In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, there are a ton of things to do that aren’t explicitly explained to you. The game is designed in such a way that it’s open-ended and allows players to see and do things at their own pace. That isn’t to say that there are not things that should be done or you shouldn’t be aware of during your playtime.
We’ve spent many hours on the game ourselves and some of us have learned these tips and tricks the hard way. Don’t be like us and take our advice on these tips and tricks in our guide!
Loot Everything
Everything that is dropped by an enemy and able to be picked up by Link is going to be important at some point in your play-through of the game. The many things these items can be used for are, cooking, leveling up armor, attaching to weapons, attaching to arrows, upgrading your batteries, and even being sold for rupees. Rupees this time around are hard to come by so no matter what it’s ideal to keep your pockets full of random doodads to sell away.
Visit The Stables
Stables this time around are very important. Around the vicinity of these stables are going to be some weird-looking hieroglyphics, to avoid spoilers we don’t want to say what they are but you will eventually learn about this mechanic at some point! Besides these drawings, the stable offers some important things to Link like giving him a place to sleep overnight and also a reward points system. Once you get 7 points the stable will give you access to a special bed that will increase your heart and stamina temporarily. Very worth it!
Do Every Shrine
Besides getting the Light that allows you to upgrade your hearts and stamina, these shrines are important because they also act as teleportation points that can be used. Some shrines you may come across will be next to important areas you are going to visit later on in your journey so make sure to complete them as you come across them.
Teleporting is Your Friend
Sometimes there are going to be situations that you can’t get out of and just need to bite the bullet and teleport to the closest shrine or tower that you have unlocked.
Cook As Much As Possible
Cooking is very important! It’s the only way to heal hearts and stamina, give Link buffs, give him resistances, and craft powerful elixirs while out exploring. Make sure to always be tooling around with the cooking mechanic and seeing what recipes you can pull off.
Talk to Every NPC
There are many characters across Hyrule with stories to tell and interesting things to say. The game does an amazing job of peppering side quests and fun tidbits of lore throughout via these side characters that exist usually within the towns across Hyrule. If there’s a red exclamation mark next to their text bubble they will have a side quest available for you and if they don’t they are more than likely going to say something that puts a smile on your face.
Fuse As Much As Possible
Fusing is this game’s main hook one could argue. Combining any item on the ground with any weapon or shield you may have picked up is a lot to think about. But it is very important. All of the weapons that can be found across Hyrule are generally pretty weak and this is intended by the game designers. Fusing monster parts, rocks, jewels and even other weapons will give Link an advantage on the battlefield that he desperately needs.
Always Have a Plain Weapon and Shield On You
In the same vein of what we said prior, make sure to have a basic weapon or shield on you at all times. Ideally something wooden but not necessary. There will be times where you may need to use a hammer sword to break some rocks, set some torches on fire with a wooden stick or even fuse a TNT barrel to your shield. These things are important!
Unlock the Paraglider, Then Explore
When you first land in Hyrule it may be tempting to start wandering around and never looking back. But, we highly recommend talking to Purah in Lookout Landing and doing her quest called “Crisis at Hyrule Castle.” This quest takes you to the outskirts of Ganondorf’s abode and introduces you to the new Hylian guard then once you return to Purah she will gift you with the Paraglider.
Listen to Purah and Head Northwest
Purah hints that Link should head North West towards the Rito tribe. We recommend listening to her at least partially. Head northwest and make sure to make your way to the Stable in that direction. Across from the Stable is something VERY important. After doing what needs to be done at the Stable, you can go where you please but ideally, we recommend doing the Rito area dungeon!
Don’t Be Afraid to Do Dungeons
Doing dungeons may seem like you’re chipping away a big chunk of the game, something that many people are afraid to do. But, we highly recommend doing at least one of them so you can unlock a very special power for Link and also gain an upper hand in combat and traversal across Hyrule.
With all of these tips, we hope that you won’t be like us and fumble around Hyrule! If you have any more advice for us that we missed please let us know down below.
