BOTW is so great but the Hebra region is confusing the crap out of me

[Nabbit]

Will I ever figure out how to open these random doors with shrines behind them? The icy looking doors.

What's the deal with this icy river with a shrine behind a crack in the wall? I searched around for another entrance to no avail.

I'd greatly appreciate a hint about these if anyone remembers them.

Why does my Sheikah sensor fail me so hard in this area ;____; I searched along the northwest ridge up and down the cliffs for ages when the sensor was going off and looked it up for a hint only to find it's accessible some other way.

Did anyone else struggle with this region? I love the relaxed vibes of exploring but this region is confounding me a bit.
Any other points in the game where y'all got confused? I've had to look up hints for a couple shrine quests.

 

[karmitt]

I remember that spot. If I remember correctly there's a very high ledge thats illuminated by torches that you need to glide to (using an updraft?). It's a bit upstream.

Side note - Hebra was my least favorite region. My heroes path tells a very different story there compared to other locations. I spent the least time there by far haha. I appreciated it a lot more on my return in Master Mode, but it was still the least fun to just wander around in

edit: as for the icy door, not sure which you're talking about. There's one that needs to be melted down because it's got a ton of ice infront of it. There's another thats more of a proper massive door that requires you to roll snowballs down a specific path

 

[dr.rocktopus]

Depends which one (sometimes you need to freeze part of the path) but you need to look opposite the door for snowballs to push down the hills to break the door open.

 

[Waxy]

I don't really remember struggling with that area when it came to shrines, I can't remember the area around the shrines, but there was one in the north western part of the area that you had to push a snowball down a hill towards an ice wall. The ball would get big enough to break the ice. It may be one of the ones your thinking of

 

[shiba5]

Will I ever figure out how to open these random doors with shrines behind them? The icy looking doors.

What's the deal with this icy river with a shrine behind a crack in the wall? I searched around for another entrance to no avail.

I'd greatly appreciate a hint about these if anyone remembers them.

Why does my Sheikah sensor fail me so hard in this area ;____; I searched along the northwest ridge up and down the cliffs for ages when the sensor was going off and looked it up for a hint only to find it's accessible some other way.

Did anyone else struggle with this region? I love the relaxed vibes of exploring but this region is confounding me a bit.
Any other points in the game where y'all got confused? I've had to look up hints for a couple shrine quests.

Click to shrink...

If I recall, one you have to roll a snow ball down the hill to break the door, the other you use cryonis in the river to get inside the cave.

 

[LegendofLex]

It's designed to be tough and disorienting to explore given the poorer visibility and extreme verticality, which is DEFINITELY supposed to throw off the Sheikah Sensor.

if you can sense or see a shrine but don't know how to get to it, try climbing higher to look for an alternate way in.

For the giant doors, examine the local terrain and see if there're any environmental clues for how to open them.

 

[Kinsei]

IIRC the doors open by pushing snowballs into them.

Hebra is by far the weakest region in BotW. It reuses a theme far better done on Mount Lanayru in the Hateno region as well as in the Gerudo Highlands, and there's no settlements or interesting landmarks. It just feels like a dumping ground for shrines (it has the most shrines of any region).

At least the shield surfing mini game is fun?

 

[Phendrift]

It's the most boring region in BotW by far yeah

 

[Mr_F_Snowman]

Yeh my least favorite area along with the Gerudo desert. Literally not being able to see really kills my interest in wandering around and exploring it lol I really hope they stray away from these type of encumbrance in BoTW 2

 

[Aether]

I liked it...but if clearly was designd last. Not enough lore and interesting stuff. Could have put some ruins of a lost city and a sidequest there. maybe 2-3 npcs.
As it is: missed potential.

 

[Parthenios]

It needed some sub regions with more visual variety. Compare the southeastern corner of the map and the like seven biomes they have there, versus the northwestern quadrant which is "snow mountains'

 

[Bucéfalo]

Will I ever figure out how to open these random doors with shrines behind them? The icy looking doors.

What's the deal with this icy river with a shrine behind a crack in the wall? I searched around for another entrance to no avail.

I'd greatly appreciate a hint about these if anyone remembers them.

Why does my Sheikah sensor fail me so hard in this area ;____; I searched along the northwest ridge up and down the cliffs for ages when the sensor was going off and looked it up for a hint only to find it's accessible some other way.

Did anyone else struggle with this region? I love the relaxed vibes of exploring but this region is confounding me a bit.
Any other points in the game where y'all got confused? I've had to look up hints for a couple shrine quests.

Click to shrink...

I know what shrine behind the cracked wall your are referring. I never was able myself to solve that puzzle. There are also some big stone doors around there that I could neither open. Anyway, sold my Switch long time ago, what a fantastic game BoTW was.

 

[julia crawford]

I liked getting lost in this section. Or going very slowly from landmark to landmark.

 

[Trode]

The Hebra region is one of my favorite areas in the game. It really feels like going into the wilderness given the complete lack of roads and safe havens. You have to rely on organic paths through the mountains to find all the shrines there and it feels really satisfying making discoveries that no one else in Hyrule has, like you're a turn of the century arctic explorer or something.

 

[Calamari41]

Loved this region, myself. It was the area of the game where I felt most "alone" and lost (when exploring new regions, I didn't allow myself to fast travel or leave until I had made a full shot at exploration). It was a slog to get through but that added to the immersion. By the time I finally made my way back out and started seeing green again, it was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a game since making it back to Firelink Shrine after the long Depths/Blighttown descent in Dark Souls.

Now I want to take another lap around the map.

 

[Nacho]

Oh yeah I rememember that, that was one of my last shrines and it fucking drove me crazy.

 

[Common Knowledge]

I just remember one where you got to roll a snowball down a ramp-like snow structure.

On a side note, I wish Hebra didn't have cloudy, obscuring snow all the time; there's brief moments when the sky clears up and it looks absolutely stunning, especially at night.

 

[PAFenix]

edit: as for the icy door, not sure which you're talking about. There's one that needs to be melted down because it's got a ton of ice infront of it. There's another thats more of a proper massive door that requires you to roll snowballs down a specific path

Click to shrink...

Maaaaaaaaan fuck that snowball rolling path thing lol

 

[Leo]

The icy door just needs a little push from something bigger.

These shrines also gave me a lot of trouble, and I remember the Hebra region being one of the less fun areas to explore.

 

[Valentonis]

Hebra's awesome, the only area in the game that I can say truly felt like a desolate wasteland, though I get that's kinda why some don't care for it. As for the shrine through the crack, I remember you have to get to it from above, that's the best hint I can give.

 

[Neiteio]

IIRC the doors open by pushing snowballs into them.

Hebra is by far the weakest region in BotW. It reuses a theme far better done on Mount Lanayru in the Hateno region as well as in the Gerudo Highlands, and there's no settlements or interesting landmarks. It just feels like a dumping ground for shrines (it has the most shrines of any region).

At least the shield surfing mini game is fun?

Click to shrink...

I used to think this, but after combing it over for korok seeds I found it more varied than I originally realized. A sprawling cave with a leviathan skeleton, a mesa with a stray Guardian, the strange overlapping ice formations in the drifts, the windswept ridge with strong enemies to the north, cozy cabins, an inland lake with boardwalks and rafts, numerous updrafts, the second highest gliding peak (and best snowboarding route), numerous hidden hot springs, the guy with the snowball bowling challenge, and bomb arrow sharpshooting at the Flight Range with Teba and his son. Also, while not technically Hebra, the Tabatha Village Ruins border it on the south right next to Hebra Tower and share its climate. There's also the tundra with its stable, group of Lynels and labyrinth to the east (not sure if this is Hebra proper, but it's snowy and right next to the mountains).

 

[sanstesy]

It's one of my favourites - finding a shrine in the Hebra region feels like finding a needle in a haystack.

When you casually walk through it for the first time it feels like there are only two shrines or so which obviously isn't the case when you realise you still have dozens of shrines left to find after clearing every other region.

 

[Nocturnowl]

Oh my god, the bleeping from the shrine sensor was driving me insane around that giant stone door, I scaled every possible angle bewildered as to where it was.
Needed a guide in the end to solve this one.

The region itself is perhaps overly large for what is a giant mass of snowy wilderness, or maybe that's also exactly why it works.
When you find some of the more distinct landmarks there, it really feels like stumbling upon a hidden hideaway in a desolate land.
And it's a lot stronger area than its snowy neighbour "The Gerudo Highlands" which I feel could've been rolled into Hebra with no big loss to the game.

 

[Neiteio]

Oh my god, the bleeping from the shrine sensor was driving me insane around that giant stone door, I scaled every possible angle bewildered as to where it was.
Needed a guide in the end to solve this one.

The region itself is perhaps overly large for what is a giant mass of snowy wilderness, or maybe that's also exactly why it works.
When you find some of the more distinct landmarks there, it really feels like stumbling upon a hidden hideaway in a desolate land.
And it's a lot stronger area than its snowy neighbour "The Gerudo Highlands" which I feel could've been rolled into Hebra with no big loss to the game.

Click to shrink...

I think each snowy area has its own distinct appeal.

Mount Lanayru is a densely wooded dragon lair overlooking the sea, with a fairly precipitous drop on its northern and eastern flanks, while its western approach is a memorable series of river ravine ruins culminating in a gateway to a lush green field guarded by a Lynel, with a Hinox slumbering in a nearby pond, and then the snowy ascent. You can see Hateno's observatory dwarfed below for added scale. Meanwhile, up top you have a spiral staircase and unique icicle columns rounding the peak.

The Gerudo Highlands are snow-capped mesas, and mostly flat, but there's an extraordinary sense of height -- you're high up in the sky, atop this barrier so steep and colossal that the region on the other side is a completely different terrain and climate (the desert). Finding the sword statue up top, and the heroine statue hidden in the crevice below, and overlooking the greenery of Hyrule on the one side and the desert labyrinth on the other, with a spectacular view at sunrise of the desert wastes and the ocean beyond are among my favorite details here.

Hebra, meanwhile, is where you bundle up for an epic journey. There are so many peaks and valleys and drifts and ridges and ravines and caves and lakes and waterfalls and mesas and more. The place is just as handcrafted as everywhere else, but the terrain is difficult to decipher due to the scale of everything. It is like a world onto itself. There's also the tundra next door.

Edit: Oh, and Mount Hylia -- one of the coldest-looking lakes in the land, and the freshest snow! Or that's how it seems to me, lol. The place atop the Great Plateau that teaches you how to confront the cold.

 

[Nocturnowl]

I think each snowy area has its own distinct appeal.

Mount Lanayru is a densely wooded dragon lair overlooking the sea, with a fairly precipitous drop on its northern and eastern flanks, while its western approach is a memorable series of river ravine ruins culminating in a gateway to a lush green field guarded by a Lynel, with a Hinox slumbering in a nearby pond, and then the snowy ascent. You can see Hateno's observatory dwarfed below for added scale. Meanwhile, up top you have a spiral staircase and unique icicle columns rounding the peak.

The Gerudo Highlands are snow-capped mesas, and mostly flat, but there's an extraordinary sense of height -- you're high up in the sky, atop this barrier so steep and colossal that the region on the other side is a completely different terrain and climate (the desert). Finding the sword statue up top, and the heroine statue hidden in the crevice below, and overlooking the greenery of Hyrule on the one side and the desert labyrinth on the other, with a spectacular view at sunrise of the desert wastes and the ocean beyond are among my favorite details here.

Hebra, meanwhile, is where you bundle up for an epic journey. There are so many peaks and valleys and drifts and ridges and ravines and caves and lakes and waterfalls and mesas and more. The place is just as handcrafted as everywhere else, but the terrain is difficult to decipher due to the scale of everything. It is like a world onto itself. There's also the tundra next door.

Edit: Oh, and Mount Hylia -- one of the coldest-looking lakes in the land, and the freshest snow! Or that's how it seems to me, lol. The place atop the Great Plateau that teaches you how to confront the cold.

Click to shrink...

Mount Lanaryu is like a tasty teaser of what's to come seeing that most players likely travel across its outskirts if they head to the suggested Zora's Domain early on.
I still recall the first instance of me stumbling into the cold of Naydra Snowfield, seeing the temperature drop the deeper I tried to progress before turning back to fight another day, as a side note, that very distinct valley that is Lanaryu Promenade that it connects to is very cool.

Looking at a map, Gerudo Highlands is actually smaller than I remember, perhaps the sheer density due to verticality threw me off, while I could have done with a few more landmarks there outside your mentions and the exit of the Yiga Hideout, it is where I got my best bear pics.

Heck yeah

 

[Neiteio]

Mount Lanaryu is like a tasty teaser of what's to come seeing that most players likely travel across its outskirts if they head to the suggested Zora's Domain early on.
I still recall the first instance of me stumbling into the cold of Naydra Snowfield, seeing the temperature drop the deeper I tried to progress before turning back to fight another day, as a side note, that very distinct valley that is Lanaryu Promenade that it connects to is very cool.

Looking at a map, Gerudo Highlands is actually smaller than I remember, perhaps the sheer density due to verticality threw me off, while I could have done with a few more landmarks there outside your mentions and the exit of the Yiga Hideout, it is where I got my best bear pics.

Heck yeah

Click to shrink...

That "cool bears don't look at explosions" screen is HELLA BADASS

 

[blame space]

the dragon in this region is straight up magical

 

[Neiteio]

the dragon in this region is straight up magical

Click to shrink...

I think you're actually talking about Lanayru to the east, where you free the blue dragon covered in malice. Although an equally beautiful dragon -- the fiery red one, Dinraal -- is out west toward Hebra (albeit it tends to fly more around Tabantha; as an aside, it can also be found north of Death Mountain!).

 

[Nabbit]

Well, reading the wonderful posts by Neiteio and Nocturnowl certainly cheered up my chilly Hebra reception. Thanks all for the tips and insights.

 

[Nabbit]

Okay thanks to the tips ITT I found the cave for the shrine by the lake. Not sure how I missed that opening, I guess just the poor visibility in the area. I even had to look up step-by-step instructions online, lol. Onward and skyward!