Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — Complete Main Story Walkthrough
Introduction
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom presents a non-linear main quest spanning the Sky, Surface, and Depths. While the game allows you to tackle the four Regional Phenomena in any order, the recommended path optimizes ability acquisition, gear progression, and narrative pacing. This walkthrough covers the Great Sky Island tutorial, the optimal temple order, the mid-game story revelations, the Spirit Temple, and the final battle against Ganondorf beneath Hyrule Castle.
The story unfolds across three acts: the Sky Island introduction, the four Regional Phenomena (free order but structured narrative), and the endgame sequence from Hyrule Castle through the Depths to the final boss. Between temples, you should pursue the Dragon's Tear memories, which are numbered and tell the story in chronological order when viewed sequentially.
Prologue: Beneath Hyrule Castle
Link and Zelda explore the depths under Hyrule Castle, discovering ancient Zonai murals and a sealed chamber. Zelda picks up a mysterious tear-shaped stone (a Secret Stone), which triggers a cascade of events: the chamber floor collapses, a mummified figure (Ganondorf) awakens, and the Master Sword is shattered by a wave of Gloom. Zelda falls into the abyss while Link's right arm is corrupted by Gloom.
Link awakens on the Great Sky Island, his corrupted arm replaced by a Zonai arm gifted by Rauru — the ancient Zonai sage. The arm grants Link the core abilities: Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall. The tutorial sequence on the Great Sky Island takes approximately 2-3 hours for a first-time player.
Act 1: Great Sky Island
Tutorial Sequence
The Great Sky Island is a self-contained tutorial zone with four Shrines, each teaching one of Link's new abilities. Follow Rauru's guidance to complete them in order:
Ukouh Shrine (Ultrahand): Teaches object manipulation — attaching objects together and moving them. You build a simple bridge and a hook mechanism to cross gaps. Reward: Light of Blessing.
In-Isa Shrine (Fuse): Teaches weapon fusion. You fuse a boulder to a stick to create a makeshift hammer for breaking cracked walls. The critical lesson: Fuse is not optional — base weapons have deliberately low durability, and fused weapons last 25-30 additional hits. Reward: Light of Blessing.
Gutanbac Shrine (Ascend): Teaches vertical traversal through ceilings. You ascend through multiple floors of a tower, learning to identify ascendable surfaces (flat ceilings with no obstructing objects). Reward: Light of Blessing.
Nachoyah Shrine (Recall): Teaches time reversal on objects. You recall falling blocks to create platforms and rewind spinning gears to open gates. The final puzzle requires chaining Recall with Ultrahand to solve a two-step puzzle. Reward: Light of Blessing.
Temple of Time
After completing all four Shrines, return to the Temple of Time at the island's center. Exchange your four Lights of Blessing at the statue for a Heart Container (recommended for survivability). Rauru's spirit then opens the door to the inner chamber, where Zelda's voice grants Link the Recall ability's true potential and opens a tear sending Link back to the Surface.
Before leaving: Collect the Archaic Tunic and Archaic Warm Greaves from chests on the island (the Warm Greaves are in a tree stump on the cold eastern peak — you need to cook Spicy Peppers for cold resistance). Loot every Zonai Device Dispenser you encounter — you'll want a stock of Fans and Wings for early-game traversal.
Dive to Hyrule
Rauru tasks Link with finding the four Sages to investigate the Regional Phenomena. The four phenomena are:
- Rito Village (Tulin): Blizzard in the Hebra region
- Goron City (Yunobo): Marbled Rock Roast plague in Death Mountain
- Zora's Domain (Sidon): Sludge pouring from the sky in Lanayru
- Gerudo Town (Riju): Sand Shroud and Gibdo invasion in the desert
Act 2: Regional Phenomena (Recommended Order)
Recommended Temple Order and Rationale
| Order | Temple | Sage Ability | Why First/Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Wind Temple (Rito) | Tulin's Gust (horizontal wind boost while gliding) | Best traversal ability; makes all subsequent exploration faster |
| 2nd | Fire Temple (Goron) | Yunobo's Charge (rolling fireball) | Opens cave entrances blocked by rocks; essential for Depths exploration |
| 3rd | Water Temple (Zora) | Sidon's Water Shield (protective bubble + water wave attack) | Useful for sludge clearing and combat protection |
| 4th | Lightning Temple (Gerudo) | Riju's Lightning (AoE lightning strike) | Strongest but most situational combat ability; desert is hardest region |
The Wind Temple first is universal consensus — Tulin's Gust effectively doubles your horizontal paraglider range and makes reaching all Sky Islands significantly easier. The Fire Temple second gives you Yunobo's rolling charge, which is required for breaking many rock barriers in caves and the Depths. The Water and Lightning Temples can be done in either order, but Gerudo Desert's heat management and Gibdo swarms make it the hardest region for a low-heart Link.
Temple 1: Wind Temple (Rito Village / Hebra)
Entry: Travel to Rito Village in northwest Hyrule. Talk to Teba, who directs you to the Hebra Peak. The climb requires cold resistance (Snowquill armor from Rito Village shop or Spicy Pepper meals). At the summit, you find Tulin fighting a blizzard-producing monster.
Ascending to the Stormwind Ark: The Wind Temple is a massive flying ship circling above Hebra. You and Tulin use the trampoline ships (boat-like structures that launch Link skyward) to ascend through the storm. The ascent is a vertical gauntlet of floating platforms, ice enemies, and Constructs. Tulin's Gust is granted during this sequence (before the temple proper) — use it to glide between trampoline ships.
Boss: Colgera (Scourge of the Wind Temple): A massive flying ice wyrm that attacks in three segments. Each segment has a glowing weak point on its underside. Strategy: Dive through the weak points using skydiving — no weapons needed. Colgera fires ice spikes and creates tornadoes. After all three weak points are destroyed, the segments shatter and Colgera disintegrates. This is the easiest temple boss — the entire fight can be completed with zero weapon durability loss.
Post-Temple: Tulin becomes a Sage companion. His ability (horizontal wind gust) activates while gliding and covers approximately 20 meters per burst. Tulin also provides headshot support in combat, sniping enemies with his bow. The Wind Temple clear restores the Hebra region's weather.
Temple 2: Fire Temple (Goron City / Death Mountain)
Entry: Death Mountain is inaccessible due to extreme heat and falling rocks. The path from the Foothill Stable leads through the Southern Mine and up the mountain, but the heat at the summit requires Fireproof armor (Flamebreaker set from Goron City shop, approximately 2,000 rupees total).
At Goron City, you find the Gorons addicted to "Marbled Rock Roast" — a substance that makes them lethargic and obsessed. Yunobo, now wearing a strange mask, is the ringleader. Chase him up Death Mountain and break his mask with Yunobo's Charge (granted during the sequence).
Temple Structure: The Fire Temple is the Lost City of Gorondia in the Depths beneath Death Mountain. It's a five-floor vertical maze of minecart tracks. The puzzles involve redirecting minecarts to bridge gaps, activate switches, and reach gongs.
Navigating the Fire Temple: This is the most disorienting temple. The minecart network is interconnected and spans all five floors. The key insight: you can use Ascend to skip entire sections by moving upward through ceilings. Five gongs must be rung to unlock the boss door. Use Yunobo's Charge as a projectile to ring gongs from a distance — this is faster than navigating to each one.
Boss: Marbled Gohma: A giant rock-encrusted arachnid in the lava chamber. Gohma's legs are covered in Marbled Rock Roast — use Yunobo's Charge to break the rock armor, exposing the weak points (the leg joints). After all four legs are exposed, Gohma climbs to the ceiling and drops explosive rocks. Use Recall on the falling rocks to send them back, stunning Gohma and bringing it to the ground for melee damage. The Recall counter is the most efficient phase-skip — each successful rock return deals massive damage and skips an entire leg cycle.
Post-Temple: Yunobo joins as a Sage, granting Yunobo's Charge — a rolling fireball that can be aimed in any direction. Essential for: breaking rock walls in caves, igniting grass and wooden obstacles, and dealing fire damage in combat. The Death Mountain area cools down, and the Gloom on the surface recedes.
Temple 3: Water Temple (Zora's Domain / Lanayru)
Entry: Zora's Domain is covered in sludge that hurts Link on contact. Sidon, the Zora prince, is at Mipha Court cleaning sludge from the statues. He provides the Hydrant ability (water splash) to clear sludge during the ascent. The path to the Water Temple is in the sky above Lanayru — floating platforms connected by waterfalls that you swim up using the Zora Armor.
Pre-requisite: The Zora Armor is provided during the quest. It grants the ability to swim up waterfalls — a critical traversal tool for the Water Temple approach. If you already have the Zora Armor from a previous play session (from the Ancient Zora Waterworks quest), the ascent is much faster.
Temple Structure: The Water Temple is a zero-gravity sphere in the sky. The central chamber is a bubble of floating water with platforms suspended inside. The puzzles use water bubbles that redirect Link in low-gravity arcs. The main mechanic: activate faucets to create directional water flows that carry Link between platforms and push floating orbs into receptacles.
Boss: Mucktorok: A sludge-shooting shark-like creature that slides around the arena on a trail of sludge. The fight has two distinct phases. Phase 1: Mucktorok slides in predictable patterns. Use Sidon's Water Shield to protect against the sludge attacks, then attack during its pause. Phase 2: Mucktorok creates a sludge vortex in the center of the room and rapidly transitions between sludge puddles. Use splash fruit or Sidon's ability to clear the sludge, exposing Mucktorok as it transitions. The Hydrant Zonai device or Opal-fused weapons also clear sludge effectively.
Post-Temple: Sidon joins as a Sage. His ability provides a water shield that blocks one hit completely and can be launched as a water wave attack. Combined with Zora weapons (which double damage when wet), Sidon enables the highest melee DPS in the game.
Temple 4: Lightning Temple (Gerudo Town / Desert)
Entry: Gerudo Desert is covered in a perpetual Sand Shroud that limits visibility to 10 meters. The Kara Kara Bazaar is abandoned, and Gerudo Town is besieged by Gibdos — zombie-like insect creatures that swarm in waves. Riju, the Gerudo chief, is defending the town.
The Lightning Temple is beneath the Gerudo Desert, accessed through a ruin in the center of the sandstorm. The approach requires navigating the Gibdo-infested desert, which is the most combat-heavy temple approach. Gibdos are immune to most damage in their armored state — they must be hit with elemental damage (lightning, fire, or water) to make them vulnerable.
Temple Structure: The Lightning Temple is a dungeon of mirrors and light beams. Puzzles involve redirecting light beams using mirrors to activate switches, open doors, and reveal hidden passages. The central chamber has four sub-chambers, each with a mirror puzzle and a Gibdo combat gauntunt. The mirror angles and light paths are the most precise puzzles in the main quest.
Boss: Queen Gibdo: The most difficult temple boss. Queen Gibdo summons Gibdo swarms and creates sand tornadoes that obscure the arena. Strategy: Queen Gibdo is fully armored and immune to damage until hit by lightning. Use Riju's Lightning ability to strike the Queen, removing her armor for a brief window. The fight has three phases:
- Queen Gibdo stands in the center, summoning minions. Alternative between Riju's Lightning and melee combos.
- Queen Gibdo takes to the air, creating sand tornadoes. Use the updrafts from the tornadoes (created by broken pillars in the arena) to reach her in the air.
- Queen Gibdo combines all previous attacks at increased speed. The lightning windows are shorter. Topaz-fused arrows and Shock Fruit are critical for creating your own lightning strikes independent of Riju's ability cooldown.
Post-Temple: Riju joins as a Sage. Her lightning ability strikes a targeted area for massive AoE lightning damage. It's the most powerful combat Sage ability but has the longest cooldown. Synergizes with electric weapons and Shock Fruit arrows.
Act 3: Hyrule Castle and the Mid-Game Twist
Crisis at Hyrule Castle
After completing all four Regional Phenomena, a new quest triggers: Zelda has been spotted at Hyrule Castle. Travel to the castle (which floats above the chasm) and fight through Gloom-infested enemies to the throne room. The "Zelda" you find is a puppet — a Phantom Ganon illusion created by the real Ganondorf. The puppet fight is against Phantom Ganon in his sword-wielding form, identical to the Gloom Spawn encounters but with higher HP and damage.
After the fight, the real story is revealed through a memory: Zelda did not fall to her death. She was transported back in time to ancient Hyrule, where she met Rauru and Sonia — the original Zora and Zonai sages. Zelda received a Secret Stone and became the Sage of Time, and the Master Sword was taken to the future by the Light Dragon for Link to find.
Finding the Fifth Sage (Spirit Temple)
Mineru, the fifth sage, contacts Link after the Hyrule Castle encounter. She directs you to the Ring Ruins in Faron and then to the Thunderhead Isles in the sky above Faron. The Thunderhead Isles are perpetually stormy — visibility is near zero and metal equipment attracts lightning. The navigation requires clearing the storm by completing a quest chain in Kakariko Village.
The Spirit Temple is in the Depths beneath Faron. It's the most unique temple: Link pilots a Zonai Construct body housing Mineru's spirit. The temple puzzles use the Construct's abilities: it can punch through rock walls, walk through Gloom (immunity to Gloom damage), and attach Zonai devices to its arms for unique functions (attach a Rocket to the arm for a rocket punch, a Cannon for ranged damage, or a Fan for a gust attack).
Boss: Seized Construct: A massive Zonai Construct controlled by Ganondorf's Gloom. The fight is entirely within Mineru's Construct body. The Seized Construct uses shockwaves, a spinning arm attack, and a Gloom beam. Strategy: Use the boxing ring-style arena to dodge attacks. The Seized Construct can be knocked out of the ring for brief stun windows. Attach a Cannon to the Construct's arm for the most efficient damage output.
Post-Temple: Mineru's Construct becomes a permanent summon. While piloting it, you gain Gloom immunity, the ability to walk across lava and quicksand, and devastating melee damage. The Construct also allows mining Zonaite deposits in the Depths much faster than manual mining.
Act 4: The Final Battle
The Light Dragon and Master Sword
The Master Sword is embedded in the Light Dragon's head — the Light Dragon being Zelda herself, transformed after swallowing a Secret Stone. To retrieve the Master Sword, you need two full Stamina wheels (or stamina-recovery meals). The Light Dragon flies a set route around Hyrule at high altitude. The easiest interception point is the Great Sky Island's highest point or the East Akkala Sky Archipelago.
Once on the Light Dragon, walk to the sword on her head and pull it. The Master Sword is restored and permanently powered in the presence of Gloom enemies (60 base damage, doubled and unbreakable against Gloom enemies). The memory sequence following the retrieval reveals Zelda's entire time-travel journey.
Descent to Ganondorf
Travel to the Hyrule Castle Chasm in Lookout Landing and descend into the Depths. The path to Ganondorf is a straight corridor through the Gloom's Approach → Gloom's Lair → the Forgotten Foundation. Unlike Breath of the Wild's Hyrule Castle (which was a full dungeon), the approach here is linear but heavily defended.
Enemies in the approach: Gloom Spawn (Phantom Ganon minions), Silver Lynels, and Gloom-infused constructs. The Gloom damage from enemies permanently reduces max hearts until you consume Sundelion-based meals (Sundelion cooking recovers Gloom-damaged hearts).
The Demon King's Army (Gauntlet)
Before reaching Ganondorf, Link faces a gauntlet of all previous temple bosses (Colgera, Marbled Gohma, Mucktorok, Queen Gibdo, Seized Construct) in sequence. If you have the corresponding Sage, their companion ability helps in each fight. If you skipped a temple, you face the boss without Sage assistance.
Final Boss: Ganondorf
Phase 1 — Demon King Ganondorf: Ganondorf fights with a sword, spear, and bow. He has three sub-phases:
- Sword phase: Standard melee combat. Ganondorf can perfect dodge your attacks and trigger Flurry Rush. The key to breaking his pattern: attack immediately after his Flurry Rush — he leaves a brief opening.
- Spear phase: Ganondorf extends his range. Sidestep rather than backflip to dodge spear thrusts. The spear throws are unblockable — sprint perpendicular to dodge.
- Gloom phase: Ganondorf's attacks deal Gloom damage (reducing max hearts). His charged attack creates a Gloom wave that covers half the arena. Use Recall on the Gloom projectiles he fires to send them back.
Phase 2 — Demon Dragon: Ganondorf transforms into a massive dragon after swallowing his Secret Stone. Link must dive onto the Demon Dragon's back (similar to fighting Colgera). The weak points are Gloom eyes scattered across the body and wings. Destroy all eyes. The Light Dragon (Zelda) appears to assist in the final sequence: dive from the Demon Dragon onto the Light Dragon, then back, targeting the final eye on Ganondorf's head. The Master Sword delivers the final blow.
Ending: Zelda is restored to human form by Rauru and Sonia's combined power. The final scene shows Link and Zelda on the Great Sky Island, looking out at a Hyrule restored. The post-credits scene shows the Sages returning to their people.
Dragon's Tear Memory Order
The 12 Dragon's Tears (geoglyphs on the Surface) tell the story of Zelda's journey to ancient Hyrule. Viewing them in order is critical for the narrative. The correct chronological order:
| Order | Geoglyph Location | Memory Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Hyrule Plain (Rauru) | Zelda meets Rauru and Sonia |
| 2 | Tabantha Frontier (Sonia) | Zelda becomes the Sage of Time |
| 3 | Eldin Mountains (Molduga) | Ganondorf's first attack; Sonia's death |
| 4 | Gerudo Highlands (Ganondorf) | Ganondorf transforms into the Demon King |
| 5 | Faron Grasslands (Sages) | The sages receive their Secret Stones |
| 6 | Lanayru Wetlands | The Imprisoning War against Ganondorf |
| 7 | Akkala Highlands | Mineru's sacrifice; Rauru seals Ganondorf |
| 8 | Hebra Mountains | Zelda receives the Master Sword |
| 9 | Great Plateau | Zelda's final decision |
| 10 | Eldin Canyon | The Light Dragon is created |
| 11 | Gerudo Canyon | The Master Sword travels through time |
| 12 | Central Hyrule (final memory) | All memories converge |
The map in the Forgotten Temple (south of Hebra) shows all geoglyph locations on the wall. Impa accompanies you here after the initial quest in New Serenne Stable.
Key Equipment Acquisition Timeline
| Item | When Available | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Paraglider | After Great Sky Island | Talk to Purah at Lookout Landing |
| Autobuild | Anytime after Great Sky Island | Great Abandoned Central Mine in Depths (follow Josha's quest) |
| Camera | Anytime after Great Sky Island | Robbie's Depths quest (follows Autobuild) |
| Master Sword | Anytime (2 Stamina wheels required) | Pull from Light Dragon's head |
| Hylian Shield | Anytime | Hyrule Castle Docks (in the Depths, near the lighthouse). Light a brazier with a torch, the chest contains the Hylian Shield |
| Zora Armor | During Water Temple quest | Given by Yona at Mipha Court or found in Ancient Zora Waterworks |
| Champion's Leathers | After all four temples | Zelda's house in Hateno Village (read her journal) |
| Glide Set | Sky Islands | Complete the dive challenge minigames at each Sky Island tower |
