The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the 20th main entry in The Legend of Zelda franchise, the 7th fully 3D installment, and the direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It was released on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023, after being pushed back two years due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Several years ago (in Breath of the Wild), Zelda’s loyal guardian and retainer Link woke from a hundred-year slumber, having healed from Calamity Ganon’s onslaught a century ago. Finding Hyrule in shambles with Zelda locked in a continual battle with the villain, he sought out to find and release the souls of his old allies while fighting Ganon’s dark minions in the ravaged land of Hyrule, before finally confronting and slaying the beast in an epic battle. With hope among citizens finally restored and Zelda resuming her role as ruler, Hyrule has started to heal and rebuild, regaining a semblance of its former majesty. But evil has a tendency to return… And it seems this time, it never left

Picking up several years after the destruction of Calamity Ganon reconstruction efforts are disrupted when a strange dark substance called "the Gloom" starts seeping up from the deepest depths of Hyrule, causing those who touch it to lose their strength and vitality. Delving into the depths beneath Hyrule Castle, Link and Zelda discover the ruins of a civilization called the Zonai, a people believed to hold divine power who ruled Hyrule ten-thousand years ago. Delving further, they find the cause of the Gloom, a tomb - or rather, a prison - holding the decayed but still-living body of Ganondorf, an ancient Gerudo King who sought to conquer Hyrule and remake the kingdom in his own image, only to be defeated by the King of the Zonai and sealed in this crypt through the efforts of the Seven Sages. But the seal keeping him in this state has slowly been weakening over the last ten millennia, his vile power leaking onto Hyrule, creating monstrosities like the Calamity and the Gloom to spawn from his bottomless well of Hate. As Zelda and Link enter, the seal holding Ganondorf is undone - part of a long-term plan put in place by his jailers, in hope the two heroes would destroy him once and for all… But it all goes horribly wrong.

As Link attempts to protect Zelda from the ancient evil, he is horribly wounded, his body marred and the Master Sword is shattered. Ganondorf's release triggers "the Great Upheaval", a cataclysm that causes the villain’s dark army to be reborn, Hyrule Castle to rise into the air, rifts to open all over Hyrule leading to the dark Depths below, and Zonai ruins to appear among the clouds. As the tomb collapses around them, Zelda and Link are separated, Zelda plummeting into a dark abyss and Link being barely saved by the Sage of Light's arm. Awakening on one of the new sky islands, Link finds his corrupted right arm has been replaced with that of the ancient sage's, and is tasked by the Sage's spirit, a member of the Zonai named Rauru, to seek out Princess Zelda. With only this, the near-useless Master Sword and what remains of the clothes on his back, Link must learn the secrets of the Zonai, rebuild his arsenal, and face Ganondof’s dark minions in order to put a stop to Ganondorf's millennia old ambitions once more. But above all, he must find Zelda!

Like the previous game, Tears of the Kingdom is a Survival Sandbox game, with more emphasis this time on the Wide-Open Sandbox element, with not only an altered world map, but two new places to explore; the mysterious Sky Islands that have emerged above Hyrule, and the dark, Gloom-infested cavernous Depths down below. In addition, there is focus on Item Crafting, where Link manipulates physical objects and the miraculous technology of the Zonai with new game mechanics: Fuse, which can weld objects to Link's weapons, shields, and arrows to strengthen them and imbue them with special properties, and Ultrahand, which can pick objects up bind them together to create a wide variety of structures and devices, simple bridges to elaborate flying machines.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a Spoilered Rotten game, so be warned, spoilers might be unmarked.

Tropes used in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom include:

A

• 100% Adoration Rating: You won't find many Hyrulian citizens with a bad word to say about Zelda. It does seem she has been very active during the Time Skip volunteering her time and spending an impressive amount of funds and resources into the building that rule. Fortunately, it's also leads to a great deal of Undying Loyalty among the citizenry, never questioning her orders (and often misinterpreting them) and easily falling for the imposter Zelda.
• Eleventh-Hour Superpower: If Link has not regained the Master Sword by the time of the Final Battle, he will do so right before it occurs. This time, there is no minimum Stamina required, he is simply given it. Justified, as Zelda has always had it with her and she’s not going to waste time with strength trials in order to give Link the one sword he needs to win.
• Actionized Sequel: This is likely the most combat-oriented Zelda game to date, making this an Action Adventure game with some RPG elements. It tends to throw far more enemies at you than before and even with maximum Hearts and the strongest armor, some attacks hit pretty hard. Regular old hack and slash isn’t always effective in dealing with foes. Plus, Link recruits allies to fight alongside him!
• Admiring the Abomination:
  • In the opening sequence, Zelda can barely contain her excitement upon finding hieroglyphics depicting the carnage caused by the Demon King during the Imprisoning War.
  • Also, J is a woman who finds the prehistoric Leviathans “adorable”, and bids Link to accompany her as she travels Hyrule to observe and admire the giant skeletons. She is disappointed to find that the fossils are incomplete, but Link can make her happy by using Ultrahand to fix them.
  • Adorable Evil Minion: In addition to the Chuchus making a return from the last game, we have the Little Frox, little frog-like rock monsters found in the depths, and curiously the only mobs in the Depths with no Gloom corruption. Unfortunately, it seems the reason they were put there was to foreshadow the appearance of their big brother, who is… not adorable at all.
• Airborne Mook: One of the new enemies introduced in this game is the Aerocuda, which the Bokoblins use for transport. Not very formidable, they can be destroyed with one hit from an arrow. They can, however, attack Link when he’s using his glider or a Zonai-built flying machine, making them slightly dangerous there.
• Alien Sky: The roof of the Depths has a swirling miasma of motes and fumes that can become clearer as more Lightroots are activated, giving the area an eerie appearance of a strange “sky”.
• Amnesia Missed a Spot: In the Final Battle, the Dragon of Light - who is Zelda, having sacrificed her mind, soul, and memory in order to aid Link - seems to recognize Link at least subconsciously. She rushes forth to engage Ganondorf, letting Link take the Master Sword (assuming he hasn’t gotten it already) and serves as a platform for him to ride on as he engages the villain, also flying beneath to catch him if he falls during the battle.
• Ambiguous Situation:
  • Much like the previous game, it is left unanswered whether this is a Continuity Reboot or a continuation of the Zelda timeline (and if the latter is true, which of the three timelines), which is made even murkier by the vastly different history of Hyrule’s founding (from what was established in Skyward Sword), but keeping many elements from the older games, like the Goddess Hylia and the Master Sword containing Fi, along with confirming the historical existence of the Ruto and Nabooru established in previous games. Possibly the history in this game detailed the founding of the current Hyrule, as both Skyward Sword and Spirit Tracks included a re-founding of a new Hyrule where the older one stood. Seeing as the “Demon King” who fought in the past is clearly Ganondorf (not Demise, despite a similar appearance and title) and that the current version of Hyrule was founded ten millennia before the first Great Calamity. As all fans know, Ganondorf (and Link and Zelda) has been reincarnated many times, so this could simply be the most recent incarnation. Or possibly this is the original kingdom of Hyrule, meaning that Breath of the Wild and this game occurred after The Minish Cap and before Four Swords.
  • It also leaves uncertain just in what regard was Ganondorf’s involvement in the previous game, whether he had any direct influence over Calamity Ganon or whether it was just a mindless manifestation “leaked” from his unconscious form. When he wakes up at the beginning, he seems to have no memory of being Calamity Ganon; he does not recognize Link, but he does remember Zelda from the original conflict 10,000 years ago. The narrative almost treats them like two different entities.
  • There’s also the issue of the exact nature of Link and Zelda’s relationship, where the story seems to be letting the player make his own interpretation. (As usual, Link does not comment on it.) Zelda was obviously using Link's house during the Time Skip, as made clear when Link arrives at his house in Helano that he could purchase in the previous game, but there is no confirmation that they were living together or if Link gave it to her. On one hand, the table is set for two people, and Link seems to have no problem using the bed (which can be used to restore his Heart Containers) and Zelda would not have needed the secret study in the cavern underneath if she had the house to herself. On the other hand, none of the townsfolk in Hateno seem familiar with Link, implying that he didn’t spend much time there, and there’s a long sidequest where he seems intent on getting a new house in Tarrey Town, which wouldn’t be necessary had he been living in Hateno.
  • Minor example, the Blood Moon animation. This time, Zelda’s narration does not tell Link to be careful, sounding bolder and possibly slightly threatening. Once it becomes confirmed that the “Zelda” Link has been pursuing across Hyrule is actually Phantom Ganon, it becomes uncertain who is talking during the phenomenon.
• Amplifier Artifact: According to Mineru, this is the purpose of the Sages’ Stones. They amplify existing power, but do not grant it. The new Sages (Tulin, Riju, Sidon, and Yunobo) use them to increase their own power and create spirit avatars of themselves to accompany Link.
• Anachronic Order: More than likely, the player will uncover the Dragon Tear Memories in the wrong order, making the flashback stories incomprehensible until they can all be viewed as a whole. In fact, it is possible the player can discover exactly what happened to Zelda long before the plotline that involves tracking her down is resolved. Of course, Link will never relate this information to inquiring NPCs until the plotline is resolved, suggesting that he is learning them in the correct order even if the player is not.
• Anticlimax Boss: The final stage of the final battle with Ganondorf, where he turns himself into the Demon Dragon, is a cinematic masterpiece, and clearly a better fight than the last boss of the previous game. Still, as far as gameplay goes, it’s lackluster. Link rides into battle on the Dragon of Light’s back, paraglides onto the back of the Demon Dragon, and attacks the patches of Malice (not Gloom) on its back. Link cannot die by falling in this battle (every time Ganondorf shakes him off, Zelda is certain to catch him) and he doesn’t have much offensive powers at all. While it does put an extra spin on the skydiving ability and is a fun battle overall, it isn’t much of a challenge.
• And Your Reward Is Clothes:
  • Literally every Misko quest rewards you with a piece of armor, and in some cases a matching weapon, such as the Fierce Deity Sword.
  • Complete every Shrine and get the Ancient Hero's Aspect, which makes Link resemble the great hero who sealed the Calamity Ganon in the first Great Calamity.
• An Arm and a Leg: Link loses his right arm at the beginning of the game, an explanation for the Bag of Spilling plot point. He quickly gets it replaced by a prosthetic one, which had formerly replaced King Raruru’s destroyed arm.
• Anti-Frustration Features:
  • Zigzagged with the Blood Moon. It no longer appears randomly, occurring every 168 minutes playing time. This means it's appearance is what you predict, but it also means the player cannot “fast forward” it by having Link make camp or sleep at inns.
  • Like before, the map of Hyrule is mostly blank, and Link must activate a group of towers in order to illuminate the map. This time however, the towers have been modified, so the activation console is on the bottom, not the top, so Link no longer has to climb the entire thing to reach it. Plus, the process in which he activates them is much more fun than last time.
  • Ask any fan what the most annoying feature was in Breath of the Wild, and they will most likely say it was the rain. This would happen at the most inopportune times, often while Link was climbing a mountain, causing him to fall. While this still happens, there is a potion called the Sticky Elixir that Link can use to save himself, plus the Frog Armor (gained from the Gazette quest) that provides a more permanent solution.
  • Joy Con Drift is a common problem in most Nintendo Switch games, and this can be a big problem here, as a feature of the Ultra Hand involves wagging the R stick to separate items, which can make the drift worse. Fortunately (and the game does not tell you this) shaking the whole controller can do the same thing.
  • Any new recipe you discover is recorded in a “cookbook” which lets Link gather up the ingredients for it with one button, assuming they are in his inventory.
  • If you need to cook but are far from a cookpot, one useful Zonai device is a portable one. It’s one use, however.
  • If Link opens a chest with a weapon but lacks inventory space to take it, the game now presents an option to discard an item in the inventory to make room.
  • Autobuild is an unlockable ability that lets you construct any Zona–made contraption you have previously built. You can even conjure up the parts by using Zonaite, but items created this way only last a few minutes.
  • Zonai devices require Zonaite charges to function, but fortunately, the ones you use in Shrines have unlimited power, so there’s no chance of failing the puzzle by running out of juice.
  • In the previous game, there were a wide variety of arrows Link can buy for specific situations, like Fire Arrows for ice-based enemies, Freeze Arrows for the opposite, Lightning Arrows to deal damage to foes in water, and Bomb Arrows for, well, blowing things up. In this game, only regular Arrows are used, but Link can use the Fusion power to attack resources to arrows for those effects and more. Plus, arrows respawn much faster than they did in the previous game, and stores always restock them rather than wait until Link is low on ammo.
  • Also, Elemental weapons in Breath of the Wild tended to be the hardest weapons to obtain, making them Too Awesome to Use; the fire and ice weapons were useful not just for instantly killing enemies of the opposite element but also making it through hot and cold climates. The same can be said for any special arrows. With the Fuse power this time around, Link can quickly turn any weapon into an elemental weapon, with the proper materials. Elemental enemies drop parts that can add an effect to your weapon, gemstones now lend their stated elemental powers to your weaponry when Fused on, and certain fruits can be used as arrowheads to give them an elemental kick.
  • In contrast to the Stasis power in Breath of the Wild, the game world will freeze while Link readies the Recall power, enabling him to use it in tense situations, like when a Zona-made contraption is about to fall off a cliff. Recall also has the furthest range of all of Link's Zonai skills, adding further to this quality-of-life.
  • In the same vein, Ascend doesn't immediately pop you out on top of a surface—Link peeks out the top and the game world also freezes while Link is offered the ability to emerge or descend back down the portal. This gives the player the chance to assess what's going on in the area they Ascended to and allows them not to engage in a situation they're not ready for.
  • The incredibly helpful Korok Mask (which acts up when the player is near a Korok) is now available early in the game, rather than being a DLC item. The Travel Medallion and Hero's Path can now be acquired at Robbie's lab, and with the Medallion feature, you can pre-set up to three player-placed fast-travel points instead of just one.
  • Mobs like Keese and Octorocks are still little more than annoyances, but the drops you get from them have new uses when attached to arrows, providing better range and accuracy.
  • Brightbloom Seeds are extremely useful in exploring the Depths while searching for Lightroots to illuminate the areas, since they can create patches of light where they're thrown to light the way. They’re easy to find, present in almost any cave.
  • The Ascend power has visual cues to show when the player is in position to successfully Ascend through an overhang, but it also has a chiming sound that immediately plays at the same moment. Thus you don’t always have to tilt the camera to use it.
  • Unlike the previous game, the Great Fairies and the Horse God get special map icons once they've been met, making it easier to remember where they are. Also, once you unlock the first Great Fairy, Tera, through the quest at the Woodland Stable, she'll tell the player the locations of her three sisters, giving their locations new map icons. While sidequests (rather than Rupees) are now needed to unlock them, making them all easier to get to, especially Tera, who was previously located in the dangerous Gerudo Desert.
  • In the previous game, you could only get one dragon body fragment per encounter, if you were lucky - dragon encounters were very random and they were very high up in the air, making getting their parts both difficult and very tedious. In this game, you can now encounter the dragons underground, and actually stand on top of them, allowing you to knock off as many parts as you want before they ascend back to the surface.
  • Unlike before, if you fall into water while your stamina is empty, you get back a tiny bit of extra stamina, allowing you to reach a shore if it's close by and preventing you from instantly drowning
  • Rusty weapons and rocks will regularly spawn when you're smashing through dense rock walls in tunnels, providing the means to craft new rock hammers right away with the Fuse power if you run out of the ones you brought.
  • Zonai device dispensers (which are basically big Gachapon machines that use Zonaite rather than coins) have separate inventories, but offer a relatively high output for relatively few Zonai materials deposited, making it easy to travel from dispenser to dispenser and accrue a healthy supply of whatever Zonai parts you need to craft vehicles on the fly or get access to weapon devices that don’t have to be salvaged or searched for.
  • The ends of the minecart rails in the Fire Temple feature turntables and simple switches that allow the player to instantly flip the minecart the other way on the track to return without having to manually rotate the cart with Ultrahand.
  • Aerocuda parts will be automatically collected if they happen to fall towards the surface while traversing the Sky, making it worthwhile to take them down even while gliding between islands.
  • The sensor feature now beeps downward and says a target is "nearby below" when you're walking directly over the target, if it’s inside a mountain, hill or cave; this prevents the player walking in circles trying to determine where the shrine, creature, monster, or item they're tracking is. Conversely, it also beeps upward with a "nearby above" note for a target that's over your head somewhere.
  • It can be very useful to understand how the three map layers relate to each other, and even to navigate with one map while in the layer of another, so the game doesn't lock the map display to wherever you are and you can switch to the map of another layer quickly on the minimap. This is particularly useful with the Depths, where Lightroots are always right below some Shrinesand some map structures are replicated. Using the surface map as the minimap in the Depths can help you navigate even completely dark areas of the underground once you know how the two maps relate.
  • Shooting arrows in midair has been reworked to be more manageable: Instead of rapidly draining your stamina while aiming like in Breath of the Wild, the stamina meter essentially stops draining entirely during aiming, instead having a chunk of the meter highlighted that will be spent once the arrow is fired. This way, players no longer have to feel rushed when lining up their shots, although Link still slowly falls during midair aiming.
  • Korak Forest has a new “exit shortcut” A new "forest exit shortcut", an ogre tree in a location that's much more integrated into the sanctuary, and is now easier to find and remember than before. The original exit tree is still there, but can't even be entered now since it is within the lost fog around the forest.
  • Gloom-infected monsters do far less damage than the same type of monster does normally, an even trade-off considering that Gloom-inflicted wounds cannot be healed normally.
• Apocalypse Not:
  • Regional example. Sometime during the Time Skip, Death Mountain erupted, requiring Goron City to be evacuated and later rebuilt. This has, in fact, been of a benefit to them and Hyrule at large, as the City’s location no longer requires visitors to wear heat proof armor to survive.
  • Also, I rule seems to be reacting to the most recent crisis far better than they did during the calamity. While Zelda being missing is a grave concern, the Hyrulian volunteer army is making a conscious effort to locate her and root out Ganondorf's minions. These efforts are a constant reminder to link that this time you are not alone.
• Arc Symbol: Tears are an omnipresent symbol in this game. The gemstones worn by the Zorai and the Sage Stones are all tear-shaped. Plus, a vital part of the plot has Link looking for "Dragon Tears", mysterious pools of water within the geoglyphs that unlock Memories; it is eventually revealed that these are literally tears shed by the Dragon of Light - who is, in fact, Zelda. later revealed that these pools are literal tears shed by the Light Dragon, AKA the draconified Zelda.
• Art Evolution:
  • Many returning monsters have more horns on their heads than before (or have them now if they didn’t before); this is not simply cosmetic, as the horns are included with drops and can be used to make Link’s weapons stronger.
  • Tulin was a hatchling in BotW, and his now an early adolescent, with “hair” tufts that make him resemble his father, larger wings, and larger eyes with noticeable sclera.
  • The Blood Moon has an entirely different cutscene this time around, but outside of the cutscene, it is much larger in the sky and far more detailed. Consequently, the normal moon is also larger
• Artistic License Chemistry Complete the “Message in a Bottle” quest and give the recipe for Hateno Cheese to Kojin, and she will have a batch at the dairy farm for sale as soon as you next arrive there. While it is possible to make homemade cheese in as short a time as an hour, fine cheese (which it supposedly is) can take anywhere from three weeks to two years to make as aging is required for best taste.
• Ascended Extra: In Breath of the Wild, Teba’s son Tulin’s was a minor NPC, who does little but watch Link shoot archery targets as part of an optional side quest. Tears of the Kingdom has an older Tulin replacing his father in the role of the Rito’s regional hero, as he has developed a new wind-gust technique that leads to him becoming Link’s partner for the Hebra portion of the main line quest where he and Link explore the Wind Temple, aiding Link in the boss battle as the Sage of Wind.
• Ascended Glitch:
  • In Breath of the Wild, it was possible to construct flying machines with some creativity and Loophole Abuse of the physics engine, such as by stacking two minecarts together and then using Magnesis on the bottom one. The Ultrahand ability allows for such vehicles to be built deliberately, the developers going so far as to demonstrate the building of one during, the March 2023 Gameplay Demonstration.
  • The Ascend feature of the Pad (ironically) was originally a glitch, but the developers loved the idea so much, they made it an actual game mechanic.
• Assist Character: Much like the last game, Link has a sidekick for each Temple mission, but after completing each Temple, the sidekick is bestowed with the powers of an Elemental Sage, meaning he is accompanied by a spiritual avatar for the rest of the game. (Except in the Final Battle where they show up in person.) The sidekicks are:
  • Tulin, a Rito and the Wind Sage. He can fight alongside Link with his bow and arrows and can create a powerful gust, letting Link fly farther with his glider without losing altitude.
  • Yunobo (Link’s partner in the Goron chapter of the last game) is this for the Fire Temple; a decent close quarters fighter, his charge attack can smash through breakable stone, including tough bedrock that cannot be broken by anything else.
  • Prince Sideon (again from the previous game) is this for the Water Temple, his ability covers Link in a bubble of water, which augments any Zorua weapon, making Link's attacks with them stronger and doing Water damage (more useful than it sounds). It also protects him from one attack for use, no matter how strong that attack is.
  • Riju returns and is this for the Lightning Temple. As Sage of Lightning, she can call lightning down from the heavens to smite bows, but she needs Link help her aim by using his arrows. It's a slow attack, but very powerful.
  • Mineru is, by far, the most useful Sage. A Badass Bookworm of the Zonai whose soul is downloaded into a mini mecha, Link can Fuse any weapon or Zonai device to her arms and ride on her back into battle against foes.
  • The Dragon of Light (as in, Zelda herself) helps Link in the final battle as he takes to the skies to combat the Demon Dragon.
• Attack Its Weak Point: Many, seeing as this Trope is a staple of the franchise:
  • Like the previous game, Hinoxes can be stunned by aiming for their single eye, Stalox (the undead variants) can only be defeated by destroying their eyes once it is separated from its body, and Talos can only be harmed by striking the ore deposits on their backs,
  • Like-Likes are nearly invulnerable most of the time, but if you get close enough to it for it to use its melee bite attack, it will expose its “tongue” with a bulb-like protrusion; hitting this tongue once will stun the Like-Like and leave it vulnerable. With Rock Likes, even achieving that requires destroying the rocky armor that shields it.
  • A Frox shares traits of both a Hinox and Talos, it can be stunned by striking it in the eye or throwing an explosive into its maw, and the ore deposit on its back must be then be destroyed.
  • The Marbled Gohma from the Fire Temple can only be harmed by striking its huge, single eye; this requires Link to first use Yanabo’s charge attack to destroy two of its legs, which stuns it and makes it vulnerable
  • The Colgera from the Wind Temple cannot be harmed except by striking the three icy disks on its body. Link can either shoot them with arrows or position himself above it and skydive through them (more dangerous, but far more fun).
• A Twinkle in the Sky: Once Link defeats Master Khaga for the fourth time, he tries to attack with a missile weapon, only for it to backfire and send him rocketing out of the Depths with A Twinkle In the Sky, and again, his fate is left uncertain.
• Audience Surrogate: The Yiga Clan seem to have a lot in common with the player regarding their experimentation with Zonai technology. The devices they have built are… unsubtle, but practical, and they tend to give their invention odd names that would not seem out of place among fandom. Also, their bases in the Depths have journals detailing their discoveries, much the same way a dedicated player would take notes on the exploration.
• Automatic New Game: Much like the previous games, starting this game for the first time is a cutscene with Link and Zelda exploring under Hyrule Castle, with the player having limited control of Link as a tutorial on the basics.
• Awesome But Impractical:
  • Fusing Zonai devices to your shield can create some cool accessories, like a flamethrower, or high-power flashlight, but it also expends the durability of the shield quickly.
  • The Sage spirits provide much-needed backup in combat, especially against large groups, but other than that, their abilities are situational and often get in the way, their abilities often quite cumbersome in some areas.
  • The White Sword of the Sky, which is gained via the quest "The Mother Goddess Statue" or the Skyward Sword akimbo. This weapon gives improved Sneakstrike Ability, and let's be honest, using the original version of the Master Sword is pretty cool. However, unless you use the akimbo, you can only have one at a time, and fixing it once it breaks (you must offer a claw from each of the dragons to all three springs again and then pray at the Mother Goddess statue) is a big headache that is just not worth it. Most players simply use it as a decorative trophy for Link’s new house.
  • Ancient Arrows (the OTK weapons from the previous game) can be crafted by Fusing an Ancient Blade to an arrow; unfortunately, even one Ancient Blade requires giving 50 Zonite to a Smith Construct at the Spirit Temple, a location that is (assuming the player doesn’t do any Sequence Breaking) only two steps before the endgame, On top of it, while they instantly kill any enemy they hit, the slain monster drops no loot, so it’s ultimately pointless.
  • A few Armor sets count:
    • The Charge Set makes Link look like some anime thunder god, making him glow with electric energy. It increases his Attack power during thunderstorms, makes his attacks faster, and causes his attacks to do Lightning damage at the end of a combo or charged attack. Each piece has a base Defense of 3 and a maximum of 20 with the final upgrade. Unfortunately, this is very situational, as it depends on a weather condition and as such, only works outdoors. There are a few ways to force that condition, but they aren’t very practical. The bonus combo damage isn’t as much a benefit as it seems, and the set gives you no resistance to electricity, something you kind of need in a thunderstorm.
    • The Ember Set is similar to the Charge Set, again with the design of an anime deity, but with a fire theme. It increases his Attack Power in hot weather and causes his attacks to do Fire Damage at the end of a combo or charged attack. The biggest difference is, each piece has a base Defense of 2 and a maximum of 16 with the final upgrade, making it less than the Charge Set and slightly less than average. Not as situational as the Charge Set though, it’s slightly better, but not by much.
    • Rounding out the anime deity armor is the Frostbite Set. As a god of winter, Link’s attack power increases in cold weather, and his attacks do Cold Damage at the end of a combo or charged attack. Like the Ember set, it has Defense of 2 and a maximum of 16 with the final upgrade, and no actual immunity from Cold. Seeing as cold weather is common in two regions, it’s the least situational of the three, but still not very good.
    • The Desert Voe set, which makes Link look like a Gerudo Distaff Counterpart, gives some Heat Resistance (essential for surviving the Gerudo Desert), and once you have the whole set, some Shock damage. Unfortunately it gives no offensive capabilities and its defense is only mediocre, so outside the Desert it’s not very remarkable.
    • The Climbing Set was incredibly useful in BotW, given how often Link has to climb, but in this game, not so much. While still somewhat useful, there are much better and faster ways for Link to make vertical ascensions, like the Ascend skill, Zonai Rockets,
    • The Evil Spirit Armor Set. Aesthetically, this is wicked-cool, making Link look like Phantom Ganon from Ocarina of Time. Equip a spear or similar weapon and Fuse a Silver Lizalfos Horn and Link looks like the Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, this set cannot do anything the Radiant Set cannot. They have the same set bonus, but only the Radiant Set can be upgraded by the Great Fairies. What’s more, getting the Evil Spirit set requires completing the three Labyrinths, each of which is three times longer than the ones in BotW.
    • The Dark Set, as its name implies, makes Link look like Dark Link from Ocarina of Time, which is pretty cool, but sadly, a disappointment. All it does is increase your movement speed at night, and while the player could simply have Link sleep during the day and only travel at night, this is something many other Sets do better. Also, like the Evil Spirit set, it cannot be upgraded at all.
    • The Miner Set looks kind of cool, but its effect - makes Link glow, letting him see where he’s going better in the Depths - isn’t as useful as it seems. Most of the time, you’re better off using Seeds, and those can be found in almost any caves.
    • The Divine Helms are an interesting throwback to Breath of the Wild, but the elemental resistances they give can be gotten from other sets and food buffs, plus they have lower defense than most other helms, so they aren’t worth it.
    • Downplayed with the Rubber Set. The resistance to Lightning Damage does seem very situational, but you will be very glad to have it when up against an Electric Lizalfoes.
    • The Phantom set is good to have early in the game. Each piece comes with a base stat of +8 defense (compared to the standard +3 defense you’d find on most sets). And it boosts your attack, and makes you look like a scary armored devil monster. Again, however, it can’t be upgraded, so while you start off with better defense than the Soldier set, the Soldier set will quickly bypass it in terms of usefulness.
    • The Royal Guard set is the most stylish-looking armor in the game, making Link look like one of the Vatican’s Swiss Guard. Its full-set bonus increases Link’s Stamina and power of charged attacks, but not his overall attack power, making the Barbarian and Fierce Deity much better. It can be gained relatively early, but so can the Soldier set, and in many ways, you are better with that.
    • Say what you will about the Yiga Clan, they do not skimp on the uniforms, and it does look pretty good on Link. Unfortunately, while it again gives bonuses to stealth and night speed, each piece has a base defense of only 1 and a max defense of 12. It’s better than the Dark Link or Tingle set, but much worse than the Stealth set, so aside from the questline that requires it, this set isn’t worth using.
  • Some Zonai Devices are this, while none are truly useless, many are far less useful than others:
    • Zonai Time Bombs: These can be used much like the Bomb Flowers, and while powerful and useful when many are used at once, the Bomb Flowers are always much better and easier to obtain.
    • Zonai Hydrants: these devices create a limitless supply of water. This has two practical uses, washing away the sludge during the Water Temple mission (a problem that is no longer there after you complete the mission) and turning lava into solid rock in order to cross it or use the rock with Ultra Hand. That’s it. If you truly need water, it’s easier to use Splashfruit or Sideon’s ability.
    • Zonai Lights can give your Ultrahand-crafted vehicle a headlight, which is pretty useful, especially while exploring the Depths. However, Brightbloom seeds are much more powerful in this regard, much more common, much easier to use, and won’t drain your battery like the Zonai Light does.
    • The Zonai Hot Air Balloon has uses, as there are many cliffs in the Depths that are impossible to climb without Stamina-enhancing food or elixirs. Unfortunately, The Hot Air Balloon is slow as molasses, and needs to be attached to a platform for Link to stand on and a reliable source of fire. Both Rockets and Springboards are more practical and faster.
    • Zonai Mirrors. Fuse one of these to your shield and you can reflect sunlight - that’s about it. It can also be used to destroy undead, but since this can only be used during the day, that effect is only good when you’re dealing with Gibdo - far better things you can Fuse to a shield.
    • Some of the Zonai Emitters are very useful, and when used properly can take out a group of enemies with the ease of mowing a lawn. However, the Lightning Emitter isn’t as good. It can maybe stun-lock a foe, but in most cases, you’re better off inflicting damage.
    • The main selling point of the Zonai Sled is that it has less friction than a cart and can be used to move at high speed over snow, sand, grass, or even Gloom. However, it can’t do anything on its own, and like the Hot Air Balloon, needs something to propel it (usually a Fan) and a Steering Stick in order to control.
    • Downplayed with the Zonai Small Wheels. When used to build a vehicle, the vehicle is very fast, at least over flat ground. Unfortunately, the vast majority of the ground in Hyrule is not flat. The Large Wheels may be slower, but they are safer and more maneuverable.
    • The Zorai Cannon is one of the best Zonai Devices (see below) but while placing it on a sword (creating a magical boomstick) is outright hilarious, it not only eats through the batteries fast, the projectiles are very likely to hit Link if he tries to use it on a moving target. An immovable target is safer, like using it to batter down a breakable wall, but it’s much easier to use Yunobo for that.
    • The Akmibo Function of the Skill wheel. This is an okay ability that lets Link gain some stuff easier, assuming the player has the right Akmibo, otherwise its worthless. But it really doesn’t encourage anyone to go and get an Akimbo either. There is nothing you can get with this skill that is not obtainable in the game - the skill just makes it easier, and as anyone who has played an online game can attest, putting in-game items behind a paywall is never a good idea.
• Awesome Yet Practical:
  • The Ascend ability. Use this and so long as there is a valid ceiling above Link and a space above it, he will phase through the ceiling and emerge above. You can use this to sneak into enemy encampments and get the drop on them before they can react, use it to ascend through caverns and find hidden caves, use them to make a quick escape from a cavern, or even use it at specific points in the Depths to access hidden areas on the surface, like the Underground Lost Woods, which is the only way to get into Korok Forest. Not exactly a flexible ability or one with much variety, but still incredibly useful.
  • The Recall ability. Use this on a moving object or an object that was moving a minute ago, and the object starts moving in the opposite direction. The game’s ability to remember the movement patterns of any object that this ability could conceivably be used on is uncanny, testament to the incredible attention to detail put in by the developers. The ability itself is incredibly versatile, and can be used, for example, to recover something you built that falls into rapid water or off a cliff, on a chunk of fallen debris in order to ride it up to the sky islands, or on a thrown projectile to propel it back onto the thrower.
  • In Breath of the Wild, an omnipresent game mechanic was defeating enemies in order to collect drops in order to enhance your gear. This time around, this mechanic is further extended with the Fuse ability. If Link can pick it up, he can use this ability to fuse it to his weapon or shield for a wide variety of effects, to simply fusing a boulder to an old sword in order to turn it into a sledgehammer, to fusing a ruby to it in order to make it a flamethrower. He can fuse a Zonai rocket to his shield in order to propel himself into the sky, fuse an explosive barrel to it to make a nasty booby-trap for those Bokoblins, or even a minecart to turn it into a skateboard! And of course there are the various trick arrows you can create with it; this ability is almost addictive. Best of all, each and every fused object has its own custom icon!
  • Of course, there is Ultrahand. Like an Erector Set that builds real vehicles, the possibilities regarding this power are limited only by the player’s imagination, and as Youtubers have shown, players have very vivid imaginations.
  • Autobuild makes Ultrahand even more awesome and more practical, as it lets you re-construct the previous 30 Zona–made contraptions you have previously built with Ultrahand. You can also save 10 of them in a list of favorites and construct them from Zonai schematics found in the depths. You can even conjure up the parts by using Zonaite, but items created this way cannot be disassembled and only last a few minutes.
  • Many armor sets fit the Trope well:
    • The Barbarian Armor set - looks pretty decent, giving Link the Skeletons in the Coat Closet look, gives a bonus to Attack and decreases the Stamina used with charged attacks, plus a baseline Defense of 3 with a maximum of 21 when fully upgraded.. Only downside is, these bonuses do not stack with food power-ups, but a pretty decent set overall.
    • The Fierce Deity set is pretty much identical to the Barbarian set as far as gameplay goes, and is even more aesthetically pleasing, making Link look like a cross between his classic self and a ghost samurai warrior.
    • The Depths Set. Of all the Evil Is Cool armor sets, this one is the coolest, making Link look like some sort of evil cultist. This armor only gives mediocre defense, but the benefit is, it gives you some Gloom resistance, giving Link extra Heart Containers (1 to 3, depending on the upgrade level) that absorb the Gloom Damage before any of his actual Hearts do. As anyone who has spent any time exploring the Depths knows, this is a huge benefit.
    • The Mystic Set is again, incredibly cool looking, giving Link a mane of white hair and an outfit that makes him look like a Dragonball Z hero. Its efficiency depends on where you are in the game, and with the right preparation, can be game-breaking. It has no offensive boost and cannot be upgraded, but the benefit is, instead of losing Hearts from battle damage, you lose Rupees instead. So if you’ve accumulated several thousand Rupees from constant hunter-gathering activities or used duplication glitches (hey, this Troper ain’t judging here) Link is practically invincible.
    • The Radiant Set is another game-breaking armor set. Advertised as a set that increases Link's stealth and movement speed at night, plus prevents Stal enemies from attacking Link, its true power lies in enhancing the attack power of weapons made of bone. Fuse Gibdo parts to a Lionel bow and a Molduga Jaw to a Gerudo Scimitar, and the damage Link does is ridiculously high. It is far easier to obtain than most high tier armors, purchasable in one armor store, and unlike the other Evil is Cool sets, it can be fully upgraded, up to a stat of 20. While this is just average, it’s fully five times better than the Evil Spirit set will ever be.
    • The Glide Set Zigzags this Trope. One of the coolest armor sets in the game, it is leather armor with a bird-like theme and mask. It can be obtained very early in the game by completing some relatively simple Mini Game, and is quite valuable early in the game. Its base effect, in a nutshell, makes Link more maneuverable in mid-air while skydiving. The part that is not so practical is the full-set bonus; it keeps Link from taking any damage at all from falling. That is indeed pretty awesome, but… Why would you do that? It’s hard to accidentally die from falling in this game, because even if the player hits the Jump command right before impact, Link will land safely. Still, it can be invaluable, especially later in the game. Its offense and defense are bad, but you really won’t be fighting much with this set anyway unless you’re really into making unusual Let’s Play videos.
    • The Zonaite armor is one of the toughest sets to find, the Shrines where they are located being the hardest to get to and arguably the hardest to solve, although theoretically, you can get the whole set after only completing the Wind and Water Temples. Once you get it, however, the end result makes Link look like an Aztec high priest with Magitech Bling of War. The max defense bonus is 28 (tying the Soldier set and Ancient Hero set for best defense in the game) and has the added effect of doubling the battery power of Zonaite devices, and given how Ultrahand is the most useful mechanic in this game, it is likely the most practical armor in the game and one of the most awesome.
    • As awesome as it is for Link to wear armor made from Zonaite technology, looking like an actual Zonai is even better, and the Ancient Hero set does just that. This armor is gained by completing every Shrine in the game, and has a special condition, in that in order to use it, all three pieces must be equipped. The starting defense score here is 12, the max being 84, making it the equivalent of armor with 4 to 28 per piece, making it the equal to the Soldier and Zonaite sets, and has the effect of increasing the damage done by the beam of the Master Sword. Not exactly the best effect, but still definitely not the worst.
  • Many Zonai Devices qualify:
    • Zonai Rockets. Fuse to your shield, and Link can use it to boost himself upward into the sky! Of course, this is a one-use effect, but it’s awesome and very useful when you need to get to a high spot in a hurry, or if it’s raining.
    • Zonai Flame Emitters. In BotW, fire had three attributes: it was powerful, spread very fast, and was hard to generate out of nothing. These devices give Link an infinite supply of fire, doing away with a big drawback to using fire. It’s not the best of the Emitters and tends to set fire to everything in the immediate area when activated, but if you want to sow a little chaos, this does that well.
    • Zonai Big Wheels. They may be slower than the Small Wheels, but far more durable, a device using them able to maneuver well over rough terrain or lava. Or, you can attach Beam Emitters to it, then attach it to a Floatstone, giving you a rotating engine of destruction to cut the enemy down.
    • Yet another Emitter, the Frost Emitter is one of the better versions. Fuse this to a weapon, and you can freeze a bunch of mooks solid in one swing. Because Link’s weapons do triple damage to frozen enemies, you can dish out serious damage, or use Tulin’s gust ability to blow them off a cliff or into water - don’t forget, with the exception of Lizalfoes, most mooks in this game swim as well as an anchor.
    • The best Zonai Emitter is, by far, the Beam Emitter, the closest Link will ever come to using a Ray Gun. This is almost broken, the range is limited only by sight, the damage it does is considerable, and while it doesn’t have any elemental advantage, it puts out continual damage to any unfortunate mooks who stumble into the path of the beam.
    • Zonai Cannons, however, are better than any Emitter. These things are ridiculously powerful, giving your shield, weapon, or vehicle a Bomb thrower. For Massive Damage, this is the strongest weapon in the game, can be fused to almost anything, and you can often fuse more than one at a time! The Video Game Cruelty Potential here is so intense that using it makes you wonder if the ICC would be coming after Link. Only drawback here is, bombs of any sort have splash damage that could easily kill Link if he is careless with them.
    • The Homing Cart. These are Cute Machines which, if turned on, slowly chugs towards enemy mooks. On its own, this is useful as a distraction, because Mooks will attack the cart, but cannot harm it so long as the battery has power, letting Link launch a surprise attack. Attach a weapon to it - like the Cannon or any of the Emitters - and you have a lethal combat drone to send after them! Of, and it wags its “tail” when there are no enemies for it to home in on. The Construct Head is similar, except it is a stationary rotating platform rather than a Cart.
  • The Stal Horses were something of a novelty in the previous game; Link could tame them, but not keep them, as the Stables refused to house undead horses. While the same is true here, they have a useful ability if tamed in the Depths. They are not covered in Gloom the way most enemies in the Depths are and Gloom does not harm them, so Link can ride on them and gallop right over large patches of Gloom without taking any damage.

B

• Back Stab: The Stealthstrike ability returns, enabling Link to kill or badly injure a sleeping or otherwise unaware enemy. The Eightfold Blade is designed with just such a use in mind. Puffrooms even make this easier, their smokescreen letting you do it to multiple enemies before any of them notice.
• Bad Moon Rising: The Blood Moon, the odd phenomenon that causes monsters to respawn and resources to replenish, returns in this game, but it is easier to anticipate. It occurs every seven days, game time (168 minutes real time) at midnight. However, this means the player cannot cause it to happen faster by having Link camp out for a few days, the 168 minutes must pass before a new Blood Moon occurs.
• Bad with the Bone: Link was pretty bad in the previous game using the limbs of undead enemies as weapons, but in this game, he’s even badder with it. Bokoblin Arms are fragile and break quickly, but have an Attack power of 20 (pretty much better than anything else available early in the game). Even better, you get two from each slain foe, and Fusing them together gives Link a whopping 40 Attack power.
• Badass Adorable: Tulin. A precocious Rito “tween”, he’s an Adorably Precocious Child of the sort you can’t help but want to hug, but his archery skills and gust ability make him arguably Link’s most valuable ally.
• Badass Finger-Snap: Link does this if the player deactivates a Recall effect prematurely.
• Badass Transplant: Link’s prosthetic arm that replaces the one that is nearly destroyed in the opening cutscene. Formerly belonging to King Rauru, it provides new abilities that replace the runes of the Sheika Slate.
• Bag of Spilling:
  • The game starts with Link armed with the Master Sword and the best armor from the previous game, 30 Heart Containers, and 15 Stamina Vessels, the maximum obtainable. However, after delving into a tomb with Zelda and awakening an ancient evil, Link is horribly wounded, losing an arm, his armor is destroyed (causing him to lose all but 3 Hearts and 5 Stamina Vessels), and the Master Sword is "corrupted", becoming only barely better than a club. While Link's arm is replaced by a prosthetic one (courtesy of a Mysterious Backer) he must start from the beginning.
  • Link also has to reacquire every piece of armor he gained in the previous game, regardless of the likelihood he had canonically kept and stored them all. Justification is given for two specific pieces, the Champion Leathers (which wore out, according to Zelda’s logbook) and the Zora Armor (a gift from Mira which is currently back in Zora hands for repairs, implying he gave it back to them). The only piece of armor he can regain due to Zelda storing it was not even truly an armor piece before - the blue hairband you can use to give him the same ponytail hairstyle on his previous default model.
  • Hetsu has lost all his Korak Seeds from his maracas again, and Link must search for more so Hetsu can again expand his inventory.
• Bait and Switch: Siyamotsus Shrine. This looks like a “free” Shrine, where there’s no puzzle involved, often the case when the challenge is getting to the Shrine itself (this one would definitely qualify, as you need to solve a labyrinth to get to it), but then you then you notice the shrine's name is Unlit Blessing. When Link approaches the reward platform, it pulls away abruptly. Fortunately, the puzzle is easy to complete - simply light the unlit torches on the platform with Fire Fruit (which are provided near the chest, which also has a bow) to get to a launch platform that brings you to the altar.
• Base on Wheels: A Battle Talus is a giant Stone Talus where Bokoblins have managed to build a base upon, arming it with ranged weapons. Ironically, the Talus will likely survive the battle far longer than the Bokoblins will.
• Bat Out of Hell: The Keese still aren’t very formidable, but swarms of them will often fly out of caves when Link approaches them, giving the player quite a scare.
• The Beastmaster: One of the Dragon Tear scenes shows that one of Ganondorf’s Gerudo accomplices used a horn to summon Moldugas.

C

• Call Back:
  • Like the previous game, Link wakes up in an unknown area at the start of the game location after nearly being killed by Ganondorf.
  • Using a Tunic of Memories and Old Hairband makes Link look like he did in the previous game, the only (unavoidable) difference being his arm.
  • As the flashbacks show, Zelda appears in a strange past version of Hyrule, looking out from the same cliffs as Link was in the opening of Breath of the Wild.
  • When Ganondorf transforms into the Demon Dragon, he becomes a smoky being of darkness, covered with yellow eyes that look more like the Malice from the previous game than the Gloom.
  • Link can change his appearance into the design from BotW using the Old Hairband and the old version of the Champion's Tunic, now called Tunic of Memories.
• Came Back Strong: Link is, in effect, Brought Down to Normal at the beginning as a result of nearly being killed, losing all his Heart Containers but 3, all his Stamina Vessels but one, barely surviving the assault. However, if he does all the Shrines, he’ll be entering the Final Battle with both of these surpassing what he gained in Breath of the Wild.
  • The Master Sword too, at least by an in-story standpoint. Ganondorf effortlessly destroys it in the opening scene; Link then sends it 10,000 years into the past where Zelda, after becoming the Dragon of Light, attaches it to her scales and takes The Slow Path to return it to Link. The Sword previously took 100 years to repair itself on its own after the Calamity, and now it has spent ten-thousand years absorbing her power. When Link finally confronts Ganondorf, those Gloom attacks aren’t going to work as well the second time around.
• Cartoon Cheese: A new food ingredient, Haterno Cheese, a typical wedge of cheese with holes. It isn’t exactly the most useful ingredient, but one of the more interesting, as you can use it to make things like pizza and cheesecake.
• Cast From Hit Points: Gloom Weapons, dropped by Phantom Ganon, can be used by Link and are among the strongest in the game for base attack power. However, they not only damage Link, they inflict Gloom Damage, meaning you cannot heal said damage while using the weapon and apply the usual methods to cure Gloom.
• Catch a Falling Star:
  • At the start of the game, Link tries to catch Zelda with his wounded arm, but fails. At the end of the game after defeating Ganondorf, the last playable part has him try again while both are in free-fall. This time he succeeds, taking the brunt of the impact by splashing into a lake below.
  • Nearly literal example, you can catch Star Fragments while they are in free-fall when Link is skydiving.
  • Cave Behind the Falls: Many examples. In fact, you find the Van Ruta Divine Helm behind a waterfall in a cave that is behind another waterfall!
  • Cherry Blossoms: There is one cherry tree for each region, with an empty bowl at the base. Put any sort of fruit in, and Satori will appear and put large glowing wisps by all of the map region's cave entrances to show where they are.
• Clipped-Wing Angel:
  • Gloom Spawn are terrifying enemies, and the first few times you encounter them, the best strategy is to get the hell out of there before they literally squeeze the life out of Link. But if you are confident enough to stand your ground and skilled enough to defeat one, it spawns a Phantom Ganon. While this is a shock the first time it happens, you gradually start to realize he’s a lot easier to deal with than the Gloom Spawn was. Don’t get too confident though, the set encounters with Phantom Ganon are harder.
  • The Final Boss is this too. While the four-tier fight is (to the opinion of most longtime fans) the best Ganondorf battle in the entire franchise, the fourth tier (while a visually thrilling battle that lets Link utilize his skydiving skills in a fun way) it’s much easier than the previous three. The Demon Dragon has very little in the way of offensive moves, and Link, for the most part, simply has to use the Dragon of Light as a launching platform to leap onto his foe’s back to destroy the patches of Malice, enabling him to deliver the final strike in a QTE.
• Chaos Architecture: Downplayed. Most of Hyrule does look the same as it did in the previous game, but the Upheaval has caused quite a bit of its geography to change due to the falling debris from the Sky Islands. There is also the matter of the complete absence of the Sheikah Shrines and Towers, an issue that is not addressed in the game.
• Chekhov's Gun :
  • The most vital example, in the beginning of the game, where Link and Zelda delve into the tomb, there is an area of breakable rock, but Link lacks the means to break them. If he goes back there later and does so, it reveals new paintings that detail everything Zelda has been involved in due to her Stable Time Loop, including her failure to slay Ganondorf the first time and turning herself into the Dragon of Light.
  • When you first use the Pura Pad’s Camera function, there are already three saved photos - the ones Zelda took in the opening cutscene.
  • Also, in the opening cutscene, Zelda can be seen dropping her torch when she falls into the abyss. If Link returns to that spot later and para-glides into the Depths, the torch is still there.
• Collection Sidequest: For starters, the Korak Seeds and Spirit Orb quests return (the latter called Lights of Blessing now, which are pretty much the same) but there is a lot more of both.
  • Bubbul Gems, dropped by Bubblefrogs, and there is one for every cave. Gather them and give them to Koltin to get unique items. Eventually, he will run out of items to give you, and the only reason to collect them is for completion’s sake. Get them all and Koltin can fulfill his lifelong goal to turn himself into a Blupee. (Why? He must have his reasons…)
  • Poes. These odd wisps are located in the Depths, and can be given to Bargainer Statues for rare items, making them a sort of alternate currency.
  • The Old Maps found in the Sky Islands. There are 31 of them, and when each is found, the map is marked with the locations of the bandit Misko’s treasure, all of it special and rare armor.

Link can also find a total of 12 Schema Stones and 34 Yiga Schematics, all of which aid in the construction of devices using the Autobuild skill. Getting all of them unlocks two more schematics that can be found on the surface.

• • There are 20 Sage’s Wills to find in the Sky Islands, four of which can increase one of the Sage Avatar’s powers.
  • There are 228 unique recipes to find to register in Link’s cookbook.
  • Link can increase the power of Zonai devices by collecting energy cells, to increase his battery gauge from 3 to 24, with each cell costing 100 crystallized charges. He can then double that power by collecting 47 upgrades.
  • There are also similar quests to be done that involve going to several locations. An NPC named Fera wants you to investigate and survey every Well in Hyrule (there are 58) and she will pay 10 rupees for each. Also, there are 46 locations where you can help Addison secure his signs; there is a small reward for each, but no reward for getting them all.
• Color-Coded Timestop: Using Recall causes all items not affected by it to become a desaturated beige color.
• Color Motif: In Breath of the Wild, blue was symbolic of heroism, with red a sign of evil. This game, however, uses Green as the benevolent color. The Constructs and Zonai devices are all green, Link’s arm and standard clothing designs have green trim, and all the Champions have some green incorporated into their appearance.

* Combinatorial Explosion: This game takes the concept of Wide Open Sandbox Up to Eleven as the developers seemed to encourage the player to take advantage of loopholes and rewards ingenuity. With the amazingly versatile power of the Ultrahand, Link can create whatever crazy contraption the player desires to explore Hyrule, from magical cars, boats, flying machines, and even a Mini-Mecha.

• Composite Character: The Frox is a boss that seems to combine aspects of the Stone Talox and a Dondago from the previous games. Like the Dondago, it is a huge frog with incredible leaping ability, and can, like the Dondago, be stunned by throwing any sort of explosive into its maw. Like the Talox, it has a large ore deposit on its back, which is the only part of it that is vulnerable to damage.
• Confused Question Mark: Get close enough to enemies that they might notice you and this indicates they are on alert. You will know if they actually see Link, as it then changes to an exclamation point.
• Console Cameo: The Purah Pad is obviously a Nintendo Switch with Magitek enhancements. Using it to start scanning from a tower even resembles plugging it into a USB-C cable charging port.
• Conspiracy Theorist: The Rito journalist Penn seems to suspect Zelda herself might be the mastermind behind the Upheaval - most of the Potential Princess Sightings quest line consists of Link investigating rumors of her showing up in odd situations (like a siren trying to convince travelers to follow her or a blonde woman riding a monstrous steed) or giving strange orders to the Hyrulian army (like giving them a recipe that makes them sick or telling them to do their jobs in their underwear) and seemingly malicious acts (like spooking the circus performers’ horse and making their wagon crash when they were trying to reach the Great Fairy to convince her to come out of her flower). Fortunately, Penn isn’t the type to publish such rumors without confirming them.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Purah, who in the previous game was a child due to an accident that reversed-aged her, has now grown into a teenager via the Time Skip.
  • Tulin has grown from a child into a teenager, having fully developed his Wind powers that he started to develop in Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity.
  • If you go back to the Temple of Time on the Great Plateau at the spot in Breath of the Wild where King Rhoam (Zelda’s father) gave you the paraglider, you will find a custom cloth that changes the paraglider to the original design. Also, Rhoam’s headstone is still where it was before, with a Royal Claymore (the weapon he had in Age of Calamity) stuck in the ground marking the site. No clue as to who put it there, but most fans surmise it was Zelda, placing it there to pay her respects.
  • Breath of the Wild a child named Shanae told Link a story about a kingdom in the sky; this was initially meant as a Mythology Gag regarding Skyward Sword, but now that the Sky Islands have been included to this game, Shanae is very happy when Link tells her she was right.
• Continuity Snarl: Some weapons in the previous game could only be obtained via the amiibo; they still can in this game, but those same weapons can be found in-game, so whether they can be considered canon to Tears of the Kingdom is debatable. The worst example is the Goddess Sword, which, in Skyward Sword, is the weapon that eventually evolved into the Master Sword, but in this game can be obtained in addition to the Master Sword.
• Contrasting Sequel Character: much like the Guardians from Breath of the Wild, the Constructs are Mecha Mooks built by ancient artificers (in this case, the Zonai) and like them, they have a single large eye and Tron Lines. But that is where the similarity ends. Guardians were huge, massive, hulking, robots with smooth, rounded designs, who fought with Magitech energy weapons and walked on multiple long legs. Constructs, on the other hand, are human-sized (other than those that qualify as bosses) use mostly improvised weapons, and have no legs, hovering rather than walking. Also, while the Guardians were corrupted by Ganon’s dark magic, the Constructs are still following their original orders, which unfortunately, causes them to view Link as a trespasser.
• Conveniently Interrupted Document: In the opening scene of the game, Zelda and Link are exploring a cavern deep beneath Hyrule Castle and find elaborate carved hieroglyphics detailing the origins of the royal line of Hyrule and the rise of the Demon King. However, a big part of it has been covered by a rockslide, meaning they cannot read the second half of the story. When Link eventually returns here he can break the stone and read them, although by then the player has likely already seen the whole tale in much greater detail.
• Cool Airship: The Zonai had an entire fleet of them, resembling Viking longships that surround and circle the Wind Temple. Surrounding them and the cyclone are smaller ships with sails that Link can use like trampolines to bounce into the air and board the larger vessels. The Temple itself is a huge, flying battleship.
• Cool Horse: The unique horses from Breath of the Wild are back, and a few new ones, including Zelda’s Golden Horse (which was Zelda’s mount before she disappeared), and the Giant White Stallion, which is like the Royal White Horse but bigger.
• Cool Sword: Well, the Master Sword, of course, but there are others:
  • The Hero Sword, part of the Hero set (that gives Link his iconic green tunic and cap) is found in a chest in the Depths, and once you gain it, it is available from the evil statue after finishing a quest line, and is purchased for 100 Poe (in case it breaks).
  • The Dusk Claymore is this and a BDS, it has 50 durability, does 32 base damage, and even the scabbard it comes with looks badass. Unfortunately, the questline that you must finish to get it requires completing all four Temples.
• The Corruption: Gloom is like Malice, but is poisonous and corrupting to both living beings and objects. The opening of the story sees it destroying the Master Sword and reducing Link’s Heart Containers from 30 to 3, literally causing his right arm to rot. Rauru later tells Link that had he not grafted the prosthetic limb to Link’s body the Gloom would have spread until it consumed him. As Link obtains Heart Containers and Stamina Wheels in the game, the dark corruption is shown being purged from his body, suggesting he is, in fact, gaining back what he already had.
• Cosmetic Award: Many well-hidden chests contain fabric that can be used to change the pattern on Link’s glider.
• Crate Expectations: Any time you find a box, barrel, or crate, it’s a good idea to break it open, as there tend to be objects inside, often arrows or fruit.
• Critical Status Buff: Weapons with the “Knight” nomenclature grant more attack power when Link has only one Heart Container remaining.
• Curb Stomp Cushion: The opening scene is a Curb-Stomp in Ganondorf’s favor, wrecking the Master Sword and mauling Link. However, it seems Ganondorf did not escape unscathed, as a shard of the Master Sword is embedded in his arm, possibly the reason he could not kill the two heroes right there.
• Cutting Off the Branches: Many implications in the game show that questlines that were optional in the previous game are considered canon:
  • It is possible in Breath of the Wild to fight Calamity Ganon immediately after leaving the Great Plateau - the developers even confirm that it is possible. This game, however, confirm that Link canonically fought all four of the Divine Beasts and freed the Champions’ spirits before doing so.
  • The Korok have new puzzles and are in different places, implying Link found all of them in the previous game.
  • Building a house in Hateno, helping construct Tarrey Town, and helping a couple plan their wedding are all part of an optional questline. The house and Tarrey Town are there, with Hudson and Rhondson still happily married, so the questline has canonically been finished.
  • Wabbin and Perdo are now also married with a young child, meaning the sidequest where Link reunited them at Lovers’ Pond was canonically completed. Finley and Sasan are still together, indicating that sidequest was completed too.
  • One odd aversion is the group photo that Link receives if the player completes the "Champion's Ballad" DLC in Breath of the Wild. In this case, it is tied to an Old Save Bonus and is only in his house if the player has completed the DLC.
• Cutscene Power to the Max: Used many times:
  • At the end of the opening act, Link uses the Recall ability to send the Master Sword thousands of years into the past to Zelda. In the actual game, it can reverse localized time by about 30 seconds, maximum. Possibly justified, as he is borrowing power from an outside source. One of the flashback scenes shows Zelda using it on multiple objects at once, something Link cannot do in-game. At the end of the game, Link uses it to restore Zelda to her human form, something Mineru previously said was impossible, although this is again possibly justified as Rauru and Sonia are channeling their (incredibly powerful) magic through Link and the device.
  • Also, in one flashback scene, Zelda uses the Purah Pad to teleport herself, Rauru, and Sonia to escape Ganondorf. In the actual game, Link can only use it to teleport himself.
• Cutting the Knot:
  • There are many examples of ways the player can take shortcuts with some challenges:
  • Whenever you meet Addison trying to hold up one of President Hudson's signs, you are supposed to aid him by fixing it so it stays up right, ostensibly by using the nearby building material to construct something to brace it. However, if you have a Zonai Float Stone on hand, this can race most of the signs much easier.
  • While you cannot use any Zonai device inside a shrine, you can use Octorok balloons. Fusing one of those on Link’s shield can let him get to a high place easily, bypassing many puzzles that require doing so.