Like its predecessor, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a lot of secrets hidden in the skies, the surface, and the very Depths below. Run in any direction and you’ll always bump into something interesting to see, but let’s step away from the big picture and observe a few aspects of the game. If you focus on the small, you’ll find tiny details that get easily overlooked in Tears of the Kingdom.
10. Lightroots Lead to Zonai Shrines
Tears of the Kingdom had just as much to do with the sky as it does the deep, dark depths beneath the surface. Aptly named ‘the Depths,’ the underground caverns are equally as vast as the lands above, but it’s dangerous down there. It’s a good idea to make regular trips into the Depths for Poes, items, and Zonaite.
There’s a problem: the suffocating dark makes it impossible to see, not without lighting a few Lightroots. Lucky for you, the Lightroots provide more than just light—they’ll clue you in on the location of Zonai shrines. Whenever you come across one, open the map and make note of your location. Switch to the surface and add a pin, and you’ve got yourself another shrine to find!
9. Poes Were Dangerous Foes in Past Games
Speaking of the Depths, you’ll also encounter these little, flame-like things called Poes—lost spirits that need help moving on to the afterlife. They won’t harm you; in fact, you’ll want to collect many of them in order to purchase outfits like the Dark Tunic when you hand over Poes to the Bargainer Statues.
It’s quite different from how Poes were generally represented in past Zelda titles. The majority tend to be hostile or, at the very least, mischievous pests. Occasionally, you’d come across a helpful Poe, but that didn’t happen often. Interestingly enough, the Poe Collector in Ocarina of Time would gladly take Poes off your hands for a few Rupees. That’s pretty awful, though.
8. Blupees Lead You to Caves
These little guys were fine targets for some quick Rupees in Breath of the Wild, which has carried over into Tears of the Kingdom. Three good hits from your bow and you’ve made a tidy sum, but they’ll provide more than just a bit of cash (and the accompanying guilt that comes from shooting cute little critters).
When you come across one, do your thing and peg the Blupees with a few arrows, but watch them closely when they take off. If you follow them, they’ll take you straight to a cave. These can house useful weapons, armor, items, Bubbulfrogs and, most importantly, more shrines.
7. You Can Customize the Fabric of Your Paraglider
I’m a sucker for customization; no option is too insignificant. Tons of outfits for Link to find and wear? Yes, please! Oh, and I get to dye my armor, too? Well, now I just feel spoiled. What about my paraglider, though? Yessir, you can customize that as well!
Sure, it’s a minor thing, but I like changing it up sometimes, and there are a lot of fabrics out there. All across Hyrule are over 50 fabrics to find, including the Breath of the Wild paraglider, aptly named the ‘Nostalgia Fabric.’ Many are locked behind amiibos, so you’ll find our guide on Tears of the Kingdom amiibos helpful in acquiring paragliders you like.
6. The Zonai’s Influence Started in Breath of the Wild
The Zonai take center stage in Tears of the Kingdom, and to some, it feels like it came out of left field. However, their appearance was seeded in Breath of the Wild. It was a tiny detail easily missed in BoTW and you probably missed it again in Tears of the Kingdom.
On your trek across Hyrule, no doubt you’ll have taken notice to large, ancient ruins. Think back to the stone statues of dragons and the like—the Zonai left those behind, and that’s not all. If you’ve collected the Barbarian Armor, then you have in your possession clothing that was once worn by the Zonai.
5. The Lord of the Mountain Makes a Return
The Lord of the Mountain, Satori, was one of the best mounts in Breath of the Wild, but he was incredibly tough to capture. On top of that, it was always a chance encounter, too. His stamina was infinite and his speed was unmatched, but alas, Satori took off if you left him unattended for too long.
Like the Blupees he protected, the Lord of the Mountain makes a return and his purpose has had a bit of a rework. Sadly, you can’t capture and ride Satori anymore. However, if you come across a cherry blossom, you’ll find a dish at the base of the tree. Drop in a fruit or vegetable and Satori will appear and create beacons of light that lead you to points of interest, like caves.
4. Sages Will Match Your Divine Beast Helm
The Divine Beasts were massive machines that caused trouble in Breath of the Wild, and doubled as their own dungeon. While they appeared prominently in BoTW, they’ve since been seemingly decommissioned or, at the very least, go unused in ToTK. Now the Sages are front and center rather than the Champions.
One tiny detail you might have missed in Tears of the Kingdom have to do with the Divine Beasts masks, of which there are several. The neat part is that if you wear one, the Sage it’s associated with will also wear a mask to match you. It’s like repping your own team!
3. Recipes Automatically Pick the Ingredients
With so many recipes to keep track off, it’s a pain to try and remember your favorite dishes. We have very few sorting options, which makes it that much more difficult to find the right ingredients. Luckily, Nintendo added in a nice QoL feature that makes cooking less of a chore.
When you’re in your inventory looking for something good to eat, find any ingredient that’s part of a particular dish. Let’s say Raw Meat. So, you find and highlight Raw Meat, then choose ‘Select for Recipe.’ From the receipes you know, you’ll see a catalog of dishes that ingredient is present in. Pick a recipe and, so long as you have the other ingredients, Link will pick up the remaining items.
2. Link Loves to Hum
There’s a really good chance you skip the cutscene whenever Link is whipping up something delicious. The little jingle is cute and catchy (I, too, hear it when I cook), but after the first couple times, you want to get things moving. We urge you to let the scene unfold a couple times, especially if you’re familiar with the franchise’s soundtrack.
This is because Luke will hum to himself to pass the time. You’ll hear tunes from past titles, like ‘Epona’s Song’ (Ocarina of Time) and ‘The Song of Wind Fish (Link’s Awakening), among others. Nothing pairs better with delicious food than a good campfire song!
1. Rauru is a Recurring Character
This isn’t the first time we’ve encountered Rauru—well, that is if you’ve been following the Zelda franchise for a while. He’s made an appearance in past titles, such as Ocarina of Time and Skyward Sword. To prevent confusion, I’ll refer to the past Rauru as Kaepora, another name he went by.
It goes beyond the name, though. Notice the strange mask-like adornment on Rauru’s top? It’s oddly reminiscent of an owl, which happens to be the same animal Kaepora would frequently transform into. More importantly, Kaepora was intrinsically tied to the Temple of Light and and Temple of Time. And what temple did you conquer during TOTK’s tutorial? The Temple of Time!
Well, that does it. How many of these tiny details in Tears of the Kingdom did you already know or did you too miss them like we did? No doubt there are dozens and dozens more out there, so let us know some easter eggs you came across in the comments!
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