It’s time to get serious about hunting dragon horn.
I picked up a new bow in Zora’s Domain from an enemy lizal somewhere along the way, and it’s not a powerful bow but it has better range than my Royal and Lynel bows, and so has earned its slot in my inventory. I save it just for shooting at the dragons.
I do a little research online for the best places to wait for Naydra and Dinraal, and so learn of a better spot to stand. Along the highway between Kakariko village and Mount Lanayru, there’s a waterfall where there’s a shrine hidden in a cave behind it. I transport there, then using Zora armor, swim up the falls and land on the east bank of the water, and continue to the east until I get to a flat rocky area below the western mountains’ peak, looking out over the Lanayru Gate and the great mountain itself.
If I wait until morning, Naydra flies over this spot each day, affording me a perfect opportunity to hit him straight-on as he flies by.
I make a campfire and sit by it until morning, and wait for a minute or two for Naydra to swoop low over the valley. As his wind currents pick up, I jump and let the paraglider catch the air, and glide out to meet him. As soon as I’m close enough, I take aim and shoot him, direct hit to the horn, knocking a piece off. I resume gliding and observe the trajectory of the falling shard of horn, and glide right over to it, then pick it up. Having done so, I save my game, travel overland back to my waiting spot, set another campfire, and do it all over again.
I do this three consecutive days and am successful each time, and so quickly have what I need to upgrade my Hero’s tunic to level 3.
While looking out over my hunting spot, I notice a Silver Lynel patrolling just beyond the Lanayru Gate, which piques my curiosity. I still need Lynel parts, although I’m not keen on fighting another silver lynel any time soon. But for there to be a Lynel here, surely there must be something good in the area.
Way long ago, when I found my first memory photo spot, it was right near by this gate, and I did not go beyond it. Instead I had turned back to return to Kakariko village, to see what else Impa and Paya might have to tell me about it — which, as it turns out, wasn’t much of anything at all. Nor Pikango, either.
Had I continued on, I surely would have turned back quickly, but I would have encountered this Lynel as my first, and much sooner than I eventually did.
I wonder how the game designers intended for a player traveling this road to get past the Lynel so early in the game. Surely, there would have needed to be stealth involved. Perhaps climbing around its patrol zone, I expect. Otherwise, it would be near certain death to advance beyond the gate. I decide I will take a look around this area, as I really have only flown over it before.
I find a small lake with a waterfall, and nearby a sleeping Hinox. I do not disturb it, as I have no further need for Hinox parts, nor do I need to fill my equipment slots at this point. I do catch a bunch of fish and frogs in the pool.
Continuing on, staying well outside the patrol area of the Lynel, I find a path that runs through an area labeled on the map as Naydra Snowfield, and following it, I find that it winds up going up the mountain, a much easier journey than I had when I flew out from Hateno village to land on the southern slope of Lanayru and had to climb up it to reach this same path.
I follow it quite a ways, looking for koroks, but do not find more than just one in this area, which I find odd. There surely must be more than what I’ve found in the area.
Eventually I get up the mountain to reach the Spring of Wisdom. I pray at the statue, but do not have enough Spirit Orbs to add another Heart Container to my health bar.
I transport back to the fairy, and upgrade my Hero’s Tunic, and also look at what else I have left to do. At this point I now need 3 more Dinraal’s Horn, 4 Lynel Guts, and 4 Ancient Cores, and I think I’ll finally have my equipment maxed out.
Dinraal should be my next priority, I think. I will seek him next time.