How to dive in 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild': Tips, tricks, guide and when to do it

Although Hyrule has no shortage of water and even has a water dungeon in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, water is significantly more dangerous than it has been in previous Zelda games where the Zora Armor and Iron Boots gave you free reign over Lake Hylia. If you're curious as to how to how to dive in BOTW, well, the good news is that there is a way to do it, but the bad news is there isn't much reason for you to dive. We'll explain below.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild: How to dive and when it's used

According to IGN, you won't be doing any sort of underwater exploration in Breath of the Wild because the game lacks the dedicated "dive" button that exists in previous 3D Zelda games. If you want to dive, your only option will be to jump off a very high ledge: Link will assume a diving animation, but you won't have any control over it and he'll immediately come back up for air. That's the bad news.

The good news is that you don't really need to dive, since water is much more of a hazard than it was in previous Zelda games. When Link swims, his stamina decreases, and if it depletes entirely while he's in the water, it's an instant game over. So don't expect to be swimming all over Hyrule without a pretty hefty investment in stamina. 

Even the Zora Armor is more helpful for getting out of water than it is for swimming around. The set will allow you to swim up waterfalls like a salmon until you reach the top, at which point you'll launch out of the waterfall like a rocket. This allows you to use Link's paraglider to get back onto dry land and hopefully avoid an untimely end. That's what Link gets for keeping all those weapons, bows and cooking ingredients on his person at all times.

You'll be much better served in water by using your cryonis rune to make temporary platforms you can use to avoid the water altogether, and most chests sitting at the bottom of lakes can be obtained by using your magnesis rune to drag them up from the bottom. 

If you're one of the select few Zelda players who had fond memories of the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time or the swimming mechanics of Twilight Princess, this will probably come as a disappointment. The rest of us however are breathing a pretty heavy sigh of relief.

More Zelda: Breath of the Wild tips, tricks and guides

Find out all there is to know about Zelda: Breath of the Wild, including what to expect from the Wii U version, how to preserve your items, how to beat bosses like the Stone Talus, Lynel, the Guardians and the Hinox, the best recipes for Link, how to take on the game's shrines and our coverage of the game's outfits, like the Climbing Set, the two sets of heat resistance armor you can find and how to dress Link in the classic green tunic. You'll also want to find out where all the great fairies in the game, all available stables, how to use amiibo with your version of Zelda and how to increase your health, stamina and weapon slots.