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Start by learning the tools the game puts in front of you, follow the early story far enough to gain useful milestones such as the paraglider and camera, then explore by looking, trying and asking. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is designed for player-directed discovery—not a single route or a checklist you must complete before moving on.
Learn by exploring Great Sky Island
The opening area, Great Sky Island, is a tutorial, but it teaches through its environment. Pay attention to nearby terrain and objects, and use the items and abilities you have just acquired to work through obstacles. If you are unsure what to do next, speak with the golem for guidance. Nintendo’s beginner guide describes these environmental cues and the way new tools matter in nearby challenges.
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Play Nintendo’s early tips focus on learning the four abilities and finding the way off the island. You do not need to uncover every optional discovery before leaving; the useful goal is to understand what your new abilities can do and how they help you progress.
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Follow the story far enough to get useful tools
After the tutorial, let the main quest provide some orientation. Play Nintendo notes that following it can help you reach early milestones such as the paraglider and camera. These tools make it easier to continue your journey and investigate the world, without dictating what you must do afterward. See Play Nintendo’s post-tutorial tips for that early-game guidance.
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- Enhanced performance and visuals exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the skies, caves, and vast lands of Hyrule in a massive open-world adventure.
- Wield new and returning abilities to craft solutions, vehicles, and weapons.
- Discover the mystery behind the spreading gloom threatening the kingdom.
- Use the ZELDA NOTES app to share, compare, and earn daily bonuses.
Think of the story as a helpful starting route, not a required itinerary for every region. Once you have the direction or tools you want, choose the next destination that catches your interest.
Use a simple habit when you explore
Nintendo Support’s general tips recommend looking in places you have not visited, experimenting with Link’s abilities and Zonai devices in new ways, and talking to characters. Turn that advice into three questions whenever you reach a new place or get stuck:
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![The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Standard - Nintendo Switch [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51PuJ83o9KL._SL160_.jpg)
- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
- Look: What can I reach from here, and is there an unexplored path or area nearby?
- Try: Is there an object, ability or Zonai device I have not used in this situation?
- Ask: Is a character nearby who might offer a clue or useful direction?
This approach helps you notice opportunities without pretending there is one definitive list of the game’s best secrets. Nintendo says each player’s exploration experience will differ, so it is reasonable to expect different discoveries and routes.
Remember that exploration spans more than the surface
The game’s world includes Hyrule’s land and floating islands in the sky, and Nintendo’s beginner guide also covers exploring the Depths. Keep all three spaces in mind as you decide where to go, but do not treat any brief route suggestion as an exhaustive guide to what each one contains. Nintendo’s official game page describes the land and sky-island adventure; the beginner guide introduces the Depths.
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![The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41i3ez7HjYL._SL160_.jpg)
- Persistent internet and compatible smart device required. Data charges may apply.
- QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.
What to do if you feel stuck
Rather than retracing a fixed checklist, change one part of your approach: investigate an area you skipped, test a familiar ability or device in a different way, or talk to someone nearby. If you are still in the opening area, look closely at the surroundings and check in with the golem. If you have reached Hyrule, consider whether following the main quest a little farther would provide a useful tool or new direction.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for the Nintendo Switch family of systems, according to Nintendo’s official game page. The beginner advice here does not establish any accessory as necessary for exploration.
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