The Divine Beasts in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are a big part of the game, and while they each have their own positives and negatives, Vah Rudania stands out as the worst of the four. The fact that it’s a great asset in the battle against Calamity Ganon, and a must for completionists, doesn’t change the fact that it’s annoying to deal with and a dungeon to dread. It might not be too hard to clear if players know what they’re doing, but Rudania is still a slog that’s arguably not worth completing.
The Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild are massive machines that mimic real-life animals. They were made 10,000 years prior to the start of the game by the ancient Sheikah to be engines of war, designed to combat Calamity Ganon, but were sealed away by the then-king of Hyrule, who feared their immense power. BOTW didn’t truly show the Divine Beasts’ terrifying might, using them only as dungeons for Link to crawl through, but Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity let players carve through massive hordes of enemies with them, driving home just how strong they really are. During the Great Calamity, Ganon seized control of them and slew the champions inside, leaving Hyrule virtually defenseless against his forces as well as the Guardians that he also bent to his will.
Vah Rudania is the worst Divine Beast for a few different reasons. It’s not even just that it is bad, it’s also because the other ones are much better and easier than it. The many hazards involved in its quest and clearing the Divine Beast itself, combined with the long lead-up, make it the most annoying one to deal with. The region where Breath of the Wild‘s Death Mountain is found is one of the most inhospitable parts of the map, and since Rudania is right in the middle of it, players need to be very careful just to get close to it.
Breath Of The Wild – Just Approaching Vah Rudania Is A Fight Itself
Eldin is one of the different regions in Breath of the Wild, located to the northeast. Some parts of it can be navigated without issue, but most of it will literally set Link on fire. The very air burns in the volcanic highlands of Eldin, requiring either specialized armor or a specific elixir to survive the extreme heat. Since the armor can only be found in the region itself and the elixirs are temporary, it’s very hard to keep from burning, especially in the area where Vah Rudania’s quest takes place. It’s not impossible, since the elixirs and the ingredients for them can be bought in safe areas, but players would still be wise to get plenty of heart containers before tackling BOTW‘s most hazardous region. The worst part of it, which is still only the lead-up to Rudania, requires two layers of the fireproof status, which means either two pieces of armor or a single one with an elixir.
Once players either buy the necessary – and rather pricey – armor or stock up on enough Fireproof Elixirs to survive Eldin’s heat, they need to go to Vah Rudania. On the way, they have to contend with a number of small sentry drones that they’ll need to either avoid or destroy in order to progress. If they’re caught, Rudania will rain magma bombs down on them relentlessly. Preventing this isn’t too hard, and the process wouldn’t be so bad if not for the fact that players have to escort Yunobo, their Goron companion, during it. He’s the descendent of one of Breath of the Wild‘s four champions, Daruk the Goron, and has inherited his power of ultimate defense, which is what allows him to survive being shot out of a cannon to damage Rudania. Players have to lead him down the path by whistling like they were calling a horse, and since he will also set off the magma bombs if he stumbles into the sentries’ path, the process is fairly annoying.
Why Vah Rudania Is The Worst Divine Beast In Breath Of The Wild
Even after players finally enter Vah Rudania, clearing it doesn’t get any better. When they first enter this particular Breath of the Wild Divine Beast, it’s pitch-black, with only the light of Calamity Ganon’s Malice and a torch to guide their way. It may clear up quickly, but it’s still a bother to deal with until the first terminal is accessed and the interior becomes lit. In order to find all of the terminals, players have to repeatedly rotate Rudania 90 degrees, which isn’t the best use of BOTW‘s Divine Beast control feature. Having to shift the interior so much and so drastically almost makes one dungeon feel like two, which is not a good addition to an already-irritating crawl.
Once players get all the terminals, they’ll have a fight with Fireblight Ganon, the boss of Vah Rudania. Since it takes place on the outside of the Divine Beast, they need either their fireproof armor again or more elixirs, which is an annoying addition to the battle. The fight is disappointingly easy, since players can usually just melee it repeatedly without issue and use their remote bombs once it starts inhaling air. Especially if they’ve gotten lots of heart containers, and valuable weapons like the Master Sword, it should only take a few minutes to defeat it. Once they have, they get Daruk’s Protection, arguably the worst of all four Champion powers. It’s almost a detriment, and although it’s not Breath of the Wild‘s biggest problem, it can be annoying. It offers complete protection from any three attacks before needing to recharge, but since the button for it is the same one to block, it gets in the way of using shields normally while active. Players have to choose between taking a hit or using a charge, with no middle option, so it’s best disabled for those who don’t want to use an all-or-nothing approach or like to actually use all of the shields that they’ve collected.
Why BOTW’s Other Divine Beasts Are Better Than Vah Rudania
The other three Divine Beasts of Breath of the Wild are much better than Rudania, and not just because of its downsides. Vah Medoh, Vah Ruta, and Vah Naboris all have better lead-ups, features, and fights. All three lead-ups involve Link being escorted up to the Divine Beast instead of the other way around, and using specialized arrows to disable it before heading inside. They may be repetitive, but are a good archery challenge for BOTW‘s bow and arrow specialists, and they’re still better and more exciting than Rudania’s irritating trek up Death Mountain.
The other champion powers are also much better than Daruk’s Protection. All of them add options to players’ arsenals rather than restricting them; Mipha’s Grace gives a second chance after a KO, Urbosa’s Fury unleashes a devastating lightning storm in all directions, and Revali’s Gale becomes invaluable for climbing and exploration by providing a portable updraft. The boss fights to get them are more challenging, in a good way, and the interiors of the Divine Beasts themselves are interesting without being obnoxious. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild‘s worst Divine Beast has a fairly large gap between it and the other three, so hopefully it gets improvements in the sequel.
