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The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdomremains faithful to the core Zelda formula, centering the story’s progression around the completion of five dungeon-like areas called temples. Much likeBreath of the Wild, you may visit the temples in whichever order you please, but this decision will significantly change your experience.
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Luckily, you’re not left completely in the dark; NPCs will accurately encourage you to start in the best order to complete the temples. While there are no hard rules for how you want to play, visiting each templegrants you important sage abilities. These tools will be essential to puzzle-solving and exploration.
The Wind Temple is the first temple you should prioritize in Tears of the Kingdom, and there’s no lack of push to get you there. Follow the advice everyone you talk to gives andhead to the northwest area of the mapto help the Rito andcomplete the Wind Temple.
In addition to progressing the story and helping you get several side adventures started, this path allows you to gain access to Tulin, probably the most essential sage in Tears of the Kingdom.
Hisgust of wind abilityallows you to propel yourself forward andis easily the best horizontal movement tool in the game. Every area from here on will be spaced according to the assumption that you have this ability.
You can extend your glides and cross massive gaps usingTulin and your paraglider, a must-have combinationfor exploring the rest of the map.
You’ll be able to stock up onZonai weaponsas you fight your way to the temple, which will help fill out your likely sparse inventory without issue.
Given that this is an early-game section,the enemies you face will prove minor nuisancesin the grand scheme of your adventure.
Considering the relatively short amount of time to complete this section and how essential gliding around the map is,the Wind Temple is simply the best to start with.
From there, you’ll want tomake your way south to the desert,whereyou’ll help the Gerudo. Here, you’ll meet a tenacious young woman named Riju, who will accompany you on your journey toconquer the Lightning Templeand the ferocious Queen Gibdo.
While Queen Gibdo will pose a tough challenge as one of the hardest temple bosses,Riju will help you strike out with tenacious bolts of lightning.
Riju’s lightning attacksstun enemies, break boulders, and even can start fireson demand withoutflint.
Aside from Riju’s powerful ability,Gerudo Town boasts some incredibly important shopsand their associated quests.
Make a point to unlock these vendors, and be sure topurchase theDesert Voe Headbandand other heat-resistant armor.
If you’re not in a rush to complete the temple, take a stroll through the desert with Riju to collect some chests andGibdo Bones.
If you’re up for a challenge, you canfight a Moldugain the desert as part ofThe Missing Ownerside adventure. The Molduga itselfdrops some great fusion material,so don’t skip out.
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From the dry sand to the polluted waters ofthe Zora domain to the east. Here, Link must help purify the waters once more andcomplete the Water Temple by defeating the Mucktorok.
Before you even complete the Temple,you’ll receive theZora Armor, an immensely useful tool fortraversing waterfalls and reaching higher ground.
Once you use the Zora Armor to complete the temple,you’ll also gain access to Sidon and his water ability.
Sidon can function as a defensive ally, or you can use his water to attack foes at range. His water attacks are excellent for dealing with the Temple but become obsolete after you finish.
Before you finish this area,be sure to craft the Lightscale Trident, as it is easilyone of thestrongest weapons in the gameand will help you deal with larger, hard-to-reach enemies.
There’s also a nice amount ofHyrule Bass and other fishavailable from the store in town once you can dispose of the muck.
Fish can be difficult to track down, so stock up if you have the extra Rupees and try them out insome meals that restore hearts or protect against Gloom.
The Fire Temple to the northeastis your fourth stop, and it won’t make you regret ignoring it until now. Overall,Yunobo’s quest and the situation in the cityare quite straightforward in terms of difficulty but don’t provide much value compared to the other temples and their associated quests.
While the best order to visit each temple in Tears of the Kingdom leaves this option for later, you can choose to do it earlier if you just want it to be over. Yunobo’s spinning rock ability breaks boulders but won’t do much else.
On the plus side,the shops in Goron City sell Diamonds, which makesfinishing the Fire Templemore tempting.
However, you’ll need to amass1,000 Rupees to buy a Diamond, so access to them might not mean much unless you’ve been collecting treasures throughout your adventure.
If you’re low on Rupees, but still needto find some rare stones, check out the nearby cavesand break any stone formations to harvest the gems inside.
Collect any weapons you find andutilize the large stones as fusion materialsto make your battles easier.
Unfortunately, there’s little else to gain here that you haven’t already, so come and go as soon as possible.
The last temple you should visit isthe Spirit Temple in the sky, not because the rewards are bad or the sage is uninteresting, but becauseit is the best story choice.
Whileyou can theoretically access this temple early to meet Mineru, you’ll completely disrupt the story beats that come in the final act.
If you begin the final act with Mineru alongside you, you’ll get some dialogue acknowledging that you found her and then will skip to the next story beat.
Given thatThe Dragon’s Tears questcan also be done out of order, it’s best to stick to the script in your first playthrough to avoid confusing the order of events.
Other than Mineru’s ability, there’s not much else to this section, andthere would be even less intrigue to the Spirit Temple if you complete it before prompted.
Enjoy Mineru’s construct power once you’ve finished this temple; it’s a perfect canvas to practice fusing items for incredible combinations.
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