12 spoiler-free tips for your The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom adventure

An adventure fuelled by your imagination awaits in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, out now on Nintendo Switch! For those new to the series, here are 12 spoiler-free tips to help you put your best boot forward when exploring the surface and skies of Hyrule.

1: Staying on top of your objectives

With so much to see and do on this quest, it can be easy to lose track of where you’re supposed to be going. If you’re not sure what to do or where to go next, press the - Button to open your Adventure Log where you’ll see your current destination displayed on the map with a ◎ symbol.

Bonus tip: while it can be tempting to head directly towards your objective, don’t be afraid to take a few detours along the way. You’ll be surprised at what awaits you off the beaten path.

2: Get some perspective

When exploring a new area, try finding a tall vantage point to scope out your surroundings. You’ll find all sorts of stuff around you, such as enemies, chests, materials, useful objects and even terrain that might give you the advantage in a fight.

Bonus tip: press the Right Stick to use Link’s Scope for a closer look at points of interest.

3: Try thinking outside the box

Experimentation is at the heart of this adventure, and there are multiple ways to overcome problems you encounter while exploring Hyrule. For example, some players will find ways to propel themselves over a gap while others will have fun building a bridge using Ultrahand.

Bonus tip: if something isn’t working out the way you want, just take a moment and try approaching it from a different angle.

4: Familiarise yourself with the controls

If you’re new to The Legend of Zelda series or action adventure games in general, you might want to take a second to get to grips with the game’s controls. You can do so at any time by pressing the + Button to open your inventory, then pressing the R Button to open the System menu.

Bonus tip: some controls are slightly different to those from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, so this tip might be useful for returning players too!

5: Get chatty with the locals

Not everyone in Hyrule is your enemy, so try talking to the more peaceful characters you happen across. In particular, you’ll find some friendly Constructs on the Great Sky Island that may give you helpful tips about the area.

Bonus tip: missed something in a conversation? You can press the Y Button to review a log of the conversation as long as it hasn’t ended.

6: Gather as many materials as you can

If you see something lying around, be sure to pick it up – you never know when it might come in handy! There are easy pickings to look out for, such as mushrooms growing by the roots of trees or fruits growing in their branches. You could also hunt for livelier materials such as fish swimming in lakes or nearby wildlife.

Bonus tip: if you’re feeling a bit more destructive, you could try smashing pots you find lying around to see what’s inside.

7: Get cooking some delicious meals

Eating raw ingredients is all fine and dandy if you’re in a pickle, but you’ll want to cook them to get the most out of your meals. Fire up a cooking pot (or Portable Pot if you have one), throw in some ingredients and see what culinary delights await!

Here are some recipes that’ll come in handy during the early portion of your adventures:

• Stamella Shroom + Stambulb = Energising Steamed Mushrooms (restores stamina and hearts)
• Spicy Peppers = Spicy Sautéed Peppers (cold resistance and restores hearts)

Bonus tip: any meals you’ve cooked will be added to your Recipe Book, which you can view at any time to see what ingredients you need to make those dishes again.

8: Increase the durability of your weapons!

In addition to increasing their attack power or imbuing them with unique effects, fusing materials to your weapons can also increase their durability. It’s not the case for all materials you try fusing, but things like rocks, boulders, and monster parts such as horns and fangs are all sure-fire ways to increase your weapon’s durability.

Bonus tip: 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!

9: Play around with Ultrahand

The Ultrahand ability allows you to pick up an object, rotate it, and then attach it to other objects. Controlling Ultrahand will take some practice at first. When you move something around, you’ll see where two items will attach (the attach point kind of looks like green glue). Pay attention to these attach points and you’ll be building elaborate creations in no time.

If something didn’t attach correctly, just highlight that specific part and gently wiggle your Right Stick to detach it.

Bonus tip: some Zonai devices activate when you smack them with a weapon – just be careful to hit the device and not the rest of your creation. For example, swinging an axe around on a wooden boat is not the best idea…

10: Come out on top with Ascend

Link’s new Ascend ability makes travelling through certain ceilings a doddle – especially while exploring caves. Ascend is also handy in battle too – whether you need to reach a high vantage point or sneak up behind a Bokoblin manning a watchtower.

Bonus tip: if you find yourself surrounded by enemies while exploring a cave, try using Ascend to give yourself a quick exit.

11: Think smart with Recall

Messing with the laws of time can be a good…time. Try using Recall to rewind an object’s movement such as returning projectiles to the enemies that launched them at you. You can also use Recall to reset the positions of platforms or vehicles, such as a boat that’s drifting away without you on it.

Bonus tip: Recall can also be used while on vehicles and is especially handy if you need to course correct.

12: Try throwing materials

Don’t have any arrows to fuse your materials with? No bother. In addition to weapons, you can hold and throw any materials you’ve scavenged. Throwing a hunk of meat at an unassuming Bokoblin can make for a useful distraction whereas lobbing White Chuchu Jelly at an enemy will freeze it.

Bonus tip: if you’re not sure what effect a certain material might have, open your Inventory and try reading its description for some hints on how it could be used.

With these tips, we hope you’ll have fun mastering your imagination as you explore Hyrule.