow you to perform a second and unique strong attack once you let go. But not all characters can do this.

Elemental Rods

Parry attacks

As the Guardian locks onto you with its red beam, hold your shield ZL shoulder button and wait for it to strike. Just as the laser is about to hit you, hit the Y button to reflect the laser right back at the Guardian. 

Elemental Rods

In combat pressing, L shoulder button will bring up the fire, ice, and electricity elementary rods. Elemental Rods are held by all party members, regardless of the weapon chosen before the battle. As is the mana for Elemental Rods which is shared by all characters.  You need to refill your rods by killing elementary enemies such as Wizzrobes or other enemies like Moblins and Lizalfos.

One last tip….the difficulty you play Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity on doesn’t matter. If you’re playing on the easiest difficulty or the hardest one, you’ll find that your rewards at the end of each stage are the same. You can enjoy the game as you want so if you’re having trouble drop the difficulty level down!