Summary
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdomis proving a wild success for Nintendo. For a game with 7 years of expectations behind it and the fears it was merelyDLC forBreath of the Wild,Tears of the Kingdomhas expanded and redefinedthe sandbox video game in ways unimaginable. While the customization and creativity available are staggering, this goes hand in hand with the staggering scope and scale of the game.
RELATED:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Most Rewarding Side Quests
The two-and-a-half world maps, quests, side adventures, and side quests give the player a pantheon of choices. Below are some quality little side quests worth investing time into that might pass a player by.
7The Duchess Who Disappeared
This charming side quest is easily missed due to the expanse and snowfall of its Hebra tundra location. It’s not to be missed, as it gives the player another chance at one of the game’s strongest assets: cave exploration. Curiously, this quest can be started in one of two ways. A little way off to the east of the quest’s location, East Biron Snowshelf Cave, Russ can be found on the Hebra Tundra. Speaking to him can start the quest as he asks Link to find Selmie. Alternatively, if the player just enters the East Biron Snowshelf Cave, one can find Selmie behind breakable rocks in the middle of the cave.
Talking to Selmie will also activate the quest, and one concludes it by visiting her cabin atop the Hebra East Summit. For the player’s reward, they are given aStrong Zonaite Shieldand an invitation to some shield surfing races down the snow-drenched mountainside.
6The Hidden Treasure of Lizard Lakes
The Hidden Treasure of Lizard Lakes only requires a little exploration and listening into conversation, and the player can be granted one of the most practical garbs for traversing Goron City and its volcanic surroundings. A conversation between Yunobo and Bludo in the center of Goron City can reveal that a hidden treasure is available at the heart of the Lizard Lakes. If the player looks on their map and sees the two Lizard lakes, approaching the southernmost lizard’s nearest cliff face will reveal the location of the treasure.
RELATED:Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Best Recipes For Heat Resistance
Behind breakable rocks is a treasure chest containing the Vah Rudania Devine Helm. ThisBreath of the Wildthrowback offers flame guard against volcanic heat but also offers an upgrade of Yunobo’s spirit when taken to a Great Fairy fountain.
5Amber Dealer
This is a really simple boon, easily accessible and valuable to a player’s campaign in Tears of the Kingdom, but understandably missed by many. Upon the player’s first entrance to Goron City, they are met by two glowing-eyed Gorons. These two rather suspect miners of Goron Mountain offer the player a simply terrible deal of buying all the player’s ore for the grand total of 3 rupees. Given a yes or no to the offer, most players are likely to turn the dubious offer down. However, if one accepts, not only does the player not lose their ore, they begin the Amber Dealer side quest. Ramella, the ore dealer of Goron City, will stop the dodgy deal from going down.
Furthermore, she will offer to buy ten pieces of Amber off Link for a high price. Bringing Ramella ten pieces completes the quest, yet she remains a source of selling ores at higher-than-average prices. Well worth a player’s investment for a game thatoffers little in the way of rupees yet has a demanding economy.
4Legacy of the Rito
Worth the player’s time for the reward it grants – this is likely a missed quest as it comes with a significant pre-requisite. to access the Legacy of the Rito side quest, the player must have completed the main adventures’ Hebra/Rito portion of the Regional Phenomena quest. Once completed, it is likely a player may move on from Hebra or Rito Village, but exploring the locale has its rewards. One of these is to approach and speak to Teba after completing Tulin of Rito Village. If the player can collect 3 diamonds, aSwallow Bow, and 5 bundles of wood – Teba and craft aGreat Eagle Bow.
This is one of themost powerful bows available in the gameand offers three arrow hits per shot, a brilliant weapon. While none of these items are particularly hard to find, perhaps the most valuable element of this side quest is its re-usability. Teba can remake the bow for the player anytime they return with the same three ingredients.
3Where are the Wells?
Something of a treat for exploration enthusiasts, ‘Where Are the Wells?’ is an easily missed side quest that cleverly incentivizes exploration. The introduction to wells as smartly disguised sub caves and dungeons onto the map of Hyrule gives a literal depth of exploration to the player hidden in plain sight. There are a total of 58 wells across the entire map of Hyrule, and they all vary in size and contents found under the ground. Likely missed by many purely out of the player selecting their own direction and setting out on their individual exploration of Hyrule, this quest can be found at the Lookout Landing Compound.
RELATED:Tears Of The Kingdom: Hardest Shrines To Find
The well in the corner of this location contains an NPC named Fera, who is tracking all the well locations in Hyrule. Most importantly for the player, Fera gives the player 10 rupees for each well and tracks the amount left to find.
2The Ultimate Dish
A side quest that provides a fun little antidote to one of the game’s cooking mechanics pitfalls, The Ultimate Dish is worth the player’s time and could even be hacked to their advantage. Exploring North of Kakariko Village, the player will come across Rikoka Hills. Here lies a well with smoke billowing out of it, that despite its disconcerting appearance, any player should consider exploring. Inside, the player will find an NPC named Moza, who appears to be looking over a burning meal in a cooking pot. Any ruined meal, be it Dubious Food or Rock-Hard Food, can be fixed by Moza for ten rupees.
Doing so once for 5 rupees will complete the quest, but more importantly, Moza will be available to fix meals anytime at her ten rupee rate. There’s no reason a player with enough rupees couldn’t purposely fail concoctions only to take them to Moza for certain beneficial meals.
1The Mother Goddess Statue
Technically, this is the completion and fourth quest of a series, however, The Mother Goddess Statue side quest offers one of the finest rewards in the game. Across the map of Hyrule, there are three Goddess Statues, standing in honor of the threetraditional Zelda Triforce qualitiesof Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Each Goddess Statue has a side quest belonging to it; they can be completed in any order the player chooses, but completing all three unlocks the Mother Goddess Statue quest. Once available, the player must travel to The Forgotten Temple in Tangar Canyon.
The previously fallen statue will be standing tall, and the player can pray at the statue’s base. As thanks for Link’s effort, the Mother Goddess offers the player theWhite Sword of the Sky. A single-handed blade it offers a unique sneak strike, and Zelda fans may be charmed; this grants the player the titularSkyward Swordof Zelda fame.
MORE:Side Quests That Shouldn’t Be Skipped In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
