After two years of waiting, another Breath of the Wild 2 trailer finally dropped at E3 2021. Between all of the quick shots and stunning imagery, it might look like just a taste of what's in store. However, to fans familiar with Breath of the Wild lore, there's a lot to uncover, especially in connection to the first trailer that premiered in 2019.
The two Breath of the Wild trailers are nearly opposites. While the initial reveal brandished a beautiful green light, possessing Link with a strange, new power, the first moments of the new Breath of the Wild 2 trailer focuses more on the Malice and how it's affecting the hero. Likewise, the first trailer looked to be set in a cavern underground, making fans believe that's where the game was headed, but the E3 2021 trailer takes Link's adventures to a mysterious land in the sky. Piecing them together, it might be enough to detail the opening events that set Breath of the Wild 2 off.
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While this hasn't been confirmed, the events shown in the first Breath of the Wild 2 trailer could be the opening events that set the game on its course. Link and Zelda can be seen exploring a cavern with petroglyphs on the walls, implying that the two are studying an ancient culture or technology. Inside this cavern is Ganon's frail body, held up by a glowing green energy in the form of a hand. It seems to be holding Ganon and the Malice coming from his body in place.
However, at some point, Link and Zelda fall and, in an attempt to save him, the glowing hand reaches out and catches him. In doing so, it seems to release its grasp on Ganon, who now awakens. The end of the trailer matches the newest gameplay trailer, showing Hyrule Castle rising with Malice emanating from it because Calamity Ganon was sealed beneath it.
The newest Breath of the Wild 2 trailer, however, shows Zelda falling, implying that she's lost during this initial quest in the cavern. This also probably means Zelda will be away for a large portion of the game as Link tries to get her back. It's possible that, when the hand reached out to grasp Link's, it passed off power to him. Based on the E3 2021 gameplay trailer, Link can presumably use this power throughout the rest of the game, possibly even for time travel.
There a couple of possible hints that these events precede Breath of the Wild 2's main story. In the first look trailer from 2019, Link's hair is about the same length that was left off at the end of Breath of the Wild, but it appears to be somewhat longer in the newer trailer. Additionally, the Master Sword is no longer on Link's back when he's paragliding and falling through the sky.
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The main story of Breath of the Wild 2 is still largely unknown, but there are a few hints to speculate off of. Firstly, based on the information above, the game may likely follow the same format that most Legend of Zelda games do: Link must defeat Ganon and rescue Zelda. But in doing so, Breath of the Wild 2 is introducing new mechanics, enemies, and locations. For example, analyzing the trailers may reveal that time travel or time-reversal play a part in Breath of the World 2's plot.
It's still unknown how the Malice got passed off to Link or when this happened. However, certain outfits Link wears in the newest trailer reveal how the Malice has affected him. It looks to be spreading up his arm and to his body, not unlike the dark rot in Senua's Sacrifice. Some believe Ganon was able to awaken because this Malice latched onto Link and now has a living host.
Breath of the Wild 2 is set to release in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.
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