First things to do in TotK - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of Kingdoms Guide - IGN (2023)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers a world that matches (and in many ways surpasses) Breath of the Wild in scope. Whether you're new to Zelda's open-world format or know Hyrule inside and out, expect things to change in many unexpected ways - including where to find themarmor,a large villa,towerThere are more mysteries. Whether it's in the open areas of the Sky Island guide or back on the surface, there's so much to unpack, it's easy to get lost and not know what to do next. At Tears of Kingdoms, we've rounded up some of our top priorities.

First things to do in Tears of the Kingdom

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Watch the video below or read the tips at your leisure.

Get old warm crackers

the big sky islandYou'll spend the first hour or two of your adventure here, learning the basics in a very similar way to the Great Plateau of Breath of the Wild - but certain aspects and skills you pick up change everything. One thing that hasn't changed is the importance of finding itThe ability to keep warm in cold weatherEnvironment.

Aside from eating boiled peppers or sun mushrooms, or refining elixirs with warm dragonflies, the best way to keep warm is to find the right clothes, and some armors on Longkong Island play a role in that.

After surviving the severe cold, hike the snowy part of the eastern part of the islandKotanbakatsu Shrineand acquired the ability for itto get up, you can use it on the wooden stand in front of the shrine, it comes from a large hollow trunk at the top of the mountain.

Look in the trunk to find a small recess in the corner where the green Zonaite crate is, open it to see itOld warm crackers.This product will eliminate all freezing effects in low temperature areas and when combined with cooked chili or suitable food, can eliminate even the coldest environments you can find.

Store Zonai devices

While exploring Big Sky, you will also learn about the importance of Zonai equipment such as fans,a glider with wingsand a portable cooking pot. Many places you explore will sometimes have remnants of these devices that you can find and use - but there's nothing better than being able to summon them at will.

Fortunately, that option exists in the form of Zonai Device Dispenses, which are large orbs filled with capsules, like toy vending machines. Throw in Zonai Charges instead (defeat for an easy win).structureor loot broken relics) you get tons of capsules that fit into your inventory without limit.

Be sure to check out the two dispensers on the island before heading to the surface, and if you find an abandoned vehicle that needs a good boost, prepare plenty of gadgets like fansa glider with wingsMove between empty islands. Note that each device donor has a set of options. Therefore, you should always keep an eye out for multiple allocators to increase the amount of gear you can take in any situation.

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Explore Hyrule Castle

When you first return to the kingdom of Hyrule, it's always tempting to run away to see what's changed or get distracted by exploring a newly opened lair - but hear us out: play alongmain missionjust for a while

An early short main quest calledHyrule City CrisisYou'll dive into the ruins of Hyrule Castle - or rather, what's left on the surface. With Breath of the Wild's sentry robots gone, the castle ruins are surprisingly gentle on enemies. Be sure to visit the First Gatehouse and Dining Hall to see these thingsArmed forcesand abandoned items.

The real treasure is in the guardhouse, but be careful - it's a bit tricky to get to, as the guards are outside and will keep you out until you progress through the story. If you want to sneak past it now, find the balcony on the ridge above the gatehouse.

This room leads downstairs, where two extremely powerful enemies are hidden. However, if you rush through the corridor to the left and head down the second corridor to the left, they will stop chasing you. There are plenty of weapons here, but you'll have to avoid the two black bokoblins hiding under the stairs.

Go to the right of the room, then climb around the broken stairs to the back of the roomextremely handsAround the corner is a makeshift bridge, and at door 4 you'll find a chest with a Royal Defense Guard uniform!

get a paraglider

Don't leave the center of Hyrule to explore more and be sure to report to Purah after you return from the castle so he can be activatedThe first tower with a view of the sky.Now to log more map points they have to shoot you from the tower, luckily they returned them to youparaglidingFirst.

Gliders are an absolute must-have for all your sky explorations, and you can even customize them in the Hateno Dye Shop after finding new glider materials.

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Get a horse (again).

You might need some time to fly machines around or build a crazy car. At the same time, it will be much easier for you to move around the field with a reliable horse. With any luck, you should be able to spot some of them west of Lookout Landing.

Horses are easily frightened. So if you can't get close to them, it might help to scare one out of the air (and shoot a rocket from a nearby turret to get it up), then use your remaining stamina to press the L button to calm it down (use stamina food if you don't have it).

Once you have control of one, you'll need a place to put it, and luckily, there's one just southeast of Riverside Stable, which you can reach by following the road from Lookout Landing.

Stables now have a reward program. The more you visit new locations and the more horses you breed, the more rewards you get. As an added bonus, if you've saved your data on Breath of the Wild Switch, all the horses you've bred in previous games will be ready and waiting for you!

For more information about horses, see hereHow to Tame a Horse - The Complete Guide.

inspection well

While stabilizing your horses at Riverside Stables, check to see if there is a well behind the barn that you can climb into. Countless wells are hidden throughout Hyrule, each with their own secrets, and this one includes a Well Hunter who will pay you for every well you visit and catalog!

Offer the fruit to the cherry blossom tree

An intriguing mystery awaits you in the various pink cherry blossom trees scattered across the surface of Hyrule, one of which is east of the city ruins of Hyrule Castle.

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If you put the fruit in the bowl under the tree, you will find it nearbyentrance to the caveFountains, fountains and landmarks will now glow blue for a short time.

Use this feature along with the zoom and pin features of the Purah Pad map to mark points of interest and return to them later when you want to explore.

Complete the Camera Work main quest.

Once you get your glider, another early main mission you can't miss starts before you start exploring the wild world. Robbie needs your help to investigate the huge rifts that have appeared across Hyrule for this questDetailed camera work.You can read more about it below, but here's a fair spoiler:

Help the monster control the crew

Not far south of the Hyrule Field Chasm, you can spot Captain Hoz and the militia whose goal is to crush the hordes of monsters and they really need your help. Accept the help and they will move to the stronghold of the Hyrule Garrison Ruins.

It will be a big, messy battle, but it's worth taking down hordes of monsters. You also earn money for your efforts, and you can use any monster parts and weapons left over from battles. Multiple such fights occur in each area and often prevent you from entering new areas, so having monster controllers to help you is always a bonus.

Fix that poor guy's shield

No matter where you travel in Hyrule, you're sure to spot the strange sight of a man named Addison struggling to hold up the Hudson Construction Company sign. These fun little puzzles almost always have a different look, designed to prevent the sign from falling when you let go.

Fortunately, there are always building materials nearby to build a stable support. Then you can tell him to try and let go. If it succeeds, it always rewards you with something really nice, including money, food, and tickets that let you sleep in every booth for free.

Get tips on fitting armor

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Like Breath of the Wild before it, Tears of Kingdoms offers a ton of different optionsArmor and clothing optionsFind out as you explore. While you can buy some basic armor at Lookout Landing, you might want to look for armor that adds extra effects.

Fortunately, there are travelers who can help uncover possible weapon locations. As you drive south and east on your way to Duel Peak, you may encounter a lady named Meeshy wearing a mushroom-themed dress. He happens to be a fashion hunter and knows about rumors about fashion locationsmisc's child, a bandit who hides various costumes.

When he talks to her in central Hyrule, she'll mark the location of three caves filled with armor that will help you climb, increase attack power, and reduce shock damage. She'll also mention that you should keep an eye out for her in other regions, and give you more tips on where to find armor around the country.

Find Impa and geographical symbols

You may have noticed them while diving around the Sky Islands, but strange patterns and glyphs appear on land all the time, often visible from great heights. They serve a special purpose, but you must investigate their true nature.

Travel west and north from Lookout Landing to the New Serenne Stable in the Hyrule Ridge area, which is on the way to the secondZgrada Sky View.Near the field is a huge glyph being studied by Impah of the Sheikah tribe. By helping her guess her true nature, you can unlock special abilities similar to Breath of the Wild's memory locations. Check out our guideImpa i Geoglyph Quest.

Locate Hestu

You may have stumbled upon a Korok on Big Sky Island, and depending on how you feel about collecting Korok seeds in Breath of the Wild, it will delight or horrify you.

Whereaged seed, there is a big old tree called VilaHestoWho needs them to fill their magic sand balls? Actually, if you go up northwest of New Serenne StableLindo Eyebrow Tower, you should find that the person is threatened by two angry trees.

Once they're defeated, you can start trading Korok's seeds in exchange for expanding your inventory of weapons, bows, and shields -- just as important in Tears of Kingdoms as they were in its predecessors.

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But like last time, we can only give him a few Kolok Seeds before he runs away. Fortunately, his next appearance is not far away. He'll talk about a trip to the east, where there are a lot of people, and you've actually been there: Lookout Landing!

get a hang-gliding suit

Since you found Hetsu under the Skyview Tower in Hyrule Ridge, it's best to unlock it and expand your map. This will also send you high into the air, directly southwest of the large cluster of circular islands.

Landing on the highest platform and activating a special panel triggers a series of floating rings through which you can plunge to the lowest island, where the construct congratulates you and proposes a formal ceremony.

If you complete this task again within a certain time period, you will be rewarded for completing the ceremony yourselfsliding suit.This new special armor increases your mobility capabilities when diving at high altitudes and gives you more control over landing on remote platforms. If you find similar challenges in the other sky islands above Hyrule, you will be fully rewarded and can greatly improve your flying skills.

become a reporter

Link has had to fulfill many roles over the years, helping the people of Hyrule. From sorting mail in Wind Waker to learning sumo wrestling in Twilight Princess, Tears of the Kingdom will make your dreams of becoming an investigative journalist come true.

After completing your journey from Hyrule Ridge to the border of Tabantha, where Rito's village is located, you'll head to Rito's former stables, now known as the headquarters of the Lucky Clover Gazette. By talking to the master, you can team up with a pelican-like Rita named Payne to travel to various barns across Hyrule and discover unique quest lines.

These quests usually do not appear in barns unless hired by Lucky Clover Bulletin. So it's best to start this quest early so you don't miss anything later. As an added bonus, the more quests you complete for the newspaper, the closer you'll be to the ultimate prize - a set of Froggy armor that neutralizes the effects of smooth walls. A dream come true!

Bring music to the Fairy Fountain

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In Breath of the Wild, Great Fairies have upgraded their armor and unlocked new bonuses, but they are often hard to find in the wide open world. This time they can be found near different stables, but the rules for how to get them out of the buds have changed.

Instead of huge rupees, the big fairies will refuse to come out unless they hear good music, and you can only do this quest by becoming a reporter for the Lucky Clover Bulletin.

You can start by going to the Woodland Stables east of Hyrule Castle, across the large river at the edge of Hyrule Forest. A traveling band will announce that they want to play for the Big Villa, but they need help getting their bandwagon back on track. By this point you should have mounted your horse and visited at least two stables to obtain trailer seat belts, which you can have the stable salesperson install after consulting the front desk.

Fix the broken cart wheel with Ultrahand, then pull the cart onto the horse harness, glue it in place, and take it up the mountain to the Great Villa. This will unlock the first of four pieces of armor, allowing you to start upgrading your armor for a small amount of rupees and some materials, depending on the piece of armor.

Once this quest line starts you can start looking for other great fairies that have help markers on your map and find other musicians you need to get themfen fountainto run again.

These are the first things we do in Tears of the Kingdom. For more tips and strategies, check out these other helpful guides below:

• complete solution
• Skyview Towers Location and Directions
• How to disable HUD
• Tolle Sky Island Korok-Samen
• Amiibo items, bonuses and unlockable features
• Totkova interactive map Hyrulea(Note: the entire map is public!)