Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Divine Beast Vah Rudania Dungeon guide

It's time to tackle your second Breath of the Wild Dungeon, this giant mechanical fire lizard Vah Rudania.

After the ordeal of that bloody stealth segment, you part ways with your wayward and cowardly Goron friend (he's no Darunia, but he's okay) and glide down to the surface of Divine Beast Vah Rudania's back. How is it that the paraglider didn't dissolve in flames? Ah, forget it. Remember that while the inside of this dungeon is apparently air conditioned, you'll need to chug an elixir or equip anti-fire gear any time you step onto the outside of the beast.

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The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Walkthrough – Main Quest: Divine Beast Vah Rudania Dungeon

Anyway. We've made it. In Zelda tradition this is the closest thing in Breath of the Wild to a dungeon or temple, though this is still a very different beast indeed. There are similarities, however: there's a series of puzzles and an overall dungeon theme. For Vah Rudania, the theme is basically the closest we get to a fire temple in Breath of the Wild.

Your first task in the divine beast Vah Rudania section is to grab the map. Once you've done that you'll have access to a 3D view of the whole dungeon and will then be tasked with activating 5 different terminals scattered throughout Vah Rudania. The dungeon layout is quite open and doesn't feature many doors, so the challenge instead comes from lateral thinking and figuring out how to get to terminals in a more organic way than simply having to 'unlock the door'.

Once you get access to the map you’ll also be able to make Divine Beast Vah Rudania move its body from a flat position to an on-its-side position, which reorients your perspective inside - basically, there are two different surfaces in this dungeon that can be the floor at any given time. It sounds complex, but it's not that bad. First thing's first, though... the map!

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Getting a Map

Once the little chat with the champion is over and you have control of Link, head on through the door in front of you. The lights go out. Great - you're now in pitch darkness. For the record, inside the Divine Beast Vah Rudania is a lower temperature, so you can change to non-fire resistant gear if you want.

Take out the Ganon corruption in front of you - one eye on the left, one eye on the right. You should be able to see the eyes in the darkness, glowing dimly. Shoot 'em. Grab the chest from where the left corruption was, then the chest from where the right corruption was.

If you didn't come prepared for darkness (and I sure didn't), these chests are vital. One contains a torch with a longer durability than average (just don't waste that durability using it as melee) while the other contains a wooden club that, likewise, is flammable. Do not throw these away until they break or the dungeon is complete. You'll need them even when things brighten up.

Light one of the two on one of the blue torches at the start. In the right corner of the room there's another lantern. Light it and a door will slide open.

On the other side of the door there's a guardian. It's weak, but it fires ranged attacks. Kite around it and smash it.

Glowing in the dark you'll be able to see Ganon's corruption, complete with two eyes for two separate lots. Shoot them both.

In the left hand corner of the room you'll find another lantern and a chest - once again, go back and light your torch and come back to light it. The door that lantern opens will give you the map. This beast, we learn, can turn 90 degrees back and forth.

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Terminal 1

You can now see fully with the windows open. Look on the left as you leave the map room - you'll see an alcove and more Ganon Corruption. Shoot the eye here to get access to two chests with a supply of arrows. We need some arrows in this place.

In this same alcove, take cover behind the small outcropping in it. This is our path to our first terminal. See the terminal on the other side of the room, facing towards you but on the wall? It's on top of that oval platform on the other side of the room.

Well... standing here, open your map and flip Rudania 90 degrees. The room will turn, but the outcropping will let you maintain position. When the movement is done, you'll nearly be on the ceiling. Jump off and paraglide gently down to the terminal and activate it. One down, four to go.

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Terminal 2

Jump off to the right of where the terminal is and remain on this floor of Vah Rudania. There's an enormous ramp. Follow it up, taking out the two Ganon corruption eyes as you go.

Once at the top and past the entrance way that was blocked by corruption, tilt Vah Rudania back again 90 degrees. It should be laying flat again now. Climb up the ladder in front of you. We're now on Divine Beast Vah Rudania's back. Out here you need to worry about the heat once more.

Climb up. There's a lantern here. Ignore it for now - climb the other side of the fence-like ring and wait here - now again turn the divine beast Vah Rudania 90 degrees, so it's sideways. Now you can walk along the spiked scales on its back. Up here there's a chest on one of the back scales.

Grab the chest and then because there's no way to climb back up flip the beast again so it's laying flat once more. You'll now be atop the spike that runs across its back.

Face towards the head of the creature and you'll see our next terminal, surrounded with corruption. Look to the left side of Vah Rudania and you'll see the eye, high on the spike. Take it out, then go get that terminal. Two down!

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Terminal 3

Before we fully move on, turn around from terminal 3 and follow Vah Rudania's spine right down to its tail. There's a chest down there with some minor optional loot if you want to detour to grab it.

Turn around and walk back from there and you're back at the entrance. Head back down to the main chamber, the one that was initially pitch black.

On your right is a door. The doors are metal and can be lifted with magnesis, but the door is barred with wood and overgrown with leaves. Wood burns.

If you have fire arrows and are lazy, fire one at the leaves and watch it all burn. If you don't, head outside and equip either the torch or the wooden club. The heat outside Vah Rudania is such that they immediately are set on fire, so you can then carry them down, still burning, and throw them at the leaves with R.

Unbarred, open the iron doors with magnesis. They push, not pull, for the record. Don't be the idiot that tries to pull them (this, I'm afraid to say, was me).

Behind the door is Terminal 3. Halfway through our journey through Divine Beast Vah Rudania!

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Terminal 4

Just behind terminal 3 are more leaves. If you want some extra loot, burn these to have another chest of optional gear drop down into the body of the beast.

Now! To the rear. To get there, you need to take out your bow and go stand next to one of the blue lanterns at the entrance. If you've a normal arrow equipped, it'll catch fire. You can also go outside Vah Rudania to achieve this.

Take that arrow across to the door on the right (when facing the tail) of the lanterns. Fire through the hole in the door to light the lantern the other side. The door will open. Go on in.

Up on the ceiling in the end of this new room are more leaves. You know what to do: use the nearby lantern or fire arrows and burn 'em up! Don't stand underneath this one, as a massive metal box drops from the ceiling when you do and if it lands on you it'll hurt and if you're low on health could even kill.

You can use the newly acquired metal box to block the flames, but you have no way to climb the box. But... ah. Stand in a safe place and flip divine beast Vah Rudania once again.

Now you can use the box to block the flames and walk past them. Do that, then flip the beast once more so it lays flat in order to use the terminal.

Inside Divine Beast Vah Rudania: Terminal 5

Back out in the hall, light that extra-durability torch you got earlier (or the club if you somehow lost the torch) on one of the flames at the entrance. Now head up the entrance and onto Rudania's back. Go to the 'safe' side of the Rudiana when you rotate it. If you're unsure of which side is safe, check your map.

Get into a position where when you rotate you'll be able to walk along Vah Rudania's stone spine, then order the beast to turn so it's on its side. Walk right the way from one end of the creature to the other. Remember you can't run without extinguishing this flame, so just be calm.

Remember that torch from earlier, on the way to terminal 2? We need to light it. Get there - up on Vah Rudania's back towards its head - and then light the torch.

A gate will open and a ball will be freed. Flip the beast as necessary, following the ball in its track right the way down to the main room - it ends up in alcove opposite the big metal doors and the door to the tail.

Here, when the beast is on its side you must use Magnesis to push the block in the way up; this will free the ball, and the ball will then fall into the hole. This opens the final door, behind which you'll find Terminal 5.

Finally, head back on up to divine beast Vah Rudania's back once again. The main terminal is up there and is waiting for you...

Boss: Fireblight Ganon

Fireblight Ganon is a relatively easy boss, but it does come with three distinct phases and one in particular ate up life and threw me for a while.

For the first phase of this boss, simply attack. Fireblight Ganon has an enormous sword, but the good news is that he's fairly sluggish moving and you have a big battlefield to work with.

I found if I got in up-close and personal he was easy enough to handle for his first phase: just get in and go wild, though as always I recommend using a one-handed weapon so you can raise your shield at a moment's notice.

In his second phase he floats between the four corners of the battlefield (Vah Rudania's four legs) and enters a huge fireball. He's invincible here - ice arrows don't work, you can't attack him, and if you leave him to his devices he fires a huge fireball at you and then starts over. This is the phase that threw me.

Well, here's a clue: think about another Zelda dungeon on Death Mountain. How did you beat its boss?

Bombs. When in the fireball, Fireblight Ganon sucks in energy (and indeed, fire) from all around the area. Toss a bomb at him while he's doing this. He'll swallow the bomb, and you can then use that to get in up close and personal once again.

The final phase of this boss features him laser targeting you like guardians. Run and dodge to avoid, then when you can get in close and deal massive damage quickly. Before you know what's happened, the fight is over.

For restoring control of Vah Rudania you'll be awarded with Daruk's Protection, a very handy little power that powers up your shielding three attacks at a time for a period. You saw this in use on the way to the dungeon.