The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is massive, and due to its incredible amount of freedom to explore, it can be tricky to know what to do first!
There is no right or wrong when it comes to exploring Hyrule. However, there are indeed certain things that you can do to be better prepared for all the challenges you will face in this adventure.
What Should I Do First in Tears of the Kingdom?
These are some essential things you should do first when starting your journey in Tears of the Kingdom:
- Obtain the Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall Abilities.
- Use The Legend of Zelda amiibos if you have collected any.
- Get the Archaic Warm Greaves for cold protection.
- Explore Castle Ruins for better weapons and armor.
- Obtain the Paraglider.
- Unlock new shrines for easy fast travel.
- Get a horse for easier traversal early on.
- Visit the well near Riverside Stable.
- Tackle the Wind Temple first on the northwest path.
- Take advantage of the Blood Moons.
Note that this list is not written in a particular order. Once you reach the open area past the Great Sky Island, you have more freedom to explore and can tackle some items in the list above in a different order.
Get the Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall Abilities in Great Sky Island
The first area you can explore in Tears of the Kingdom is the Great Sky Island. This section of the game serves as a tutorial.
Here you will meet Rauru and start a quest to collect four different abilities you will need to progress in the game. These are the Shrines you need to complete to get each of these abilities:
- Ukouh Shrine – Ultrahand Ability
- Gutanbac Shrine – Ascend Ability
- In-isa Shrine – Fuse Ability
- Nachoyah Shrine – Recall Ability
Don’t worry about missing any of these abilities. This section of the game is pretty linear, and you won’t be able to progress until you acquire all of them.
Use Amiibos to Get Stylish Armor Early On
In Tears of the Kingdom, you can use The Legend of Zelda amiibos to unlock different pieces of unique armor early on.
You can obtain all of the armor unlockable by using amiibos later in the game. However, this armor is both stylish and has decent defense, which is perfect for the starting areas.
Get the Archaic Warm Greaves
Exploring cold regions in this game is a challenge. You will need special food that provides Cold Resistance or special armor to protect you from this element.
Luckily, you can easily get the Archaic Warm Greaves for early Cold Resistance in the Great Sky Island tutorial section. This armor can be looted from a chest near the Gutanbac Shrine.
Visit the Castle Ruins
Once you have safely landed in Hyrule after completing the tutorial section, one of the first things you should do in Tears of the Kingdom is visit the Castle Ruins.
You will be tasked to visit this location after meeting Purah in Lookout Landing. From there, simply head north to find this unmissable landmark.
There are plenty of high-damage weapons here and useful armor like the Royal Guard Set with great defense. In addition, there are high-value items like Diamond and other surprises.
Getting these weapons and armor at this stage of the game will make your quest to find Princess Zelda more manageable. However, the castle is full of enemies that can almost one-shot you.
The best way to do this is simply avoiding combat at all costs. Just run and ignore enemies. You can return later with better gear and take them on properly. But, early on, running is your best bet.
Obtain the Paraglider
This is part of the main quest and one thing you want to tackle as early as possible. Depending on your playstyle, you can unlock the Paraglider around an hour or two after descending from the Great Sky Island.
As soon as you unlock the Paraglider, you can unlock Skytowers scattered across Hyrule. Unlocking each reveals that map section and allows fast travel to that particular tower.
Apart from this, getting this equipment will make exploration considerably easier and more rewarding.
Unlock Shrines for Easier Fast Traveling
The map in Tears of the Kingdom is extensive. Even with all the traversal options like horses and vehicles, it can take quite some time to get from one point to another.
Shrines are not only fun to discover and solve but also excellent means for easier navigation, as they all serve as fast-traveling points.
Note that you don’t have to solve a Shrine to activate it as a fast-traveling point. You simply have to interact with them, and they will remain a fast travel point accessible from your map.
Here are some Shrines you can visit:
- Mayachin Shrine (-0705, -0869, 0031)
- Kyononis Shrine (-0205, 0451, 0021)
- Tsutsu-um Shrine (-1423, -1349, 0068)
- Tajikats Shrine (0344, -1009, 0016)
- Ishodag Shrine (-0880, 0421, 0049)
- Sinakawak Shrine (-1413, 0756, 0089)
- Jiukoum Shrine (0867, -2279, 0141)
Get a Horse
Before you get fully creative with making fast and reliable enough vehicles, your loyal horse will be of great aid.
Getting a horse is very simple. All you need to do is find one in the wild and take it to the nearest stable for registration.
Several horses are in the surrounding areas of the Castle Ruins in the Hyrule Field. If you get a horse near this location, you can register it at the Riverside Stable or the Outskirt Stable.
Pay a Visit to the Well Near Riverside Stable
Visiting this stable is a great idea since you can register your horse here. But you can also start the “Where Are the Wells” quest in this area.
Fera, the NPC inside the well next to the stable, gives you this quest. Note that this NPC will not appear until you have visited Purah and obtained the Paraglider.
As part of this quest, Fera reveals there are a total of 58 wells in Hyrule. Additionally, she will give you 10 Rupees for each of them you find.
If you want to start the quest, you can find the Riverside Stable and its well located on the eastern side of the Hyrule Field, southeast of Lookout Landing.
Visit the Wind Temple First
Despite having the freedom to explore the map at your leisure, following the hinted path northwest towards Hebra and the Rito Village is highly recommended. Here, you will get to the Wind Temple.
This path still has some formidable enemies here and there, but it is more suitable for beginners. Additionally, the ability you will get after clearing this Temple will significantly help later in the game.
Take Advantage of the Blood Moon
The Blood Moon mechanic brings back all the defeated enemies to life. This could sound like a bad thing, but you can take advantage of it and farm quality weapons.
When a Blood Moon is active, you can visit areas where you previously faced enemies with quality weapons, such as the inside of the Castle Ruins.
During this period, they will respawn, and you can defeat them once again to stack up on powerful gear. Just ensure you take enough food to heal yourself and loot as many weapons as possible!
Lastly, a Blood Moon happens every seven in-game days or every 168 minutes. Knowing this timeframe, you can prepare and get ready to loot!
