Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A different kind of challenge run: Minimalist 100%
Part 7 - Vah Rudania
Another part of the series that starts off with an errata section, because the sources I had used to determine what counts for 100% were wrong about a small but important thing:
Originally I was under the impression that only making the icon appear on the map already fully counted for "completion" and I planned to do just that and then leave - like I did for Vah Ruta. In order to get some actual proof for that claim, I booted up my Master Mode file (that has the completion counter unlocked already) and cleared Rudania, but to my surprise, Rudania counted TWICE - just not how I expected it to count.
For shrines, only discovering the shrine and thus making the icon appear on the map is already enough to make it fully count, and I thought the same was true for the Divine Beasts. However, merely discovering Vah Rudania (orange icon) didn't do shit for the counter, whereas activating it (blue/orange mixed icon) and completing it (blue icon) both raised the counter by 0.08% each. Which is basically the complete opposite of how shrines work.
Hoorray for false information floating around the internet ... but hey, that's what this challenge run is all about: to get definite proof for what exactly is mandatory for the awkward in-game counter and what is not.
Personally I don't mind much anyway - since I forgot to uninstall the DLC before starting this challenge run, I was going to have to defeat all Blights sooner or later anyway. If the DLC is included, then the 16 new shrines from the Champion's Ballad also count for completion, and you simply can not start the Champion's Ballad without defeating all 4 Blights first. for this run, it doesn't matter much whether I defeat all 4 Blights before or after going for Ganon, so I might as well just clear them all now.
And now for the actual challenge run:
Of course I was broke - I deliberately got juuuuuuust the exact amount of cash I needed for the Vai Clothes and not a single rupee too much. But in order to survive in Eldin, you need Flame Res, and the armor for that is exclusively sold in Goron City, which you can't reach without burning to death if you only have 3 hearts and no flame res from another source ... I had to buy that elixir. And in order to not waste the trip, I also made sure to have the exact amount of rupees I needed for the 2 cheapest parts of the armor. (600 + 700 = 1,300 rupees)
The rupees were again won by clearing the deer bombing minigame in Hateno first and then completing the footrace a couple of times, but since you've already seen that in another part of the series, I skipped showing off that part. Now that I have cold res I could have also used the Snowling minigame, but I felt like sticking to the stuff I already "unlocked" was more appropiate for this run.
As for that weird random death during the Fireblight fight, I have legit no odea how or why it happened. Link simply dropped dead after the cutscene for no particular reason. If anyone has an idea for why it happened (and how to prevent it) then please tell me.
Additional information:
- There is also a quest in the Southern Mine where you can trade 10 Fireproof Lizards for one piece of the Flamebreaker Armor. Since the 10 Fireproof Lizards are cheaper than the armor you get, it more or less boils down to personal preference - I still opted for cash since I didn't want to "unlock" the description of the lizards and I needed more rupees for the elixir anyway.
- You can cancel being on fire by starting to swing a 2H weapon around, so if you time it correctly, you may be able to reach Goron City without actually taking damage. This however feels like an exploit to me, so I wanted to avoid using it.
- The Vah Rudania Helmet from the Daruk amiibo also offers one level of flame res, but amiibos are forbidden in this playthrough. However, I deliberately used that helmet in the Master Mode playthrough so you can easily see that it was a different run (and of course there is the little triforce icon in the lower left corner). The Flamebreaker Armor chestpiece in that run was from the sidequest.
- I am not 100% sure whether climbing through the hole in the door inside Rudania is a glitch (wonky hitbox?) or an intended solution (the hole IS oval instead of round, suggesting that turning the door by 90 degrees might make something fit that didn't fit before...). If you consider that part a glitch, then you need to obtain at least one regular(!) arrow in order to solve this puzzle. It also might work with a wooden spear, but it does not work with the shock/bomb arrows from the Divine Beasts since those can not hold blue fire.
- The volcano section is the only time and place in the game where you can take a picture of a Sentry. If you missed your chance and you want to complete the Hyrule Compendium, you have to buy the picture from Symin later.
A different kind of challenge run: Minimalist 100%
Part 7 - Vah Rudania
Another part of the series that starts off with an errata section, because the sources I had used to determine what counts for 100% were wrong about a small but important thing:
Originally I was under the impression that only making the icon appear on the map already fully counted for "completion" and I planned to do just that and then leave - like I did for Vah Ruta. In order to get some actual proof for that claim, I booted up my Master Mode file (that has the completion counter unlocked already) and cleared Rudania, but to my surprise, Rudania counted TWICE - just not how I expected it to count.
For shrines, only discovering the shrine and thus making the icon appear on the map is already enough to make it fully count, and I thought the same was true for the Divine Beasts. However, merely discovering Vah Rudania (orange icon) didn't do shit for the counter, whereas activating it (blue/orange mixed icon) and completing it (blue icon) both raised the counter by 0.08% each. Which is basically the complete opposite of how shrines work.
Hoorray for false information floating around the internet ... but hey, that's what this challenge run is all about: to get definite proof for what exactly is mandatory for the awkward in-game counter and what is not.
Personally I don't mind much anyway - since I forgot to uninstall the DLC before starting this challenge run, I was going to have to defeat all Blights sooner or later anyway. If the DLC is included, then the 16 new shrines from the Champion's Ballad also count for completion, and you simply can not start the Champion's Ballad without defeating all 4 Blights first. for this run, it doesn't matter much whether I defeat all 4 Blights before or after going for Ganon, so I might as well just clear them all now.
And now for the actual challenge run:
Of course I was broke - I deliberately got juuuuuuust the exact amount of cash I needed for the Vai Clothes and not a single rupee too much. But in order to survive in Eldin, you need Flame Res, and the armor for that is exclusively sold in Goron City, which you can't reach without burning to death if you only have 3 hearts and no flame res from another source ... I had to buy that elixir. And in order to not waste the trip, I also made sure to have the exact amount of rupees I needed for the 2 cheapest parts of the armor. (600 + 700 = 1,300 rupees)
The rupees were again won by clearing the deer bombing minigame in Hateno first and then completing the footrace a couple of times, but since you've already seen that in another part of the series, I skipped showing off that part. Now that I have cold res I could have also used the Snowling minigame, but I felt like sticking to the stuff I already "unlocked" was more appropiate for this run.
As for that weird random death during the Fireblight fight, I have legit no odea how or why it happened. Link simply dropped dead after the cutscene for no particular reason. If anyone has an idea for why it happened (and how to prevent it) then please tell me.
Additional information:
- There is also a quest in the Southern Mine where you can trade 10 Fireproof Lizards for one piece of the Flamebreaker Armor. Since the 10 Fireproof Lizards are cheaper than the armor you get, it more or less boils down to personal preference - I still opted for cash since I didn't want to "unlock" the description of the lizards and I needed more rupees for the elixir anyway.
- You can cancel being on fire by starting to swing a 2H weapon around, so if you time it correctly, you may be able to reach Goron City without actually taking damage. This however feels like an exploit to me, so I wanted to avoid using it.
- The Vah Rudania Helmet from the Daruk amiibo also offers one level of flame res, but amiibos are forbidden in this playthrough. However, I deliberately used that helmet in the Master Mode playthrough so you can easily see that it was a different run (and of course there is the little triforce icon in the lower left corner). The Flamebreaker Armor chestpiece in that run was from the sidequest.
- I am not 100% sure whether climbing through the hole in the door inside Rudania is a glitch (wonky hitbox?) or an intended solution (the hole IS oval instead of round, suggesting that turning the door by 90 degrees might make something fit that didn't fit before...). If you consider that part a glitch, then you need to obtain at least one regular(!) arrow in order to solve this puzzle. It also might work with a wooden spear, but it does not work with the shock/bomb arrows from the Divine Beasts since those can not hold blue fire.
- The volcano section is the only time and place in the game where you can take a picture of a Sentry. If you missed your chance and you want to complete the Hyrule Compendium, you have to buy the picture from Symin later.
