Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom – Should You Go To Eldin Volcano, Faron Wetlands, Or Holy Mount Lanayru First?

After clearing the first few areas of , the game offers three new choices for the next primary destination. Rifts have appeared in Eldin Volcano, Faron Wetlands, and Holy Mount Lanayru, which are respectively to the northwest, north, and southeast of Hyrule Castle. There's nothing stopping Zelda from tackling any of them first, so it comes down to a question of the optimal approach.

Choosing between Eldin Volcano, Faron Wetlands, and Holy Mount Lanayru is similar to the earlier coin flip between Gerudo Desert and Jabul Waters, but with three options, it can be an even more intimidating decision. All three areas also up the level of challenge and house lengthy quest lines and significant dungeon sprawls, so it's something of a commitment regardless of which one is picked.

Heading to Eldin Volcano in quite literally turns up the heat, with a surplus of lava, searing-hot surfaces, and fiery enemies to encounter. The Goron civilization can also be found there, and a young leader struggling to fill his father's shoes serves as a key character for Zelda to interact with.

Zelda games have never been afraid of trying new things, but it seems that this small detail helps make the best games in the series great.

Most of the standout echoes found in Eldin Volcano focus on fire, and heading to the region first gives Zelda more to work with than the Ignizol that does the heavy lifting for lighting things aflame in the early game. The Torch Slug and Fire Keese are both fun to use, and the Fire Wizzrobe is an especially powerful attack option once Zelda's has five triangle points to work with (which may not happen until completing the region if she tackles it first).

Even better, the flying Zirro tosses out bombs, opening up another option besides dropping a bombfish to flop around on land. Later in the Eldin region, Zelda can unlock bombs for the swordfighter form, giving her the ability to toss them out in traditional fashion or deploy them as Bombchus.

Turning back around to