The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild player makes a 2.6 kilometer shot from the Great Plateau to an enemy near Hyrule Castle

Publication date of the original Japanese article: 2021-09-22 14:00 (JST)
Translated by. Nick Mosier

A The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild player by the name of YukinoSan has managed to successfully hit a 2.6 kilometer (0.99 mile) shot in the game. This is the same YukinoSan that previously shot Dark Beast Ganon with an arrow from the Great Plateau. The latest challenge shot was a miracle made possible by the accumulation of knowledge thanks to extensive research on the game carried out by numerous players.

YukinoSan’s challenge was to shoot an arrow from the Great Plateau, the starting area of the game, and hit a flying Guardian patrolling Hyrule Castle where the final showdown takes place. Link’s arrow twinkled like a shooting star as it sailed across Hyrule before making a direct hit on the flying Guardian. YukinoSan referred to the shot as a hole in one as it hit the Guardian’s weak point.

There’s fierce competition in the challenge shot world of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Previously, a Twitter user by the name of Zeldaneko managed to shoot a Guardian from 1.4 kilometers away and capture the moment it hit on video (related article). Inspired by the shot, YukinoSan took on the 2.6 kilometer challenge.

But up to this point, 2.6 kilometers was considered a very difficult shot. Not only is there the challenge of actually hitting the target, but it’s outside the draw distance of an arrow. In other words, to make a shot past that fixed distance, Link has to follow behind the launched arrow.

To pull off the previously mentioned 1.4 kilometer shot, Zeldaneko made use of a glitch called Bullet Time Bounce (BTB) to follow the arrow. The BTB glitch requires having Link shield surf off the top of an enemy’s head. Players must draw their bow in midair and fall towards an enemy’s back while in the slow motion state. If the player rides the shield and hits the enemy just right, Link will be launched at incredible speeds. Zeldaneko was able to use this technique to follow their arrow and capture when the 1.4 kilometer shot hit its mark.

However, following an arrow using BTB is extremely difficult. BTB has always been a glitch that’s tough to control. Be in a location where there’s an enemy, properly bounce off of the enemy from the correct angle, and if you can’t keep flying at a certain speed, you won’t be able to follow the arrow. It requires careful aim and accurate execution of the BTB glitch. By miraculously pulling off these difficult feats, Zeldaneko was able to hit the 1.4 kilometer shot.

Some time later, a new technique called the Bow Lift Smuggling Slide (BLSS) was discovered, and with it came new possibilities for long range shot challenges. A player by the name of LegendofLinkk figured out the technique that uses a bug discovered by Pirikanten called Bow Lift Smuggling. For more information on this bug that let’s players soar through the sky, please check this related article.

Among the various glitches that players can use to fly, this new technique is getting attention because it doesn’t have conditions like a certain location or enemy be around, and it allows for speed and directional control. With the new BLSS technique came changes in the long range shooting scene.

And it was by using this BLSS technique that YukinoSan was able to successfully nail the 2.6 kilometer shot. According to YukinoSan, it took time to get the hang of BLSS in the preparation stages, but once flying, it’s easy to adjust speed and direction which made following the arrow over 2.6 kilometers possible. Depending on the item you’re holding, flight characteristics change, and it sounds like steadier flight is possible if holding a jar.

YukinoSan also said that the position of the flying Guardian changes depending on the timing in which it loads, so even with careful aim, it’s hard to hit. But at least with BLSS, the problem of following the arrow was made easier. But having said that, it did require 5 hours to complete the challenge.

BLSS is a practical technique born from the research of many champions of Hyrule. While the technique simply allows Link to fly through the sky, it’s interesting to see it applied elsewhere like making long shots easier. You could say it’s Breath of the Wild-like how various small aspects are used in other elements of the game.

Lastly, YukinoSan suspects that if shot from high ground, it might be possible to hit a target up to 4 kilometers away in total distance. It’s been 4 years since The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launched and there’s still research being done and new discoveries being made. With the fan’s seemingly unending passion for the game, it seems like more surprising discoveries are still on the horizon.

[Update 2021/09/23 19:44 JST] fixed the explanation in the last paragraph.