Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Guide: Exploration Tips to Stop Hyrule’s Destruction
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom returns Link to a familiar mission with a new scale of catastrophe: find Princess Zelda and stop Hyrule from being destroyed. Alongside its story mode, the game’s progression is tied to a huge web of exploration, optional content, and systems that reward players for going off the main path.
To match that scope, this guide is built to help you tackle the game’s biggest categories—main quests, shrines, side activities, collectibles, gear, crafting, and survival mechanics—so you’re not left hunting blindly across Hyrule.
Quick facts
- More than 150 Shrines to locate and complete
- 120 Shrine roots available in the underworld
- 1000 hidden Kolog seeds across Hyrule
- Over 150 side adventures to find and complete
- Up to 5 Great Fairy Fountains, initially locked
- 4 mystical dragon spirits to farm materials from
- New element of play: Zonai devices used for vehicle building, weapon combos, and puzzles
Main story and key questline
At the center of Tears of the Kingdom is Link’s responsibility to locate Zelda as a new disaster threatens the kingdom. The guide focuses on how to start and finish every major story mission, designed to help you uncover the mysteries of Link’s latest journey.
It also enumerates the full main quest sequence, including landmark moments such as the events at Hyrule Castle, the path to the Master Sword, and the final showdown against Ganondorf. It further covers how to view the game’s ending variety, including how many endings the game has.
Shrines, life boosts, and the underworld
Shrines are back, and they remain crucial because they increase both life and stamina. That extra capacity makes combat safer and supports longer traversal options—like climbing and gliding—while you explore.
The guide targets the scale of the shrine content directly: over 150 Shrines to find and complete, plus a separate mapping approach for the 120 Shrine roots located in the underground.
Side quests, side adventures, and rewards
Beyond the main campaign, the game offers a large pool of optional objectives. The guide includes what you need to activate and complete the story-adjacent side missions, with an emphasis on making them easier to manage and clearly outlining the rewards for each.
It also dedicates space to side adventures—small missions with “juicy” rewards—stating that there are more than 150 to locate and finish, along with what to do for each one.
Kolog seeds, Obab, and inventory growth
Kolog are described as returning throughout Hyrule in the hundreds, with 1000 Kolog seeds hidden across the map. Collecting seeds is tied to expanding Link’s equipment carrying capacity, specifically his satchel size.
Before you can fully commit to the hunt, the guide notes you’ll need to locate Obab. It supports this with an interactive mapping approach and additional help for tracking down the seed locations.
Armor sets: protection, weather resistance, and upgrades
Armor exploration is a major part of the guide, because not every set exists purely for defense. Some pieces are meant for special protection—such as resistance to the climate or effects you’ll encounter during travel.
The guide breaks armor content into multiple categories: standard defense-focused sets, special armor with effects like improved strength and faster climbing, cold-focused gear for low temperatures, and heat-focused gear for high-temperature regions. It also covers how to upgrade armor and how to tint outfits and use the paraglider-related customization options.
Weapons, repair options, and “special” gear targets
The guide presents the game’s weapon ecosystem as a large arsenal you can use against monsters, including typical locations and the properties/attributes each weapon brings. It frames the content as both a catalog and a practical reference for understanding categories and details.
It highlights specific topics such as how to create an axe, how to obtain a Hylian Shield early, a “secret” method for repairing weapons, and how to track down uncorroded weapons that are described as stronger but rarer.
Exploration tools: towers, abilities, and survival systems
Large watchtowers—positioned around Hyrule as recognition towers—are presented as key to revealing the full map. Because reaching the top and locating them can be time-consuming, the guide includes a dedicated section to help you handle that workload.
Link’s new abilities are also treated as a priority. The guide aims to help you learn what each ability does, how to unlock them, and how to access all upgrades for the Purah Pad, alongside where to find all “wills” tied to the sages.
Cooking, elixirs, and practical crafting inputs
Cooking is covered as a core system for preparing food and extracting value from ingredients. The guide includes tips for using cooking pots, how to roast different foods, and it lists all recipes with their types and effects.
Supporting that are sections on elixirs—how to create each type of special potion—plus basic tutorials for hunting animals and fishing across Hyrule.
Materials, mounts, and horse progression
The guide also focuses on the resource side of exploration: hundreds of materials, resources, and ingredients that can be collected in your satchel. It emphasizes that each material has distinct uses and specific locations where you can obtain it, including guidance on how animals can also provide resources.
Mounts return as well, and the guide covers the full set of horse details: how to improve mounts’ attributes, how to revive them, where stables and outposts are located, and how to earn points and prizes tied to the equestrian guild. It also calls out dedicated guides for several notable horses, including a giant white mount, Zelda’s golden horse, a Ganon horse, a skeletal horse, and unlocking Epona.
Crafting combinations and vehicle building with Zonai devices
Tears of the Kingdom’s crafting combinations are presented as a major new pillar of gameplay. The guide claims you can start using these systems early by following essential tips, including recommended initial weapon combinations and basic vehicle builds.
It also covers how to separate and undo combinations when you need to adjust plans. In addition, a dedicated section explains Zonai devices—a new item type used to create vehicles, combine with weapons, and solve puzzles—along with methods for obtaining them, total counts, and where to find generator schematics.
To support longer tinkering, it also includes where to expand Link’s battery so Zonai device use lasts longer.
Survival and elemental resistance
For early play, the guide provides survival advice aimed at first-hour hurdles in Hyrule. It includes how to change time quickly and understand the day/night cycle, how to make a campfire anywhere, and how to climb slippery walls by crafting adherent elixirs.
It also lists guidance for breaking stone walls, getting bombs through non-infinite means, and defeating specific enemies—gibdos and “hands of darkness.” Finally, it covers how to light dark areas and explains the Crimson Moon: how often it happens and its effect.
Elemental damage is another major thread, with instructions on how to combat each effect and survive changing weather. The guide includes specific resist strategies for cold, fire/heat, rain, storms and electricity, and how to resist and heal from “malicious aura.” It also promises full coverage of climate systems and prediction.
Equipment growth: paraglider, hearts/stamina, inventory, and more
Beyond defensive gear, the guide points to multiple upgrades and equipment items that help you power up or unlock functions. It highlights key improvements such as unlocking the paraglider quickly, increasing life and stamina, and expanding inventory so you can carry more weapons and shields.
It also includes money-making methods for rapid rupiah farming, steps for buying and personalizing a house, and an explanation of what Poe orbs are and how to use them. For treasure hunting, it covers where to find old maps that lead to rewarded locations.
Exploration secrets: sky travel, Kolog Forest, and coordinates
To prevent getting stuck, the guide includes exploration secrets focused on reaching hard-to-get-to areas. It covers main approaches for exploring the sky, how to cross the Lost Woods by avoiding dense fog, and how to reach the Kolog Forest by visiting the Great Deku Tree.
It also explains how to enter the Gerudo Secret Club, how to read map coordinates correctly, and how to interpret the information you need to navigate efficiently.
Fairies, dragons, and other collectibles
The guide describes up to five Great Fairy Fountains that can improve Link’s armor and clothing, similar to Breath of the Wild. It notes that all fairies start locked and require you to find a way to get them to speak with you.
It lists the Great Fairies by name: Malanya, Satten, Muarenn, Seddha, and Laniah.
It also covers dragon spirits: four mystical dragon entities that fly over Hyrule, with details on flight routes, traits, and how to reach all locations to farm materials.
Phantoms, wells, and frequently asked questions
Collectibles are not limited to seeds and shrine completion. The guide includes Phantom emblems found by defeating glowing Phantom-like beings in most caves, and it explains that these can be traded at Koltin’s traveling post for unique treasures. It also recommends visiting cherry trees to help track them down.
New points of interest are also noted: wells placed across the surface of Hyrule. The guide promises coverage of where they are and what you’ll find inside.
Finally, a dedicated FAQ section compiles common questions and doubts about the game, including saving manually, rewards for players who previously played Breath of the Wild, amiibo compatibility and exclusive prizes, starting a new save file, disabling the gyroscope, removing the HUD, changing difficulty, adding Link’s hair style from Breath of the Wild, and how to slide with a shield.
