20 Hidden Secrets in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
"The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" is a huge game, which means there are plenty of secrets to uncover. For this list, we'll be looking at references and nods to past “Zelda” games, as well as other cool hidden secrets. Some of these do deal with story elements, so beware of spoilers ahead. Our list of hidden secrets in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" includes Koume and Kotake, Purah's Experiments, Recycling the 'Ultrahand' Name, Fish in the Sky, and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re exploring 20 Hidden Secrets in “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.” For this list, we’ll be looking at references and nods to past “Zelda” games, as well as other cool hidden secrets. Some of these do deal with story elements, so beware of spoilers ahead. Have you found all of these Easter Eggs? Are there any others you think no one has noticed? Share your thoughts in the comments!
One of the game’s most charming Easter Eggs started making the rounds soon after launch. It appears Link is more than familiar with the soundtracks of his own series as, when he cooks, you might hear him humming familiar tunes. Players have noticed some classic tracks, such as “Zelda’s Lullaby,” “Epona’s Song,” and the franchise’s main theme. However, he’ll also hum newer songs like “Ballad of the Goddess” and “Kass’ Theme.” This franchise has always been great at incorporating its cherished music in different ways. So, it was nice to see these songs pop up here, on top of it being adorable to boot.
“Tears of the Kingdom” gives players a new bag of tricks to play with, though the one you likely use most is Ultrahand. It can pick up many objects, but is also used to weld things together to create vehicles and contraptions. However, Ultrahand is not an original name. Nintendo recycled it from a toy it produced before becoming a game company, first released in 1966. It was actually created by Gunpei Yokoi, who also created the iconic Game Boy. It has been referenced in several Nintendo releases, though this is the second instance of it in a “Zelda” game. In “Majora’s Mask 3D,” you can spot one hanging on a wall in the Clocktown bomb shop.
For any players feeling nostalgic about “Breath of the Wild,” the sequel rewards you for taking the time to explore the original game’s opening area. If you head back to the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau, you’ll see its entrance is covered by vines. Inside is a healing pool. But in the back, there’s a hole that drops you into a small Yiga Clan hideout. Link will be attacked by a couple of them should he try to steal their bananas, and the Steward Construct will give you a new schema stone for defeating them. Right next door, you can also revisit the Temple of Time to earn the Nostalgic Fabric (Xref), which models your paraglider after the one in the first game.
Koroks are back in “Tears of the Kingdom,” either to your delight or your displeasure. Other than the heavy backpack-toting Koroks who need help reaching their friends, how you find them hasn’t changed all that much. One of the common hiding places of these forest dwellers is in a pattern of rocks, which requires you to find a missing one to complete it. However, if you don’t feel like searching and you happen to have a weapon or shield with a rock fused to it already, that’ll also do the trick. You don’t even have to drop the item; just step into the empty space while it’s equipped.
If you used the Champion Amiibos in “Breath of the Wild,” you’d earn the respective character’s Divine Helm. These masks resemble each Divine Beast and give you a nice perk. They appear again in “Tears of the Kingdom,” but are unlocked through a side quest after completing each of the four main dungeons. If Link is wearing one, the Sage from the corresponding region will also don a mask, just the ancient version of it that we see Sages of the past wearing. It's a nice aesthetic touch, but it’s also cool to see another connection between Sages of the present and those of the past.
In “Breath of the Wild,” you could fulfill a side quest to earn yourself a house in Hateno Village. As soon as players gained access to the town in “Tears,” the first thing many of us did was check back up on it. In between games, Zelda either took it over or moved in with him. The photos across the wall all connect to the Lucky Clover Gazette side quests, which has Link following up on possible princess sightings. If your Switch has save data for the first game’s “Champions’ Ballad” DLC, you’ll also spot that group shot of the heroes. Finally, going down the nearby well reveals Zelda’s secret study, a chest that holds Link’s hair band from the first game, and a diary that tells you where to get a new Champion’s Tunic.
Just like “Breath of the Wild,” the game offers plenty of armor sets and masks that reference past games in the series. The only difference is that in “Tears,” you don’t have to buy DLC or Amiibo to earn them. It was a lot of fun tracking down each piece of the awesome Fierce Deity Armor through a side quest, though many others are found in the Depths. You can dress this Link like your favorite incarnation whether he be the Hero of Winds or the Hero of Twilight. Items like Midna’s Helmet and Majora’s Mask also come with welcome benefits. The Armor of Awakening is a nice new addition, which humorosuly pays homage to the cartoony “Link’s Awakening” remake.
Due to their aggressive behavior and the stressful music that accompanied them, we weren’t too bummed to learn that Guardians don’t appear in “Tears of the Kingdom.” In fact, the majority of Sheikah tech from the first game, including the Divine Beasts and Towers, are gone without an explanation. However, there is one remnant of the Sheikah’s machines, and it appears in a pretty fitting place. If you head to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab and climb to the top, you’ll see a deactivated Guardian tied to the roof. There’s even a Korok hiding on its head.
We love a scaling theme, and each of the four main dungeons in “Tears of the Kingdom” has one. More instruments and parts are added to the music with each objective you complete. But one of the coolest aspects of these pieces of music is how they blend in themes of the Champions from “Breath of the Wild.” While progressing, you’ll hear notes from the themes for Daruk, Revali, Mipha, and Urbosa, as well as music from their Divine Beasts, within each of the dungeons from their respective regions. Not only was it just really pleasing to hear, but it was a subtle way to show those heroes had not been forgotten.
In the sewers beneath Gerudo Town, you’ll see several messages in bottles floating down the stream. They’re each from Calyban, a lonely Gerudo looking for true love. She won’t give you a side quest when you speak to her, you can’t carry any bottles up to her, and after beating the Lightning Temple, she’ll still sit in the same spot and mope. At first, we thought her bottles were meant to hint where the Gerudo shelter was. But you can actually fuse one of these bottles to a shield or the pot hanging from the well, or, if it’s close enough, Recall it to where she sits above. Once you show it to her, she’ll declare Link the Voe of her dreams and give you Creamy Heart Soup every day you visit her.
With pools of Gloom spread across the Depths, traversing can be troublesome. Of course, there are multiple ways to avoid being inflicted with the status effect, such as building Zonai vehicles, acquiring some Gloom-resistant armor, or making the proper meals. However, another way the game doesn’t tell you is by riding a Stalhorse. You’ll find these skeletal steeds at several points and they’re always worth grabbing since the Gloom has no effect on them. More importantly, since there is no sunlight in the Depths, the Stalhorses won’t disappear at daybreak like they do on the surface.
Purah was one of the more entertaining side characters in “Breath of the Wild.” She was well over a century old, yet trapped in the body of a child from a failed age-reversal experiment. She seemed to naturally age in between both games, but that gap didn’t match up with other elements that showed how much time had passed. That’s because she didn’t age naturally. In her room at Lookout Landing, you can find her diary, which leads you on a scavenger hunt for other volumes at different spots in Hyrule. The third volume, found at the Hateno Tech Lab, explains she performed another experiment. Only this time, the results were exactly what she wanted.
“Breath of the Wild” featured a subtle nod to “The Wind Waker” with Lurelin Village, the layout of which had a lot in common with Outset Island. If there was ever any doubt, Nintendo made it abundantly clear in “Tears.” In the sequel, the seaside town comes under attack of pirates until Link can clear them out. Though these pirates are really just monsters, it's a nice reference to how Link’s world was turned upside down by a pirate visit in the earlier game. Additionally, after you save the village, you gain access to several side quests. One earns you the Island Lobster Shirt, the same top Link is seen wearing in “Wind Waker” before his grandmother gives him the classic green tunic.
Similar to the first game, the Blood Moon cutscene is narrated by Zelda. These happen pretty frequently, so many players may have gotten used to skipping them. However, at a very specific point in the story, it will change. Once you’ve completed the four main dungeons and make it to Hyrule Castle, it’s revealed the Zelda people have been seeing and speaking with all across the kingdom is really one of Ganondorf’s puppets. After this reveal and subsequent fight, Zelda and her narration will be missing from every Blood Moon cutscene. Not only does that show it was never really her speaking to begin with, but it’s a clever way to play with our expectations.
Similar to Armor Sets, there are a ton of weapons in “Tears of the Kingdom” that reference past entries. If you’re looking for a little “Twilight Princess” love, the Dusk Bow can be found at the top of Hyrule Castle while the Dusk Claymore is found in Typhlo Ruins. The Fierce Deity Sword, an Amiibo exclusive in the first game, is earned after getting the accompanying Armor Set. Many others are found in chests within the Depths. These include the Boomerang and first shield from “Wind Waker,” the Biggoron’s Sword from “Ocarina of Time,” and even the Sword of the Hero from the NES original. If you break them, you can purchase them again at Bargainer Statues.
The Depths are a mysterious place that, strangely, mirror the surface above. It didn’t take too long for players to notice that Light Roots underground are at the same spots as Shrines up above and that their names are just backwards. Mountains become valleys while bodies of water are impassable walls. But it isn’t just the topography of the surface that the Depths mirror. Bargainer Statues can be found at the same spot as Goddess Statues, Leviathan Bones correspond to Dark Skeletons underneath, and each major town sits above a grand mine. This has actually made searching for certain things, like Shrines, much easier.
Nicknamed Flowerblight Ganon by fans, Magda was an intense gardener in “Breath of the Wild.” If Link were to step on the flowers she planted around a Shrine too many times, she’d unleash a fury he had never experienced. Magda returns in “Tears” through one of the Lucky Clover Gazette quests. And you can have a bit of fun with her without fear of repercussions, other than a few insults. If you try to take her tools, she’ll tell you to keep your grubby hands off. Step on her flowers again, she’ll chastise you for hurting such beautiful petals. What’s funny is that she’ll always say her insults are what the plants and tools could say if they could talk. For extra fun, trying overwatering them or lighting them on fire.
If you’ve played any other entries in the series, looking at the map should ring multiple bells. All across Hyrule are locations named after characters and places from previous games. For “Tears,” Nintendo took one of them and added an extra cool Easter Egg. While doing the Zora part of the main story, you’ll be told to find the Land of the Sky Fish. This refers to a fish-shaped land mass in the sky called Floating Scales Island. What’s interesting is that it floats directly above Tal Tal Peak, which gets its name from Tal Tal Mountain Range, the last major area in “Link’s Awakening.” In that game, just North of this mountain range, you’ll find the egg of the Wind Fish.
Ganon and his actions have claimed a lot of lives in this Hyrule, and you can find monuments to their sacrifice in several spots across the map. At places like Fort Hateno and the Great Plateau, where the Guardians hit the hardest during the Calamity, Zelda has placed stone slabs in honor of their memory. You could find King Rhoam’s grave in “Breath of the Wild,” but it appears the Princess revisited it to leave behind her father’s sword. After Queen Sonia’s death, one of the Dragon’s Tears cutscenes shows Rauru mourning at her grave. Despite how much time has passed, you can still find this grave in the Forgotten Temple along with a few sundelions.
First appearing in “Ocarina of Time,” Koume and Kotake are twin witches and the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf. They’ve appeared a couple of other times, though never played as big a role as they did here. “Tears of the Kingdom” pays homage to these villains through Phantom Ganon. Eagle-eyed players noticed inscriptions on the weapons he drops, which, when translated, read Koume and Kotake. There’s another well-hidden reference to them in the “Show of Fealty” memory. While Ganondorf swears loyalty to Rauru, you can spot two Gerudo on either side of him; one of their masks holds a red gemstone and the other a blue one, calling back to the witches’ elemental prowess. Their skin is also much greener than other Gerudo, matching with their “Ocarina” appearance.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re exploring 20 Hidden Secrets in “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.” For this list, we’ll be looking at references and nods to past “Zelda” games, as well as other cool hidden secrets. Some of these do deal with story elements, so beware of spoilers ahead. Have you found all of these Easter Eggs? Are there any others you think no one has noticed? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Link’s Favorite Tunes
One of the game’s most charming Easter Eggs started making the rounds soon after launch. It appears Link is more than familiar with the soundtracks of his own series as, when he cooks, you might hear him humming familiar tunes. Players have noticed some classic tracks, such as “Zelda’s Lullaby,” “Epona’s Song,” and the franchise’s main theme. However, he’ll also hum newer songs like “Ballad of the Goddess” and “Kass’ Theme.” This franchise has always been great at incorporating its cherished music in different ways. So, it was nice to see these songs pop up here, on top of it being adorable to boot.
Recycling a Name
“Tears of the Kingdom” gives players a new bag of tricks to play with, though the one you likely use most is Ultrahand. It can pick up many objects, but is also used to weld things together to create vehicles and contraptions. However, Ultrahand is not an original name. Nintendo recycled it from a toy it produced before becoming a game company, first released in 1966. It was actually created by Gunpei Yokoi, who also created the iconic Game Boy. It has been referenced in several Nintendo releases, though this is the second instance of it in a “Zelda” game. In “Majora’s Mask 3D,” you can spot one hanging on a wall in the Clocktown bomb shop.
The Shrine of Resurrection
For any players feeling nostalgic about “Breath of the Wild,” the sequel rewards you for taking the time to explore the original game’s opening area. If you head back to the Shrine of Resurrection on the Great Plateau, you’ll see its entrance is covered by vines. Inside is a healing pool. But in the back, there’s a hole that drops you into a small Yiga Clan hideout. Link will be attacked by a couple of them should he try to steal their bananas, and the Steward Construct will give you a new schema stone for defeating them. Right next door, you can also revisit the Temple of Time to earn the Nostalgic Fabric (Xref), which models your paraglider after the one in the first game.
Korok Rocks
Koroks are back in “Tears of the Kingdom,” either to your delight or your displeasure. Other than the heavy backpack-toting Koroks who need help reaching their friends, how you find them hasn’t changed all that much. One of the common hiding places of these forest dwellers is in a pattern of rocks, which requires you to find a missing one to complete it. However, if you don’t feel like searching and you happen to have a weapon or shield with a rock fused to it already, that’ll also do the trick. You don’t even have to drop the item; just step into the empty space while it’s equipped.
Divine Helms
If you used the Champion Amiibos in “Breath of the Wild,” you’d earn the respective character’s Divine Helm. These masks resemble each Divine Beast and give you a nice perk. They appear again in “Tears of the Kingdom,” but are unlocked through a side quest after completing each of the four main dungeons. If Link is wearing one, the Sage from the corresponding region will also don a mask, just the ancient version of it that we see Sages of the past wearing. It's a nice aesthetic touch, but it’s also cool to see another connection between Sages of the present and those of the past.
Returning Home
In “Breath of the Wild,” you could fulfill a side quest to earn yourself a house in Hateno Village. As soon as players gained access to the town in “Tears,” the first thing many of us did was check back up on it. In between games, Zelda either took it over or moved in with him. The photos across the wall all connect to the Lucky Clover Gazette side quests, which has Link following up on possible princess sightings. If your Switch has save data for the first game’s “Champions’ Ballad” DLC, you’ll also spot that group shot of the heroes. Finally, going down the nearby well reveals Zelda’s secret study, a chest that holds Link’s hair band from the first game, and a diary that tells you where to get a new Champion’s Tunic.
Familiar Styles
Just like “Breath of the Wild,” the game offers plenty of armor sets and masks that reference past games in the series. The only difference is that in “Tears,” you don’t have to buy DLC or Amiibo to earn them. It was a lot of fun tracking down each piece of the awesome Fierce Deity Armor through a side quest, though many others are found in the Depths. You can dress this Link like your favorite incarnation whether he be the Hero of Winds or the Hero of Twilight. Items like Midna’s Helmet and Majora’s Mask also come with welcome benefits. The Armor of Awakening is a nice new addition, which humorosuly pays homage to the cartoony “Link’s Awakening” remake.
The Lone Guardian
Due to their aggressive behavior and the stressful music that accompanied them, we weren’t too bummed to learn that Guardians don’t appear in “Tears of the Kingdom.” In fact, the majority of Sheikah tech from the first game, including the Divine Beasts and Towers, are gone without an explanation. However, there is one remnant of the Sheikah’s machines, and it appears in a pretty fitting place. If you head to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab and climb to the top, you’ll see a deactivated Guardian tied to the roof. There’s even a Korok hiding on its head.
Champion Themes
We love a scaling theme, and each of the four main dungeons in “Tears of the Kingdom” has one. More instruments and parts are added to the music with each objective you complete. But one of the coolest aspects of these pieces of music is how they blend in themes of the Champions from “Breath of the Wild.” While progressing, you’ll hear notes from the themes for Daruk, Revali, Mipha, and Urbosa, as well as music from their Divine Beasts, within each of the dungeons from their respective regions. Not only was it just really pleasing to hear, but it was a subtle way to show those heroes had not been forgotten.
The Lonely Gerudo
In the sewers beneath Gerudo Town, you’ll see several messages in bottles floating down the stream. They’re each from Calyban, a lonely Gerudo looking for true love. She won’t give you a side quest when you speak to her, you can’t carry any bottles up to her, and after beating the Lightning Temple, she’ll still sit in the same spot and mope. At first, we thought her bottles were meant to hint where the Gerudo shelter was. But you can actually fuse one of these bottles to a shield or the pot hanging from the well, or, if it’s close enough, Recall it to where she sits above. Once you show it to her, she’ll declare Link the Voe of her dreams and give you Creamy Heart Soup every day you visit her.
Gloom Immune Steeds
With pools of Gloom spread across the Depths, traversing can be troublesome. Of course, there are multiple ways to avoid being inflicted with the status effect, such as building Zonai vehicles, acquiring some Gloom-resistant armor, or making the proper meals. However, another way the game doesn’t tell you is by riding a Stalhorse. You’ll find these skeletal steeds at several points and they’re always worth grabbing since the Gloom has no effect on them. More importantly, since there is no sunlight in the Depths, the Stalhorses won’t disappear at daybreak like they do on the surface.
Purah’s Experiments
Purah was one of the more entertaining side characters in “Breath of the Wild.” She was well over a century old, yet trapped in the body of a child from a failed age-reversal experiment. She seemed to naturally age in between both games, but that gap didn’t match up with other elements that showed how much time had passed. That’s because she didn’t age naturally. In her room at Lookout Landing, you can find her diary, which leads you on a scavenger hunt for other volumes at different spots in Hyrule. The third volume, found at the Hateno Tech Lab, explains she performed another experiment. Only this time, the results were exactly what she wanted.
A Pirate’s Life
“Breath of the Wild” featured a subtle nod to “The Wind Waker” with Lurelin Village, the layout of which had a lot in common with Outset Island. If there was ever any doubt, Nintendo made it abundantly clear in “Tears.” In the sequel, the seaside town comes under attack of pirates until Link can clear them out. Though these pirates are really just monsters, it's a nice reference to how Link’s world was turned upside down by a pirate visit in the earlier game. Additionally, after you save the village, you gain access to several side quests. One earns you the Island Lobster Shirt, the same top Link is seen wearing in “Wind Waker” before his grandmother gives him the classic green tunic.
The Blood Moon
Similar to the first game, the Blood Moon cutscene is narrated by Zelda. These happen pretty frequently, so many players may have gotten used to skipping them. However, at a very specific point in the story, it will change. Once you’ve completed the four main dungeons and make it to Hyrule Castle, it’s revealed the Zelda people have been seeing and speaking with all across the kingdom is really one of Ganondorf’s puppets. After this reveal and subsequent fight, Zelda and her narration will be missing from every Blood Moon cutscene. Not only does that show it was never really her speaking to begin with, but it’s a clever way to play with our expectations.
Weapons From Ages Past
Similar to Armor Sets, there are a ton of weapons in “Tears of the Kingdom” that reference past entries. If you’re looking for a little “Twilight Princess” love, the Dusk Bow can be found at the top of Hyrule Castle while the Dusk Claymore is found in Typhlo Ruins. The Fierce Deity Sword, an Amiibo exclusive in the first game, is earned after getting the accompanying Armor Set. Many others are found in chests within the Depths. These include the Boomerang and first shield from “Wind Waker,” the Biggoron’s Sword from “Ocarina of Time,” and even the Sword of the Hero from the NES original. If you break them, you can purchase them again at Bargainer Statues.
The Reflective World
The Depths are a mysterious place that, strangely, mirror the surface above. It didn’t take too long for players to notice that Light Roots underground are at the same spots as Shrines up above and that their names are just backwards. Mountains become valleys while bodies of water are impassable walls. But it isn’t just the topography of the surface that the Depths mirror. Bargainer Statues can be found at the same spot as Goddess Statues, Leviathan Bones correspond to Dark Skeletons underneath, and each major town sits above a grand mine. This has actually made searching for certain things, like Shrines, much easier.
The Return of Flowerblight Ganon
Nicknamed Flowerblight Ganon by fans, Magda was an intense gardener in “Breath of the Wild.” If Link were to step on the flowers she planted around a Shrine too many times, she’d unleash a fury he had never experienced. Magda returns in “Tears” through one of the Lucky Clover Gazette quests. And you can have a bit of fun with her without fear of repercussions, other than a few insults. If you try to take her tools, she’ll tell you to keep your grubby hands off. Step on her flowers again, she’ll chastise you for hurting such beautiful petals. What’s funny is that she’ll always say her insults are what the plants and tools could say if they could talk. For extra fun, trying overwatering them or lighting them on fire.
Fish in the Sky
If you’ve played any other entries in the series, looking at the map should ring multiple bells. All across Hyrule are locations named after characters and places from previous games. For “Tears,” Nintendo took one of them and added an extra cool Easter Egg. While doing the Zora part of the main story, you’ll be told to find the Land of the Sky Fish. This refers to a fish-shaped land mass in the sky called Floating Scales Island. What’s interesting is that it floats directly above Tal Tal Peak, which gets its name from Tal Tal Mountain Range, the last major area in “Link’s Awakening.” In that game, just North of this mountain range, you’ll find the egg of the Wind Fish.
Monuments to Fallen Heroes
Ganon and his actions have claimed a lot of lives in this Hyrule, and you can find monuments to their sacrifice in several spots across the map. At places like Fort Hateno and the Great Plateau, where the Guardians hit the hardest during the Calamity, Zelda has placed stone slabs in honor of their memory. You could find King Rhoam’s grave in “Breath of the Wild,” but it appears the Princess revisited it to leave behind her father’s sword. After Queen Sonia’s death, one of the Dragon’s Tears cutscenes shows Rauru mourning at her grave. Despite how much time has passed, you can still find this grave in the Forgotten Temple along with a few sundelions.
Koume and Kotake
First appearing in “Ocarina of Time,” Koume and Kotake are twin witches and the surrogate mothers of Ganondorf. They’ve appeared a couple of other times, though never played as big a role as they did here. “Tears of the Kingdom” pays homage to these villains through Phantom Ganon. Eagle-eyed players noticed inscriptions on the weapons he drops, which, when translated, read Koume and Kotake. There’s another well-hidden reference to them in the “Show of Fealty” memory. While Ganondorf swears loyalty to Rauru, you can spot two Gerudo on either side of him; one of their masks holds a red gemstone and the other a blue one, calling back to the witches’ elemental prowess. Their skin is also much greener than other Gerudo, matching with their “Ocarina” appearance.
