After completing the Suthorn Ruins at the beginning of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, you must choose between heading to one of two locations to tackle more Rifts that have opened up – Gerudo Desert to the west, or Jabul Waters to the north.
The two zones have a few big differences, the main two being difficulty and the distance you’ll have to travel to get there. This guide explains some basic advantages of each area, including a particularly useful Echo you can only get in each zone, to help players decide where to go first after completing the intro section: Gerudo Desert or Jabul Waters.
Gerudo Desert & Jabul Waters In Echoes of Wisdom
Jabul Waters Is Relatively Easy, But Distant
- Highlight: Water Block Echo
Jabul Waters is the first Zora area that Zelda can access in Echoes of Wisdom. It’s an area that is home to two Zora Tribes – the River Zora and the Ocean Zora – and in recent times the great spirit Lord Jabu-Jabu has gone mad, apparently provoked by the onset of Rifts nearby.
Between Jabul Waters and Gerudo Desert, the Zora domain is slightly easier and enemies tend not to be as pesky to deal with. There are some standout annoying enemies, but for the most part, it’s a chill ocean adventure with great scenery (including a Galleon-style ship) and one of the best early game Echoes: Water Block.
This simple Echo only costs one Tri Power, and essentially creates a cube of water in the air that Zelda can swim through. It blocks enemies, it puts out fires, and it can be used to get to hard-to-reach areas that would normally be inaccessible.
Gerudo Desert Is Close To Suthorn Forest, But More Difficult
- Highlight: Flying Tile Echo
When you are prompted to choose between heading to the Gerudo or Zora dungeon first in Echoes of Wisdom, you will probably immediately notice that Gerudo Desert is barely a stone’s throw away to the west, while Jabul Water is located much further north. This might make you think that the Gerudo Desert is the easier of the two, being the zone in the more linear path.
Gerudo Desert is actually harder to get through than Jabul Waters thanks to tougher enemy types and the map distortion effect that occurs when you are in the sandstorm. But, if you don’t mind a little bit of an early-game challenge, heading to Gerudo Desert first is the faster route. Once you are done here, you can head to Jabul Waters, which is right next to Hyrule Castle for the next part of the main story.
Another reason to brave the sands and head to Gerudo Desert early is to get the Flying Tile Echo. Like the Water Block Echo, the Flying Tile can be used to get to areas that would normally be difficult to reach or outright inaccessible. Just summon the Flying Tile, jump on top, and it should start to fly in the direction you were facing when it was summoned.
So, Should You Go To Gerudo Desert Or Jabul Waters First?
The choice between going to Gerudo Desert or Jabul Waters first in Echoes of Wisdom really comes down to the level of difficulty you want at this early stage of the game. Thanks to the game’s fast travel system waypoints make the distance factor of the two areas pretty negligible, though it is still a factor for players who want to finish Echoes of Wisdom fast.
Ultimately, if you want to save a bit of time in the long run and don’t mind facing tougher enemies with less Heart Containers, head west toward Gerudo Desert first.
If you want the easier of the two routes, but don’t mind going a bit out of your way, consider heading up north to Jabul Waters first, then Fast Travelling back to the entrance to Gerudo Desert once you’ve gotten a few more Echoes and Heart Containers.
