Task 2: Explore Ordon Village

Ordon Village at Sunset

Welcome to Ordon Village! The people are friendly, unless you’re out to destroy their pumpkins.

As twilight leads to night, you enter Ordon Village and watch the villagers as they stand around, talking. By a shallow stream, Rusl practices his sword-swinging while Uli and Colin watch. In the distance, a large man is waiting at the goat enclosure entrance. Dismount from Epona if you wish.

Get off your horse, and speak to the trio of villagers standing near the first house on the left. The man, Hanch, and his jolly wife Sera, tell you of the mischievous monkeys pilfering from the village.

Everyone’s locked their homes and businesses because of this simian stealing. Sera and her daughter Beth admonish Hanch for his inability to catch the monkeys.

Hanch: Beth’s father Sera’s husband, the dejected-looking Hanch is between 30 and 40 years old. He runs the only commodity shop in the village. He has a meek and timid demeanor and cannot oppose his overbearing wife. He seems to be slightly unlucky.

Sera The mother of Beth and wife of Hanch, Sera is a rotund and jolly lady of 30-something years old. However, she can be unpleasant and haughty to her husband, Hanch. She loves her cat very much; in fact, many in the village say she treats her cat better than her husband.

Beth: One of the young girls (between 8 and 11 years old) in Link’s village, she is the daughter of Hanch and Sera. Too grown-up, she’s a sassy madam, and she thinks the other children in the village are babies. She has a crush on you, and she also dreams of a city life, away from all these goats.

Move down the main village path and stop when you see Colin, Uli, and Rusl at the shallow stream jetty. Speak to Colin and he tells you he’s making you a Fishing Rod.

Rusl, who’s nearby, testing the metal of a sword, also lets you know about Colin’s Fishing Rod. It should be ready for you tomorrow. When you’re done talking, optionally explore the area more before heading south toward the exit.

Crossing the stream leads you to an imposing fellow with a frankly incredible moustache. This is Mayor Bo, who’s standing outside his impressive hut. His dwelling is sealed.

Mayor Bo: A portly but muscular fellow in his mid 40s, Bo is the mayor of this hamlet and the father of Ilia. He has personally chosen you as an envoy to send into the kingdom to befriend the neighboring villages and countries. He cherishes you as if you were his own son. Although appearing organized, he’s a little scatterbrained, which can cause arguments with Ilia.

There’s much you can do in the village, but it’s easier to perform these feats in daylight. Refer to the next Missing Link section for details. Instead, return to your steed, and ride her south, past the mayor’s house, and up the narrow banked path to the goat pasture at Ordon Ranch.

A Goat of a Chance: Herding Time

When you arrive at the goat pasture, Fado greets you. He needs you to herd 10 of the goats into the barn. Agree to this task, or you can’t progress.

After you begin the task, a running total of how many goats you have successfully herded into the barn appears at your screen’s bottom. You also have a new tactic: the “whoop.” Press the A button to let out a sharp yell. This gets the goats moving quickly!

Goat herding goes fast if you follow these techniques: 1. Start your herding away from the barn, and concentrate on the goats farthest away. 2. Ride Epona so you’re on the far side of the goat and the barn. Don’t ride in-between the barn and the goat! Follow a general looping pattern. 3. As you near a goat, or group of goats, they move away from you. If you’re riding with the barn on your left, pass to the right side of the goats, and they begin to turn, and then move left, toward the barn; and vice versa. 4. As the goats begin to turn in the general direction of the barn, let out a whoop. This startles the goats, and they speed up. They move toward the barn but may not enter yet. Don’t worry; concentrate on getting goats near the barn first, then into it. 5. Herd groups of goats. Wrangle single goats based on where they are; clear the upper area first, then move down to the pasture’s middle and lower parts. 6. After the remaining goats are in the lower part of the pasture, finish the job.

Take as long as you like with the herding. After you’re successful, Fado comes in and thanks you for your help. He says he can handle wrangling duties tomorrow while you head toward the main city with that gift Rusl is making.

Fado sets up some fences for you to leap over. Make sure Epona is facing the fences directly, and not approaching from the sides or an angle, or she refuses to jump. Use the spurs (the A button) to gain enough speed to leap each fence. There are two in the pasture. When you’re finished, bound over the fence leading back to the village, and to your home.

Missing Links

1. Barn Storming

Before you leap, you can optionally explore the ranch barn, where you herded all the goats. Fado secured them in stalls where they remain, happily bleating. Interestingly, that ground looks soft enough to dig…if you had the right implement for the job.