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[DeactivatedUser1]

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[Fraxinus]

Even Nintendo is confused about the timeline, it's okay.

 

[Kerest]

Basically? The only way it works is if someone used the Triforce to merge all three timelines into one. Which, in turn, would explain Calamity Ganon; he's the merged power and evil of all three Ganons in a single being.

Doing this was also probably quite cataclysmic. There was probably not much left of any of the 3 Hyrules beyond memories and the scarred land in the aftermath.

 

[Gonroh]

Didn't Aonuma said that it's up to the players imagination. He first said it takes place at the end of each split/branch, but then he said even they don't know and haven't intended for BoTW to be in the timeline.

 

[Kerest]

But that sounds more fanfiction than canon. And how would someone get the whole Triforce? Ganondorf, Vaati, Yuga, Malladus, etc, couldn’t. Wind Waker Ganondorf is underneath the sea, how would anyone fuse with him?

The whole Triforce is in Hyrulian hands multiple times in the Downfall timeline. And prior to the Hyrulians having it, Ganon had it; Link gets the entire Triforce from Ganon after defeating him in the Sacred Realm in ALttP. That's how Zelda and Link had the whole thing in ALBW and were able to so easily fix Lorule. Given the end of AoL, there's really no reason why Hyrule shouldn't have the restored Triforce again.

So, yeah. There's one timeline where Ganon had the whole thing, only to lose it to Link and the Hyrulians and then permanently die.

And, really, there is no canon method as to how BotW is at the end of every timeline; any explanation is pretty much pure fanfiction right now. I'm just going for the one that involves the least amount of headaches (not that it's remotely headache-free, but that it accounts for all elements of lore present in BotW without ruling items in-game as noncanon).

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

BotW was initially stated to be at the end of the timeline, which branch was for us to determine. This seems to be a way to reboot the series without actually creating a completely new timeline while also reigniting timeline theories for future games.

Spoiler: mighty wall of words

One theory is the merged timeline which as I've said many times, simply doesn't work. How can the hero of time win, but also fail? How can hyrule be flooded but also not? Concerning the tunics of past heroes this really doesn't help BotW's already blurring the line of lore or easter egg. Personally I headcanon that BotW is far enough that events just similar enough to other timelines occured in its own. Looking at the tunic of winds description it does mention the Great Sea, but this can be taken simply as a descriptor of the ocean hyrule borders. In the end Nintendo has never been big on lore, so BotW was left up in the air for us to theorize discuss and just talk about it which I feel helped it get out there since it was marketed as being so different, and different gets people talking.[/SPOLIER]

 

[Spirit]

Aonuma will do and say what Aonuma wants to do ans say. Lore and logic be damned.

He took a lazy approach to lore in BotW, he could easily magic a convergence at any time he wants.

But i agree with BWWA that it is a way for him to step away from the established timeline.

 

[Moblinking5000]

Contrary to popular belief he didn't confirm that BotW is a merge. He said that it's at the very end of one of the timelines, and is leaving us to discuss which one it is.

The official JP site doesn't even have BotW officially attached to any of the three.

And considering the fact that you either need out of game materials such as Amiibos to get the outfits, or in the case of the DLCs, they break the fourth wall, I wouldn't say that they should be used as a timeline indicator.

 

[Kerest]

The problem with ruling the amiibos non-canon is that there is in-game reaction to Epona by certain NPCs, indicating she actually is part of their world to the point they recognize her.

In addition, the outfit descriptions are written as if referencing myths and legends, including the one that is not an amiibo outfit and is for BotW. The only way we can argue those amiibo outfits are breaking the fourth wall and noncanon is to include an outfit that is part of the base game and does not require an amiibo to access as part of that list, as well as to discount NPC reactions to an amiibo-added animal. And there is no indication, from Nintendo or otherwise, that they are noncanon.

In addition, as Pollux notes, BotW's Hyrule combines features from all three timelines into a singular whole. A timeline merger is still the explanation that requires the least amount of unanswerable questions and still the only option that doesn't turn the entirety of BotW into a giant game of "choose your own canon."

And we can't even argue that it's impossible, as the required sharks were already jumped by OoT, TP, OoA, OoS, ALttP, and ALBW.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

so how does Hyrule get flooded only 1/3 of the time, and how does Link beat Ganondorf, but also loose, but also never have said battle? A merger would require a lot of explaining.

 

[Spirit]

This is what he said.

Breath of the Wild Timeline Placement Will Never Happen, Says Eiji Aonuma

There will be no official Breath of the Wild timeline placement, according to Eiji Aonuma. Read on to discover all the reasons why.

www.google.com

No placement. Probably no placement for the next one either.

 

[Moblinking5000]

What seems to be the Mirror of Twilight and a lot of areas in other games appear in BotW. Koholint Island and Arbiter's Grounds being two of them.

It's not the Mirror of Twilight. It's a fragmented stone monument.

Koholint doesn't appear. Eventide seems to be a nod toward it, but Koholint itself doesn't appear. The Arbiter's Grounds has a slightly different name in both the JP versions of BotW and TP, and Ganondorf's execution didn't take place that long after OoT, and the Ancient Sages dwelt there, so it's pretty easy to say that it's either a different place or it existed before the split based on that information.

In addition, the outfit descriptions are written as if referencing myths and legends, including the one that is not an amiibo outfit and is for BotW. The only way we can argue those amiibo outfits are breaking the fourth wall and noncanon is to include an outfit that is part of the base game and does not require an amiibo to access as part of that list, as well as to discount NPC reactions to an amiibo-added animal. And there is no indication, from Nintendo or otherwise, that they are noncanon.

What I mean by the DLC outfits breaking the fourth wall is that if you look at the journal that Misko leaves behind, it has ''EX'' written at the end of it. Now, to us, the players, the ''EX'' denotes extra content included in the DLC, but it has no verifiable in world meaning, which brings the canoncity of those outfits into question. The set of the Wild, however, does not have any of those going against it; it is something you pbtain ingame without outside materials, and it doesn't break the fourth wall, so there's no reason to say it's non canon. The PotFS is non canon as well, and for the same reason.

In addition, as Pollux notes, BotW's Hyrule combines features from all three timelines into a singular whole.

It having features that other timelines haven't seen until now doesn't confirm anything. Remember Tingle was exclusive to the CT...until he wasn't. Especially since there's in universe explanations for most of the things such as Koroks(there's a picture of one in Link's house in ALBW) and Rito(their different features and culture imply that they are a different species, like River Zoras and Ocean Zoras)

A timeline merger is still the explanation that requires the least amount of unanswerable questions

Sorry, but no way.

1. How does Hyrule both exist and not exist at the same time?

2. How is Ganon Ganondorf I, Ganondorf II, and gone altogether at the same time, despite CaC confirming he's Ganondorf I?

3. How are we supposed to believe that the MS is both beneath the sea and still in an unsunken Old Hyrule in BotW, despite only seeing it in the latter condition?

4. How did the merge happen?

5. Wouldn't the game mention a huge cataclysmic merging event?

6. What exactly happened in the Era of the Hero of Time in the world of BotW? (We know that the sages were awakened, so that rules out the Child Timeline)

7. Why doesn't anyone in Hyrule know about the merge?

Just to start.

 

[Kerest]

so how does Hyrule get flooded only 1/3 of the time, and how does Link beat Ganondorf, but also loose, but also never have said battle? A merger would require a lot of explaining.

Not really. It can just be explained as "at this point, suddenly everything merged" and leave the events prior to that point as different timelines. Add in "and that f^&*ed up everything and was quite cataclysmic" and you pretty much cover the results. It doesn't really require that heavy of an explanation; there's been numerous examples in media of such being done. And even if you want to mash all of them together at once, all you have to do is average out the results (this is what the Elder Scrolls series has done at least once, and I'm pretty certain Chrono Cross did it as well).

What I mean by the DLC outfits breaking the fourth wall is that if you look at the journal that Misko leaves behind, it has ''EX'' written at the end of it. Now, to us, the players, the ''EX'' denotes extra content included in the DLC, but it has no verifiable in world meaning, which brings the canoncity of those outfits into question. The set of the Wild, however, does not have any of those going against it; it is something you pbtain ingame without outside materials, and it doesn't break the fourth wall, so there's no reason to say it's non canon. The PotFS is non canon as well, and for the same reason.

The Cap of the Wild literally says this:

"According to legend, this cap was crafted for a hero who travels the wild lands. Wearing it just feels so right."

The Tunic of the Wild:

"This armor was apparently crafted for a hero who travels the wilds. Strangely enough, it's just your size."

Trousers of the Wild:

"Legends say the pants were tailored for a hero who travels the wilderness. Strangely enough, they're the most comfortable pair of pants you've ever worn."

This is the same exact text style as all of the other sets. If those DLC sets break the fourth wall, so does the Wild set.

Also, it's pretty clear what we're seeing on the screen has been translated for our convenience; it doesn't represent the actual text Link sees. You can see this in particular on the map, with all of the sections where there is English text that stands out but Hylian text that is part of the map. The game is dropping hints that everything about the Sheikah Slate has been altered so that we perceive it in a manner that makes sense to us. So that "EX" doesn't break the fourth wall because Link would never see it on the screen anyway.

It having features that other timelines haven't seen until now doesn't confirm anything. Remember Tingle was exclusive to the CT...until he wasn't. Especially since there's in universe explanations for most of the things such as Koroks(there's a picture of one in Link's house in ALBW) and Rito(their different features and culture imply that they are a different species, like River Zoras and Ocean Zoras)

Yes, but those require more complex explanations for how each would show up in each timeline than we have been presented, and verge even further into fanfiction than the timeline merger does. The timeline is a massive mess that requires some serious mental judo no matter what outcome you accept; I'm merely going the route that involves far less mental judo than trying to place it within any one timeline.

Sorry, but no way.

1. How does Hyrule both exist and not exist at the same time?

Hyrule exists in all three timelines. It was refounded post-WW. And, yes, this is canon; check Phantom Sword and Spirit Tracks.

2. How is Ganon Ganondorf I, Ganondorf II, and gone altogether at the same time, despite CaC confirming he's Ganondorf I?

Merged into the same being, resulting in what we see as Calamity Ganon.

3. How are we supposed to believe that the MS is both beneath the sea and still in an unsunken Old Hyrule in BotW, despite only seeing it in the latter condition?

The three swords were merged into a singular blade, with the location chosen when it's moved post-merger (it's actually not in Old Hyrule in BotW, as that game says that Old Hyrule is the Great Plateau; its placement roughly correlates with the placement in ALttP).

4. How did the merge happen?

It could have easily been done using a wish on the Triforce. As ALBW showed us, the Triforce can affect worlds outside of the one it exists in.

5. Wouldn't the game mention a huge cataclysmic merging event?

The game barely mentioned the cataclysm that is most immediately plot-relevant, and the event ten thousand years prior is reduced to a single song mentioned in the game. All other legends are hinted at through the Amiibo outfits. So, no, it wouldn't.

6. What exactly happened in the Era of the Hero of Time in the world of BotW? (We know that the sages were awakened, so that rules out the Child Timeline)

All three outcomes happened. It's a temporal paradox created by timeline merger; any question of "which of these sequences happened" is going to simply be answered with "all of them."

7. Why doesn't anyone in Hyrule know about the merge?

What makes you think they don't? They generally don't mention myths or legends in the game at all, and even the events of the Great Calamity get sparse mention despite it being only a century prior. For the most part, the game simply doesn't give us details beyond hinting that details of Hyrule's history exist, and even then those details not part of a song are 100% relegated to DLC outfits and a reaction you get to Epona.

Just to start.

Meh. These are the easy questions. Try throwing me something hard.

 

[el :BeoWolf:]

Merging the timelines like what the elder scrolls did, while you could do it just feels like a cop out. "Everything is canon lol" Feels lazy.

This is the same exact text style as all of the other sets. If those DLC sets break the fourth wall, so does the Wild set.

Not to get overanalytical but the Wild set says "crafted for" whereas the others mention already being worn.

Hyrule exists in all three timelines. It was refounded post-WW. And, yes, this is canon; check Phantom Sword and Spirit Tracks.

That is New Hyrule. Old Hyrule is still under the sea, but it's also not 2/3 or the time according to a merged timeline

"which of these sequences happened" is going to simply be answered with "all of them."

Back to my earlier. Old Hyrule is under the sea but is fine? the hero of time lost against ganondorf but also won?

 

[Kerest]

Merging the timelines like what the elder scrolls did, while you could do it just feels like a cop out. "Everything is canon lol" Feels lazy.

"Everything is canon lol" is the basic summary of having multiple timelines as well. Same laziness.

Not to get overanalytical but the Wild set says "crafted for" whereas the others mention already being worn.

Wild and Hero both say "treasured" instead of worn or crafted.

That is New Hyrule. Old Hyrule is still under the sea, but it's also not 2/3 or the time according to a merged timeline

Back to my earlier. Old Hyrule is under the sea but is fine? the hero of time lost against ganondorf but also won?

The Hero of Time losing yet winning isn't as big of a deal as long as the timelines merged long after that. You don't have to merge the entirety of the timelines. Just from a certain point on.

And, in any case, Ganon both being permanently killed and yet surviving would explain his nature as Calamity Ganon. Him both winning and losing would explain further his general lack of sanity in BotW; the same contradictions you're struggling with he's constantly living every time he tries to remember something. It would also explain why it is he's no longer entirely doing true reincarnation, but is instead that mass we observe in-game. He's basically bonkers and both alive yet not without being undead.

And merging the disparate topologies like that would be definitely cataclysmic. Which would explain why we don't have any dungeons or tombs that predate Sheikah technology to explore; the merger simply destroyed them all.