Navigating Hyrule After the Temples: Your Post-Temple TOTK Guide
So, you’ve conquered the four elemental temples in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) – congratulations, champion! But what happens after the initial quest to aid the Rito, Goron, Zora, and Gerudo? The world opens up even further, and Hyrule still needs saving! Here’s your comprehensive guide to what to do after completing the four main temples in Tears of the Kingdom.
The immediate next step is triggered when you return to Lookout Landing. You’ll witness a cinematic showing Zelda seemingly returning to Hyrule Castle in the distance. This kicks off a new main quest leading you back to the heart of the kingdom. The suggested next step is to use the Skyview Tower to gain height and then head to Hyrule Castle. However, the beauty of TOTK lies in its freedom! You aren’t forced to go to Hyrule Castle immediately. You can explore side quests, enhance your equipment, or delve deeper into the Depths. Ultimately, following Zelda to Hyrule Castle will advance the main storyline significantly.
Key Activities Post-Temple Completion
Here’s a breakdown of what you can and should be doing after liberating the four regions:
- Follow Zelda to Hyrule Castle: This initiates the next major phase of the main quest. Be prepared for challenges! It’s highly recommended to have decent armor, upgraded weapons, and plenty of healing items.
- Explore the Depths Further: With your enhanced abilities and understanding of the game mechanics, venture deeper into the dark, monster-infested Depths beneath Hyrule. Discover new resources, find schematics for powerful Zonai devices, and uncover hidden settlements.
- Complete Side Quests and Adventures: The world is brimming with side quests offered by the inhabitants of Hyrule. These can range from simple fetch quests to intricate investigations, providing valuable rewards and lore.
- Enhance Your Gear: Visit the Great Fairies to upgrade your armor. Collect powerful weapons and fuse them with monster parts to increase their attack power. Experiment with different fusions to discover unique effects.
- Master Zonai Devices: Refine your skills in using Zonai devices. Build complex contraptions for traversal, combat, and resource gathering. The possibilities are practically endless!
- Search for Dragon Tears: Uncover the locations of the Dragon Tears to unlock memories that provide crucial insights into the game’s story and the history of Hyrule. These are essential for understanding Zelda’s journey.
- Tackle the Dragonhead Island Temple (Roham Highlands): After completing the initial four temples, a secret temple on Dragonhead Island becomes available. This temple offers a unique challenge and further advances the main story.
- Collect Armor Sets: Track down and acquire powerful armor sets scattered throughout Hyrule. Each set offers unique stat boosts and abilities, providing advantages in different situations.
- Upgrade Your Sage Abilities: Completing specific tasks and challenges will allow you to upgrade the abilities of the Sage Vows you obtained from the temples, making them even more effective in combat and exploration.
- Defeat More Powerful Enemies: Now that you’re stronger and better equipped, seek out challenging enemies like Lynels, Gleeoks, and powerful constructs. These battles will test your skills and reward you with valuable resources.
- Cook Up Powerful Recipes: Experiment with different ingredients to create powerful meals and elixirs. These can provide temporary stat boosts, heal you, or grant resistance to elemental damage.
- Discover Hidden Locations: Hyrule is full of secret caves, waterfalls, and hidden areas. Use your curiosity and exploration skills to uncover these locations and discover valuable treasures.
- Pursue the Compendium: Complete the Hyrule Compendium by photographing every creature, weapon, and item in the game. This is a challenging but rewarding goal for completionists.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about what to do after completing the four temples in Tears of the Kingdom:
1. What is the best order to do the temples in Tears of the Kingdom?
The game suggests Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning, but ultimately it is up to you. Many players find the Wind Temple easiest to start with, as it grants the powerful ability to create gusts of wind to move quickly across Hyrule. Then Fire, Water, and finally Lightning.
2. What happens after you beat the final boss in Tears of the Kingdom?
After defeating Ganondorf, you’ll see the ending cutscenes. The game then returns you to the title screen, and the save file you used to defeat the final boss will now have a star. Loading this starred save file will place you right before the final boss fight, allowing you to continue exploring Hyrule and completing any remaining quests. There is no direct post-game world state change.
3. Is there a New Game Plus in Tears of the Kingdom?
No, Tears of the Kingdom does not have a traditional New Game Plus mode. You can continue playing on the same save file after defeating the final boss, but you won’t be able to start a new game with your existing equipment and abilities.
4. Is there a true ending in Tears of the Kingdom?
Yes, there is a “true” ending. After defeating the final boss, if you have completed certain requirements (like finding all the Dragon Tears), you’ll unlock an additional post-credits scene that provides more closure to the story.
5. Can you keep playing after beating Ganon in Tears of the Kingdom?
Yes, you can continue playing after beating Ganondorf. The game will reload you to a save point before the final boss fight, allowing you to explore Hyrule and complete any remaining quests.
6. How do I upgrade my armor in Tears of the Kingdom?
To upgrade your armor, you need to find the Great Fairies scattered throughout Hyrule and complete their associated quests. Once you’ve unlocked a Great Fairy, you can upgrade your armor by providing them with specific materials.
7. What is the hardest temple in Tears of the Kingdom?
Many players consider the Lightning Temple to be the most challenging, due to its complex puzzles and formidable boss fight. However, difficulty can be subjective and depend on your play style and equipment.
8. Will there be DLC for Tears of the Kingdom?
Nintendo has stated that there are currently no plans for DLC for Tears of the Kingdom. They feel they have included everything they wanted to implement in this version of Hyrule.
9. Will there be a sequel to Tears of the Kingdom?
While anything is possible, a direct sequel to Tears of the Kingdom is unlikely. The Zelda franchise typically introduces new versions of Hyrule with each new console generation.
10. Can you leave temples in Tears of the Kingdom?
Yes, you can leave temples at any time after activating the initial teleport point within. This allows you to resupply, upgrade your gear, or tackle other quests before returning to complete the temple.
11. Where is Kass in Tears of the Kingdom?
Kass is unfortunately absent in Tears of the Kingdom. The only reference to him can be found by a Redditor who pointed out he might be on the Tears of the Kingdom subreddit.
12. What is the final quest in Tears of the Kingdom?
The final main quest is titled “Destroy Ganondorf”. This quest tasks you with confronting and defeating the ultimate evil threatening Hyrule.
13. Who are the 5 Sages in Tears of the Kingdom?
The 5 Sages are Tulin (Wind), Yunobo (Fire), Sidon (Water), Riju (Lightning), and Mineru (Spirit). Each Sage grants you a unique Vow that allows you to summon them in battle and use their special abilities.
14. What is the best Sage in Tears of the Kingdom?
Many players consider Tulin to be the best Sage, due to his powerful wind ability that allows you to travel quickly across Hyrule and reach otherwise inaccessible areas.
15. Where can I find more resources about gaming and learning?
You can find invaluable resources and insights into the intersection of gaming and education at the Games Learning Society website. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more about how games can be used to enhance learning and development. The Games Learning Society is committed to promoting research and innovation in the field of game-based learning.
Remember, Tears of the Kingdom is about exploration and discovery. Don’t be afraid to venture off the beaten path and forge your own adventure in Hyrule.