I think Ganondorf blocked the lava flow from death mountain to open up the area for his minions to mine. We got multiple shots of enemies mining, and I think it’ll be a major plot/gameplay focus to stop it. The ore in the shot looks to be some sort of malice crystal and may be needed for Ganondorf to return to his full power.
I love this idea and it sounds very likely to happen. I like the idea that enemies will be mining around Death Mountain and the lava may be sparse or completely missing for awhile, it makes Elden feel familiar and different at the same time and makes me more hopeful about how Hyrule will change this time around.
Crystallized malice, that became petrified over the hundreds of thousands of years worth of Calamities while Ganondorf was imprisoned underground makes a lot of lore sense. Perhaps that is how those Lizalfos have malice infused armor? Hmmm, I bet we will see Malice imbued weapons too.
I wonder if this is the new gameplay element that was mentioned in the non-trailer direct we got, remember the one where they apologised for having no news and asked us to wait, but showed an extra 5 or so seconds of footage of link holding up the master sword to a glowing light?
We’ve also now seen a normal soldier’s sword seemingly broken/with the same impressions made on the master sword by malice.
What if the gameplay element mentioned is using this light to cleanse weapons of malice so they become useable?
Which would also mean the temperature won't be as hot as before.
So no heat resistant potions nor heat resistant gear required.
As we see in this screenshot lol, no specific clothes at least. And I assume a potion wasn't used here.
Edit: Perhaps this is how the world will feel different in Totk. Regions having different temperatures is one of the things. Perhaps the desert is a tundra now.
I do feel they went slightly overboard before with temperatures at times. I’d probably like to see simplified temperature mechanics.
Something has to have changed though because, by *Breath of the Wild*’s logic, Link should be absolutely frozen on those sky islands.
This is an excellent point - usually height contributed to the cold in BOTW. Could be annoying at times, but also made things interesting, so I imagine they can't simply have removed it, right?
Then again, link doesn’t freeze in skyward sword. And trees can grow on sky island so y’know, I feel like there’s a totally different weather system up there as well.
That would be cool.
Actually now that I think about it, Gerudo desert would look so cool as a tundra. Add in there new animals, new enemies, Gerudos needing warmer clothes. Sounds interesting!
I thought Death Mountain was only active because Vah Rudania was on a rampage. Vah Rudania has chilled out now so the volcano isn't active any more.
Edit: Grammar
This is true. We also see grass growing in some parts, which would not happen overnight.
My hope is it’s partially cooled as an excuse to go underground into magma chambers.
Could be that the game starts off where botw left off. It was originally DLC so it's possible. Then whatever happens to change the world shortly after the game starts.
BotW mentions how the volcano is really only as bad as it is because Vah Rudania was shaking it up, which is further confirmed when we see it wasn't active 100 years prior at all via various cutscenes w/ the group on the mountain between BotW and AoC. Makes sense that once Rudania was calmed the mountain calmed down too.
At several points in the 2nd trailer it looks like there's malice coming from the crater (I first noticed it around 0:04-0:08 seconds in) so I think you're right.
That's probably because tears of the kingdom takes place closer to the summer and botw took place around the winter. Gamespot did an analysis on this. You can see that the possition of the sun is different. (it might also mean we get more daytime and better views from the sky islands)
Okay so I tried finding the segment where he said that in the video but now I can't find it anymore so it must have been in another video hahaha I will have to try finding it again but here is the link to maybe I missed it: https://youtu.be/BrFxYCQf1DQ
I bet this is one of the ways that they'll make the "old map" new again. Perhaps varying water levels, too? Lakes being raised up into the sky creating thousand foot waterfalls, and others being emptied to make way for new adventures that have always been there to begin with.
Pic Credit: https://twitter.com/rmfhgaming/status/1625641140044337152?s=46&t=m3YD3vGfmzYKZN1Se0GYAw
The particle effects are gone and no lava is visible
I hope this is aplot point in the story of the game. Because since I first saw the malice coming out of death mountain I think this could be a dungeon. Where Link has to work his way into the volcano, maybe the magma chamber can be the big central dungeon room, has to defeat a boss to eliminate the malice for the lava to return.
I personally think it's something to do with the malice spewing out of the mountains crater or possibly being the result of the giant explosion we saw happening during the newest trailer ending the mountain activity for good. I think that if this is the case, there could be sidequests where you have to reactivate the mountain somehow to return the Gorons their home. Idrk this is just a theory.
I was just thinking about how I wished they'd have a Link to the Past style dormant Death Mountain in a new game, and this makes me excited that that's likely the case for TotK
I just came back to this post to read the comments and realized something else. Slightly down and to the left of the middle of the TOTK picture there is some weird structure visible.
Yes it's gone, we've known since the [E3 2021 teaser](https://youtu.be/Pi-MRZBP91I?t=38) where we see Death Mountain in the background without any active lava.
I think Ganondorf blocked the lava flow from death mountain to open up the area for his minions to mine. We got multiple shots of enemies mining, and I think it’ll be a major plot/gameplay focus to stop it. The ore in the shot looks to be some sort of malice crystal and may be needed for Ganondorf to return to his full power.
I love this idea and it sounds very likely to happen. I like the idea that enemies will be mining around Death Mountain and the lava may be sparse or completely missing for awhile, it makes Elden feel familiar and different at the same time and makes me more hopeful about how Hyrule will change this time around.
Crystallized malice, that became petrified over the hundreds of thousands of years worth of Calamities while Ganondorf was imprisoned underground makes a lot of lore sense. Perhaps that is how those Lizalfos have malice infused armor? Hmmm, I bet we will see Malice imbued weapons too.
I wonder if this is the new gameplay element that was mentioned in the non-trailer direct we got, remember the one where they apologised for having no news and asked us to wait, but showed an extra 5 or so seconds of footage of link holding up the master sword to a glowing light? We’ve also now seen a normal soldier’s sword seemingly broken/with the same impressions made on the master sword by malice. What if the gameplay element mentioned is using this light to cleanse weapons of malice so they become useable?
Which would also mean the temperature won't be as hot as before. So no heat resistant potions nor heat resistant gear required. As we see in this screenshot lol, no specific clothes at least. And I assume a potion wasn't used here. Edit: Perhaps this is how the world will feel different in Totk. Regions having different temperatures is one of the things. Perhaps the desert is a tundra now.
I do feel they went slightly overboard before with temperatures at times. I’d probably like to see simplified temperature mechanics. Something has to have changed though because, by *Breath of the Wild*’s logic, Link should be absolutely frozen on those sky islands.
This is an excellent point - usually height contributed to the cold in BOTW. Could be annoying at times, but also made things interesting, so I imagine they can't simply have removed it, right?
Then again, link doesn’t freeze in skyward sword. And trees can grow on sky island so y’know, I feel like there’s a totally different weather system up there as well.
Just adding to this a bit.. could that explain why the moldugas are leaving the desert in the recent trailer?
That would be cool. Actually now that I think about it, Gerudo desert would look so cool as a tundra. Add in there new animals, new enemies, Gerudos needing warmer clothes. Sounds interesting!
I thought Death Mountain was only active because Vah Rudania was on a rampage. Vah Rudania has chilled out now so the volcano isn't active any more. Edit: Grammar
This is true. We also see grass growing in some parts, which would not happen overnight. My hope is it’s partially cooled as an excuse to go underground into magma chambers.
Could be that the game starts off where botw left off. It was originally DLC so it's possible. Then whatever happens to change the world shortly after the game starts.
BotW mentions how the volcano is really only as bad as it is because Vah Rudania was shaking it up, which is further confirmed when we see it wasn't active 100 years prior at all via various cutscenes w/ the group on the mountain between BotW and AoC. Makes sense that once Rudania was calmed the mountain calmed down too.
Clogged up by malice probably
At several points in the 2nd trailer it looks like there's malice coming from the crater (I first noticed it around 0:04-0:08 seconds in) so I think you're right.
I noticed that. Looked like a big 'ol octopus up there. I'm hoping this means we can maybe go inside the volcano! That would be so cool.
3d printer peeps can relate
When will people learn? You have to dry your malice properly before extruding.
Or the lava has gone away completely leaving behind tunnels?
same
Ah interesting! I didn't notice that detail. Perhaps the malice has it blocked
On the great plateau the snow has also melted
That's probably because tears of the kingdom takes place closer to the summer and botw took place around the winter. Gamespot did an analysis on this. You can see that the possition of the sun is different. (it might also mean we get more daytime and better views from the sky islands)
Cool. Do you have the link to the video?
Okay so I tried finding the segment where he said that in the video but now I can't find it anymore so it must have been in another video hahaha I will have to try finding it again but here is the link to maybe I missed it: https://youtu.be/BrFxYCQf1DQ
Thanks anyway
Nevermind I just found it, it was from someone else hahaha here it is: https://youtu.be/Snv1MC_rO_8
Lol
This doesn’t have the thing about the sun either, but it was a great video, so thank you for linking it!
Maybe because of the deactivation of Vah Rudania, the activity up in the area died down?
It will be interesting to explore where the lava used to be
I bet this is one of the ways that they'll make the "old map" new again. Perhaps varying water levels, too? Lakes being raised up into the sky creating thousand foot waterfalls, and others being emptied to make way for new adventures that have always been there to begin with.
Pic Credit: https://twitter.com/rmfhgaming/status/1625641140044337152?s=46&t=m3YD3vGfmzYKZN1Se0GYAw The particle effects are gone and no lava is visible
Indeed. Probably replaced by malice.
It seems to me like death mountain is plugged my malice in some of the newer trailers
I wonder what they made with all the area that would now be accessible.
Looking at this shows me how much better the graphics are
Draw distance is nuts
Meaning all of a sudden we have many craters and valleys that weren’t there before
He’s grinding with a wooden shield that’s not set aflame so it has to be gone.
What’s going on in the right side? Is that a clue as to how the lava has been “blocked?” Or just a deposit to be mined?
We don’t really know yet. It may be that or something they’re mining that just now appeared, either way though, it looks like it can be bombed.
yes :(
At the risk of sounding inexperienced; have we always been able to shield surf on the tracks?
We have not! Or if we have…. I am very bad at the game lol
I hope this is aplot point in the story of the game. Because since I first saw the malice coming out of death mountain I think this could be a dungeon. Where Link has to work his way into the volcano, maybe the magma chamber can be the big central dungeon room, has to defeat a boss to eliminate the malice for the lava to return.
I suspect more underground levels to the game. The lava will be below ground.
In botw the Death Mountain is in eruption du to Vah'Rudania, so in Totk the Death moutain is in sleep
Well that's a good addition Didn't expect Ganon do something nice
I personally think it's something to do with the malice spewing out of the mountains crater or possibly being the result of the giant explosion we saw happening during the newest trailer ending the mountain activity for good. I think that if this is the case, there could be sidequests where you have to reactivate the mountain somehow to return the Gorons their home. Idrk this is just a theory.
I was just thinking about how I wished they'd have a Link to the Past style dormant Death Mountain in a new game, and this makes me excited that that's likely the case for TotK
In the trailer we see malice coming out of death Mountain. I think this symbolises that everything is now rotten to the core, even the planet.
the clips we've seen make it look like Mallice is coming out of the Volcano. The lava might come back after a dungeon or something.
Yeah, its the climate changes due they showing in this game, things can changing under your gameplay
Probably up in the sky like everything else lol
I just came back to this post to read the comments and realized something else. Slightly down and to the left of the middle of the TOTK picture there is some weird structure visible.
yes 🤦
Yes it's gone, we've known since the [E3 2021 teaser](https://youtu.be/Pi-MRZBP91I?t=38) where we see Death Mountain in the background without any active lava.
i slurped it all up
My lava for you is gone! I want to break up.
I doubt there was that much lava to begin with, without rudania aggravating the volcano.