is already considered by many to be one of the greatest games ever made. It’s not hard to see why, either. Breath of the Wild returns the series to its roots in such an ex🌜treme manner, that one can’t help but applaud Nintendo for taking a formulaic franchise in such a bold di𒊎rection.
Breath of the Wild’s open-world also stands out as one of the best designed open worlds in gaming. Every little detail exists for a reason. There’s no fluff and Hyrule is interconnected in a way that both makes sens🐼e and is logical. Naturally, any adventurer embarking on their quest is going to need some items, but not everything purchasable is worth the Rupees. A little guidance goes a long way.
Updated on August 27, 2021, by Renan Fontes: Breath of the Wild goes out of its way to give Rupees value in a way its 3D predecessors never bothered with. There are a vast number of different items you can buy that make getting through Breath of the Wild a much smoother experience. While it makes sense to stock up on Arrows or other materials, the best gear in BotW tends to be the different sets of armor Link can buy – all of which cost a pretty penny but offer a useful side effect in return.
Sheikah Set
The Sheikah✱ gear offers Link one of the best sets of armor in Breath of the Wild, but it's surprisingly easy to overlook considering you're bound to run into them before you so much as have enough Rupees to buy a single piece. Given that Sheikah armor has low defense values, it seems like an even worse purchase early in the game – but it's probably the smartest thing you can buy immediately.
A fully equipped Sheikah set allows Link to stealth by virtually anything and everything without catching their attention. This is not only extremely helpful for avoiding unnecessary combat (doubly useful for Master Mode), bugs won💞't flee when you walk up to them now. This makes gathering ingredients for armor upgrading so much easier in the long r🏅un.
Soldier Armor Set
The Soldier Armor set can be purchased as early as the Sheikah♑ set, offering a considerable amount of defense out the gate. While Soldier Armor does make Link vulnerable to lightning strikes during thunderstorms, it's hard to ignore the sheer defense you get from having the whole set equipped. Even just having one-piece equipped (usually the Grieves since they're the 🐎most aesthetically pleasant) can buff Link's defense better than most equipment.
Monster Extract
Kilton's Monster Shop is a unique storefront in Breath of the Wild that deals in Mon instead of Rupees. By trading in any dropped monster materials to Kilton, you're rewarded with Mon that you can spend on different equipment (several detailed down below). The cheapest item you can purchase with Mon is Monster Extract – a very handy ingredient to have on hand. Monster Extract adds a completely random Heart buff to whatever dish it's added to. This adds a risk/reward element to cooking where just about any meal has the potential of fully healing Link. Monster Extract won't always pay off, but they're cheap enough where it helps you have a fe🌳w on hand.
Radiant Set
The Radiant ✃set is a unique set of armor that can only be purchased in the Gerudo Secret Club. The Radiant set not only costs 2,400 Rupees to purchase, you need to trade in 9 Luminous Stones in total to actually forge the gear. When equipped,ꦡ a full Radiant Set makes it so you can comfortably pass by Stal-enemies at night. Similarly, bone weapons gain a considerable attack buff – turning Breath of Wild's least useful items into some of the strongest.
Desert Voe Set
The Dese⛄rt Voe set is an extremely expensive (and obscure) set of armor that can only be purchased at the Gerudo Secret Club. The set costs a total of 2,400 Rupees to purchase and is essentially the male version of the Gerudo Vai set you need to get into Gerudo Town. That said, the Desert Voe Set can actually be upgraded – making it the overall best set of armor to equip when traversing hotter regions. The Desert Voe set costs a pretty penny to buy, but it's worth it and is a better version of the Vai set at the end of the day.
Produce
Cooking is a rather important aspect of Breath of the Wild, but it’s one that you can very easily (and conveniently) ignore. With enough Hearts, the difficulty curve takes a plummet and cooki🎶ng more or less feels unnecessary. It’s a fun part of the game, though, and Master Mode does incentivize it a bit more often.
Naturally, being able to cook comfortably also means have the necessary ingredients at all times. It is never a bad idea to stock up on produce from merchan๊ts🦹. Anything that can be used as an ingredient, buy it. There’s no reason not to have produce on Link at all times, especially since they're so cheap.
Arrows
Arrows, like produce, never stop being useful, but they’re arguably far more important in the grand scheme of things. Swordplay in Breath of the Wild isn’t bad, but arrow combat steals the show. Link’s pseudo-bullet time makes taking out enemies feel great, and gyroscopic aiming is top-notch, giving players the🧸 means to make quick꧅, snappy movements on the fly.
Unlike produce, there is a limit to how many arrows Link can purchase, but so long as you diligently buy arrows whenever you see a merchant, there’s never a good reason to ൲actually run out. Make sure to stay stocked up.
Lynel Mask
Lynels are notoriously the most difficult enemies to fight in Breath of the Wild, with variants that put up a better fight than Calamity Ganon himself (though that’s not actually saying much). Lynels can be incredibly overwhelming to fight, and 𒐪running into one at the wrong time is a game over waiting to happen. They make exploration tense.
Thankfully, those weak of heart can purchase a Lyn♑el Mask from Kilton’s Monster Shop. The Lꦇynel Mask tricks Lynels into believing Link is one of their own. That said, it’s never a good idea to linger when a Lynel’s around. Either start swinging or start running.
Dark Armor Set
Another goodie courtesy of Milton’s nifty little Monster Shop, the Dark Armor set makes Link look exactly like Dark Link from Ocarina of Time while also bestowing upon him the power of super speedꦦ so long as it’s night.
Plus, it’s just cool to play as Dark Link. This is the real deal, visually, perfectly emulating how he appeared in Ocarina of Time. It’s a nice little detail and secrets like these have kept Breath of the Wild thriving long after its 2017 release.
Flamebreaker Set
Another armor set, albeit one you should purchase over the course of the gꦰame, The Flamebreaker set essentiall𝐆y makes traversing incredibly hot areas possible. There are other means to stay cool while scaling Death Mountain, but the Flamebreaker set is the most convenient (and definitive) workaround.
Unfortunately, the set is quite expensive so get ready to shell out s𝄹ome Rupees. Those who head to Death Mountain first might find ༺themselves strapped for cash. Alternatively, those who save Death Mountain for last will likely find their wallets overflowing with Rupees, ready to be spent on armor.
