Some things in Breath of the Wild are true secrets, while others are simply things you didn’t look for or missed entirely. This one falls into both categories.
If you look on the map southeast of the Dueling Peaks Stable, you’ll see a mountain range. The highest peak in this range is Mount Floria, and it steps down to Oakle’s Navel, which is a great place to catch hot-footed frogs.
Look closely at this run of ranges, and you’ll see a tiny unnamed pond. I spotted it from the nearest Sheikah Tower, a cluster of trees surrounding a small spring, and decided to take a look. It was nighttime when I arrived, and the steam rising from the pond could have been due to the cool air.
So I decided to test it by blowing myself up a little, then taking a dip. Imagine my delight when I heard the iconic blipping sound of my hearts refilling! Here I am, in an area of the map I thought I knew so well, and I find a hot spring! How useful that would’ve been when I was just starting out and still afraid of Bokoblins on the road.
Every time I think I’ve explored every inch of Breath of the Wild, I discover something new. I think about the people who made this game and wonder how in the world they managed to pull it off. They must have dedicated hours to building just this tiny area, programming it to be both a pretty landscape and a useful tool for my journey.
Sometime I find gaming to be more of an exercise in mindfulness than an edge-of-my-seat adventure. What a pleasure it is to just wander.
