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Not everyone is playingThe Legend of Zelda:Tears of the Kingdomfor the story, but Nintendo has put so much effort into crafting an interesting and engaging world for the player, it would be a shame not to have a touching story to match.
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However, did you know that not all players are getting the real finale when they complete Tears of the Kingdom? It’s true!Unless you followed the steps we detail below, you’re not really seeing how things end.Nintendo is sneakily encouraging you to follow their crumbs and eat up the story and quests they’ve planned, even though you could get to Ganondorf and finish the game right after the tutorial section.
Beware of major spoilers below for the Tears of the Kingdom story!
Step One: Find All The Dragon’s Tears
TheDragon’s Tearsare a special kind of collectible in Tears of the Kingdom. Almost all of them aremarked by a large Geoglyph.It forms a familiar shape that can be seen from the air, like the Purah Pad or theMaster Sword.
Each time you find a Dragon’s Tear,you’ll be treated toa cutscene that reveals more of the story.The final Dragon’s Tear isn’t marked by a Geoglyph.Once all eleven Geoglyphs have been found, the location of the final Tear will be revealed.
Step Two: Acquire The Master Sword
TheMaster Swordis Link’s iconic weapon, so you need to be wielding it for your final battle in order for the True Ending to unlock. You don’t literally have to strike the final blow with it, but you should definitely have it.
There area couple of ways to learn where the Master Sword is.If you’ve found all of the Geoglyphs,the final Dragon’s Tearwill reveal it. Alternatively,you canheal the Great Deku Treein Korok Forest. Once he’s feeling more like himself, he’ll reveal where the Master Sword is and give you the quest marker for it (which is pretty convenient and you don’t get just by finding the Dragon’s Tears).
Either way, you learn that the Master Sword ison the top of the Light Dragon’s head.
To get it out, you’llneed a lot of Stamina.
That’s partially because you’llneed to do a lot of glidingto reach the Light Dragon. Completing the regional phenomenaquest for the Rito and receiving the Avatar of Tulin is a big help, since that will give you gusts of wind that help you travel further distances while gliding. You may know from experience that it’s hard enough to shoot at the Dragons in Tears of the Kingdom, let aloneland on their back. Unfortunately, that’s what you have to do!
However, the main reason you need a lot of Stamina is that the effort ofpulling out the bladefrom the Light Dragon’s skullwill slowly drain your Stamina,just likeit drained your Hearts in Breath of the Wild. You need at leasttwo full green Stamina wheels(meaning, at least 5 Stamina Vessels on top of what you start the game with) in order to pull out the Master Sword. Otherwise, the Light Dragon just shakes you off like a gnat.
If you still have questions or concerns and want a little more guidance about how to get the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom,check out our full guide here.
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Step Three: Complete All Main Quests
The third step isfairly straightforward:complete all of the main quests in Tears of the Kingdom. If you’ve worked on the first two steps at all, you’re part of the way there.
In total,there are 24 main quests;the final one is your showdown with Ganondorf. You should complete all 23 of the other quests before taking on the Demon King.
We’ve put them all ina comprehensive list belowand added links to our guides if we have them to help you out.
Step Four: Beat The Game
The last step is always the most daunting, right? All you have to do now isdefeat the Demon King himself: Ganondorf.
Head into the chasm beneath Hyrule Castle to get started; there’s a stone pillar and you’ll discoverGloom’s Approach.Following the tunnels and paths, you’ll be led tothe Forgotten Foundation, the Imprisoning Chamber,and thenGloom’s Lair.Once you defeat Ganondorf’s army there, you canprogress into Gloom’s Originand find Ganondorf himself.
Difference Between The Regular Ending And The True Ending
Getting the “True” Ending in Tears of the Kingdom doesn’t mean that the events of the story change. It just means that,after the credits roll, the player is treated to an additional cutscene,which is almost 6 minutes long. We won’t spoil it here for you, but, in our humble opinion, it’s worth the effort.
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