You’re standing on a floating island, looking down at a world that feels impossibly big, and honestly, you're probably overwhelmed. It’s fine. We’ve all been there. Most people looking for a Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough are trying to find a straight line through a game that is explicitly designed to be a messy, beautiful circle. You want to get to the "good stuff," but in Hyrule, the distractions are the good stuff.
The problem with most guides is they treat Link’s journey like a grocery list. Go here. Get this. Fight that. But The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t work like that because of the chemistry engine. If you try to follow a step-by-step path without understanding why the world reacts to you, you’re going to hit a wall—usually a wall made of gloom or a very angry Lynel.
The Great Sky Island is a Lie (Sorta)
Everyone starts in the clouds. It’s the tutorial, but it’s a tutorial that lies to you by omission. It teaches you Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall, but it doesn't tell you that these aren't just tools; they are the fundamental laws of physics for this version of Hyrule.
I've seen players spend three hours trying to climb a freezing mountain on the Great Sky Island because they didn't realize they could just fuse a ruby to a shield or cook some peppers. That's the first real lesson of any Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough: stop thinking like a gamer and start thinking like a MacGyver.
The game wants you to cheat.
When you finally dive down to the surface, the instinct is to run straight to the yellow quest marker. Don't. Not yet. You need to head to Lookout Landing and talk to Purah, obviously, but the real game begins when you realize the Paraglider isn't handed to you immediately. You have to actually do the first bit of the main quest involving the castle beneath the floating debris to get it. I’ve met people who wandered the Great Hyrule Forest for six hours without a glider. Don't be that person.
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Why Regional Phenomena Order Actually Matters
The game tells you there are four regions to investigate. It says you can go anywhere. This is true, but it's also a trap for the unprepared. If you go to the Gerudo Desert first, you’re going to have a bad time. The heat is punishing, the gibdos are terrifying if you don't have elemental items, and the boss is a massive spike in difficulty.
Hebra (Rito Village) should be your first stop. Period. The ability you get from Tulin—the gust of wind—is the single most important traversal tool in the game. It makes gliding actually viable over long distances. Plus, the wind temple is a great "starter" dungeon that teaches you how the new verticality works.
Eldin (Goron City) or Lanayru (Zora's Domain) usually come next. Yunobo’s power is basically a free wrecking ball for ore deposits, which helps you get rich. Sidon’s water shield is... okay. It’s fine. It helps with the sludge, but Tulin is the real MVP.
Gerudo Desert is the endgame of the four. Save it. The lightning ability is powerful, but the questline is long and draining.
The Depths: A Survival Horror Game Nobody Warned You About
The Depths are easily the most polarizing part of any Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough. It’s pitch black, everything deals "gloom" damage that breaks your heart containers, and it's roughly the same size as the surface map.
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If you aren't farming Brightbloom seeds, you’re playing on hard mode for no reason. Throw them. Don't just attach them to arrows; you can literally just throw them to save resources. Also, look at your surface map. The topography of the Depths is a mirror of the surface. Where there is a mountain on the surface, there is a canyon in the Depths. Where there is a shrine on the surface, there is a Lightroot in the Depths. This single realization makes navigating the darkness 100% easier.
Master Sword Myths and Reality
Everyone wants the Master Sword immediately. You can actually get it very early if you have enough stamina—not health, stamina. You need two full wheels. No, temporary yellow stamina doesn't count.
There are two ways to trigger the sword's appearance. You can follow the "Dragon's Tears" questline, which involves finding those giant geoglyphs across the map, or you can go through the Great Hyrule Forest and save the Deku Tree from a very nasty case of stomach gloom.
The geoglyph route is more cinematic. It tells the story of Zelda in the past. But be warned: if you watch them out of order, you will spoil the entire narrative for yourself. Use a map to find them in the chronological order listed in the in-game adventure log if you care about the plot.
The Zonai Battery Problem
You start with one tiny battery cell. It’s pathetic. You try to build a cool plane, and it dies in thirty seconds. To upgrade this, you need Crystallized Charges. You get these by trading Zonaite—a green ore found almost exclusively in the Depths—at Forge Constructs.
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Pro tip: Don't waste your Zonaite on buying small Zonai charges for the vending machines. Save it for the Crystallized Charges. Also, hunt the "Master Kohga" questline in the Depths. Not only is it hilarious, but it leads you to huge stashes of charges and the Autobuild ability. Autobuild is the game-changer. It lets you "save" designs and recreate them instantly using Zonaite if you don't have the parts.
Combat is Different Now
In Breath of the Wild, you could just flurry rush your way through life. In Tears of the Kingdom, enemies have way more health, and many carry armor. You need to use the Fuse system.
A sword without a monster part fused to it is just a vibrating stick. It will break in five hits and do zero damage. Fusing a Lynel saber horn to a Royal Broadsword creates a weapon that can melt bosses. Even early on, fusing a simple rock to a stick gives you a hammer that shatters enemy armor.
Always carry a "muddle bud" or a "puffshroom." Muddle buds make enemies attack each other. It’s hilarious and effective when dealing with a camp of Silver Bokoblins. Puffshrooms create a smoke screen that lets you sneakstrike enemies for massive damage. This isn't "cheese"; it’s the intended way to play.
Actionable Steps for Your Journey
If you’re feeling stuck or just starting out, here is exactly what you should do in the next two hours of gameplay to set yourself up for success:
- Prioritize Stamina over Hearts: Get at least one extra full wheel of stamina before you touch your health. Being able to climb and glide longer is more important than surviving one extra hit. You can always eat a "hearty" truffle to get temporary hearts anyway.
- Find the Camera and Autobuild: Go to Lookout Landing and talk to Josha and Robbie. Follow their quest into the Depths. It unlocks the Camera, the Sensor, and eventually the path to Autobuild.
- Visit the Great Fairies: They aren't just for show. You need to upgrade your armor to survive late-game encounters. This involves a long side quest involving a musical troupe called the Stable Trotters. Start it at the Woodland Stable.
- Farm Korok Seeds: Your inventory is too small. Find Hestu. He’s usually on the road to Rito Village initially, but eventually, he moves to Lookout Landing. Expand your weapon stashes first. Shields and bows can wait.
- Respect the Lynels: If you see a centaur-looking guy with a giant club, run. Unless you have mastered the parry and have high-level fused weapons, he will end your run in three seconds.
The beauty of this game is that your Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough is yours to write. There is no "wrong" way to explore, but there are definitely ways to make it less frustrating. Use the map pins. Mark every Hinox, every Talus, and every Lynel you find. You'll need their parts later for armor upgrades. Most importantly, don't rush. The ending will be there whenever you're ready, but the magic is in the weird, accidental discoveries you make along the way.
Next Steps: Focus on clearing the Wind Temple in Hebra to unlock Tulin’s gust. Once that's done, head into the Depths directly under the Rito region to start farming Zonaite for your first major battery upgrade. This combo of aerial mobility and longer-lasting machines will change how you perceive every puzzle in the game.