7 best Breath of the Wild tricks and hacks you can try out yourself

Zelda
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild hacks and exploits are done not by hacking the code itself, but by finding strange or unexpected combos in the game. By mixing mechanics, players can find new advantages, hilarious results, or devastating powers. Whether you're making impromptu vehicles or weaponising farmyard hens, there's some very strange hacks in Breath of the Wild out there for you to try out right now!

Read more: 27 things I wish I knew before starting Zelda: Breath of the Wild 

Galloping around Hyrule on your trusty steed is a fantastic way to see the sights, but it doesn’t come close to taking to the skies and enjoying the sweeping plains and landscaped vistas with your very own flying machine. YouTuber mety333 devised one of my favourite inventions, putting both the paraglider and the Magnesis Rune to fantastic use. The flying machine can be made by combining one metal block and a discarded mine cart and is controlled by magnetizing the mine cart with Link’s Magnesis Rune. Once you have reached the highest point, simply jump off and paraglide your way around Hyrule. Just make sure you cook up a bunch of stamina boosting meals and potions to avoid making a Link size imprint in the ground below. Be sure check out this handy cooking guide to ensure you’re best prepared before for your flight.

Bringing Mario Kart to Hyrule

Considering just how large the map in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is, why not cruise around Hyrule in style? Before you start zooming around the lush green plains and rocky mountains, the following materials are required. Thankfully, the list is short and the materials are easy to acquire, as the go-kart only requires: one metal treasure chest and a mine cart. Both these items can be found in the northern part of the map on Death Mountain. Once you’ve located the items needed, simply place the chest in the front of the Kart with your Magnesis Rune and use it to propel yourself forward. It's not perfect, as it's all too easy to push the chest out of its socket, especially when you’re on uneven terrain, but with a little practice you’ll be tearing through Hyrule in no time.

Crafty climbing

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Climbing towers and scaling mountains doesn’t always need to be arduous, as a Japanese Twitter user found out. Kfurumiya used Link’s Magnesis and Remote Bomb to turn a humble tree into a useful climbing aid. The player cuts down the tree and lets it fall on top of the bomb, before applying Magnesis on the log, freezing it in place while Link slashes at it with his sword. Just before the timer runs out, Kfurumiya activates the bomb which launches Link into the clouds above. The temporary boost gives Link enough time to jump off the log and begin his flight towards the tower. This simple technique can be used almost anywhere and is especially helpful when dealing with some of the game’s trickier towers and obstacles.

Cooking up a Cucco storm

Attacking a Cucco in any Zelda game is not only incredibly mean, but it will also cause the normally docile chickens to become utterly ruthless in their pursuit for revenge. When provoked, the Cucco will call upon the entire flock to raise hell from the skies, forcing the player to run away as fast as they can or seek shelter from their onslaught. This has led to players using Hyrule’s feisty birds to take down all manner of enemies, especially those that prove rather troublesome. Simply grab a Cucco from a nearby town or village, put it in front of an attacking enemy, and let the poultry storm begin. The Master Sword may be more efficient at killing enemies, but the Cucco’s certainly provide a more humorous way to settle a fight.

Shrine shortcuts

Breath of the Wild’s shrines offer a variety of puzzles and challenges that most players need to solve in order to obtain what lies within them. However, some folks have figured out ways to break shrines in ways that allow them to skip certain trials. There are many elaborate ways to exploit the physics within Breath of the Wild, but the most common shrine skips utilise shield jumps and bomb boosting. Shield jumping gives Link a double jump, while the use of the Remote Bomb gives Link an added boost. YouTuber Adrylek has a whole host of videos dedicated to finding unique ways to solve Breath of the Wild’s various shrines. The video above for example, uses Cryonis to give Link some added height before using a shield jump and bomb to launch him into the locked room. Shrine skips have become extremely popular and they are one of the ways that show off just how creative Breath of the Wild’s community really is.

Hylian crafted fireworks

There are no tricky mechanics needed to make this pretty fireworks display, but there are some expensive and very rare items involved. Dragon Horns are the main ingredient here and they just happen to be one of the most valuable items in the game. These horns can be used to upgrade various armour and provide 30 minute boosts when cooked into recipes, so blowing them up is usually the last thing on most people’s minds. Collecting the horns also takes a lot of time as well, especially when you consider that Link can only collect one horn from each dragon per in-game day. However, YouTube user GirKart64 showcased that blowing up a bunch of these prized horns can make for a rather pretty spectacle. If you have a bunch of unused horns lying around, why not have a crack at lighting up the night sky?

Battle of the behemoths

Part of what makes Breath of the Wild such a joy to play is the interaction the various enemies have with the world around them. Watching a pack of Bokoblins trying to hunt a wild boar or seeing them dance around a crackling fire makes the world feel alive. However, Breath of the Wild’s baddies don’t really interact with one another, unless you happen to lead a Stone Talus into a Guardian’s territory. YouTube user Tristan Cooper captured the moment he provoked these two behemoths into fighting one another. Both originally had their sights firmly trained on Link, but this all changed when the Stone Talus accidentally hit the Guardian with a rocky blow. The ancient machine tries to respond by firing its deadly laser, but it’s unable to target Talus’ weak spot and instead lays motionless on the floor. There’s something rather nice about seeing a Guardian being launched across the field, especially since their deadly lasers led to many of Link’s deaths.

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Freelance writer

James Busby is an experienced journalist who has written for sites like GamesRadar+, Kotaku, Red Bull Gaming, and many more. James has a BA (Hons) in Journalism, and can usually be found writing news, reviews, and guides over at Dexerto.