After the completion of the Sathorn ruins in the beginning Zelda: Echoes of Wisdomyou must choose between one of two locations to deal with more rifts that have opened – the Geruda Desert to the west or the waters of Jabul to the north.
The two zones have a few big differences, the two main ones being the difficulty and the distance you'll have to travel to get there. This guide explains some of the main advantages of each area, including a particularly useful echo that can only be obtained in each area, to help players decide where to go first after completing the intro section: the Geruda Desert or the Jabul Waters.
The desert of Gerud and the waters of Jabul echo with wisdom
Jabul Waters is relatively easy but far
- Highlight: Water Block Echo
Jabul Waters is the first Zora zone that Zelda can access Echo of Wisdom. This is an area that is home to two Zorra tribes – Zorra River and Zorra Ocean – and recently the great spirit Lord Jabu-Jabu has gone mad, apparently provoked by the initiation of the Rifts nearby.
Between the waters of Jabul and the desert of Geruda Zora's domain is a bit easier and the enemies are generally not as annoying to deal with. There are some great pesky enemies, but for the most part it's a chill ocean adventure with gorgeous scenery (including a galleon-style ship) and one of the best early Echoes games: Water Block.
This simple echo costs only one three 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 places that would normally be out of reach.
Geruda Desert is close to Sathorn Forest, but more complex
- Highlight: The echo of flying tiles
When asked to choose between going to the Geruda or Zoro dungeon first Echo of Wisdomyou'll probably notice right away that the Geruda Desert is just a stone's throw to the west, and the Jabul Water is much further north. This might lead you to think that Geruda Desert is the easier of the two, being the zone on the more linear path.
Geruda Desert is harder to get through than Jabul Waters, thanks to tougher enemy types and the map distortion effect that occurs when you're in a sandstorm. but, if you don't mind a bit of a challenge early in the game, the quickest route would be to go to the Geruda Desert first. Once you're done here, you can head to Jabul Waters, which is next to Hyrule Castle for the next part of the main story.
Another reason to brave the sands and head to the Geruda Desert early is to get the flying tile echo. Like the Water Block Echo, the Flying Tile can be used to reach places that are normally hard to reach or completely inaccessible. Just summon a flying tile, jump on top and it should start flying in the direction you were looking when you summoned it.
So, should I go to Geruda Desert or Jabul Waters first?
Choice between coming to Geruda Desert or Jabul Waters first Echo of Wisdom indeed comes down to the right level of difficulty at this early stage of the game. Thanks to the game's fast travel system, waypoints make the distance factor between two areas pretty negligible, though it's still a factor for players looking to finish Echo of Wisdom quick
Ultimately, 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 towards the Geruda Desert first.
If you want the easier of the two routes, but don't mind going out of your way, consider going north to Jabul Waters first, then fast-tracking back to the Geruda Desert entrance once you've got a few more Echoes and Heart Containers .
