With a sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild being in development, fans can’t help but come up with new Zelda rumors just to hold themselves over until another wave of information on the game is released. As for whether or not these rumors end up being true, only time will tell, but one thing that isn’t a rumor and has been confirmed by Nintendo is the fact that the upcoming sequel will be using the same map as the original Breath of the Wild.
Presumably, there are going to be a lot of changes to the map from Breath of the Wild, as there are already a number changes present in the announcement trailer for the sequel (such as Zelda and Link traveling together). Considering the story of BotW, there are many areas in the game that were specifically designed to accommodate particular plot points, and now that those points are gone, Nintendo could go back in and change them to fit the new story (or even remove the areas in question entirely). Nintendo might even decide to keep some of the areas exactly as they were. It all really depends on the direction of the narrative.
Hyrule Castle
Hyrule Castle is, literally and figuratively, the center of the game world in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The main quest ends up there, the final battle is there, and all focal points throughout the world point to the castle like a painting drawing a viewer’s eye. Before and during the events of the game, the castle becomes overrun by the power of Calamity Ganon, a formless and unrestricted version of Ganon. When Link and Zelda defeat it and its dark beast form out on the castle field, the area begins to exude an aura of peace.
The villain of BotW 2 is still unconfirmed, but the defeat of Ganon in Breath of the Wild must mean that some kind of change happens in Hyrule Castle, especially because Ganon and the castle seemed to be so inseparable in the game. The BotW 2 trailer shows the base of the castle exploding to some degree due to the resurrection of what appears to be Ganondorf, but it doesn’t show anything beyond that, including whether or not the entire castle exploded. Either way, fans can expect this area of the game to be redesigned into the new focal point for the sequel to BotW.
Sites of the Divine Beasts
The four divine beasts of Breath of the Wild represent the four major dungeons of the game. Nintendo is likely to reintroduce dungeons in a major way, so the site of these divine beasts must be altered in some way to reflect the fact that they’re gone (or moved). The divine beasts reside in the four major metropolises of the game - Rito Village, Goron City, Zora’s Domain, and Gerudo Town. With the beasts out of the hands of Calamity Ganon, it’s also possible that Nintendo decides to keep the beasts in their respective areas. One could imagine that the beasts would make for an appealing decoration for an in-game city.
The Great Plateau
The Great Plateau is an essential area in Breath of the Wild. It’s where the opening of the game takes place, and it serves as a tutorial area for players to get their bearings before they set off on the game’s adventure. It’s also the area where much of the DLC takes place. For BotW 2, it’s highly unlikely for Nintendo to use the Great Plateau in the same way as before, as there will probably be a new opening area for players to learn the game’s mechanics. This leaves Nintendo with a few options in dealing with it.
It should also be noted that the Great Plateau is located south of Hyrule Castle and is also toward the middle of the game world, meaning that it would be strange to just remove the entire area out of the game. So, Nintendo could either leave it there as a relic, or more interestingly, it could make the area one of the final levels of the game, bringing the adventure back into a full circle. However, fans can rest assured that Nintendo knows what it’s doing, no matter what decision it ultimately makes with Breath of the Wild 2.
A sequel to The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild is in development for the Nintendo Switch.