20 tips and tricks to help you master Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment

On November 6th, the Nintendo launched exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2, Hyrule Warriors: Age of ImprisonmentThe game is the third in the sub-series. Warriors themed of The Legend of ZeldaThe first game follows a direct storyline from the main game. Age of calamity recounted the events preceding Breath of the Wild, Age of Imprisonment follows Princess Zelda in a parallel story to Tears of the Kingdom, showing what happened when she traveled through time and ended up in hyruleYour goal is to navigate through an ancient, largely unexplored land, defeating hordes of enemies. To achieve this, here are 20 gameplay tips in... Hyrule Warriors to be able to overcome these challenges.

Understand completely how battles work.

Hyrule Warriors (or any game in the series) WarriorsThis game operates on a system we can call "paper enemies." A horde of hundreds of puppets will attack a single character, but its advantage is that they are easy to defeat, so your goal is always to attack as many enemies as possible in a single blow. It's more of a crowd control game than a 1v1 combat game. Due to this simplicity in gameplay, it's possible to reach the end by simply mashing attack buttons randomly. But it will be even more fun and rewarding if you really know what you're doing.

The game features two standard attack moves: Y for light blows e X for heavy punches...and can combine the two in different patterns. But there are a number of special moves that can be used to speed up and facilitate more costly battles.

Holding down the R button opens the special menu.It's important to note that the attack window is small with these moves. Time stops briefly, but if you don't choose your move quickly, the enemies will continue attacking, so it's important to understand the location and function of each one. Plus, of course, they're customizable for the first time in the series.

Study the enemy's movements.

Musou It's not chaos. It looks like chaos, but it's a succession of organized movements whose main objective is to destabilize your character and gradually drain their life/energy. The enemies have a pattern of attacks that repeat themselves, and it is in these openings that you will execute yours.

Some jump, others roll, spin their weapons towards you, fire projectiles. It's after these moments that they will become vulnerable, and you'll have the chance to inflict more damage while attacking.

Choose a difficulty level that suits your gameplay.

One of the tips of Hyrule Warriors and it works for all the games you have. The game has difficulty levels that vary from "No enemy can touch me" ao "Now you're the one who's made of paper."And it's possible to choose which character to play in each mission, or even play through all the difficulties of all the game's stages.

Ideally, you should start easy and, as your arsenal and power grow, challenge yourself with more challenging modes. Many times, battles will require technique to win, and that's a good way to test everything you've learned.

Pay attention to the game instructions.

Is this your first time playing this type of game? Don't worry. Hyrule Warriors It will always give you an instruction, and most of the time it will pause time for a fraction of a second so that you can execute it. The game will literally tell you which button to press, and you just need to follow the command and gradually learn each of its mechanics.

Then, simply repeat it whenever the same situation arises.

Pay close attention to the scene.

Koroks are scattered across the map, and after playing for a while, you can unlock a radar that shows which maps hide Ruri's adorable helpers. But until that happens, keep an eye out for indicators of their location, which are the same ones seen in previous games. Breath of the Wild e Tears of the Kingdom.

The seeds will be useful later on.

Discover the new Zonai Devices feature.

Since it is a derivative of Tears of the KingdomThey couldn't help but use new game features to enhance the characters' attacks. Age of ImprisonmentAnd the big novelty of this musou, compared to the others, is the use of zonai devices like special moves.

The flamethrower, ice launcher, timer bomb, and others can be equipped with customizable buttons to function as powerful attacks, more so than any other you might have. But of course, they run on zonal batteries, which discharge even faster than in [previous batteries]. Tears, but it can be found in boxes and chests scattered throughout the environment.

Pay attention to your battery limit and make the most of your special moves; it's never worth saving money and power in a game. musou.

Utilize and strengthen the charged strike.

In addition to special attacks, every character has a charged attack, which is activated with the A button and indicated by a small golden bar just below the hearts.

When the bar is full, use the attack immediately.There's no need to save it for a specific moment or enemy, as it charges up fairly quickly as you use standard attacks. It tends to deal significant damage to strong enemies and increase the charge count. KOs significantly against weak enemies.

You can get additional bars of charged hit by following the next tip.

Complete item requests to increase your characters' health and power.

the map of Hyrule Warriors It consists of golden points of interest. The points that have drawings of the characters you have already unlocked are used to offer items collected in battles in exchange for improvements, such as hearts, extra combos, and an increase in the charged attack bar.

Collect many items.

This task complements the previous tip. It's important that you collect as many items as possible during battles, destroying boxes, opening chests, and completing missions. These items will be necessary to unlock the powers and special attacks mentioned earlier.

Diversify the characters.

It's normal to have a favorite doll in a musouUltimately, there are always many to choose from, and we end up adapting to the gameplay of one or another.

But the game often forces you to complete missions with specific characters so you can experience a bit of each one and understand their unique mechanics. Therefore, it's good to get used to all of them and use the one that best suits certain battles. This way you can get through some maps more easily if you notice your favorite is struggling to defeat a particular enemy. There's no problem in leaving them aside for a while, and you might even end up becoming attached to another one unexpectedly.

Discover the best character and weapon combination.

In addition to diversifying the characters, it's even more important to link them to the right weapons. The arsenal is diverse and features an upgrade system that increases the power of each weapon. Characters don't share weapons; each has their own defined set, which helps when making the combination that will help you complete the most difficult missions. New weapons with new powers are unlocked as you complete missions.

Study the map and manage your time.

Hyrule Warriors It's a time management game, just like in... PikminEven though the vast majority of missions aren't focused on racing against the clock, it's there, counting down the minutes and seconds in the background.

It's important to manage your team and send them to opposite ends of the map while you defeat an enemy or complete a sub-mission in your current area. When the character arrives at their destination, simply switch which one you're controlling, allowing you to traverse the map without having to run from north to south against the clock.

Replay the missions

Repetition is the key word of a musouEspecially since the game has a considerably smaller number of maps than missions. So it will throw you into repetitive environments anyway.

But it's crucial that you go back to redo the missions. To complete markings that were left aside, to look for the Koroks...to collect items needed to unlock new powers for some characters. There are many reasons to return. But the main one is simply because it's fun to keep beating up enemies who are now much weaker than you.

Look for the campsites.

Age of Imprisonment brought a new feature to the musous In Zelda, there are camps. In them, you can replenish your team's energy and place items that will upgrade them, making them stronger and more useful.

You increase the attributes of the camps, allowing them to provide you with energy boosts for some of the more costly battles. It's a very useful resource when used correctly. Pay attention to what is requested, and you can transform each camp into a control point that will greatly help you in battles.

Complete the Aside Quests

Aside Quests These aren't necessarily side missions from the game, but rather requests the game will make with conditions for you to complete the missions and gain extra powers and resources by completing them. Pay attention to what is asked and try to complete it while completing a map. If you can't, try again. Musou It's about persistence and repetition, and that makes the game even more fun.

Call a friend

Multiplayer It's a very useful resource in Hyrule WarriorsAt the beginning of the game, some missions cannot be played in this mode, as it presents you with a kind of tutorial. After that, the game encourages you to do it. And it can be done through... GameChat, from GameShare Local or Split Screen.

Hair GameChat The game is played online and will utilize the game's native speech features, with the option to use the camera for those who have the necessary peripheral. GameShare send the game to another Nintendo Switch 2 (and for the first one as well), allowing each player to have their full screen. And Split Screen It's split screen on the same TV.

Interestingly, Split Screen It's the best way to play multiplayer. Hyrule WarriorsBecause it's a game where you have to constantly control your actions to fit them into the mission timelines, it's easier if you can see the other player's screen and help them when they need it.

Call an amiibo.

It's not just a decorative figurine (although most of the time it is)! The amiibo craze isn't what it was a few years ago, but in Hyrule Warriors The figurines still hold their share of relevance. By using the NFC of amiibo to control your Nintendo Switch while playing Age of ImprisonmentThe game will reward you with weapons, items, and resources. And not just Zelda franchise amiibo; any figure ever released can be used to get something in the game. There's a daily limit, so pick out some companions from your shelf and use them every day to improve your chances in the game.

Play Tears of the Kingdom

There is no impediment to playing. Age of Imprisonment without having played Tears of the Kingdom before. They are games with completely different gameplay and concepts. But the story complements each other, just like Age of calamity it was complementary to Breath of the WildAnd you might end up getting spoilers for events in... TearsOr, even worse, not understanding what's happening, who those characters are, and in what context they're situated, since the game assumes you know what happened in the last episode. The Legend of Zelda.

Age of Imprisonment is full of cutscenes and conversations that delve deeper into the lore of The Legend of ZeldaHowever much they are spin-offs, represent canonical events in the chronology of what began to be recounted in Breath of the Wild And they also introduce new characters, enriching a story that is already quite dense.

Take an English course

Unfortunately Age of Imprisonment was not included by Nintendo Brazil with a Brazilian Portuguese localization. The game is developed by Koei Tecmo as a title third-party, but it belongs to an IP address of NintendoFinally, this is a game for the Nintendo Switch 2 and should be on the radar of the team responsible for operating the brand in our country anyway. We still dream of dubbing in... The Legend of Zelda and the recent ones Super Mario Bros. wonder e Donkey Kong Bananza They are bringing us closer and closer to that dream, but localizing the text would already be enough to make it accessible to all Brazilians who own a Nintendo Switch 2.

But unfortunately, it wasn't to be this time.

Enjoy yourself

Musou seems complicated. It ends up being complicated with the sheer number of options and features it presents. But in the end, frantically mashing buttons also works for most players. There are rules, but they don't necessarily need to be followed. The most important rule is to have fun.

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment It is an evolution of Age of calamity In every possible and imaginable way. A complete game, full of features and with an engaging story that completes what began back in 2017, with Breath of the Wild.

An essential game for any fan of The Legend of Zeldaregardless of your familiarity with the style musouUltimately, it offers features for beginners and challenges for veterans, embracing all players who want to experience an unforgettable adventure. Well… almost all! We still need to emphasize localization a bit more, and ensure it's implemented in all games.

The game is available at Amazon and other official stores for R$ 409,10 and Nintendo eShop for R$ 439,90.

And you, what other tips do you have? Age of Imprisonment Do you have something to share with other readers? Tell us in the comments!

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Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 19 / 11 / 2025.