Picture Credit: Nintendo
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a massive evolution of Breath of the Wild, expanding the world both above and below Hyrule. Whether you’re building sky rafts, diving into the Depths, or taking on new shrine puzzles, there’s a lot to learn. This TOTK guide for new players has been crafted with hands-on gameplay experience, ensuring practical, long-lasting value. These beginner tricks aren’t just theoretical—they’re what experienced players use to survive, explore, and thrive.
If you’re looking for “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom beginner tricks” or simply need solid Tears of the Kingdom tips, this guide will help you get started right.
1. Master Link’s New Abilities Early On
Learning the new core abilities early will save you time, items, and frustration:
- Ultrahand – Lets you pick up, rotate, attach, and detach objects. You’ll use this to build bridges, vehicles, or even flying machines.
- Fuse – Combine objects and weapons. For example, fusing a boulder to a stick creates a hammer for mining ores.
- Ascend – Allows you to phase upward through ceilings and terrain.
- Recall – Rewinds objects’ movement—great for solving time-based puzzles or returning thrown projectiles.
- Autobuild – Instantly rebuild past contraptions, even without all the materials if you pay with Zonaite.
Practice these immediately, especially in shrines, where their utility becomes clear fast.
2. Prioritize Completing Shrines
Shrines are essential for increasing survivability. They give you Lights of Blessing, which can be exchanged for heart containers or stamina upgrades. They also act as fast-travel points, and many offer great mini-lessons on how to combine powers creatively. Some even hide their entrances underground or behind puzzles—making exploration rewarding.
3. Unlock and Utilize Skyview Towers
Skyview Towers are more than map unlockers. When activated, they launch Link sky-high, letting you glide across entire regions, reach Sky Islands, or get a bird’s-eye view of your surroundings. They’re essential for fast travel, terrain visibility, and free movement. Each one has a puzzle before activation—solving them teaches useful mechanics.
4. Acquire the Paraglider Early
After completing the Great Sky Island tutorial, head to Lookout Landing and speak to Purah. You’ll unlock the Paraglider, an essential item for safe traversal. With it, you can jump from towers, glide long distances, and land safely while exploring vertical terrain.
5. Explore the Depths with Caution
The Depths are dark, dangerous, and packed with rewards—but they can kill you fast. Make sure you carry:
- Brightbloom Seeds – To light up the pitch-black underground.
- Plenty of healing food – Gloom corruption reduces your max health temporarily.
- Zonaite tools – For building mobile lights or vehicles.
Start with safer sections and activate Lightroots to recover health and mark your path.
6. Fuse Weapons Strategically
Fuse is more than just a gimmick. You can:
- Attach monster parts for raw damage.
- Use elemental stones to gain fire, ice, or shock effects.
- Add puffshrooms to shields for smoke escapes.
- Stick bombs to arrows for explosive strikes.
Weapons degrade quickly—Fuse helps them last longer and become more useful.
7. Manage Your Inventory Wisely
You start with very limited inventory space. To expand:
- Collect Korok Seeds by solving small world puzzles or helping lost Koroks.
- Find Hestu (initially near Lookout Landing) and trade the seeds to expand slots.
Focus first on weapon slots, as durability is low and you’ll constantly need backups.
8. Utilize Cooking for Buffs and Healing
Cooking is critical. Use it to prepare:
- Hearty meals for full health + temporary hearts.
- Elixirs for fireproofing, cold resistance, stealth, speed, or attack boosts.
Advanced tip: Cooking with dragon parts massively boosts duration. Meals last longer, and some even have stacking effects. Always keep a stock of food and elixirs for tough zones or boss fights.
9. Sell Gems for Quick Rupees
Caves and mining zones contain Amber, Topaz, Sapphire, and other gems. Sell them early for a solid income. Use the rupees to buy:
- Specialized armor sets
- Arrows and bombs
- Zonai Charges for Autobuild
Hold off on selling rare items like Diamonds until you know you won’t need them for upgrades.
10. Use the Zelda Notes App (Optional Feature Only Available For Nintendo Switch 2)
If you’re playing on newer systems with integrated apps or services, you can track play stats, share Autobuilds, and review lore using modern companion features. You’ll find:
- Play data and achievements
- Build blueprints and item sharing
- Lore-rich voice logs tied to locations
It’s an optional enhancement, but it helps you stay connected and organized. These new features will only be available for the Nintendo Switch 2 edition of the game.
11. Tame and Register a Horse
Taming a wild horse gives you a reliable ride across Hyrule. Sneak up, soothe, and mount it—then take it to the nearest stable to register. Horses have different stats like stamina and strength. Bonding improves control, and later, you can even customize the gear and saddle.
12. Monitor Weather Conditions
Weather isn’t just aesthetic—it’s gameplay-critical:
- Rain: Slippery surfaces make climbing a chore.
- Thunderstorms: Metal weapons and shields can attract lightning.
- Extreme Heat/Cold: Requires elixirs or climate-appropriate armor.
Always carry at least one wooden weapon and a full set of buff foods to adapt to the weather.
13. Use Ascend Creatively
Ascend isn’t just for caves. You can use it to:
- Escape dungeons or enemy ambushes.
- Skip climb-heavy routes in ruins or mountains.
- Pop out of a riverbed straight into a ruin’s ceiling.
Many shrines and environmental puzzles reward thinking vertically—Ascend often provides the answer.
14. Experiment with Zonai Devices
Zonai devices allow wild creativity. Try:
- Building a hovercraft with fans, batteries, and a steering stick.
- Creating mobile flame or laser traps during boss fights.
- Glueing rockets to shields for quick vertical launches.
Once you unlock Autobuild, save your best designs and reconstruct them instantly—even if you’re missing parts.
15. Save Often and Rotate Save Files
Even though the game autosaves, always keep manual saves:
- Before major encounters or shrine challenges.
- Before experimenting with builds in risky zones.
- When heading into the Depths or sky islands.
Create multiple save slots. It’s easy to overwrite progress that you might want to revisit or undo.
These Tears of the Kingdom tips are designed to give you a rock-solid start in Hyrule, whether gliding over mountain peaks or diving deep into the shadows below. By mastering your abilities, prepping smartly, and exploring with intention, you’ll experience TOTK the way it’s meant to be played: with wonder, creativity, and endless discovery.
Bookmark this guide and revisit it whenever you feel stuck or overwhelmed. Hyrule rewards cleverness—and you’re just getting started.
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