I think it's important to remember that the Ancient Hero's Aspect is just that, an aspect of the hero that Link equips. It may be no more accurate to the "real" Ancient Hero than Zora Link was to Mikau, for example. If Nintendo ever decides to depict the Ancient Hero in the flesh, they could look very different - I personally suspect they'd be taller, with different proportions, and actually blinking and emoting instead of having an uncanny static face. (Seriously, that still freaks me out...)

That said, the Aspect itself does look closer to a Zonai than any other race we've seen so far, with the dark metallic skintone, long snout, large ears, armor and bodypaint. The only other race they could reasonably be is the unnamed Depths race (though their statues don't have tails); since that race interacted with the Zonai, it would still make some sense for the hero to have Zonai armor. The lack of horns, digitigrade legs, and long tail are outliers for a Zonai, but given that we've only seen two of the species, it's possible that their appearances varied. And Rauru and Mineru may even have had vestigial tails, for all we know.

So, if the Ancient Hero was a Zonai, how could they suddenly appear during the Calamity after Rauru and Mineru were gone? There are many possibilities: time travel, some kind of stasis (like BotW Link who slept for 100 years) that led to them being forgotten and then rediscovered, or possibly there was a lost colony of Zonai that nobody knew of, living out in the wilderness. I dunno, Zelda lore has had wilder moments. But we'll probably never know if they were actually a Zonai and where they came from, unless we ever get a game about the Ancient Calamity.

It honestly sounds like you might be burned out on the game, and taking a break or slower pace might alter your perspective. A couple months is really fast to achieve your level of progress (seriously, 100 shrines? that's quite the grind), and playing the same game every day can overwhelm anyone and get them to just want it over with.

That said, I'll do my best as an admittedly biased BoTW lover to respond to your points.

• "It's the emptiest open world game I've played; for instance even Wind Waker which isn't an open world game at all felt like it had more interesting things to discover."

Wind Waker, for all its strengths, certainly didn't have more in its world than this game. Whether it's more interesting is up to personal opinion, of course. I personally never thought of BotW as empty. Even running or riding through an open field, there are usually animals and plants for resources everywhere, monster camps and riders or even a miniboss, Korok puzzles and a shrine or two hidden away, probably a Guardian lurking over the hill, and always farther points of interest to draw your attention and keep the drive to explore going. And then the field itself changes to more varied terrain, providing a challenge to movement and new vantage points, until you stumble across a vista that's so unexpectedly beautiful it makes you just sit back and stare and think about life for a moment... and then it starts raining, and life goes on. (That last bit is just my experience, though; you may not be in it for the sunsets, and that's okay.)

• "Side quests are all very basic with rewards that aren't really worth it."

This is subjective of course, but I found quite a few of the side quests to be very engaging. Hylian Homeowner and From the Ground Up are obvious ones, but the Kakariko and Gerudo Town side quest chains, A Wife Washed Away, Eighth Heroine, Korok Trials, and Leviathan Bones, just to name a few, stand out in my memory for the journeys and yes, for most of them, the rewards too. For the many shorter quests, just requiring a few items or a simple task, the rewards of rupees or food generally seem proportionate to the effort. And this isn't even counting shrine quests, which can be complex in their own right, and all have a substantial reward of a spirit orb and chest at the end. Kass's shrine quest chain is probably the most narratively satisfying in the game.

• "NPCs and the story have less depth than in both other open world games and previous Zelda games."

Objectively, the NPCs are standard Zelda fare. The story is actually one of my favorite aspects of the game for how it's tied between the past and present worlds, showing the struggles of the Champions and ordinary people alike in the memories, stories, and ruins left behind. Zelda herself has more character development than anywhere else in the series, and the Champions and King are just as memorable as OoT's Sages. The themes of technology and belief, humanity and nature, and a kingdom's hubris-led downfall and rebirth are thoughtful and cohesive, and really speak to me as a writer. At the risk of sounding pretentious, there's so much story hidden in the world itself, you just have to be willing to look for it.

• "I missed the traditional Zelda items and didn't really feel like the runes and weapon system were a worthy replacement."

The thing is, traditional Zelda items were built into the system of gated progression that those games had, and just wouldn't work for an open world game where the hook is that you can go anywhere; that's why you're given the runes, your most important items, all at the start. I do think it's possible to refine the system to include more classic item-based progression (though TotK didn't take that approach, EoW looks like it could potentially find a middle ground between the old and new), but the flexible approach taken with the Champion abilities, weapons and armor, works to the strengths of BotW's world layout and core gameplay.

For the reasons you didn't enjoy BotW, it doesn't sound like TotK will be more to your liking. The story is less sparse and more exciting, but far more surface level and head-scratchingly illogical at times. There's even more visible repetitiveness in the game world, with building materials, Addison signs, and random debris copy-pasted everywhere... not to mention the two new biomes (three if you count caves), which are interesting at first, but quickly turn out to be the same few things, over and over. The sidequests are more of the same; though some of them have more visible impact on the world like Tarrey Town, a frustrating few have recycled BoTW DLC armor as rewards for a ton of effort and buildup. There are a few more colorful NPCs as well, but after 250 or so hours I can safely say it's quantity over quality most of the time.

After the sand shroud is cleared, and possibly some other quest triggers, you can actually find a Goron who is trying to get in the main gate, saying that he heard a buddy was able to visit, but he's being repelled by a guard who states they aren't allowed in.

Differences between EoW and OoT Link include, but are not limited to: side instead of center parted hair, downfall striped hat, brown sleeves instead of white, and no collar or gauntlets. These are all things that could easily be changed within the constraints of the artstyle if he was intended to be the Hero of Time. As it stands, he's literally just the LA remake link with a new hooded cloak. I'm not buying that the devs would be that lazy.

TFH Link actually looks more similar to the ALbW Link he's supposed to be, with light green sleeves instead of brown as the only difference that can't be chalked up to the simplified artstyle. And he may not have even been intended to be the same hero; the games were pretty much linked as an afterthought for the timeline, as far as I can tell. Feel free to correct me, though.

Okay, first of all, this Link looks absolutely nothing like OoT Link?? There's no reason for Nintendo to retcon one of their most iconic character's appearances, and every reason for them not to. Ganon also has a completely different design, and wields a trident instead of dual swords. Even the castle setting is different.

Zelda does look similar to OoT Zelda, but even she has some subtle differences. And if she were the same character, you'd think there would be some reference to her being Sheik. Not to mention the Deku Tree being fully grown and alive, and all the other world elements we've seen... Seriously, there's just no way EoW is supposed to be a direct sequel to the "bad ending" of OoT. The details don't fit at all.

The rule is actually just "no men", and presumably Gorons are sexless, since they grow from the earth instead of reproducing. They do present as masculine, which may be why they aren't allowed in anymore during TotK.

Naboris, Medoh, Ruta, Rudania.

I was originally trying to get to Medoh, because it had caught my attention all the way from the plateau, but got sidetracked and ended up in the Gerudo canyon. After an epic trek across the lizal infested cliffs, I reached the stable and decided to head into the desert instead, and quickly got hooked on the thunder helm questline. The divine beast turning mechanic was a headache and a half, and Thunderblight took a dozen or so attempts to beat, but I was a stubborn mf, and cooking a full inventory of food beforehand helped make up for my lack of armor upgrades and combat experience. The other divine beasts were definitely a cakewalk in comparison, haha.

Unequip weapon, crouch on left side of doggo, press y button. If angled right, Link will appear to pet the dog. Wait for the good boi to sparkle for maximum effect. :)

Sure thing :)

Link: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D44343526/
Zelda: https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D22619547/

Thanks, any suggestions for the faces? The new face customizer has taken a lot of trial and error so far, I've tried to play it safe but they do look a bit bland.

Your clones are very impressive, you must be very proud

If you have an Imperial character, the Yavin and Citadel Boltblaster/Demolisher sets from SoR will show up on them identical to the Remnant Yavin Bounty Hunter set from Alliance crates. There are usually some pieces of the Yavin set up for sale on the GTN, and the Citadel set can be bought from a vendor on Ziost for the area currency.

The similarities occurred to me too, especially given how luminous ore deposits were prominently featured in the original BotW sequel teaser. Plus, soul energy being an intrinsic part of Zonai magitek is nicely unsettling and melancholic, and fits their mysterious, ancient vibes well, in my opinion.

So, here's my headcanon: Zonaite is actually luminous stone which has been altered over millenia of crushing geological pressure, like real-world metamorphic rock. This explains both its folded, marbled appearance compared to luminous stone, and its presence deep underground. The process eventually distilled the soul essence from luminous stone deposits into a powerful magical energy source. When discovered and mined by Zonai tribes from the surface, this ore became known as Zonaite, and led to the ascent of their civilization - literally - as they developed ways to harness its properties for mass and energy conversion, antigravity, and more. And as you said, its nature as remnants of the dead, in the end, could have led to the downfall of the Zonai themselves.

But hey, that's just a theory...

I have read and agree to follow the subreddit rules

I'm guessing the bush was a potted plant attached to a trapdoor to disguise it. Link just pulled it up and threw it away because he's extra

Now that's badass! Is the name a reference to infamous space pirate Captain Harlock, by any chance?

A new Zelda will be born? from who? At that point the entire royal family would be dead, lmao

The slate has been completely redesigned, though - why would they bother to do that if it wouldn't be used in the game?

Could the song you're looking for be Stamp on the Ground, by Italobrothers? The song is in English but the artist name might have influenced your memory. I know it was in a popular animation on DeviantArt back in the day. Plus, the music video matches your description pretty well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcVU5cGUNE

(If you're wondering how I found this old post, I was looking for Stamp on the Ground based on a vague memory, searching for posts about music videos with flooding, and your description helped me remember it again - so thank you for that. Hope this is helpful if you haven't solved it yet :)

Cephalopods are amazing! I also particularly love birds of all kinds, especially corvids such as crows and ravens; they're beautiful and fascinatingly intelligent animals.

INTP here and I also love doing homework!! cant believe we are so similar omg

That feeling when a meme is too relatable...

Okay but seriously does anyone know of a way to fix this state of mind? I could really use advice right now lol

🎵 The Suction Cup Hylian is comin' round, his sucking powers have no bounds

Lynel weapons and Korok shit, he's pretty hot you must admit

Don't try to test his sucking power, he'll climb your Sheikah tower in just an hour

Ganon can't kill him, he's way too cool; he's smudging up Hyrule Castle's windows, fool!

A Crenel Bean?