• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.
  • Do you have audio editing experience and want to help out with the Famiboards Discussion Club Podcast? If so, we're looking for help and would love to have you on the team! Just let us know in the Podcast Thread if you are interested!

StarTopic The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom |ST| Linkin' Parts (Please Tag All Spoilers)

I didn't have an issue with shrines returning in TotK even though it was pushing it narratively speaking. For the most part I also found them an improvement over the ones in BotW in large part due to Ultrahand and Zonai devices being much more versatile than the Sheikah Slate skills. In a third game I'd find it a bit disappointing if they came back with as few changes as they did though. At the very least I thought there would be some aesthetic variation between them.
 
Shirnes act as the subtitute of Piece of Hearts in this new format of the franchise
The rewards do, but not so much the content itself.
Shrines are awesome.

I think in BotW they just bore too much of the burden of the gameplay loop. Like pretty much everything significant ended in a shrine. Even if the stuff to get to them was varied and had environmental puzzles and riddles in the world, it still ended in a shrine. Which is fine, but that’s where I agreed with the “well shrines should have more variety then if they’re gonna be the core thing”

In TOTK it’s different though. Shrines still have the same very important purpose, but they aren’t the end goal of everything you do. I can go into a cave (which can have varied looks, lengths, obstacles), explore it, solve a puzzle or fight a boss and get a unique piece of armor. I can go to a sky island, solve an environmental puzzle or beat a boss and get a sages will. I can explore the depths and get schema stones as rewards, beat hard enemy encounters and get battery upgrades or unique armors as rewards. No shrines involved.

There’s way more permanent upgrades in TotK, and a much bigger variety of how you get them. BotW has none of that. Hell the only examples of non purchasable armor were found IN shrines lol.

Hell, I’ve found myself solving a sky island puzzle, getting a super cool new armor and thinking that was the end of it and being totally satisfied, only to find a blessing shrine right after. At that point it’s just the cherry on top, like I didn’t even expect it or need it lol.

So I find myself resonating less with the shrine complaints I shared with BotW, because they’re just a part of something much bigger and more varied here. In BotW I wanted them more varied because they were the end goal of everything, in TotK they’re a comfortable constant in a massively more varied world.
Despite my problems with their design, I've gotten on with them way better than I expected in TotK for these reasons, considering how done with them I was after they monopolized BotW.

I think it also helps just how readily they use blessing shrines. To the extent that it's kind of silly to still be married to them, really, but it's nice how often the shrine is just the reward instead of the content now. BotW had 16, TotK has 47. That's nearly a third! Add to that the weird combat tutorials and all the naked shrines, and I'd bet that only around 50 or 60 of the shrines actually contain puzzles this time, as opposed to around 90 for BotW, despite there being more shrines in this game.
 
I don’t mind shrines only having a single style in this game because I really like this particular aesthetic and haven’t gotten sick of it at all (the sheikah one, by comparison, felt really dreary and bland after awhile). I also agree that they’re distributed much more nicely rather than being the primary reward for everything

my only complaint about them this time is that they’re almost all extremely easy—most of them have that issue of providing nothing but the exact elements you need to solve them and thus not requiring much thought or critical thinking—focusing way more on teaching the mechanics than testing the player on their understanding. the exceptions to that have all been delightful though: a handful of trickier shrines and one dungeon in particular
 
I'd have definitely opted to change the Shrines' aesthetic as they are connected to the related tower while keeping the same geometry, but overall I don't mind the sameyness as much as I thought I would.

But yeah I do hope they try something else for the next game. I don't know what it would be, but something that makes it feel a bit less iterative.
 
0
On the positive size I agree that Totk shrines aesthetics and music worked for me more than the Sheikah one. Love watching their ceiling.
When I started BOTW I liked the shrine song and now I strongly dislike it.
 
0
I didn't have an issue with shrines returning in TotK even though it was pushing it narratively speaking. For the most part I also found them an improvement over the ones in BotW in large part due to Ultrahand and Zonai devices being much more versatile than the Sheikah Slate skills. In a third game I'd find it a bit disappointing if they came back with as few changes as they did though. At the very least I thought there would be some aesthetic variation between them.
Yeah my main "issue" with ToTK Shrines is that they're very similar to BoTW ones, right down to the name

I still love both but I feel like they could've switched things up a bit more at least from a presentation standpoint
 
Hell the only examples of non purchasable armor were found IN shrines lol.

That's not true. The Champion's Tunic, the entire Zora set, the Gerudo outfit, the diamond circlet, the Thunder helm and the rubber helm were all obtained from neither shops nor shrines. The Hylian trousers, the cold doublet and the flame breaker helm also deserve a mention because while you can buy them in a shop later if you miss them, they are placed to be found earlier.

I don’t mind shrines only having a single style in this game because I really like this particular aesthetic and haven’t gotten sick of it at all (the sheikah one, by comparison, felt really dreary and bland after awhile).
It seems weird how when the Zonai shrines are dimly lit and made of mostly grey, largely unfeatured stone walls, it's the Sheikah shrines that are dreary and bland. This is particularly baffling after all the shit the divine beasts got for being samey stone structures.

I think the Sheikah shrines had more aesthetic variety because they used the standard building blocks in different ways to give varying tones. Some felt darker and more oppressive, while others were lighter and airier. The Zonai shrines, because they're so dimly lit and desaturated, can only be dimly lit and desaturated. Excepting of course the cool inner space blessing shrines.
 
It seems weird how when the Zonai shrines are dimly lit and made of mostly grey, largely unfeatured stone walls, it's the Sheikah shrines that are dreary and bland. This is particularly baffling after all the shit the divine beasts got for being samey stone structures.

I think the Sheikah shrines had more aesthetic variety because they used the standard building blocks in different ways to give varying tones. Some felt darker and more oppressive, while others were lighter and airier. The Zonai shrines, because they're so dimly lit and desaturated, can only be dimly lit and desaturated. Excepting of course the cool inner space blessing shrines.
The desaturation of the Zonai Shrine colors works in its favor. It's more soothing, more calming. The harsh lights of the BOTW Shrines not so much.
 
Yeah my main "issue" with ToTK Shrines is that they're very similar to BoTW ones, right down to the name

I still love both but I feel like they could've switched things up a bit more at least from a presentation standpoint
I know I've been harping on about this but the moment we realized that the Zonai would play a big role and that shrines might be back I hoped that they'd lean heavily into the dragon/owl/boar imagery that was used in their ruins. I thought it'd make sense to have puzzle shrines be owl-themed, combat shrines to have boar imagery and the rest be dragon-themed, all with their own design elements and colour schemes. It sadly didn't work out like that but at the very least the blessing shrines looked gorgeous and the music is great.
 
Managed to find all caves. Despite the Satori method, I had to look up the final 3 I was missing in a guide.

I will pop in every now and then to kill some bosses and fill up the compendium, but I am sadly done with most of the content. Those were some awesome 150 hours, and I am not burned out at all.
 
yep, there's a compendium entry for wells so you can use the sensor for 'em
250hrs in and I’m just learning this now on finding wells. It’s funny because Well Lady even says, She wished there was a way to find them all. I kept thinking I was going to find an item or a piece of clothing to help find the wells.
 
0
Without spoilers or telling me the solution, am I able to approach the floating mid-way through the game or is it something I have to come back to later? For context, I'm two dungeons in, haven't gotten the master sword yet.
 
It is a bit of a bummer that the four main dungeons are just the same regions as BotW. Like I get that they want the sages to correspond to the unique races, I just don't agree with the decision to make it: sky/desert/mountain/lake again. Even if the Goron dungeon is in the depths and the Zora dungeon is in the sky, it just felt like a retread to me. I think the fact that TotK is a direct sequel exacerbated the samey-ness, normally if a Zelda has dungeons in race specific zones, it doesn't bother me. Spirit Temple (including the Faron lead up) became a welcome variation. Even if controlling that mech was a bit of a chore.
 
0
Without spoilers or telling me the solution, am I able to approach the floating mid-way through the game or is it something I have to come back to later? For context, I'm two dungeons in, haven't gotten the master sword yet.
It's something you have to come back to later.
 
The gloomy hands ost is legit a top 10 Zelda theme. Absolutely amazing.




Also the sound effect when you drop down a chasm is scary as hell.
 
Took a break from Fami to enjoy this magnificent game. Three dungeons, 50+ shrines, 70+ hours of gameplay, and a bunch of awesome quests later:

this is my favorite Zelda game since... Link to the Past. I feel exactly the same way as I did playing that game at a friend's house in the 90s. Just a stunningly wonderful game that leaves me happier for having the chance to explore and understand its inner workings like we did on the SNES.

Not even close to finishing it, but I just wanted to say that it's been worth the wait.
 
New weather effect for BOTW 3: wild fire smog

You have to big a Zonai respirator and googles or else you'll lose both your hearts and stamina over time.
 
I got the Master Sword a bit earlier than the story really required or pushed you towards it and some of the quests are now funny. They'll be like "Yes, you'll need the Master Sword to defeat the Demon King. Good thing I see you already have it"

NEW QUEST: THE HERO'S SWORD

Followed immediately by:

QUEST COMPLETE: THE HERO'S SWORD
 
Woohoo, got this amazing print by one of the visual dev artists who worked on the mario movie a few weeks ago, it took forever to get to the uk but very pleased with it!

20230608_163410.jpg

If anyone wants to check out the artist and their stuff, their twitter is Here!
 
So I just finished my 3rd Regional Phenomena (Rito) and I'm not sure what I want to focus on now. Feels like I'm close to reaching a 'tipping point' where the best thing left to do is finish the game, but I'm not sure if I want to go that far just yet.

Should?
1) Do some more of the Dragon's Tear quest. I've got Memories 2-7 and 10, with 5 left to collect
2) Go do the Gerudo Phenomena and finish that quest-line
3) Do one or two of the bigger side-quests like Lurelin village, the Great Plateau, or the Yiga Clan stuff in the Depths

I know that asking for guidance isn't really in the spirit of the game, but I'm just really, really not sure what might be best to do right now. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)
 
So I just finished my 3rd Regional Phenomena (Rito) and I'm not sure what I want to focus on now. Feels like I'm close to reaching a 'tipping point' where the best thing left to do is finish the game, but I'm not sure if I want to go that far just yet.

Should?
1) Do some more of the Dragon's Tear quest. I've got Memories 2-7 and 10, with 5 left to collect
2) Go do the Gerudo Phenomena and finish that quest-line
3) Do one or two of the bigger side-quests like Lurelin village, the Great Plateau, or the Yiga Clan stuff in the Depths

I know that asking for guidance isn't really in the spirit of the game, but I'm just really, really not sure what might be best to do right now. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)

I'd just keep going with the Regional Phenomena, with that included you have at least like 12-15 hours more just of story content if you did nothing else. The game makes it very clear when you're going to be heading for the end (that's where I'm at now) so I'm just bombing around doing other stuff now.
 
So I just finished my 3rd Regional Phenomena (Rito) and I'm not sure what I want to focus on now. Feels like I'm close to reaching a 'tipping point' where the best thing left to do is finish the game, but I'm not sure if I want to go that far just yet.

Should?
1) Do some more of the Dragon's Tear quest. I've got Memories 2-7 and 10, with 5 left to collect
2) Go do the Gerudo Phenomena and finish that quest-line
3) Do one or two of the bigger side-quests like Lurelin village, the Great Plateau, or the Yiga Clan stuff in the Depths

I know that asking for guidance isn't really in the spirit of the game, but I'm just really, really not sure what might be best to do right now. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)
Maybe get the next two memories (there’s a way to see which order to do them in if you want to know), then do Gerudo. If you want some reasoning, slight spoilers on game structure:
The main quest still has more before the final boss after regional phenomena, unlike BotW, so plenty of time to still space out significant stuff in between it. I tackled Lurelin in between doing one of the post-Phenomena main quests.

The Yiga side adventure in the depths can also be spaced out too. Don’t need to do it all at once. I’m saving the last part for before I tackle the final boss. Do recommend at least starting it now though if you haven’t.
 
So I just finished my 3rd Regional Phenomena (Rito) and I'm not sure what I want to focus on now. Feels like I'm close to reaching a 'tipping point' where the best thing left to do is finish the game, but I'm not sure if I want to go that far just yet.

Should?
1) Do some more of the Dragon's Tear quest. I've got Memories 2-7 and 10, with 5 left to collect
2) Go do the Gerudo Phenomena and finish that quest-line
3) Do one or two of the bigger side-quests like Lurelin village, the Great Plateau, or the Yiga Clan stuff in the Depths

I know that asking for guidance isn't really in the spirit of the game, but I'm just really, really not sure what might be best to do right now. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! :)
Have you done anything with the Yiga Clan in the Depths? Like the initial sidequest at Lookout Landing? I would recommend doing some of the Yiga stuff before Gerudo.

Edit: These last three posts really didn't help. Lol
 
Woohoo, got this amazing print by one of the visual dev artists who worked on the mario movie a few weeks ago, it took forever to get to the uk but very pleased with it!

20230608_163410.jpg

If anyone wants to check out the artist and their stuff, their twitter is Here!

That looks amazing! Their artwork is great, I gave them a follow.
 
I'd just keep going with the Regional Phenomena, with that included you have at least like 12-15 hours more just of story content if you did nothing else. The game makes it very clear when you're going to be heading for the end (that's where I'm at now) so I'm just bombing around doing other stuff now.
Maybe get the next two memories (there’s a way to see which order to do them in if you want to know), then do Gerudo. If you want some reasoning, slight spoilers on game structure:
The main quest still has more before the final boss after regional phenomena, unlike BotW, so plenty of time to still space out significant stuff in between it. I tackled Lurelin in between doing one of the post-Phenomena main quests.

The Yiga side adventure in the depths can also be spaced out too. Don’t need to do it all at once. I’m saving the last part for before I tackle the final boss. Do recommend at least starting it now though if you haven’t.

Have you done anything with the Yiga Clan in the Depths? Like the initial sidequest at Lookout Landing? I would recommend doing some of the Yiga stuff before Gerudo.


Edit: These last three posts really didn't help. Lol
Thanks! I think I'll do those two memories (I figured out the order, yeah), go to Gerudo Town and explore a bit of that area, and then go do more of that Depths quest. Then I'll move on with the regional phenomena before slowing down a bit before the end. Feels like I might not even finish this before July lol.

I fought Master Kohga once, then he fucked off over to Gerudo. So I've started the quest, but I think I'm probably quite early on with it. I have however found two of the over-world Yiga bases to get the Yiga armour.

In terms of other major stuff I've done, I've finished the Great Fairy quest-line, the Hateno Village quest-line, the Tarrey Town/Monster-Picture quests, and the Newspaper/Stable quests. Also built a finalised house with all 15 slots filled. Feels like I've done a lot lol
 
0
I got the Master Sword a bit earlier than the story really required or pushed you towards it and some of the quests are now funny. They'll be like "Yes, you'll need the Master Sword to defeat the Demon King. Good thing I see you already have it"

NEW QUEST: THE HERO'S SWORD

Followed immediately by:

QUEST COMPLETE: THE HERO'S SWORD
I love that.

I got a "NEW SIDE ADVENTURE" immediately followed by COMPLETE and it was satisfying as hell.
 
0
So I've done 2 dungeons (Rito and Goron) and am slowly working my way through the map. I have half of the memories, not including the Master Sword one.

For those who have finished the game, I'm looking for some non-spoilery advice on what order to do the following please:

  • Dungeons (Zora and Gerudo)
  • Yiga mission in Depths
  • Master Sword glyph
  • Master Sword quest
  • Hyrule Castle

Without spoiling, once you do the 4 regions quest-lines, is it similar to BOTW in terms of just 'go to this place and fight the final boss' or is there more to it this time?
 
Without spoiling, once you do the 4 regions quest-lines, is it similar to BOTW in terms of just 'go to this place and fight the final boss' or is there more to it this time?
There's more this time
 
0
The gloomy hands ost is legit a top 10 Zelda theme. Absolutely amazing.




Also the sound effect when you drop down a chasm is scary as hell.

It's interesting how most people (including me) assumed the "creepy" vocal samples was supposed to be part of some Zonai musical theme, starting with the original 2019 trailer, when in reality it was always a musical element representing the gloom.
 
Actually made my way most of the way up Death Mountain today. Neat.

I'm pretty sure this was a coincidence, but something funny happened when I freed Yunobo. Having completed all the memories, I know the Zelda hanging around Death Mountain is a fake. As Link and Yunobo set out for Death Mountain, who should be flying around the caldera but the Light Dragon?

Kind funny Link not spilling the beans on Zelda; he's told Impa, but is otherwise keeping stum. Wish they'd made a handful of script changes to better reflect the non-linear potential of things; Link explaining this Zelda is an imposter wouldn't really change the need to pursuit Zelda into Death Mountain.
 
Imagine if Nintendo eventually tweets "The Sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is now in development. Only in theaters Summer 2025."
 
I should probably explore Akkala for real this time, got too distracted making zooming around on silly vehicles
 
0
Found the Monolith Soft stuff in the depths near Necluda

Left Leg Depot? What is this, the Hylionis?

Also found an absurdly strong sword and shield in the Construct Factory, which I used to take down a gloomy Blue Hinox. Ended up getting a blood moon after I left, so I'll have to go back for seconds
I was right for the wrong reason

I had come back to these a few times trying to figure out what to do, then ended up finding the Spirit Temple last night followed by actually getting into the Dragonhead Island. This game continues to amaze

EDIT: god damn Mineru sucks. how did they make a freaking mech so weak

but this denouement cutscene goes hard. that explains the shrine swirl. And they got the classic overworld theme in
 
Last edited:
Finally finished the game after 170+ hours.

It's a MASTERPIECE! Sorry, still pretty excited after that finale.

...there's still so much I wanna do (sidequest and region spoilers)...Labyrinths, Lurelin Village, monster hunting, expand Link's new house even further, the Great Plateau sidequest with the Poes overall. but will take it a bit easier for now and focus on SF6.
 
It's a MASTERPIECE! Sorry, still pretty excited after that finale
I'm at 160 hours and there's a region I still haven't touched. And people in this thread have been talking about how great the finale is... ugh why oh why do people need to work
 


Back
Top Bottom