Hyrule's Forgotten Ghost Towns (Tears of The Kingdom Lore)

[INTRO PLAYS] Hey folks! The Kingdom of Hyrule seen in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom is a new and improved version of what we saw in the previous instalment Breath of The Wild. From pure post apocalyptic to recovering and growing at a healthy rate. We’ve seen the emergence of new settlements across the Kingdom but also find the remains of past towns, villages and settlements in general which are fading into distant memory. The world is still recovering from the Great Calamity not much more than 100 years ago and whilst the Kingdom is on the rise with exciting new locations such as The Lookout Landing, The Hebra Trailhead Lodge and others spread across the land. We mustn't forget those that stood before and brought life to the world in their prime. In today's video I want to tell the untold tales of Hyrule’s Forgotten Ghost Towns in the day and age of Tears of The Kingdom. If you don’t already know it’s tradition on my channel for you to go and grab a snack or drink to watch the video with so as always folks be sure to go and grab yourself a snack or drink and send them in to get featured right here and lets get into the Hyrule’s Forgotten Ghost Towns. Starting off by Salari Plain we find this now empty ring of trees. There is a main path leading straight through it but for seemingly no reason other than for navigation, but to where exactly? If you haven’t played Breath of The Wild then this spot may look rather normal to you however if you have then you’ll know that this was formally the site of the Serene Stable. One of the most beautiful Stable locations of that timeframe and a waypoint between the venture from central Hyrule to The Hebra Region. A good few years down the line, now in Tears of The Kingdom the stable has actually relocated a little closer to central Hyrule and rebranded as the “New Serene Stable”. We can assume this move was made possible due to central Hyrule being a lot safer now thanks to the sealing of Calamity Ganon and removal of Guardians that bossed around central Hyrule. It could also be because of how out of the way it was but at the same time it did serve as a good checkpoint on route to the North West of Hyrule. We find the former site an empty shell of itself however it isn’t completely void of life. We find Juney and her soft plush mini game here. We can find her in a few locations across the map however she plays a part in the little life of this location nowadays. There is also a construction platform which in terms of the in game lore indicates there was likely plans to build something else here. Perhaps a small hut or two. A home maybe? We cannot say for certain but there was definitely something planned but forgotten about. For reasons that we don't need to go into. I’m left with a touch of sad nostalgia visiting here for this video but at the same time I love seeing this location's more raw natural beauty. There is no horror story or blood shed past of this little Ghost Town, but rather a peaceful rest for what was formerly a bustling Stable. Unlike the last location, this next one does indeed contain a bit of a horror story and bloodshed and is very much a chilling Ghost Town to visit. Deya Village, found right in between central Hyrule and Necluda would have been one of Hyrule’s bigger settlements in its prime. It’s located by the Dueling Peaks and is tucked within these hills, almost hidden from threats which is ironically what I believe caused its downfall. So this village was lost in the Great Calamity and I made a video focused on this place a few years back in which I theorized alongside BanditGames that the village met a very tragic end as Guardians climbed atop the hills and essentially blocked the people of Deya Village from escape and slaughtered them. Not only that but the village also flooded at some point. It isn’t clear if this happened as a result of the Calamity directly or if it was the neglect following the Calamity. I myself believe it happened during the Calamity as we can find Deya Lake just beside the village ruins and I believe that the damage caused by the Guardians caused this to burst into the settlement and flood the homes. Regardless of how it came to be flooded this would have been one of the biggest settlements in Hyrule. The size of it is incredible and in its prime it even had this massive tree standing tall over it. Deya Village would have been a very scenic place to be with its stunning hills, breath-taking nature and secluded location. However it tragically stands as a flooded ghost town in the modern day and age. Home to a Stone Talus and a group of enemies. And also one of these which I didn't know until I was filming this. Tears of The Kingdom expands it slightly from Breath of The Wild as we can now explore its expansive underground system accessed through the many wells. They even lead to a shrine. This in itself is a neat little bit of a lore. An interesting detail to note is that in the Depths, the shallow and walkable water above is actually recognized as a wall down here, the same as rivers and large bodies of water. I find this odd but interesting as the village likely wasn’t always flooded. And even as it is flooded, it’s shallow. This could just be one of these video game logic things or maybe there is a reason that I’m not seeing. I just thought it would be interesting to note. There is of course also now a large chasm atop the hills but other than that Deya Village remains as one of the largest Ghost Towns of Hyrule only second to another settlement we’ll be visiting in today's video a little later on. I’ll link my theory about the village in the description if you’re interested in checking that out after this. Keeping with the theme of horror stories, our next Ghost Town can be found on the edges of Death Mountain. Shadow Hamlet was once a small, tucked away settlement only home to a few but it appears they met a tragic end. I myself have touched on this in old videos but for a really good deep dive check out Bandit Games video on this location, I’ll link it below. In Breath of The Wild we find the burnt remains of this once cozy spot. In Tears of The Kingdom it is still standing but remains as unsettling as before. We don’t know the exact reason the settlement burnt down however it’s believed that it isn’t the obvious answer that you’d probably jump to. Death Mountains lava. Rather, it has been theorized by Bandit Games that the damage done was actually the work of a lone Wizrob who could be found here in Breath of The Wild. The damage doesn’t leave the mark of lava flow in my opinion so I personally believe this theory. Honestly please do check out his video as he tells the theory as a tale in incredible fashion. As for Shadow Hamlet now, it stands alone and untouched by the looks of it. We can jump down the well now and find a little lava cave with a Like Like and treasure. I hope that in the in-game future of this Kingdom, Shadow Hamlet can be repaired and restored for somebody, perhaps a family who want to live in their own little nuke of the land. But for now it remains quiet and untouched, with a dark past. Moving onto a bit of a different Ghost Town, well it isn’t really a town but rather an agricultural settlement. The Ranch Ruins in central Hyrule are well known for their very similar and in many spots one for one appearance to Lon Lon Ranch from Ocarina of Time. They are clearly a reference to that location, if not one of the same in lore terms. Being located in central Hyrule they were never given much of a chance to survive the Calamity and the near complete demolition shows that. This place would have been stomped on by Guardians as the Great Calamity broke out. It stands in peace nowadays. In Breath of The Wild it becomes home to a few enemies but nothing too major. Well other than a Guardian. But a few years down the line and it is once again fairly safe to visit. We managed to get a look at the Ranch in its full glory in the Age of Calamity spin off game. Whilst we can’t go inside we can get a quick look and it does look lovely. I’m sure this place provided milk and other products for the people of Hyrule back in the day. With the Kingdom in the process of restoring and rebuilding now, I’d imagine this location will eventually be restored in this world. We as players might not get to see that as I’m not sure if this exact iteration of Hyrule will be used again but speaking in game lore terms, I think Hyrule will have a central ranch once again very soon. Now for the biggest Ghost Town found in Hyrule. The one this whole video has been building up to. Castle Town. The former heart of Hyrule that was absolutely destroyed during the Great Calamity and those scars still tear through the beauty of modern day Hyrule. Back in it’s prime prior to the Great Calamity this was a very busy and full of life settlement. We’ve seen glimpses of it through memories, Age of Calamity and Creating a Champion and it looked magnificent to explore. Sadly we didn’t get that opportunity and the restoration project wasn’t far enough along by the time the events of Tears of The Kingdom comes along to allow us to explore a restored Castle Town. However the plans are there and we can see the foundations have been set. Materials are here and the plan is there to restore the heart of the Kingdom but the task is a massive one and the Upheaval of course put it on hold. In terms of lore, this place is special and typically always the biggest and most populated settlement. In this day and age it stands in decimated ruin and it’s truly devastating to see it in such bad shape, even more so when you consider just how brutal the Great Calamity would have been here. Castle Town would have been the first settlement to suffer from the tragedy as it’s right next to the source. The King of Hyrule tells us the tale of The Great Calamity early on in Breath of The Wild and we get a good look at just how bad Castle Town had it. Guardians everywhere. Buildings burning down, people being stampeded over and the ruthless mindless malice infected machines were programmed by Ganon to leave no survivors. Homes destroyed, watchtowers collapsed, cathedrals demolished and souls stolen from the heartless evil that was plaguing the Kingdom. The town also extends to the Castle Town prison on the west side and Hyrule Forest Park on the east side. Both also suffered from the Calamity. It’s a sad place to visit, however it will regain strength with time. With time, Hyrule’s broken hurt will be mended. Life will return. And that life will never forget what this iconic location once went through. Hyrule Castle may be a Ghost Town right now, but it’ll be back. Hyrule will be back. Making this video has made me feel a strange but nice nostalgia I didn’t know I had in me. Mainly because these settlements or their locations at least were first seen in Breath of The Wild and I first played that game on the day it came out over six years ago now. This world is sometimes criticized for feeling empty in certain areas but we often forget that this world is still in the long process of recovering from a tragedy that almost wiped the Kingdom out entirely. These Forgotten Ghost Towns are a reminder of that, a reminder of those lost in the Calamity and also a sign of progression for Hyrule. If you enjoyed then subscribing for more fabulous Zelda content would be very much appreciated as well as dropping a wee like to support the video. Let me know down below in the comments your favourite ghost town, ruins or forgotten settlement found in Hyrule and perhaps I can cover them in a future video. I’d like to give a very special thanks to my channel supporters for their very generous support that helps to make these videos possible. If you become a channel supporter today via the links below you’ll gain instant access to Behind The Scenes videos and posts, as well as future snippets. A shoutout upon joining and your name on screen right here. The links to join are below. If you wanna keep up to date with what I’ve got on my socials are also linked below as well as my Discord server which is an awesome place to chat to other Zelda fans and fellow video game enjoyers. That’s about it for today folks, thank you very much for watching, I hope you all have an amazing rest of your day or night and until the next time I’ve been Hyrule Gamer. [OUTRO PLAYS]

Channel: Hyrule Gamer

Views: 111,405

Keywords: Zelda, Tears of The Kingdom, Zelda Tears of The Kingdom, Totk, Zelda Totk, Zelda Theory, Mystery, Lore, Analysis, Link, Princess Zelda, Rauru, The Great Sky Island, Ultrahand, Recall, Fuse, Ascend, Master Sword, Discussion, Zeldatube, Zeldatuber, Cave Boys, The Depths, Zonai, Hyrule, TOTK Secrets, Tears of The Kingdom Secrets, Zelda Secrets, Deya Village, Castle Town, Shadow Hamlet, Ranch Ruins, New Serenne Stable, Serenne Stable, Lookout Landing

Id: Wzlq1BnNA_I

Length: 11min 44sec (704 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 10 2023