The Divine Beasts were a major plot point in Breath of the Wild, but what happened to the powerful machines in The Legend of Zelda: TOTK?

Tears of the Kingdom takes place around 3-5 years after the events of its predecessor. In Breath of the Wild, Link travels to each of the Divine Beasts, 4 titanic mechanical animals built to combat Calamity Ganon.

In the 100 years that Link was asleep before the events of BOTW, the Divine Beasts were taken over by Blight Ganons. And when the Hero of Hyrule finally awakens, he’s tasked with defeating these threats to take back the legendary weapons which can assist him in his battle against Ganon.

Interestingly, finding and stopping each Divine Beast is entirely optional in BOTW, despite them being a major part of the game. But where do those Divine Beasts go before the events of Zelda: TOTK?

What Happened to the Divine Beasts in TOTK?

Although The Legend of Zelda: TOTK never explicitly states what happened to the Divine Beasts from Breath of the Wild, all 4 are missing from Hyrule by the start of the sequel.

We know that the Divine Beasts were in Hyrule shortly before the events of TOTK. After all, the game is clearly a sequel to BOTW, and Purah’s room even contains drawings of the machines at Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.

There’s no official answer regarding where the Divine Beasts went in Tears of the Kingdom, but fans have come up with some theories:

Were the Divine Beasts Disassembled?

One leading theory is that the Divine Beasts were completely disassembled between BOTW and TOTK. This could have been to avoid another situation where a villain is able to take over the weapons like Calamity Ganon did.

Also, now that the Calamity is gone for good, perhaps there was simply no need for the Divine Beasts to exist.

Were the Divine Beasts Buried?

Here’s a brief history lesson for you. The Sheikah people built the 4 Divine Beasts 10,000 years prior to BOTW’s story, in order to combat Calamity Ganon.

After successfully defeating their enemy, the King of Hyrule then ordered the Divine Beasts to be buried beneath the ground, so that their awesome power would never fall into the wrong hands. There, they eventually faded into legend.

It was only 100 years before the events of BOTW that the Divine Beasts were found and unearthed, so that they could do battle against Ganon once more.

Perhaps the Divine Beasts have once again been buried with the hope that they’ll never be needed again. However, if this is the case, it would be odd not to use (or at least mention) them again during the events of TOTK.

Did the Divine Beasts Fall into The Depths?

Some Zelda fans have suggested that the Divine Beasts may have fallen into The Depths when craters began to form across Hyrule.

This isn’t impossible, but it’s worth noting that there doesn’t appear to be any sign of the giant machinery down in Hyrule’s underbelly.

Of course, down in The Depths is where the Yiga Clan is scavenging for all the technology they can find. Could they be responsible for breaking down the Divine Beasts into parts?

Divine Beasts Timeline

Here’s a brief timeline of the Divine Beasts in The Legend of Zelda BOTW & TOTK:

• 10,000 Years Ago
  • The Sheikah created the Divine Beasts Vah Ruta, Vah Rudania, Vah Medoh, and Vah Naboris to combat Calamity Ganon. Piloted by 4 unnamed Champions, these weapons led the fight against Ganon and left him defeated.
    • The King of Hyrule then ordered the Divine Beasts be buried, and all further research and development abolished.
• 100 Years Ago
  • The Royal Family of Hyrule orders the Divine Beasts be unearthed to fight against Calamity Ganon’s prophesized return. Each machine is found and restored.
  • The Champions Princess Mipha, Daruk, Revali, and Urbosa pilot the Divine Beasts, but Calamity Ganon is ready for them.
  • Blight Ganons attack each of the machines, killing the Champions and taking over the Divine Beasts with their corruption.
  • Zelda uses her power to contain Ganon, causing all 4 Beasts to fall dormant
• Shortly Before BOTW
  • Zelda’s power begins to fade and the Divine Beasts awake, causing chaos.
  • Ruta causes an unending rain on Zora’s Domain
  • Rudania causes constant eruptions at Death Mountain
  • Medoh prevents Rito from being able to fly high in the air by using powerful cannons
  • Naboris whips up a tremendous sandstorm in Gerudo Desert.
• During BOTW
  • Link travels to each of the Divine Beasts and, with the help of a new generation of Champions, is able to board the machines and do battle with Blight Ganon.
  • During The Champions’ Ballad DLC pack, after calming all 4 Divine Beasts, Link is able to undergo a challenge to obtain his own Divine Beast – the Master Cycle Zero.
  • Each Divine Beast (excluding Link’s new Master Cycle Zero) fires on Calamity Ganon during the final fight, severely weakening the boss of Breath of the Wild.
• After BOTW
  • All 5 Divine Beasts (Link’s motorcycle included) go missing, and their absence is yet to be explained.