Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Wiki

Patch Notes ♦ DLC ♦ Secrets ♦ Controls ♦ Combat ♦ FAQs

About Link ♦ Abilities ♦ Ultrahand ♦ Stats ♦ Heart Containers ♦ Stamina Vessels ♦ Buffs & Debuffs ♦ Bonuses and Effects

Weapons ♦ Shields ♦ Armor ♦ Upgrades ♦ Items ♦ Crafting & Cooking ♦ Horses

Locations ♦ Zelda TotK Interactive Map ♦ Dungeons ♦ NPCs ♦ Creatures & Enemies ♦ Bosses ♦ Quests ♦ Side Quests ♦ Lore ♦ Zonai Device Dispensers ♦ Goddess Statues ♦ Great Fairies

New Player Help ♦ Game Progress Route ♦ Walkthrough ♦ Quest Guide ♦ Crafting & Cooking Guide ♦ Bosses Guide ♦ Lightroots Guide ♦ All Korok Seeds ♦ All Chasms

When was Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom announced?

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was initially announced at E3 2019 with a 'First Look Trailer' and without a name. It showed Zelda traveling with Link, featured a possible comprehensive underground, and teased the return of Ganon, a recurring villain in The Legend of Zelda series.

Another teaser trailer was released at E3 2021 featuring brief footage of gameplay. Whereas the first trailer featured the underground aspects of the game, this second trailer showcased the sky and a new mechanic - a magical arm that may replace the previous Sheikah Slate in allowing Link to cast Skills.

When is the release date for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

The initial release date for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was projected to be sometime in 2022. However, an announcement video on March 29, 2022, revealed that the date would be pushed forward to Spring of 2023. The Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022, further announced that the game's official release date would be May 12, 2023.

What platforms will Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom be available for?

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be exclusively available for the Nintendo Switch on launch. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Hardware

Along with the release of the new game, Nintendo has released a series of The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom hardware and accessories for collectors and fans. The purchase of these accessories will not include the game itself and must be purchased separately. 

OLED Model - The Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom Edition

This OLED Model was launched on April 28, 2023. The Nintendo Switch – OLED Model - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Edition system features a design inspired by the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game, including the familiar Hylian Crest from the Legend of Zelda series on the front of the dock (game not included). This includes a Glossy white dock with Hylian illustrations, Hardware with designs from the game, and Joy-Con controllers that feature the green and gold colors from the Legend of Zelda series. 

Nintendo Switch™ Pro Controller - Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom Edition

Nintendo Switch™ Carrying Case - Legend of Zelda™: Tears of the Kingdom Edition

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Editions

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Digital Edition

Pre-order the digital version and download it directly to your Nintendo Switch™ system—no code required! Plus, earn My Nintendo Gold Points* you can use toward more games and DLC. This can be done on the official Nintendo website on through the eShop on your Nintendo Switch. 

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Physical Edition

Visit your local retailer to pre-order the standard or collector’s edition of the game.

Tears of the Kingdom Collectors Edition

This edition Includes The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game (physical version), Art Book, SteelBook® case, ICONART™ Poster, and a Pin Set featuring four badges.

The Unending Cycle of War

Most entries in The Legend of Zelda series typically follow the never-ending cycle of reincarnation and battle in the lands of Hyrule. Veterans of the series should recognize the protectors of the Triforce, Princess Zelda, the reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia, and her chosen hero, Link, as well as the recurring villain Ganon, the incarnation of hatred unleashed by Demise. Breath of the Wild largely followed this plot, with an amnesiac Link going on a journey to recover his memories, free the Divine Beasts and their spectral pilots, and aid Zelda in her century-long battle with Calamity Ganon, but with the main villain defeated at the end of the game, what will that leave for Tears of the Kingdom?

Breath of the Wild's ending has Zelda lamenting about rebuilding the Kingdom of Hyrule. The beginning of Tears of the Kingdom will possibly follow up on this plot, with trailers showing a short-haired Zelda traveling with Link. Things don't go to plan, however, as a seemingly stronger version of Malice comes rushing up and fills the caverns they're exploring to reawaken the imprisoned Ganon. In the chaos, the powerless Zelda falls into the dark depths and Link's right arm, as well as the Master Sword, is heavily damaged by the Malice. While not much has been revealed about the story, we can expect Link to repair the Master Sword, save Zelda, defeat Ganon, and save Hyrule once again.

The Kingdom of Hyrule

While the Kingdom of Hyrule differs geographically from game to game, expect to see a similar Hyrule that you see in Breath of the Wild. While the first game focuses on the surface of Hyrule, with Link navigating through the waters to meet the Zora at Zora's Domain, braving the hot and arid climate of Gerudo Desert to help the Gerudo, and so on, it's unlikely that it'll be the main focus in Tears of the Kingdom as it's been ravaged by Malice - Death Mountain has started erupting with the substance and Hyrule Castle has been lifted from the ground, surrounded by Malice-like miasma. Instead, look to the skies as the areas you'll be able to explore in Tears of the Kingdom will be expanded high above the ground (and possibly downwards underground).

There will be floating islands and ruins hiding within the clouds waiting to be discovered. With the Divine Beasts liberated, we may see the new Dungeons located high up in the sky. Expect new mechanics and gameplay elements to go along with this as well - gliding stone constructs that may be able to take you to points of interest, magic-activated stone pulley systems, mystical puddles of water that act as elevators connecting the ground and sky islands, and much more not yet revealed. There will be new encounters to stumble across - stone golems and different varieties of ancient constructs to fight against, and possibly new characters to meet. One thing that hasn't changed is the open-world nature of the game akin to Breath of the Wild. Choose where to go and when, and save Hyrule at the pace you desire.

The Sky 

Link begins his journey on one of the many mysterious floating islands that have suddenly appeared in the skies high above Hyrule. It’s there our hero will have to gain new abilities before returning to the surface world to begin his epic adventure.

Weapon Durability & Degradation

A mechanic heavily featured in Breath of the Wild and returning to Tears of the Kingdom is weapon durability. Link will have access to a multitude of different weapons - Shields, Bows, Two-handed Spears, One-handed Swords, and so on. Unfortunately, he won't be able to keep any of them indefinitely as using them chips off a bit of weapon health. Use a weapon enough, and its durability will be brought down to 0, breaking it and rendering it ineffective. The only exception to this rule is the Master Sword which never runs out of durability, only of course as shown in the Tears of the Kingdom trailers, it's now broken.

Luckily, weapons aren't scarce in the slightest - find weapons in chests, within jars, from destroying grass, or even steal your opponent's armaments. Link will be able to use items such as Sticks found on the ground as weapons as well.  Some weapons serve more purpose than just hurting the enemy. Some may be used to stagger enemies and some may be used to cut trees. Weapon usage is all up to the player's creativity.

Item Fusion

A new feature coming in Tears of the Kingdom is Item Fusion. This new ability allows Link to fuse two Items picked up from the ground together in order to make a makeshift weapon. In the latest gameplay trailer, Tears of the Kingdom Producer, Eiji Aonuma, showed how a Stick with low durability could be made into a durable and more powerful hammer by fusing a large Boulder on top of it

This new mechanic is not limited to only picked-up items, but can also be applied to Weapons and Arrows. Weapons can gain new functionality by combining them with another Item. In the gameplay trailer, a long Stick was added to the haft of a pitchfork to add a significant amount of range to the weapon. Items in your inventory can also be fused onto Arrows to give them special effects, ranging from freezing effects to homing.

Heart Containers & Stamina Vessels

A quintessential mechanic in The Legend of Zelda series. Health is denoted by the number of hearts Link has. Players are likely to start out with 3 hearts at the beginning of the game, after which they will need to collect Heart Containers to increase their max health to a total of 30. Taking Breath of the Wild as a reference point, players will be able to get more Heart Containers from defeating Bosses and can trade them in exchange for a collectible.

Stamina is required for certain strenuous actions such as sprinting, swimming, Spin Attacking, and so on. Completely depleting Link's Stamina leaves him immobile until it's fully restored. The amount of Stamina that Link currently has is denoted by stamina wheels. Collect Stamina Vessels to increase base Stamina. These can either be bought or traded in exchange for a collectible.

Epona

What's the greatest hero in Hyrule without his trusty steed, Epona. Breath of the Wild added the ability not only to ride Epona, but also tame and ride other wild horses, each of which has its own appearances and stats. Though much of Tears of Kingdom may happen in the sky, it is possible that this gameplay mechanic will make its return for ground-level travel.

Fighting with Friends

The latest trailer for Tears of the Kingdom features a completely transformed Hyrule, a further demonstration of the vertical nature of the map, new Enemies, and even more creative ways to use the new Ultrahand and Fusion abilities, with mech-like structures and fully functioning horse wagon. More excitingly, however, the trailer expands on the deep story of Tears of the Kingdom and features many of the NPCs you can expect to see in-game, including a few familiar faces such as Sidon, Riju, and Teba's son Tulin.

Tears of the Kingdom may feature a companions system or at least some quests where some friendly NPCs can join you in battle. The latest trailer shows Sidon and Tulin soaring through the air with Link, and even fighting foes with him. The trailer also shows various friendly faces geared up and ready for a fight, so expect to face Ganon, unlike in other Legend of Zelda installments, not alone.

Link's Magical Arm

Skills came in the form of Runes in Breath of the Wild. To use them, players had to make use of the Sheikah Slate found next to Link at the start of the game. In Nintendo's trailers for Tears of the Kingdom, however, the Sheikah Slate is nowhere to be found, and in its place on Link's waist is a collection of vials. Gameplay footage shows that he still has access to skills such as Stasis, though instead of through the Sheikah Slate, it's channeled through Link's right arm, the arm damaged by Malice but now glowing blue with mystical power.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom New Abilities

With different skills, Link can traverse and explore the world in many unique ways - remotely detonate bombs to open up secret rooms, freeze water to create stepping stones connecting you to areas otherwise out of reach, pause rolling boulder traps in time and deflect them towards your foes. This arm is likely also how you'll be able to use Amiibos in-game.

• Ultrahand

Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate objects. He can even attach things together to create bridges, vehicles, and more! This ability allows Link to stick multiple Items found on the ground together to create various structures, vehicles, and other devices. The latest gameplay trailer featured Eiji Aonuma creating a basic raft using three Logs and two Fans to get across a wide river.

It was also mentioned that many vehicles featured in previous trailers, such as the hot air balloon and hovercraft, were in fact made using Ultrahand. Expect to find multiple different components with various uses scattered around the world of Hyrule. Players will not only be able to create vehicles as demonstrated in the game's trailers, but miscellaneous devices and structures that will help them traverse the lands and defeat enemies. The only limitation will be your imagination in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

• Fuse

Magically fuse objects to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!  

• Ascend 

Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.

• Recall

Use Recall to reverse an object’s movement, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
  

Multiple World Levels

Breath of the Wild differed from other The Legend of Zelda titles in that as opposed to having a linear storyline, the game featured an open world that can be explored in any direction and at the player's own pace. Tears of the Kingdom will follow this same formula albeit with an expanded map. No longer will players be confined to the ground of Hyrule, but they will also be able to explore the skies and various caves underground.

With this expansion in the map comes new gameplay features. Though climbing exists, it won't be enough to reach the islands high above the clouds. Instead, players will be able to use the new skill Recall to rewind time and ride previously fallen rocks up, phase through the ground above them using the new skill Ascend, and take wind currents and paraglide to navigate between the ground and sky islands.

New Environments

As a sequel to the highly acclaimed Breath of the Wild game, players can expect to see the familiar Hyrule lands, terrains, and biomes along will old foes encountered in Breath of the Wild.  This time players will also be free to explore the mysterious island floating in the vast skies above. However according to the official website, the sky. isn't the only thing that has changed and can now be explored in Hyrule. Familiar locations have been dramatically transformed, with new towns, dank caves, and mysterious gaping chasms springing up across the world—all waiting to be explored.

New Enemies

The Guardians from Breath of the Wild are no longer the main opponents throughout the lands of Hyrule. New enemies have been revealed in the trailers called Constructs. Other natural endemic life is expected to return, with the Rock Octorock making a reappearance in one of the Tears of the Kingdom as well as bigger Bokoblins. New enemies would also mean all new materials

Returning Mechanics

Familiar basic mechanics have been featured in early trailer releases such as swimming, climbing,  gliding, and horseback riding in order to get through the map, but new mechanics and abilities have been added to further add to the experience of traveling the different terrains. Much like the previous title, players will be encouraged to explore the different effects of the abilities on different items found in the lands and use their own available resources and intuition to guide them past the different obstacles they may encounter.

BOTW & TOTK Abilities

Players of the Breath of the Wild game will remember the main Shieka Slate abilities obtained from the initial Shrines of the game. These runes from the shrines featured the five main abilities that were used to face foes and traverse the different terrains and obstacles in Breath of the Wild. This included Magneseis, the two types of Remote Bombs, Stasis and Cyonis. Players were also eventually able to access their camera feature that connects to the Hyrule Compendium. In Tears of the Kingdom, more abilities have been introduced in the second title that was already announced prior to the release of the game. While Breath of the Wild's abilities stemmed primarily from the Sheikah Slate, the Sheikah Slate will no longer be the main Key Item or the source of focus in TOTK like it was BOTW. Link's new abilities in the sequel come directly from his hand. This comes with a set of all-new abilities: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall.