Puzzles are the bread and butter of Zelda, andTears of The Kingdomtakes them to a new level.The introduction of Ultrahand, Ascend, the other abilities you inherit through Rauru’s arm adds a new dimension to puzzles, and opens up an entire world of possibilities.
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While the bulk of the puzzles are in shrines and temples, you’ll find your fair share of them in the overworld as well. Set out into Hyrule equipped with your fancy arm, your brain, and a desire to solve all the odd issues the world has to offer.
6The Skyview Towers Have Some Weird Problems
Thenewly constructed Skyview Towersare open for business! Sort of. Mostly. Like most new structures, they’re facing some problems. Jammed doors, the top of one tower getting stuck, the top of another falling off, door buried in snow, control panel stolen by a monster… the poor workers at Hudson Construction definitely don’t get paid enough for this.
If you’re lucky, you’ll only have to fight your way through some monsters, but some of the towers are a bit trickier. The Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower, for example, requires you to find a way to help the Hudson Construction worker get up to the tower, so he can fix it. The Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower, meanwhile, has been completely snowed in, and you’ll need to find your way under it to use Ascend and get in. The Sahasra Slope Skyview Tower has a similar problem (minus the snow).
Weather will also be your enemy. The Rabella Wetlands Skyview Tower has somehow already become overgrown with thorny vines. No problem, you’re thinking, I’ll use fire! Well, it’s also raining. You’ll have to get creative if you want to get in. Accessing the Mount Lanayru Skyview Tower will be a battle against the elements. Make sure you’re stocked up on good food and warm clothes.
5"I Need To Find My Friend!"
Some Koroks have serious packing management problems. You’ll find these guys trapped on their backs, with backpacks bigger than their leafy bodies keeping them overbalanced, like a turtle that was turned over to lie on its shell. It makes you wonder — what are they even carrying?
If you talk to the trapped Korok, you’ll discover that it was separated from its friend, who somehow made it an astounding distance before realizing it was alone, and started a fire to send up green smoke signals. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to transport the stuck Korok to its friend using any available resources, including Zonai devices. How you transport it is up to you - you may keep it simple, or create a giant Mad Max-style machine and attach the Korok to a cross before driving it across Hyrule to drop it off. Either way, your reward for your work will be two Korok seeds.
4Traditional Korok Puzzles
Of course, there are plenty of other Koroks out there causing their own mischief. The easiest ones are hiding under rocks, just like Breath of the Wild, or you have to complete a pattern on the ground to make them appear. Some require fruit at the feet of a third statue. Some want you to pull off a perfect dive through a circle of lily pads.
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Then there are new Korok puzzles — a pot hanging on a mountain side, bottle with a cork on it near the water’s edge, a dandelion to chase, signs to follow. Your first instinct when coming upon the pot or cork may be to try and grab them with Ultrahand and pull on them, but that won’t work. Those sneaky little Koroks are always keeping you on your toes.
3Long Live President Hudson!
Addison is an overworkedand possibly underpaid employee of Hudson Construction. It’s unclear if he wastoldto put up signs for Hudson Construction all over Hyrule, or if he took that duty upon himself, but it wasn’t a well-thought-out plan. You’ll find him in various places clinging to signs, assuring President Hudson that he’ll always support him. Poor Addison.
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2Answer Me These Riddles…
You’ll find the Thyphlo Ruins far north of Lookout Landing, probably by first locating the Skyview Tower associated with the area. If you explore a little, you’ll come upon Kazul, a researcher studying the Ruins. Kazul will show you the stone slabs he’s found — anywhere from one to four, depending on how manySage abilities you’ve acquired.
Each slab has a riddle related to the Sage abilities. To complete this puzzle, find the place in the Ruins where you need to present each ability. While it’s not one of the more complicated puzzles in the game, it’s a fun change from the puzzles that can be solved by Ultrahand, or another arm ability. This one requires some good old thinking and searching — a brief return to the classic Zelda way.
1A Treasure Hunt!
This is another old-fashioned riddle forthe quest Misko’s Treasure: The Fierce Deity. Misko is a legendary thief who is rumored to have hidden three armor sets around the region, and everyone wants to find them. The Fierce Deity is a follow-up to the Cave of Chests sidequest. After searching Cephna Lake Cave and finding the armor there, you’ll have an encounter with a pair of treasure hunters. After the encounter, you’ll find a bottle with a note in it. The note has a riddle:
“Don the form of the Fierce Deity, and return to this place. There are three keys you will need. One beneath the bedchamber of Akkala’s red-crowned citadel, one in the skull’s left eye, one in an old stump in Hyrule Field.”
And off you go, reading and re-reading the riddle and looking for clues to figure out what skull and what stump and what bedchamber this could possibly be talking about. It’s nostalgic, much in the same way the Ruins riddle is — reminiscent of old Zelda games when all you had to work with was the limited resources the game gave you.
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