TOTK Walkthrough
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From waking on the Great Sky Island to the Ganondorf showdown beneath the castle

Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough: build Link into a sky-to-Depths Zonai engineer

Breath of the Wild taught you to read the world; Tears of the Kingdom lets you rebuild it. This route helps you take apart all three layers of Hyrule: grab Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall on the sky island, then land and raise Skyview Towers, dive to light Lightroots, bank stamina, batteries, and armor — and use Fuse, the Sages, and Zonai devices to reassemble the sky, surface, and Depths under your feet.

Sky, surface, Depths

Don't chase the main quest yet — first turn all three layers (sky, surface, Depths) into your parts bin.

In Tears of the Kingdom, power isn't an XP bar — it's your imagination and your materials. The more Skyview Towers, shrines, Lightroots, Zonai devices, and Fuse materials you gather, the more absurd the things Link can build.

01 / Early

Grab all 4 abilities on the Great Sky Island, then land

Get Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall on the Great Sky Island before you drop. Then land and head straight to Lookout Landing for the main quest and your Paraglider.

  1. Find three uses for each ability first.
  2. Clear sky shrines and grab Zonai devices on the way.
  3. Land at Lookout Landing — the map and story open from there.
02 / Mid

Raise Skyview Towers, push surface + Depths together

In each region, launch a Skyview Tower to open the map, then clear shrines; meanwhile drop through chasms into the Depths and light Lightroots. Surface shrines and Depths Lightroots often mirror each other.

  1. Launch a tower, then glide and scope shrines.
  2. In the Depths, light Lightroots first, then fight and mine.
  3. Bank Zonaite and trade it for batteries at a Forge Construct.
03 / Online

Five Sages, battery expansion, the Master Sword

Collect the Sage vows in whatever order feels good and grow your battery to two or three rows. With two full stamina wheels, chase the Light Dragon and pull the Master Sword from her head, then prep the showdown at Hyrule Castle and the chasm beneath it.

  1. Tulin (Wind) first — traversal transforms.
  2. Learn to Fuse silver horns and dragon parts for big damage.
  3. Two full stamina wheels → chase the Light Dragon for the Master Sword.

Great Sky Island: just learn to solve problems

This stage isn't about godly gear — it's about truly understanding the four abilities and landing alive. Ultrahand bridges, Fuse keeps you swinging, Ascend cuts corners, Recall bails you out — drill each one up here first.

Goals this stage

  • 01Grab Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall on the sky island.
  • 02Force yourself to find three unconventional uses for each.
  • 03Land at Lookout Landing; take the main quest and Paraglider, raise your first Skyview Tower.

Mistakes to skip

  • 01Don't drop too early — landing without all four abilities is rough.
  • 02Don't ignore Zonai devices — fans and flame emitters change fights from the start.
  • 03Don't fixate on one solution; TOTK puzzles usually have several janky answers.

The Fuse bench

In Tears of the Kingdom, attack power isn't on the weapon — it's on what you fused to it.

Try it: pick a base (weapon / shield / arrow) and see what to fuse and why. A rotten branch plus one silver horn becomes a blade that cuts iron — that's TOTK's best feeling, on demand.

Fusing to a weapon stacks raw attack and effects. The base sets the floor; what you fuse sets the ceiling.

Silver monster hornsBokoblin, Moblin, Lynel
Attack skyrockets — the most reliable early/mid damage
The three dragon hornsDinraal, Farosh, Naydra
Top-tier attack + element, and never wears down once fused
Monster fangs / clawsFound everywhere
Cheap and plentiful — fine for practice and clearing mobs
Rock Octorok / round stoneCommon in the field
Crusher feel — great for smashing ore and heavy armor

Pick up a few Zonai combos while you're here

Fan + steering stickThe simplest aircraft: one board, two fans, and you clear canyons and reach sky islands.
Flame emitter + long poleA handheld torch-staff — burn grass, spark updrafts, and roast packs of mobs.
Cannon + cartA mobile turret to dismantle camps and elites from range — safe and satisfying.
Balloon + campfireA hot-air balloon: rising heat lifts you straight up — the lazy person's launch button.
Wheels + steering stickA simple car — a lifesaver for the Depths and long plains, saving stamina and time.
Light + any vehicleBolt a lamp to your rig so the Depths at night isn't a black void.

Six engineering lines

Six ways Link gets stronger — every one beats grabbing one more bare weapon.

Weapons still break in TOTK, but Fuse lets any piece of junk be reforged. Real power comes from the material loop: stamina takes you farther, batteries keep machines running, and Fuse plus the Sages send damage and survivability up together.

Shrine

Shrines & Lightroots: hearts, stamina, map

  1. Spot a shrine, mark it, clear it when you can.
  2. Trade every 4 Lights of Blessing at a Goddess Statue.
  3. Light Lightroots in the Depths — they mirror surface shrines.
Armor

Armor: error margin and gloom resist

  1. Climbing and Stealth sets first; gloom-resist gear for the Depths.
  2. Find the Great Fairies (via the troupe) and upgrade with materials.
  3. Main sets to 2 stars, key sets to 4.
Cooking

Cooking & elixirs: the most reliable “cheat”

  1. Cook same-effect ingredients together — never mix.
  2. In the Depths, Sunny meals restore gloom-locked hearts.
  3. Pack healing, stamina, gloom-recovery, and environment resist.
Fuse

Fuse: your actual attack stat

  1. Fuse monster parts to weapons — silver horns, dragon parts, Lynel parts hit huge.
  2. Fuse a spring to a shield to bounce-launch; a cart to shield-surf.
  3. Fuse a Keese eyeball to arrows for homing; a Puffshroom for cover.
Zonai

Zonai devices & batteries: build your ideas

  1. Mine Zonaite in the Depths; expand battery cells at a Forge Construct.
  2. Fan + steering stick = aircraft; flame emitter = crowd control.
  3. Unlock Autobuild and save your best rigs as blueprints.
Map

Three layers: sky, surface, Depths together

  1. New region? Launch the Skyview Tower and mark from above.
  2. Drop through a chasm; light Lightroots before anything else.
  3. While traveling, grab ore, materials, Zonai devices, and Koroks.

Combat you assemble

From “running from Gloom Hands” to “hunting Lynels for their horns”.

TOTK combat is Fuse + dodging + devices. You still drill lock-on, dodges, and parries — but the real gap is what you fused onto your weapon, shield, and arrows, and whether you can grind an elite down with terrain and a Zonai device on the fly.

Flurry Rush: the first skill to drill
Good sparring partners: Bokoblins, Lizalfos, Moblins.
  1. Hold ZL to lock on.
  2. Backflip when they sweep; sidehop when they thrust or charge.
  3. When time slows, mash Y for the full Flurry Rush.
  4. Chain it 3 times in a row before facing tougher foes.
Fuse weapons & arrows: turn junk into legendary gear
This is TOTK's biggest power source. Hold L, pick Fuse, aim at a material, then press Y for weapons or ZR for shields.
  1. Fuse silver horns, dragon parts, or Lynel parts for multiplied damage.
  2. While aiming a bow, press Up to fuse the arrow — Keese eyeball = homing.
  3. Practice on cheap materials first; don't hoard the good ones forever.
  4. Fuse a spring to a shield to parry-launch, a cart to shield-surf.
Parry & shield Fuse: deflect, then launch
No more Guardians, but parrying still reflects arrows and energy blasts — and shield Fuse turns it into a toolkit.
  1. Hold ZL to raise the shield, facing the target.
  2. Press A the instant the hit lands to reflect it.
  3. Spring shield: a parry launches you skyward — follow with a bow headshot.
  4. Keep a few plain shields just for timing practice.
Gloom Hands & elites: bury them with devices and terrain
Gloom Hands swarm and pin you, then summon Phantom Ganon. Don't stand and trade — control with area and height.
  1. Open with bomb flowers, a flame emitter, or a Sage for AoE.
  2. Shoot from high ground or a floating stone — the hands can't reach you.
  3. When Phantom Ganon appears, dodge into Flurry Rush to finish it (good sword drop).
  4. If it's ugly, just run — retreating is a strategy in TOTK too.

Supply lines for the Depths

A Link who cooks and brews beats a Link who only swings a stick.

Heading out, carry four kinds: healing, stamina, attack or defense, and gloom/environment resist. The Depths especially demand Sunny meals — only they restore hearts the gloom has eaten.

Heal

Hearty (yellow heart) meals

The safest insurance before exploring or a boss. Yellow hearts erase the early risk of a small heart bar.

Try: Hearty Durian, Hearty Truffle, Hearty Radish. More of the same = more temporary hearts.
Damage

Attack-up (Mighty) meals

Eat these for Lynels, Gleeoks, and Temple bosses. A high-attack Fuse weapon plus an attack meal slashes fight length.

Try: Mighty Bananas, Razorshroom, Mighty Porgy. Never mix with defense ingredients.
Gloom

Sunny meals (restore gloom hearts)

The Depths' lifeline. Hearts the gloom locks away can't be healed normally — only Sunny dishes cooked with Sundelion bring them back.

Try: Sundelion. Gloom resistance itself comes from armor and Brightbloom lighting.
Explore

Stamina & resistance meals

Climbing sky islands, gliding, diving the Depths, and cold/heat/shock zones all come down to these. Don't stop exploring over one missing outfit.

Try: Stamella Shroom, Staminoka Bass, Warm Safflina, Chillshroom, Voltfruit.

Inheritance of five Sages

Grab the Sage vows that change traversal and survivability first.

The new generation of five Sages inherited their secret stones and resolve from the past Champions and the ancient Zonai. There's no fixed order, but this line is friendlier for new players; each Sage's power triggers when you get close and press A; the Lightning and Spirit Temples come later — go once your gear, meals, and Fuse are solid.

Rito Village

Wind Temple · Tulin

Ability: Tulin's Gust — a burst of updraft under your feet. Gliding, traveling, and aerial archery all take off. TOTK's answer to Revali's Gale.

  1. Push through the Rito blizzard lead-in; pack cold-resist.
  2. Traversal-defining — almost everyone takes it first.
  3. After it, sweep shrines and sky islands again.
Zora's Domain

Water Temple · Sidon

Ability: Sidon's water shield — wraps your weapon to add damage and block one hit. Very forgiving.

  1. Clear the sludge over Zora's Domain first.
  2. Bring ways up high (Ultrahand platforms, Ascend).
  3. After it you're far readier to train elites.
Goron City

Fire Temple · Yunobo

Ability: Yunobo's charge — fires Yunobo as a cannonball, great for smashing ore and heavy-armored foes.

  1. Pack fire-proof gear or elixirs for the volcano.
  2. No wooden gear here — it bursts into flame.
  3. Watch for ore along the way for easy rupees.
Gerudo Town

Lightning Temple · Riju

Ability: Riju's lightning — calls down a bolt; with a metal weapon or conductive arrows it's huge AoE on packs and metal-armored foes.

  1. Push through the Gerudo sand shroud first.
  2. Pack shock-resist meals or the Rubber set.
  3. Rain and water amplify the lightning.
Spirit Temple / Depths

Spirit Temple · Mineru

Ability: pilot Mineru's Zonai construct — Fuse it out and you've got a walking tank.

  1. Gather the construct's parts in the Depths first.
  2. Save it for later, once batteries and materials are stocked.
  3. The construct tanks and brawls — great for the Depths and bosses.

Walking material ATMs

The hardest enemies are also your best Fuse-material ATMs.

Don't go in swinging on sight. Read the moveset, pack shields and meals, and fail cheaply. Win once and you'll see their horns, claws, and scales are the Fuse parts for your next masterpiece weapon.

Lynel

Lynel

Drill dodging, headshots, and mounting. Its horn is a top-tier Fuse material game-wide, and riding its back costs no durability — farm horns, forge gods.

  1. Backflip the sweep, sidehop the thrust for Flurry Rush.
  2. Headshot to stagger, then press A to mount.
  3. Fuse a silver Lynel horn onto a weapon for absurd damage.
Gleeok

Gleeok (three-headed dragon)

TOTK's coolest and tankiest field elite, with fire, ice, and shock heads. Down all three head bars and it crashes — then go to town.

  1. Bow the heads; opposite-element arrows hit harder.
  2. Fuse a floating stone to an arrow and shoot it skyward for a perch.
  3. Stand on it, Ascend + dive for a near-endless Flurry Rush loop.
Gloom Hands

Gloom Hands → Phantom Ganon

A crawling clump of gloom hands that pins you, then summons Phantom Ganon once cleared. Beat it with area and height, not a stand-up fight.

  1. AoE with bomb flowers, a flame emitter, or a Sage.
  2. Shoot from high ground or a floating stone — the hands can't reach.
  3. When Phantom Ganon appears, Flurry Rush it down for a solid sword drop.

What to build today

Not sure what to play today? Just run this loop.

Your ticks are saved in this browser. Glance here before each session, pick 3 to 5 small goals, and Link gets steadily stronger.

Early to mid game

Coming together to the finale