If I was a writer for Zelda Universe last October, I would have probably written about Breath of the Wild‘s Skull Lake to celebrate Halloween. Skull Lake is an interesting location because as the name suggests, it is shaped like a skull from the map view. If this game was around when I was younger, I would have loved this location because I loved skull patterns growing up!
Skull Lake is the first home of Kilton, the monster-obsessed merchant. Before you meet Kilton, the whereabouts of his location are rumored throughout by different travelers. Kilton normally camps out at night in a different village each night, but before you can meet him at any of those places, you must first find him at the bottom of Skull Lake. Kilton is a peculiar character because he only comes out at night and he sells fun items such as the Lynel Mask and various weapons that you can log into the Hyrule Compendium.
The water at the bottom of Skull Lake is decorated with beautiful purple and yellow flowers that remind me of plants encased in resin. The lake flowers are unmoving, almost frozen in time underneath crystal clear water. (I would like to swim in that water!) A raft along with a Korok Leaf is also present, which is a cute touch.
The canyon walls are extremely porous, in a way that is similar to dried coral, and the reflection from the water flowers makes these walls slightly purple. It’s possible that at some point this lake was filled to the pinnacle (the right eye where a shrine lives), and for whatever reason, it all dried up, leaving a parched, coral-like aftermath. Death Mountain is close to Skull Lake. Did one unfortunate wind change forced dry air and lava particles to dry it up? Probably not, but you never know. I should also mention that one quick glance at these porous rocks might have you seeing skull patterns. Maybe that’s just me, but something about those rock walls is eerie.
There is a shrine in the right eye of Skull Lake. It’s so annoying to get to that I almost rage quit the game the first time I tried. The shrine, called Zuna Kai, is very high up, and you need either Revali’s Gale or a ton of Enduring Elixirs to reach it. Zuna Kai Shrine is as annoying as it is rewarding. (It’s a good thing that not all of the shrines are that difficult to reach.) Zuna Kai Shrine can be seen from the topmost part of Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, and the eastern journey to it is rewarded with heaps and heaps of enemies. This includes a Silver Lynel, which is, of course, the cherry on top. I’m being sarcastic, but I also don’t mind Lynels now as much as I did when I started the game. (I actually find Lynel battles quite fun now.)
Herons and ducks live at the base of Skull Lake. In a weird way, I wish that there were no creatures in this area because it’s a location with deathly undertones and connotations. Skull Lake equals death equals no living things. But fear not, for normal skeleton enemies spawn at the first sign of darkness.
Overall, Skull Lake in Breath of the Wild is a fascinating location. The water is my favorite part and it’s where you first meet Kilton. Skull Lake is creepy, unique, and would no doubt make for a great vacation spot due to its crystal clear water. I love creepy locations in the Zelda series, and Skull Lake definitely doesn’t disappoint.
