The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was a highly popular game in 2023. It was released to a lot of positive reviews and has since won Game of the Year accolades from several different sources. It came in second place here at Kotaku, but even if it didn’t win, Link and Zelda’s newest game was one of the most important games of this year, and of the Switch’s existence. If you discovered Tears of the Kingdom beneath the tree this year and are interested in learning some tips before beginning, we have you covered. It can be risky to go by yourself, so consider these suggestions.
Complete the initial primary mission before engaging in exploration.
In a game such as Tears of the Kingdom, it is common to have the want to go exploring right away after completing the extensive introductory part. Nevertheless, you must complete a small portion of the main quest before embarking on your adventures. This is because the initial major quests on Hyrule’s surface provide you with certain equipment that will greatly facilitate your subsequent endeavors. The key item you will not have access to if you choose not to engage in any of the primary quest content early on is the Paraglider. This useful small object is part of the main storyline, but it becomes available after the game expands its universe, so it’s possible to overlook it. Certainly, it is feasible to traverse a significant portion of Hyrule without the Paraglider, but progressing without it significantly increases the difficulty of the game without providing any tangible advantages.
Try out your inventions before putting them into use
One of my earliest instances of “experimenting” and “learning from experience” while playing Tears of the Kingdom was when I placed a Flame Emitter on a cart while playing in handheld mode. On the television, I didn’t notice that I had turned the object in the opposite direction, and it was not facing away from me and my construction. When I turned it on, the flamethrower was aimed directly at my cart and, even more concerning, me, causing me to be burned alive. Since that time, I have made it a priority to evaluate each vehicle I create before using them.
Resetting will facilitate the rotation of items.
The Ultrahand mechanic of Tears of the Kingdom is quite impressive. It is easy to use and allows you to build some quite remarkable engineering accomplishments. Nevertheless, I encountered significant difficulty while attempting to rotate objects when they were hung in mid-air. The game allows you to rotate objects only along the x and y axes. However, since an item remains in its original position when Ultrahand is used, it might occasionally be challenging to accurately determine its position. I had difficulty with this for a few hours until learning that hitting ZL while turning resets the item’s orientation. You might still need to rotate it on the axis slightly, but it will greatly simplify that task.
Structures vanish when you refresh your saved progress.
Many of us put our Switches on standby mode when we take a break from a game, but if you exit Tears of the Kingdom or save and restart, your Ultrahand-built structures and their parts will reset. This implies that if you make a mistake and accidentally drop your construction down the side of a sky island, reloading your previous save won’t bring it back. If you have the necessary components around when you save, it’s simply a matter of reconstructing it. However, Tears of the Kingdom does pose a challenge when it comes to preserving your creation in case of any interruptions. Therefore, it is advisable to know this aspect before attempting to save and reload to address an issue.
Prepare yourself for some startling adversaries.
The Zelda series is filled with frightening elements, and that trend continues in Tears of the Kingdom. However, this game features several adversaries that might startle players due to their ability to seamlessly blend into the surroundings. Nowhere on the map of Tears of the Kingdom is secure, from the Battle Talus lurking under enemy strongholds to the Mimic Trees that resemble ordinary trees in Hyrule. Stay vigilant.
Bring the Koroks together
One would assume that one of the primary collection quests in Tears of the Kingdom would be self-explanatory. However, I only realized that I was supposed to bring the scattered Koroks back together once I reached the surface of Hyrule. So, it’s probably worth mentioning to others. I believed the small individual was merely guiding me to my intended destination! I didn’t intend to leave him behind when he needed me, and I also didn’t fully understand how to operate the Ultrahand, so I didn’t realize I could lift the small king. It’s something I wish I had known before starting because I definitely wouldn’t have abandoned that Korok child if I had known about the mechanic.
Link is pictured standing with Penn in front of a stage.
Obtain the Froggy armor at an early stage.
The questline called Potential Princess Sightings is one of the most complex in the Tears of the Kingdom game. In the vicinity of Rito Village, Link goes to the Lucky Clover Gazette, a local newspaper in Hyrule, to look into reported sightings of Zelda, who has been absent since the beginning of the game. There are two main benefits to completing this 12-part questline that make it worth prioritizing. Initially, the Froggy armor set offers a quite decent payout. The combination of this outfit, consisting of a top, pants, and headgear, provides Link with increased slide resistance. This allows for better climbing on wet surfaces. This was a significant annoyance in Breath of the Wild, so it’s good that Nintendo provided some methods of reducing that in the sequel. In addition to the trip benefit, Potential Princess Sightings provides an excellent opportunity to explore a large part of Hyrule. One of the initial tasks I completed was following the Gazette’s correspondent on their global journey. This allowed me to come across numerous Shrines to activate and Skyview Towers to collect map data. Completing this task ahead of time just facilitates the completion of any other tasks within Tears of the Kingdom.
It is advisable to always activate a shrine, even if you do not complete it.
In addition, there are many tasks to complete when exploring Hyrule, and you may not want to focus on shrines while you are pursuing a bird journalist across the landscape. Nevertheless, whenever you come across a shrine, it is worthwhile to approach it by walking, climbing, or swimming to activate it. Even if you have no desire to solve the puzzles, shrines serve as the main method of quick travel in Tears of the Kingdom. It is beneficial to activate them so that you can teleport back to them at a later time. After completing Potential Princess Sightings, I am quickly moving across the map to clean up some shrines. However, I would not have been able to do this as effortlessly if I had not taken diversions between objectives.
You cannot always depend on waypoints.
When it comes to exploring expansive environments, one of the things I dislike the most is when a map marker fails to guide me to my intended location. Tears of the Kingdom occasionally fall into this pattern, and it has made a couple of tasks quite bothersome. Many times, non-player characters (NPCs) will provide you with details about a location by describing its surroundings or giving you directions. However, if you are someone who learns best by visual cues, like me, you might simply prefer a prominent, illuminated yellow dot on the map. Sometimes that doesn’t occur, but you may access the adventure log, which frequently displays secondary objectives on the map with a yellow ring, along with Link’s relative position. I simply desire for information to consistently be provided on the standard map.
An alternative method to optimize the use of waypoints is to create your own. This may be done either directly on the map by adding stamps or by using your telescope (by pushing the right thumbstick) to mark anything within your line of sight.
Link is observed conversing with individuals wearing only their undergarments, with one individual stating, “Therefore, ready your thoughts and physique, and proceed to explore while wearing underpants!”
Take off your pants when you want to be stealthy.
Yes, I’m suggesting that you remove Link’s horse armor if you want to approach someone stealthily. Although Tears of the Kingdom may not have the most advanced stealth mechanics in the industry, there are various situations where you need to gain an advantage over an enemy by approaching them from behind. This involves crouching and moving at a sluggish pace. However, in Tears of the Kingdom, the sound is used for stealth, as indicated by the purple sound waves radar in the bottom right corner. One of the fastest methods to ensure silence is to eliminate certain equipment. Trousers and, as a result, footwear are some of the most audible items that Link can don, therefore taking them off during a stealth section will provide you with a benefit.
The consequences of your recipe do not combine.
One additional instance where I improperly utilized resources was when I prepared multiple meals that enhanced my ability to withstand frigid temperatures. I employed a device that allowed me to endure the severe, snowy conditions of the Rito Village for a short period. Then, since I had more ones, I chose to consume one that was less potent. I thought this would only contribute to the time, but instead, it entirely replaced the original, stronger mixture. Ingredients and time spent. Currently, I only utilize a single food item at a time to avoid missing out on valuable resistance and resources.
Utilize the technique of recalling wings to generate some forward motion.
Link receives several new Zonai tools to use in Tears of the Kingdom, but the Wings are secretly one of the most valuable items you will acquire in the game. These items will allow you to smoothly navigate through the Hyrule sky without the need to be concerned about your stamina, thanks to the Paraglider. However, they can occasionally be challenging to operate, as they are essentially flat objects without a simple method to move them forward and away from the surface they are placed on if there is no designated path for them to follow. One method to generate some forward motion is to employ Ultrahand to raise them across the gap you desire to descend, and thereafter return it to the surface. Step onto the wing, then activate Recall to reverse its motion until it hovers away from the edge and then deactivate the ability. The wing will then descend elegantly in the direction it is facing.
Do not rely on autosaves.
In Tears of the Kingdom, you cover a significant amount of ground, yet the game doesn’t consistently save automatically at the most convenient location. If you’re concerned about losing progress, it’s always a good idea to make a hard save, even if it just saves you a few minutes between the last autosave and your destination. This is especially important before a potentially challenging combat encounter. I experienced a situation where the distance between my autosave and a challenging battle required a consistent two-minute walk each time. Therefore, after I reloaded my save for the second time, I created a manual save close outside the cavern. I’m accustomed to games that save automatically every time I make a turn, thus Tears of the Kingdom’s lack of frequent autosaves has caused me trouble on multiple occasions.
Utilize frozen weaponry to traverse bodies of water.
In Tears of the Kingdom, none of the rune skills from Breath of the Wild are there. One thing I do miss is Link’s capability to generate large ice blocks in the sea. It was a convenient method to traverse large bodies of water. However, the Skyview Towers have greatly reduced the need for it, as they allow me to descend from a significant height to nearly any location on the map. However, although Link is no longer able to generate ice out of thin air, the Fuse ability still allows you to attach ice-based objects to your weapons. This implies that when you insert your spear with an ice point into the water, it forms a surface for you to stand on. If you ever find yourself stranded in the ocean without a suitable location to paraglide from, consider placing a piece of White Chuchu Jelly on your sword and making your way to the beach.
Link is observed carrying his Purah pad.
There is no incorrect method to engage in Tears of the Kingdom.
Tears of the Kingdom is mostly focused on your creativity, and the game motivates you to discover your happiness and resolutions to its challenges. Simply because Nintendo has provided a way for you to go, it does not imply that you are under any obligation to follow it. There was a shrine where it seemed like the purpose was for me to place a cart upon a rail and then use Ultrahand to pull it across. This was all done to transport its payload, a sphere, to a harbor on the opposite side of the sanctuary. Instead of subjecting myself to the agony of pulling the cart any longer, I simply affixed a lengthy plank to its wheel and then attached the sphere to its elevated end. I placed the ball within reach using Ultrahand, and I could effortlessly transport it to the next chamber. I completely bypassed the arrangement that the temple had prepared for me. Once you change your perspective and no longer see what is in front of you as the only thing you can deal with, a new aspect of Tears of the Kingdom becomes available to you. Not sure how to make an orb reach the target required for advancement? Attempt firing an explosive projectile at it. Observe the outcome.