After completing the Suthorn Ruins at the beginning of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomyou must choose between heading to one of two locations to tackle several Rifts that have opened up – the Gerudo Desert to the west or the Jabul Waters to the north.
The two areas have some big differences, the main two being the difficulty and the distance you'll have to travel to get there. This guide explains some basic advantages of each zone, including a particularly useful Echo that you can only get in each zone, to help players decide where to go first after completing the intro section: Gerudo Desert or Jabul Waters.
Gerudo desert and Jabul waters in echoes of wisdom
Jabul Waters is relatively easy but distant
- Highlight: Water Block Echo
Jabul Waters is the first area Zora can access Zelda Echoes of wisdom. It is an area that is home to two Zora Tribes – Zora River and Zora Ocean – and lately the great spirit Lord Jabu-Jabu has gone mad, apparently caused by the appearance of nearby Rifts.
Between the Jabul waters and the Gerudo desert, Zora's domain is a bit easier and the enemies tend not to be as tedious to deal with. There are some notable annoying enemies, but for the most part, it's a cool ocean adventure with great scenery (including a Galleon-style ship) and one of the best Echoes: Water Block.
This simple Echo only costs one Tri Power and essentially creates a cube of water in the air that Zelda can swim through. It blocks enemies, puts out fires, and can be used to reach hard-to-reach areas that would normally be inaccessible.
Gerudo Desert is close to Suthorn Forest, but more difficult
- Highlight: Flying Tile Echo
When prompted to choose between going to the Gerudo or Zora dungeon first Echoes of wisdomyou'll probably immediately notice that the Gerudo Desert is a stone's throw to the west, while the Jabul Water is located much further north. This might lead you to believe that the Gerudo Desert is the easier of the two, being the area in the more linear path.
The Gerudo Desert is actually harder to get through than the Jabul Waters due to the tougher enemy types and the map distortion effect that occurs when you are in the sandstorm. But, if you don't mind a bit of an early game challenge, going to the Gerudo desert first is the faster route. After you're done here, you can head to Jabul Waters, which is right next to Hyrule Castle for the next part of the main story.
Another reason to brave the sands and head into the Gerudo Desert early is to get the Flying Tile Echo. Like the Water Block Echo, the Flying Tile can be used to reach areas that would normally be difficult to reach or completely inaccessible. Just summon the Flying Tile, jump on it and it should start flying in the direction you were when it was summoned.
So should you go to the Gerudo Desert or the Jabul Waters first?
The choice between going to the Gerudo Desert or the Jabul Waters first Echoes of wisdom indeed is reduced to the desired difficulty level at this early stage of the game. Thanks to the game's fast travel system, waypoints make the distance factor between the two areas fairly negligible, though it's still a factor for players who want to finish. Echoes of wisdom rapid.
Finally, if you want to save a little time in the long run and don't mind facing tougher enemies with fewer heart containers, head west to the Gerudo Desert first.
If you want the easier of the two routes, but don't mind venturing a bit, consider heading north to Jabul Waters first, then fast-traveling back to the Gerudo Desert entrance once you've gotten a few more . Echoes and heart vessels.
