Hyrule's Economy is Weird and We Have to Talk About It | BotW & TotK

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

EDIT: The Hylian set is only 50 rupees more in TotK, oops! Thanks so much for watching may you always have enough stuff on hand to trade for as many rupees as you desire Did I miss anything cool? Lemme know

[@justa_trip]

INFLATION

[@Cliffordlonghead]

ii

[@Cliffordlonghead]

@@justa_trip BOT

[@Essentially_Empy]

@@justa_trip pyrocynical

[@justa_trip]

@ im not a bot a bot will type radnom shit but not cuss words

[@s.e.n3264]

Beetle is a secret god of commerce. I can instantly max out my rupees, going from zero to max and he STILL has money. He's either the god of commerce or the god of rupees.

[@Benbre08]

Probably both

[@Redfrootloop]

He wields the triforce of capitalism

[@kristenleopold7149]

Simple he uses his overpriced arrows to use because he already has the power of BS with his arrows to make his green Rupees worth millions of Rupees.

[@travischeramie]

He’s been screwing people on arrow prices for years.

[@johnnyringo35]

Be careful I hear anyone that questions his arrow prices..... Take one to the........knee.

[@CassiusStelar]

My personal headcanon is that Hearty and Endura ingredients didn't go extinct, they're just out of season. The snails are hybernating, the durian trees aren't bearing fruit, the carrots can't be found in the wild and exist mostly in controlled farms because it's colder or something

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

That woulda fit good in the script somewhere. Maybe I'll explore the seasonal differences between the games in a future video. I've already noticed several cold area subtle changes while making my Hyrule comparisons series

[@S3cr3t_Qw1rtz]

I'm taking it, it's canon in my mind

[@LeoVladimer]

Yes

[@aqua2k210]

I had the same idea as well

[@starlight8115]

​@@TheZeldaEnthusiast I don't remember who it was, but someone analyzed the direction in which the sun moves or something like that and they determined that in botw it's summer while in totk it's winter, which supports the out of season theory

[@Majoranator]

Hyrule may be in a post-apocalyptic state but we still got to pay our Hyrulean taxes.

[@ginpachi1]

But, can you get 8 dollars from a patch of grass in those other post-apocalyptic state pieces of media? I think not! ☝️🤓

[@Chris-gx1ei]

Only to the Local Village Chiefs, since there is no King or Queen of Light to Support financially

[@tylersoto7465]

What link should of done was start a business company by going around capturing and taming wild horses to start a transport/delivery business. Have a warehouse to store goods and make products to sell . He would have his own system to work with and rely on .

[@nikki607]

Reasons why there are less Rupee chests: the economy is doing better. There are more reasorces avilable, and trade and travel between settlements has increased. Which means more of the existing Rupees are in circulation, rather than being hidden away in some chest. A healthy economy is marked by the movement of goods and/or currency, not by large stockpiles in select places. Raw materials being cheaper is also a good sign!

[@shark_girl]

Not like any existing economy is gonna last very long before link crashes it with his diamond-duplicating powers

[@sebastianpijov8708]

Link isn't foolish enough to overinflate the diamond market. If anything, he would hoard the diamonds until the value rises, then trickle in diamonds to maximise profit.

[@Chris-gx1ei]

To be fair about certain fruits like Hearty Stuff: We can argue that Breath of the wild tool place in a Different Season Tears of the Kingdom was in, this alone can be proven by the fact that during Breath of the wild the Sun was northern while for Tears of the Kingdom the Sun is southern, which is very common in regions near the Equator witnessing that switch since while the sun Switches between northern and southern during change of seasons. When above the Equator is summer then beneath the Equator is Winter. Season Changes can be easily Adapted to as long as it does not ruin the plants by becomming very extreme

[@xXPumpkinPvPTutsXx]

or link and other travellers over farmed and consumed between BOTW and TOTK, causing the flora to go extinct

[@briangeer1024]

So hyrule is near the equator but gets sunlight from 5:30 to 7:00 or whatever? As someone who lives near the equator, 6 to 6 is all you're gonna get mostly. Maybe 5:45 to 6:15.

[@hi-ougidemonfang]

The hylian sun wobbles as it revolves around the Zelda earth.

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

Someone else commented about the seasonal change. Now I'm interested in doing a video on all the evidence. I've also mapped a few cold area barrier changes. Thanks for all this extra info!

[@RatedFforFUGlenda]

I watched a video over a year ago about the season change theory

[@anemptyspritecan]

16:56 the green rupee chest increase is probably because of the misko's treasure quest, which has a room full of chests that all have a green rupee, except one, which has a map or a riddle(i think). There's also a door that will open if you walk in the room with every piece of the fierce deity armour set that has the fierce deity sword inside. Guys this game is SO cool

[@crazyscout0827]

Real

[@soosizei3973]

Thats the quest for the robbers kings treasure which gets you hints towards the locations of the fierce deity armor and if you get all three and come back (which the hint tells you to do btw) you get the fierce deity blade

[@prusthegoose]

Upgrading armor in TOTK was hell, specifically needing fire and ice lizalfos tails - I felt like I would spend hours killing 10 of them for maybe one tail drop.

[@slowpokedragon]

yeah, it was so bad i would save in front of a lizalfos and kill them and reload if there was no tail!

[@l-plays587]

A rupee Essay Sounds intersting. Not only from a economic Perspective but also from a magical one, since rupees seem to be the life blood of fairies in Most Zelda Games.

[@astrodude_87]

I suppose it’s possible that under the assumption that Hyrule is not the only major landmass, the fish and crabs and plants may have migrated, or may be present elsewhere while no longer in Hyrule. (Maybe the hearty bass were originally a sky species and mostly migrated to the ground at some point, then were eradicated on the ground, because I can’t say I can think of a way they could get up there.)

[@ZeoViolet]

Notice that Hyrule seems to be in a different season, as well? It's springtime in the Kingdom, so there's Satori trees everywhere! The Hearty bass might be depleted locally because they spawned; it's the wrong season for Hearty Truffles on the surface, wrong season for Durian fruit to be ripe (assuming that the trees grow very fast later in the year and then die off at the end of the season.) It isn't the season for Hearty Snails to be around. The Hearty Salmon are mostly spawning in the docks area of Hyrule Castle; but watch out for the Gloom Hands there!

[@erich_ika]

I can think of a way bass could get up there. If a bird eats bass eggs, there could be small chance one of the many eggs do not get digested. If a bird can fly to the sky islands and poop there, that's the foundation of a new population

[@TankHunter678]

@@erich_ika Its also posssible that there had always been fish populations maintained by the zonai bots.

[@IofSheikah]

I’m sure someone stated this but it makes sense all the gems went down in value aside from emphasis for fusing. With all these caves being discovered, it makes sense that more gems would be discovered.

[@SGRebooted]

And also the increase of mining at Goron city could also play a part in the decline of gem prices.

[@mh6276]

This is a pretty long comment BTW. I have some stuff to add as someone who is more knowledgeable on politics and economics. The central command of Hyrule seems to be an absolute monarchy that controls the nation (the people in the state) in a totalitarian, dirigiste manner. Dirigisme is a very controlled form of capitalism with state directed investment and heavy regulations on business entities. The full name for Hyrule would likely be something like "the Federated Empire of Hyrule". A federation is a state with 2 or more semi-autonomous (self governing) regions which is what Hyrule has with the different regions it has. An empire is very similar to a kingdom but an empire encompasses multiple different ethnicities which Hyrule also of course has. The different regions of Hyrule have different governmental structures as was said in the video. Hateno uses an electoral democracy (seemingly by civil law, civil law is law created by decrees and the like) with an autarkic subsistence economy (autarky is a state of being economical independent and not really trading much) with some elements of a market economy mixed in. Kakariko uses a concept similar to the People's Democratic Dictatorship used by China (a dictator that serves the country and the people); however, it is enforced by customary law (law that is there through traditions and common enforcement by the people) and is a bit of a chiefdom and it has the same economic system that Hateno has. Lurelin uses an anarchic communist system (government by nobody with spontaneous organization and everyone serving the common good). This works because people will self organize when there is no leader in place. There are only a few examples of something like this in the real world such as the Zapatistas (a rebel group in Mexico) and Rojava (a quasi-state in Syria that uses a semi-anarchic system. They still have a president or actually 2 of them but it is still largely just spontaneous organization). Gerudo town has a system very similar to the main government of Hyrule itself with a less autarkic and less subsistence based economy and also a higher standard of living. Rito Village has the same system as Kakariko and Goron city. Tarrey Town (I might be getting the spelling wrong) uses the same system as Lurelin does. Lookout Landing is a bit weird because Zelda basically appointed Purah to be the chief so it is a bit like Armenia or Turkey which have a system like this (and probably more countries).

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

Dang! Wish I was able to pick your brain while scripting this video. Thanks for the info!

[@Higuys4539]

Thats SO cool! Thank you so much for commenting!

[@Daydreamer343]

Your "Empire of Hyrule" suggestion is supported in Age of Calamity, oddly enough. Link's character blurb describes him as having come from "a long line of imperial guards," referring to the Hyrulean Royal Guard, of which we know for certain at least Link's father was one, thanks to that memory in BotW. These games just never otherwise describe Hyrule as an empire even though it explicitly is one in all but name--probably since empires have a pretty negative perception in real life and pop culture, obviously.

[@Foyay_Red]

Did not expect to hear you talking about North Sentinel Island in this video

[@Stormrunner1981]

The Durian, Snails etc being missing could be due to seasons. We have Tomatoes and other things in Totk. It would make sense especially with the Cherry Tree blossoms too. BotW - Fall Totk - Spring. As for hearty stuff - you can grow in Hateno Like Large Hearty Radishes (2 each but timed base, not based on blood moon vs BotW) Also, the Hearty Bass are easy to grab on the Lightcast SkyIsland once it's drained - Also timed based. You can also grow Endura Carrots in Hateno too but if you get a feel for the timing, you can go grab those more often then BotW.

[@soosizei3973]

Good theory with the seasons

[@DavidStowers-o7k]

Yeah, you have to wait 10 minutes for the dragons to allow more stuff to be farmed from them, but if you've got the right armour and you're farming for scales or horns, (Especially horns for their guaranteed 30 minute time limit to your buff meals/potions.) you can stand on them and not have to worry about losing stamina trying to get said body part. The spike shards are also a brilliant item to farm, just take a picture of the shard and use the sensor+ app to track them along the dragon's body, they're easy to keep track of as they appear on each dragon 12 at a time.

[@dothedo3667]

Just don't stand on them while waiting for the next 10 minute period and step away from the game, or else you'll find yourself either dead or having wasted a fairy at the bottom of a chasm lol.

[@koiinobori]

thanks man im using this to study for my economics exam tomorrow

[@jamesberkeley390]

Bro is failing

[@ninjaeddy1717]

9:31 Gleeok horns have infinite elemental charge, though. I think that makes up for the sell price and low damage

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

Really, so they won't need a cool down period if you swing too much? That's pretty cool, didn't know that. Thanks!

[@EstradusTheDragon]

@@TheZeldaEnthusiast You can also put them on a windcleaver blade and the wind blast attack will also get the elemental buff (This doesn't work with gems because you can only wind blast if its still sharp.)

[@LowPoly64]

On my first playthrough, the economic differences were immediately noticeable. And I get that the devs wanted players to prioritize fuses over just selling off materials. But this change was exaggerated with the great fairy requirements of asking for payment for each armor piece rather than a flat rate to unlock. For people who want to upgrade their entire armor collection, that gets tedious. I don't know, maybe that was another dev decision to encourage players to pick a couple builds to focus on upgrading. Thanks for doing the math on that.

[@pinixy]

this was my experience too. i'm always running out of money in totk. maybe if they had given us a new way to make money it would have been better? like higher minigame payouts? or maybe just not getting rid of all the rupee chests lol

[@Keyatzin]

The sheer amount of currencies in this game was such a pet peeve for me. Every upgrade requires grinding completely different materials, for no reason.

[@casualgamer8497]

Just personal assumption: From game design perspective: -things sell for lower price because there's less need for buying consumables (all kind of arrows) and more resources can replace such consumables (fuse/autobuild) From World building perspective: -things sell for lower price because there's more in quantity so the demand has gone down. -the living condition has stabilize thus item and food production have improved and the prices have become more affordable amount. One thing didn't get mention in the video is that the price of meals and elixirs have also gone down by around 20-30%. If you just play and explore the game normally and curious about anything and everything, you don't really need to grind for anything. You can miss out a lot of the super end game equipment and upgrades but still beat the game with not too much difficulty.

[@PhilipBarkley]

For me, the most unbelievable aspect of Hyrule's economy was the dye shop in Hateno. Between BOTW and TOTK, Sayge had decided that paragliders were a sound investment, so much so that he paid (probably Hudson) to convert his chimney into a mechanical launch pad that also dyed paraglider cloth. He made this decision based on the appearance of ONE paraglider. Despite its sporting Rito-esque design, we see nothing similar to it in either game. There is no mention of its history, and nobody in BOTW saw Link soaring around and thought, "Hey, that's pretty neat!"- not even Branli The Birdman, who specifically asked to watch Link glide for his research! If TOTK Link speed-ran through the game, never dying his paraglider, I bet Senna would have some stern words for him!

[@davidwave4]

The post-calamity anarchist moment in Hyrule actually makes a strong case for the abolition of a monarchy in Hyrule. The people protected and provided for themselves better than the Royal Family did.

[@isabelbrack3691]

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I see that this was just uploaded? Glad to be back in Hyrule with The Zelda Enthusiast

[@lrd175]

Loved the video and love the deep dives! Would love to watch a "ruppees or rupee essay or something"!

[@astetson86]

Excited for your Zelda rupee lore video!

[@ecocodex4431]

18:58 "that's not the Nintended way" lmao

[@leubas]

Economics professional here 🤓 assuming that it’s not just link that can collect resources, the lack of scarcity is key here. It would break almost all laws of economics, and assuming enough time goes by without disaster, there would be a permanent golden age. In the long run, lack of scarcity means there’s infinite supply, and little demand. Short run you could make an argument that the time value of money would still play a factor, with quick and convenient access to goods being of almost greater value than the goods themselves. But in the long run, the only way to truly have an “economy” as we know it, would be through artificial scarcity (think monopolies, cartels, etc). If artificial scarcity is implemented either by the government or by organizations, then you would see probably the single greatest example of corruption and greed, along with the laws of supply and demand returning (assuming the monopoly/government acts as a wealth hoarder, with limited spending)

[@Daydreamer343]

Fun video, but I would have liked to see some discussion of the actual in-universe economic system in addition to looking at the relative abundance of rupees and materials, which is more of an external game design thing. For instance, in Tears of the Kingdom we learn from NPCs that Princess Zelda put together the those monster-hunting teams that deal with a few of the big monster camps and that a bounty is paid to them, of which the silver rupee Link gets for helping out the teams is a part. She's also apparently commissioned the new Skyview Towers from Hudson Construction. But... how? The Kingdom of Hyrule is defunct, the castle largely destroyed and raided of its treasures by reckless treasure hunters over the course of a century, and the system that gave the royal family its wealth and power is completely gone. Where is Zelda getting the money??? I love thinking about this kind of thing, but the worldbuilding of TotK does kind of fall apart if you think about it for more than a few seconds, lmao.

[@fiercedeity5734]

I would definitely like to see you talk about rupees in a future video.

[@Dogger-o5z]

7:44 This change was necessary though, because endura shrooms and hearty food are way too op

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

I agree, but thought they went a bit much on the cutbacks

[@DJWEEDPIZZA]

Would love a deeper dive in rupees in these games. Also, not related to these games, but I think there’s a case to be made that Skyward Sword is trying to tell us rupees are a creation of Goddess Hylia.

[@FlufflesTheCatDragon]

I heard tears was going to have way more sky islands than what ended up in the final game, so that could explain the reduction in several resources

[@LowPoly64]

They definitely went copy paste with the sky islands in a few spots.

[@bobrze]

30:55 I dont know if id call it anarchist, as the rulers of gerudo zora and gorons still had fairly hierarchical systems. Anarchy is the complete abolition of all hierarchies, so while yes hyrule did become more autonomous, communal and decentralised, it wasnt completely anarchist.

[@SoberGin]

I'd like to mention that in bother real life and in-game, "Barter economies" don't exist and never have. (WARNING: LONG) In reality most medieval systems without money were either local communities simply sharing resources out of trust and communal necessity (the blacksmith fixes the farmer's tools because otherwise the farmer can't farm and we all starve, blacksmith included) or systems of tithe (the lord has you pay him in grain because otherwise he's going to come in and murder you) In Hyrule, the examples you've shown aren't really bartering- they're rewards for solving other problems. A barter would involve specifically figuring out the two or more things traded then agreeing on them, whereas in this situation one member (Link) does a thing, then someone else rewards him. It's more akin to an old woman rewarding the local boy for mowing her lawn with fresh cookies than any sort of formal economic action. While it shows an inherent generosity in the social culture of the region (and an obsession with food?) it doesn't really say anything about Hyrule economically. That's what Hyrule's system, broadly, has become. I'd be willing to bed that aside from a few specific goods (the cheese for example) Hateno village doesn't have people buying food internally- the local store has zero traffic from locals, and the shops in general in most settlements likely only exist for the purpose of trading with outsiders. This makes sense, and explains the wandering traders- the small amount of actual market economy that's survived is limited to that trade, and that's likely only been maintained due to the weird, magically-guaranteed value of currency. You mentioned the lack of taxes, and that's why rupees need to be magic- IRL money is only valuable due to taxes, as you're required to pay them else law enforcement come after you, and IRL money gets into the system by the government using them for things (such as contractors or paying gov. employees) With no central government issuing the currency, a magic current is probably the only way this sort of monetary trade is possible. Of course, there is one massive, glaring exception: Gerudo town. Lots of vendors are present all across the main settlement, and Kara Kara Bazaar exists half as a resting checkpoint and half as a place for men to shop who aren't allowed into gerudo town. I think a good solution is that Gerudo town is merely a marketplace and stop between trade routes- not within Hyrule, but with the wider world. We know other places in the world exist, and I find it likely that Gerudo town is at the crossroads of these places, the desert being the only flat land we see through which you can exit or enter Hyrule safely- everything else is impassable cliffs or the ocean, and from the complete absence of good naval construction (save for by literal monsters, funnily enough) as well as an absence of any real ports (Lurelin is a fishing village, not a large developed trading hub) suggests that naval technology just isn't very good in this world at this point in time, which would make large scale external trade functionally impossible. One last teeny thing is on your summary of "monarchies", or rather feudal systems. There's no need for new fancy terms or insisting Hyrule is or is not a monarchy, as there's a term for what it was economically already- a feudal system. Individual settlements are run communally with little to no currency exchange, save for eternal trading, and a central authority collects tithe in exchange for protection and economic access. Thus, it also partially explains why the way of life for many has likely not changed in any of the settlements we see in-game since the calamity. All of the surviving settlements were far away enough or independent enough on trade that they were unaffected by the Great Calamity, and anything closer enough to be economically intertwined with Hyrule proper was also close enough to get Dunked On by the guardians, such as Castle Town and all the surrounding villages. For the villages and settlements which were far away enough, economic activity took only a small hit from the disaster, already being independent enough to not suffer immensely from the loss in trade. If anything, it's possible the lack of tithe likely helped them in the short term, maybe even helping with the influx of refugees. There is some mention by the old woman in Breath of the Wild of the "Age of Burning Fields" where crops wouldn't grow immediately after the calamity, but I think that's more metaphorical, or refers to areas closer to the center of hyrule. If crops genuinely failed for any long period of time you'd likely see the extinction of any settlements outside of alternative food sources, such as the ocean or rivers for fish (Lurelin, Rito Village, Zora's Domain) external trade (Gerudo Town) or just didn't need typical crops for food (Gorons eat ROCKS) Anyway, sorry for the massive comment. Just wanted to correct some economic misconseptions, continue the conversation, and put my economic studies to good use. Thank you for reading!

[@ToxicPea]

A theory video on rupees would be quite fascinating!

[@thomassirett4051]

Every blood moon I just go to Zora's domain to buy a hearty salmon and then get some rock salt so I can make a dish with full recovery plus 4 yellow heart.

[@majuuorthrus3340]

Hyrule is not a big country, based on datamining the map. Like, a bit bigger than Wales. Throw in the fact that 'Hyrule' is probably no longer an official country by BotW, but more of a historical construct without the overarching structure, and their extremely localised government and economy seems more realistic.

[@Matzeking-x6z]

Thats what kind of videos I want to see more of

[@hordenallimaniafan2565]

15:13 thats not true, you can get rupees by cutting grass, they are rare drops but you can get them, same goes for lifting rocks or smashing pots

[@challllrie]

being called 'an idealist utopian' is a compliment my friend

[@larhyperhair]

I actually really liked them removing the hearty stuff, it felt like a prank by the developers, they were quite literally saying THROUGH the world design "go get another strategy!" I like that feeling in any sequel. It was the same when I was fighting enemies. In botw I could easily kill a lynel without being hit. I went into tears thinking I was hot shit, only to get DEMOLISHED by Gleeoks and the newly buffed stone talus'. I love that feeling of "ok you might have been an expert at this last game, but try this on for size you little shit" it's rad

[@nodrance]

You didn't mention that gleeok horns are the only elemental item that never runs out. Every other kind loses its charge and has to recharge after a bit. Even dragon horns and gems. So they actually can be more useful than lynel horns, sometimes

[@VinceMouse]

I assume it's only difficult to get the money required to live a normal life for Link, because he spends all his time running around and not working a normal job. I bet if he was a goat herder, he'd have his own house, with a second floor, and a spooky basement with no lights... wait, that's Twilight Princess.

[@Zacian2.0]

would love a rupee theory video :O

[@ZeoViolet]

I have a theory that since rupees are "magical" money, it prevents cheap counterfeiting from happening in-game.

[@LunaP1]

Those glowing snails can be found on a few floating isles with a pool.

[@TheZeldaEnthusiast]

You may be thinking of sneaky river snails. I'm talking specifically about the hearty blue shell snails

[@WoltheManMyth]

Yes! Need the rupee analysis video

[@Legoswampert190]

One hearty item that avioded the purge was the Hearty Salmon, which actually ended up becoming much easier to get, since in Botw it was only in a small pond by Rito Village, while in Totk it can be found in Tama Pond, the Flight Range, and the Hyrule Castle Docks.

[@kosah_hedron]

Just so you know, this video is fairly quiet compared to the other ones I just came from. I’m loving the content of the video though!

[@jleannaw]

Yes to the rupee video! 💎

[@themalcolmking]

This is brilliance. I have no notes. I would totally watch a deep dive on Rupee Theory. ❤ 💰

[@VincentBrauch.aka.derfresheboy]

i just started to cry at 2:55

[@myownmeadow1320]

Rupee theory, please! There's a lot of cool lore around them, and it would be cool to see a full-blown rupees.

[@g00bleck]

This kind of isnt the video i expected but i am impressed with your research

[@RizzyGyatt]

i love TotK's crazy economy

[@spagheleton]

Lookin forward to the Rupee video!

[@mlatpren]

A rupee essay would be fantastic. There's another channel that did one (can't remember who), but it was rather shallow and had some dubious parts. I'd love to see one with your level of care and detail! RE: the various rulers - are we sure Zora's Domain, Death Mountain, Rito Village, and Gerudo are actually part of Hyrule proper? They've always come across as neighbouring territories to me, especially in older games. From memory, the wording Zelda uses to refer to the different races sounds like what I'd expect from somebody referring to a different country in real life, and when King Dorephan speaks of helping Zelda / the whole champion thing, it came across not as him talking about somebody he serves in any way, but as just a fellow ruler of a different kingdom. Perhaps I'm just misremembering drastically.

[@Miss_Rydia]

I would be fascinated to hear your Rupees Essay! I wrote out a theory of my own back when Skyward Sword first came out, and I'd be interested in seeing how things might have changed!

[@anemptyspritecan]

Im the type of person that gets really excited for this kind of video

[@hvaleos666]

Really great and well thought out video. Rupee theory video pls

[@K1NG_of_ReVeNGe1]

9:43 I will not stand for this Gleeok bashing Yes their damage isn't as great as lynel parts, but they still do quite a bit of extra damage and most importantly offer infinite elemental effects. Dragon parts fused to weapons swing a couple of times and need to recharge. Gleeok parts have no such limitation. On my glitchy save game where I have several of the introscene Masterswords I carry one with each gleeok part

[@CoralCopperHead]

These videos give me a chuckle, even if the answer to the overarching "how does it work" question usually ends up being some variety of "well... it doesn't, really"

[@diamondinmyeye6160]

Elemental lizalfos tails always feel like a grind if you want to upgrade all armour.

[@andrewgwilliam4831]

Yeah, I think that's a rare example of the dev team not balancing properly in terms of impact on gameplay. Either there should be a higher drop rate, or the upgrade cost should've been reduced. I feel like grinding should never be necessary, maybe the occasional bit of farming to top up stock of something, but having to go around and around and around again is tedious... not helped by the fact that ice/fire lizalfos switch places in the outskirts of the Gerudo region according to the time of day.

[@diamondinmyeye6160]

@ Yes, I agree they’re somewhat of an outlier. I found I also had to grind for luminous stones of all things. Overall the balance is decent, but it’s certainly not true that regular play is good enough for all upgrades in this game.

[@peytontdt33]

Imagine the in universe reason all the ores lost value in TotK was because Link mined so many in BotW and traded them all for rupees. So many gems in circulation with few legitimate uses beyond jewelry making, making their value plummet.

[@fartjokez3258]

When it comes to Gleeok horns they also have the elemental eddy that’s why they don’t do as much damage

[@robertcopeland757]

Dragon farming in totk is more difficult but, if you find each point where the elemental dragons come out of the ground. Use your travel medallions on the nearest sky island For the light dragon it follows the sky towers.

[@meganhammer7857]

In my mind, the gems got cheaper because Death Mountain is no longer erupting, and (until Ganon put... drugs? in the rocks) Yunobo has revived the Goron mining industry, so they're much more abundant. Actually, the reduced number of ore deposits is probably because they've already been mined. Most of the ore in Tears is found in the newly opened caves instead. From a gameplay perspective, making money harder to farm encourages you to get money from completing side quests instead. I haven't done a comparison, I was hoping to see it in this video, but I feel like I've been rewarded a lot more rupees for helping people in Tears. Every one of Addison's terribly constructed signs is worth 20, and if your meal inventory is full he'll give you another 20 instead of a rice ball. I was also hoping you would talk about the other alternative currencies, like the stables' new point system (I never sleep at the stables so I have so many free stays saved up... how can they afford this) and the Poe collectors in the Depths.

[@spagheleton]

Great to see a new video from you! Your vids are always really thorough and also nice to fall asleep to after I've watched em a couple times. You really live up to The Zelda Enthusiast title :)

[@jleannaw]

Omg I just started following and I’m so early!

[@awgaming3210]

good video! i like your worldview

[@aag24]

Thank you sir!

[@skyesilverwing8922]

You forgot to take into account the most populous group on the map: The Monsters. The Monsters represent an active and continuous existential threat to every other group of people. In Breath of the Wild, the Monsters are an undeniable oppressive force that serves to prevent unification by actively filling Central Hyrule with hostile Guardians, and lining the roads with threats. Moblins lurk in ambush in roadside ruins, Hinoxes sleep on bridges, and Lizalfos hide in all climates. Even as close as the forest outside of Hateno Village, Bokoblins attack villagers who dare to venture out looking for mushrooms. And these threats, once vanquished, return again every Blood Moon. They Hinder Trade, make communication difficult, and attack travelers and treasure hunters. A truly oppressive economic force. In Tears of the Kingdom, Central Hyrule has been retaken, at great effort, and has become the center of the unification efforts, so the grip the Monsters hold on the surrounding regions is not as intense as it was. The Monsters are still there, with Gleelocks and Boss Bokoblins and Gloom hands causing more trouble, but now they serve as a more unifying force for the people of Hyrule. They are not only an enemy for the people of hyrule to stand together against, but keeping them suppressed is the direct purpose of the Monster Suppression Squads, one of the Higher paid jobs in the game. King or no King, Princess or no Princess, the people of Hyrule are united as long as the Blood Moon keeps bringing those Monsters back.

[@sheabuttasims]

Rupee lore video!! 💚

[@EstradusTheDragon]

Gleeok horns don't have as high a damage stat but theyre so cool; you get unlimited activation for elemental power and you can do some wild shenanigans with that - The best use is on the windcleaver blade. Kleric has a cool video on fusions you should have; check it out. Also; make your monster parts into elixers and sell those. any 5 ingredient cooking process; wether its a cooked dish or a monster part elixer; has i think a 50% value increase over the normal item value (the more ingredients increases the multiplier.) Just spin to win in a field to collect some crickets and throw them in with some moderate value monster parts and you can really increase your yield.

[@kaiserhundkek2531]

i would be down for that rupee essay

[@ChiliPat]

Gleeok horns are actually quite overpowered. The elemental effects have no cool down and you do extra elemental damage on top of the 30 base damage. Great drop, personally I prefer Lynel horns tho.

[@Rheben]

This is probably not representative of Hyrule’s economy, as it’s more of a mechanic than an environmental feature, but I think another reason they removed so many hearty food locations is because of the way Beedle (and presumably other merchants, though I haven’t tried) can be refreshed simply by skipping a night and talking to them again. I’ve personally collected loads and loads of hearty lizards through this method, so I never have to feel like I have less hearty food than BotW. The same goes for replacing endura carrots with tireless frogs from Beedle.

[@Rheben]

Could technically be representative of the environmental/economic state in that durians and snails are out of season, and due to the additions of caves, lizards are much more abundant? That’s a stretch, though.

[@ZeoViolet]

With places like Tarry Town flourishing, and a LOT more interaction between various races since BotW, I expect to see a lot more mixed families coming along. The numbers of each race is really low from a real-world perspective, and I speculated to myself that racial mixing (between compatible races, that is) was tactically approved of (necessary by default for Gerudo) or tactically ignored (Hylian/Zora). I don't doubt that some of the Hylians or Zora out there are of mixed parentage, and the resulting child is one race or the other, even if it isn't spoken of openly. Rito? Probably incredibly rare if ever, but that doesn't mean it won't occur to some of them with the increased interactions of all races. Goron? I don't think so! They are strongly hinted to have...alternate ways of reproduction from the other races. They don't have much of a concept for romance. It doesn't matter; they can live with other races and enjoy each other's company with no problems involved. That adult Hylian/Young Adult Zora (who's a late bloomer) sqiucked people out in BotW; TotK made it clear that Finley was considered an adult in mind, buuuut Sasan's probably doing a Jail Bait Wait AT BEST, even if Finley's older than he is! He spends all his free time with her and his focus is totally on her and their times together, which he treasures, which is INCREDIBLY intense for just a platonic friendship. He'd be happy even if he died of old age before her body caught up with her mind. Finley's parents acknowledge she's a young adult and that they shouldn't worry, but I suspect that they accept it because Finley's still young and will still be young when Sasan dies of old age, and she can make another marriage afterwards. (Hell, that's probably why Doreaphan was so willing to let his daughter Mipha marry Link, even though she was the heir to his throne. She'd outlive Link and, if they didn't have kids, she'd make a second marriage later and have kids, OR Sidon's children would be her heirs. He could afford to be agreeable. But an adult Sidon who wouldn't make a permanent choice among anyone had to be nudged. I don't believe his marriage was forced. He probably just agreed when his father brought it up as a possibility, and she agreed, so it was "arranged". There are probably a fair amount of Zora with traces of Hylian DNA. Rito...the first to try it would probably be some female who wants to be a warrior, which you don't exactly see any of in the games. Girls sing and do local businesses; guys do the warrior stuff. Old fashioned gender segregation. The one who goes off on her own is going to be the one to find a Hylian who approves of her fighting skills, and settle in Tarry Town, where everyone's accepted. *Total flight of fancy imagining here.*

[@chipwiseman2]

BotW had 27,570 rupees total in chests, while TotK had 2,054. That's a 92.5% reduction in money!

[@DavidStowers-o7k]

How many single Rupee chests are in that cave that requires the dog to help you get a piece of the Ember armour set near Foothill Stable?

[@annekeener4119]

I wonder how much of a role Yunoboco has in the decrease in the price of gems in a Watsonian sense. Yonubo centralized the Goron gem mining operations, bringing down mining costs and dropping the overall price of gems. While the corporation is struggling during ToTK, that only started a few weeks ago during the upheaval. Of course, the Doyleist explanation is that the developers wanted to discourage players from selling gems instead of fusing them, so the prices dropped. Flint didn’t change, but flint isn’t that useful for fusing.

[@ZeoViolet]

By the way...the "complexities" of modern life don't apply to a world like this one...not because of the fantasy, but because there are fewer people than resources. All of the races want things that the others races can provide, and it isn't easy for each race to openly raid and settle into the domains of other races, so trade and working together for all is a better system than warfare, with Tarry Town being an ultimate example of that (as well as being fairly comfortable for everyone). In fact, it's an ideal place for a new seat of government, during the reconstruction era.

[@joshuachang5210]

Hyrule is about the size of Kyoto. Think about how many people there are in Kyoto and in hyrule just puts to perspective how much natural resources each people gets access to is so drastically different.

[@saraharmani2710]

In my totk playing when it first came out I was very confused as to how much the economy had changed !!

[@Silverstar114]

Tears did the same thing Elden Ring did. They added a whole bunch of crafting materials they wanted you to find, so they got rid of the more generally useful stuff to fit it in.

[@mastercheif1225]

Rupee essay! 😊

[@vizzzyy190]

love this so much

[@ILikeWafflz]

21:51 Did you mean Hudson there?

[@nikki607]

My headcanon is that Link overdid it in BotW and single-handedly hunted the hearty and enduring species to extinction or at least near-extinction lol

[@whimsycole246]

My headcanon is that Link hunted and farmed all the hearty materials in BOTW to extinction.

[@ojok12]

let me get the rupie theory vid please thank you! great vid

[@panyanabrd3183]

Rupee Essay! :D

[@davidrubow8784]

I want the Rupee theory video.

[@sofivazquez1271]

Rupee essay pretty please?❤

[@pygmytyrantking3153]

Dude, make another vid on this with an actual economics individual. Maybe only go over this game or all of them. It would take time but I would watch it

[@justa_trip]

good now. what is 1 rupee in USD?

[@Cliffordlonghead]

BOT

[@LighteningS7]

@@Cliffordlonghead I don’t think they are a bot.

[@justa_trip]

@@Cliffordlonghead bro im not a FUCKING bot

[@JustARandomPersonLol69420]

I did the math like 2 years ago, if I remember correctly one rupee is like 8 usd if we go by the starting house price in Hateno, which was 50k, and the mean house price in 2017 was roughly 400k. So if the housing market mirrors the real world, rupees are 8x more valuable, which would mean mfs with diamond dupes like me are casually walking around with millions in their pocket. But then if we go by gem prices, we get a value of about 15000 dollars per rupee, and going by produce prices it goes back to like 4-6 usd. Rupee values are weird.

[@justa_trip]

@ im not a bot btw

[@benjazeman]

Why is this video right up my alley? Seriously though, I'd be so rich if I could sell arrows.

[@ZayZoot]

9:41, well to be fair Gleeoks drop 3 horns.

[@Pixel22-fs3tt]

I suspect that more than a lot of these things exist for gameplay reasons and not actual lore reasons

[@LunaLinkle]

Rupee essay!!!