More tips for your The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom adventures!

Want to make the most of your adventures in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? We’ve got you covered with more tips and tricks for those who’ve already reached and started exploring the surface of Hyrule.

Still exploring the Great Sky Island? We recommend checking out our 12 spoiler-free tips for new players first!

1: How to get the paraglider

When you first touchdown on the surface, we recommend following the “To the Kingdom of Hyrule” quest before you start wandering off. This will take you to Lookout Landing, where you'll meet Purah, who'll ask you to investigate a crisis at Hyrule Castle. Once you've done that, report back to Purah to receive the paraglider – an essential part of any adventurer’s toolkit – that’ll help you explore this world to the fullest!

Bonus tip: using the Paraglider consumes stamina so make sure you’ve accounted for a safe landing, especially when descending from great heights.

2: How to make the most of your map

If any points of interest catch your eye on your travels, press the Right Stick to use your Scope then press the A Button to place a pin on them. These pins will also appear on your map. Don’t be afraid to try this while falling through the sky as well!

Bonus tip: ran out of pins? You can also add stamps directly onto your map to keep track of Shrines of Light, important folk and potential Korok sightings!

3: How to expand your inventory

Got a pocket full of Korok Seeds? Seek out the tree fairy Hestu. He’ll move to a few different locations throughout Hyrule, but if you’ve recently set off on your adventure, you might find him near Lindor’s Brow, north-west of Lookout Landing. He’s in a bit of a pickle, so you’ll need to help him out before you can start exchanging your Korok Seed stash for additional weapon, bow and shield inventory slots.

Bonus tip: after expanding your inventory a couple of times, Hestu will head east-southward to find “a place with more people”. He can’t have gone far, so be on the “lookout” for him!

4: How to unfuse your weapons and items

If you want to restore a fused weapon to its original form, you can do so by opening your Inventory, highlighting the weapon and selecting "Destroy fused material". You’ll lose the material you fused the weapon with though, so keep this in mind!

Bonus tip: If you’ve accidentally fused a valuable material to your weapon, there’s a talented young Goron in Tarrey Town who has a knack for breaking down fused items without damaging them – for a fee, of course!

5: How to tame a wild horse

Got a need for steed? Carefully sneak up behind a wild horse and use the A Button to mount it. Alternatively, you could try using the paraglider to approach from the sky and land on its back. Once you’re aboard, your horse may buck wildly, so press the L Button repeatedly to soothe it while minding your stamina.

6: How to get the Towing Harness

Boarding horses, staying overnight or simply visiting one of the many stables across Hyrule will earn you Pony Points that can be redeemed for useful goodies. You only need three points to receive the Towing Harness that’ll allow you to attach carts to your horse. There are many more perks to unlock too, including new customisation options for your stallions.

Bonus tip: once you’ve unlocked new customisation options for your horse, talk to the stable hand and ask to “Customise horse” to equip your steed with new gear.

7: How amiibo can help you on your quest

Did you know that all amiibo (sold separately) are compatible with Link’s latest adventure? You can only scan each amiibo once per day, but you can scan as many amiibo as you like and each one will reward you with useful materials and weapons. Scanning amiibo from The Legend of Zelda series can also reward you with new fabrics for your paraglider too!

Bonus tip: to equip a newly acquired paraglider fabric, visit the Kochi Dye Shop in Hateno Village.

8: How to fill out the Hyrule Compendium

Fancy yourself a bit of a shutterbug? Snapping photos of monsters, materials, weapons and more will add entries to the Hyrule Compendium on your Purah Pad. Each entry will reveal useful info about whatever you’ve photographed, such as what materials a monster will drop when defeated.

If you haven’t found the Camera yet, just speak to Josha and Robbie at Lookout Landing, then follow the quest “Camera Work in the Depths”.

Bonus tip: once you’ve met Robbie at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, he’ll offer to help fill in any missing slots in your compendium in exchange for a few Rupees.

9: How to find new Zonai Devices

You’ll find what look like capsule machines all over Hyrule – especially on the Sky Islands! Drop some Zonai Charges or Construct Parts into these machines to receive a bunch of useful Zonai Devices in return. Each machine offers a variety of different parts, including some you might not have found yet, so make sure you give them a try.

Bonus tip: after using one of these machines, you’ll be able to see from the map menu what devices you can receive from them. Handy if you ever find yourself in desperate need of a specific device!

10: How to master different combat techniques

Surprise and disarm your enemies by adding these techniques to your combat repertoire!

• Pressing and holding the Y Button builds up a Charged Attack that not only looks cool, but deals a lot of damage too! Each weapon type has a different Charged Attack, so try them out for yourself!
• Performing a backflip or side hop to dodge an enemy’s attack will start a Flurry Rush where time slows down long enough to you to land some hits. You can slow time by readying your bow in mid-air to land the perfect shot!
• Perform a parry (also known as a Perfect Guard) by pressing the A Button just as an enemy’s attack is about to hit your shield. This will stun your opponent leaving them open for a counterattack!

Bonus tip: conversely, if you’re struggling with a tough foe or multiple foes, there’s no shame in making a run for it. Better to live and fight another day!

11: How to make the most of your materials in combat encounters!

If you’re buffeted by baddies, try using either one of these two nifty materials that can easily be thrown or fused with an arrow.

• Use a Dazzlefruit to temporarily blind any monsters nearby, causing them to drop their weapons – yoink!

• Lob a Muddle Bud at a Boss Bokoblin to have them temporarily turn against their loyal troops.

12: How to increase your Energy Cells

Want to get more juice out of your Zonai Devices? Start by getting your hands on some Crystallized Charges, which can be most commonly found in various locations in the Depths. Once you’ve got your hands on at least 100 of them, pay a visit to your nearest Crystal Refinery, one of which can be found very close to the north exit of Lookout Landing.

Bonus tip: certain Forge Constructs dotted around the Depths will offer to sell you Crystalised Charges in exchange for Zonaite.

Looking for more useful tips? Check out our video playlist below: