It’s important to keep in mind that Age of Calamity is not a sequel to Breath of the Wild, but to Hyrule Warriors. Whatever narrative connections AoC has to BotW are mitigated by the fact that gameplay is very much Hyrule Warriors 2. Those expecting a mainline Legend of Zelda are liable to walk away disappointed or outright confused at how different Age of Calamity is compared to the average Zelda.
At the same time, Age of Calamity is a deep game that greatly evolves Dynasty Warriors’ core combat. While potentially overwhelming for newcomers, the latest Hyrule Warriors is an excellent entry for anyone who either loves Zelda or just wants the best Musou experience in years. As relatively forgiving as Age of Calamity is, late-game success hinges on mastering and understanding all the core concepts at play.
As tempting as it might be, don’t just use Link. He’s one of the best characters in the game, if not the best when it comes down to it, but Age of Calamity expects players to be using just about everyone. Multiple endgame missions will require either a full party, or characters who aren’t Link, potentially road blocking those who have been focusing on the Hero of the Wild.
Of the main playable characters, only Hetsu, the Great Fairy, and Monk Maz Koshia can be comfortably ignored. The rest should all be leveled. Link, Zelda, and Impa are the best bets for getting through the main story, while every Champion should ideally be in their 60s by their last batch of side missions.
Relying on base weapon drops in Age of Calamity is a disaster waiting to happen. While it is possible to get some strong Lv. 1 weapons, the fact they won’t have any seals (ostensibly the game’s skill system) means they won’t be half as useful as they should be. More importantly, their attack stat will be far too low come mid-game.
It’s important that players upgrade their weapons not only to increase base attack, but to add skills that build off characters’ play styles. While weapons can be initially leveled up to 20, this can be pushed to 25 and eventually 30 over the course of the story. Raising a weapon’s max level also nets them new seals.
Age of Calamity’s quest system is fairly straightforward, simply requiring players to deliver materials whenever they have enough. While playing through the game naturally should build up a decent stock of material, the many stables littering Hyrule will always be the best bet for restocking materials.
If players have Rupees to spare, it’s never a bad idea to buy more materials. Not only will this mitigate grinding (which is bound to happen come mid-game,) vendors also sell ingredients which can be used in cooking – arguably more essential in AoC than it was in Breath of the Wild.
On that note, it’s always a wise idea to cook before a battle. Where cooking in Breath of the Wild could only be done at fires, players choose what meal they’re going to eat prior to a mission in Age of Calamity. Each meal has its own buff which lasts for the entire mission, with players unlocking more meal slots as they play.
That said, don’t just eat a meal to have eaten. Save ingredients for stages where they’ll really shine. Getting a rare item drop buff doesn’t mean much when a stage only has Moblins. Similarly, it’s not wise to eat a Rupee buff meal for the Coliseum stages.
It’ll be tempting and even a bit fun, but it’s not wise to button mash through Age of Calamity. While getting through the main story won’t be impossible for any button mashers, the side missions will prove to be a serious issue. Lynels are relentless, and Hinox seem designed to bully anyone who keeps button mashing.
Learn combos, take the time to master a character’ skill set and get a feel for their timing. Simply pounding the Y and X buttons is going to result in a gameplay loop that never reaches its full potential. Age of Calamity’s combat is genuinely full of depth, but it won’t be found by just mashing buttons.
Every character has their own Special that’s triggered with the A button when their Special gauge is filled. A well timed Special can be the difference between life and death on higher difficulty modes, staggering mini-bosses or just clearing waves of enemies in a moment’s flash. Instead of just launching out a Special once the gauge is full, change it into full combos. Not only will the Special land harder, the lead-in can easily chip through a boss’ shield, allowing for even greater damage gains.
Unlike the original Hyrule Warriors (and most Dynasty Warriors games,) Age of Calamity doesn’t make full use of unit management. Rather, the focus is primarily on turning Breath of the Wild into an action game where savvy players can get through most any stage with a single character – but not every.
Come Chapter 6, the main story will start throwing swarms of enemies at the player that can only be reliably countered by ordering units to defend strongholds. This goes double for side missions, where several late game missions test how well players can manage a battlefield.
Age of Calamity may be an action game at its core, but it does feature quite a bit of exploration. There’s nothing on the same scale as Breath of the Wild, but all major maps feature Koroks, Treasure Chests, and Easter eggs to find. It’s important to always explore a new stage, seeing everything there is to offer.
Of course, it’s important to do so only when it’s safe. Not only do several missions feature time limits, exploring when strongholds are under attack is basically asking for a game over. Make sure to explore everything, but only after clearing out major enemies and landing on a non-pressing objective.
Don’t just stick to the main story. Age of Calamity isn’t a particularly difficult game, but the leveling balancing will go out of whack should players exclusively play the main narrative. Making the most out of the game requires playing through side missions as they come up, earning new materials and leveling up the party in the process.
Leaving too many side missions untouched results in a weak core group of characters who are bound to struggle during the last few chapters. Worse, players will more or less need to rely on the late-game characters to get them by unless they want to grind all the side missions they’ve left undone.
Rods are a warrior’s best friend, which makes it all the more perplexing that most players don’t use them. Not only do Rods instantly raise a boss’ shield, they can be used to deal serious damage against the correct elementally attuned foes. Fire, Ice, and Thunder Rods go a long way in taking care of some of Age of Calamity’s hardest challenges. A single Rod can be all a player needs to rip through a Guardian or downplay a Lynel’s threat.
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