To max out my sheikah slate photos, I cash in a bunch of gems at Hateno’s shop, and then go to the Ancient Tech Lab and drop about 18k and buy everything left to buy.
As a “reward” for buying all the photos, Purah’s assistant, Symin, gives me a special photo in an envelope. The game doesn’t let me actually see a photo, but it is supposed to be a beautiful young woman. It’s implied that the image is of a “young” Purah, who reversed her age as part of her research.
I want to see if I can find the Hylian Shield, and I have heard nothing about this shield in all my adventures in the game so far; the only reason I know about it at all is that I’ve read about it in articles about the game. I have no idea where it might be found, but I suspect it is in Hyrule Castle somewhere.
I return to the castle, and explore. This time, I take another route through the castle grounds, and I find more treasure chests, containing bomb arrows, ice arrows, swords, bows, rupees, but no Hylian Shields.
I continue to continue exploring, and eventually find my way to the inner sanctum. I’m here, I might as well do a Ganon battle.
This time, the fight takes less time, because I know what I’m doing this time, and defeat his first form in a fraction of the time that it took the first time.
Dark Beast Ganon takes even less time.
The final battle is so easy.
This time after the credits roll, there’s a bonus cutscene where Zelda and Link are preparing to travel by horse to Zora’s domain to check out Vah Ruto, which has stopped functioning. I guess the implication is that the adventure continues.
I’ve enjoyed playing the game, but it is finally running out of things for me to do. I have a few sidequests and shrines left to find and do, if I want to. It might be better to spend time on the DLC packs.
I’m planning on writing up some wrap-up thoughts — I don’t know whether they’ll be final thoughts, as a capstone to this series, but I’ll save that for another time.