5 Tips & Tricks for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

So you’re one of the many, many people who have been looking forward to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and want to put your best foot forward? Don’t get your Bokoblins in a twist, you’re the blonde swordsman of legend, Link! So lace up your green tunic and check out these tips so that you can save the day once again.

Cook Too Much

The most important one, right at the top: food gives you health, but it can also give status effects. Of course, you start the game knowing absolutely no recipes, so make sure to grab as much fruit, mushrooms, and meat as you possibly can. Sure, it may feel like a waste of time putting a single Spicy Pepper in the pot and waiting several seconds for it to cook before repeating it multiple times… But it’s better to have too many Spicy Sautéed Peppers than too few! In an emergency there are Zonai cooking pots that you can whip out to prepare a single dish, but you shouldn’t leave it to chance.

Buy More Gacha

Related to the above, early on you’ll come across a device that looks like a capsule machine — those things you put money in and get a little toy. Well, by putting certain items into that machine, you get Zonai orbs out, which contain special items like the cooking pots! You can do five at a time and they’re random, but it’s always helpful to have something you can whip out in an emergency.

Build Whatever You Want

While not the most important tip, it’s the most fun one. The first ability you unlock is attaching things to other things, whether it’s wooden platforms, wheels, or whatever. Nobody cares how it looks, and nor should you so long as it works. Does it matter if you constructed a perfectly straight ramp? Why shouldn’t your mine cart have wings? Will your boat float any better if it’s made out of crates, planks or logs? Who cares, so long as it does what you wanted it to! If you load a save it will get rid of whatever you made, anyway.

Take Care When Chopping Logs

If you need some building materials you can always just chop down a tree. However, once the tree is felled stop swinging! If you slash a log it will turn into some sticks, and those are no good for building anything. Let me tell you, accidentally doing that while already in a panic because you’re about to freeze to death is not a fun time.

Carry A Stick

While I don’t mean for fighting, I do also mean that. But no, when you’re out in a storm you will be absolutely destroyed by lightning if you’re carrying anything metal. So, your options are to throw away all of your weapons quickly, or swap to something made out of wood and/or stone. I recommend the second option, because you don’t want to be caught without a weapon. Lightning will also go after metal shields so it helps to have a wooden one, but you can do without those.

Hopefully these tips get your Sky Islands adventure going in the right direction.