The Legend of Zelda
Developed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka.
The core elements of The Legend of Zelda include:
A focus on adventure and exploration
Puzzle-solving dungeons requiring the use of equipment
The Legend of Zelda series can be categorized as:
The Legend of Zelda (2D)
The Legend of Zelda (3D)
The Legend of Zelda (3D)
The Legend of Zelda made the transition to 3D with Ocarina of Time with subsequent 3D Legend of Zelda games following this format.
Games
Ocarina of Time
Majora’s Mask
The Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword
Breath of the Wild
Tears of the Kingdom
Most of The Legend of Zelda games are standalone however they feature different incarnations of the same characters, most notably of Link, Zelda, and Ganon.
Hero of Sky Link from Skyward Sword
Hero of Time Link from Ocarina of Time
Hero of Twilight Link from Twilight Princess
Hero of Winds from Wind Waker
Hero of the Wild from Breath of the Wild
Ocarina of Time (1998)
The fairy Navi awakens Link from a nightmare in which he watches a man in black armor (Ganondorf) pursuing a young girl (Zelda) on horseback. Navi brings Link to the Great Deku Tree, who has been cursed and is near death. The Deku Tree tells Link that Ganon cursed him and that Link must stop him from conquering the world. Before dying, the Great Deku Tree gives Link the Spiritual Stone of the Forest and sends him to Hyrule Castle to speak with Hyrule's princess, Zelda.
At the Hyrule Castle garden, Link meets Princess Zelda, who believes Ganondorf, the evil Gerudo king, is seeking the Triforce, a holy relic that gives its holder godlike power. Zelda asks Link to obtain the 3 Spiritual Stones to enter the Sacred Realm and claim the Triforce before Ganondorf reaches it. Link collects the other 2 stones: the first from Darunia, leader of the Gorons, and the second from Ruto, princess of the Zoras. Link returns to Hyrule Castle, where he sees Ganondorf pursue Zelda and her caretaker Impa on horseback, like in his nightmare, and unsuccessfully attempts to stop him. Inside the Temple of Time, he uses the Ocarina of Time, a gift from Zelda, and the Spiritual Stones to open the door to the Sacred Realm. There, he finds the Master Sword, but as he pulls it from its pedestal, he is incapacitated. Ganondorf, who snuck into the Temple after Link, appears and claims the Triforce.
7 years later, an older Link awakens in the Sacred Realm and is met by Rauru, one of the 7 Sages who protects the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Rauru explains that Link's spirit was sealed for seven years until he was old enough to wield the Master Sword and defeat Ganondorf, who has taken over Hyrule. The 7 sages have the ability to imprison Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm, but 5 are unaware of their identities as sages. Link is returned to the Temple of Time and meets the mysterious Sheik, who guides him to free 5 temples from Ganondorf's control and awaken the sages. Link befriended all 5 sages as a child: his childhood friend Saria, the Sage of the Forest Temple; Darunia, the Sage of the Fire Temple; Ruto, the Sage of the Water Temple; Impa, the Sage of the Shadow Temple; and Nabooru, leader of the Gerudos in Ganondorf's absence, the Sage of the Spirit Temple. After the 5 sages awaken, Sheik reveals herself to be Zelda in disguise and the 7th sage. She explains that Ganondorf's heart was unbalanced, causing the Triforce to split into 3 pieces. Ganondorf acquired only the Triforce of Power, while Zelda received the Triforce of Wisdom and Link the Triforce of Courage.
Ganondorf appears and captures Zelda, imprisoning her in a large crystal in his castle. The other 6 sages help Link enter the stronghold, where he frees Zelda after defeating Ganondorf, who destroys the castle in an attempt to kill Link and Zelda. After they escape the collapsing castle, Ganondorf emerges from the rubble and transforms into a boar-like beast named Ganon using the Triforce of Power. He knocks the Master Sword from Link's hand, but with Zelda's aid, Link retrieves the Master Sword and defeats Ganon. The 7 sages seal Ganondorf in the Dark Realm, but he vows revenge on their descendants using the Triforce of Power. Zelda uses the Ocarina of Time to send Link back to his childhood. Navi departs and young Link meets Zelda in the castle garden once more, where he retains knowledge of Hyrule's fate, preventing its decline.
An enhanced remake was released on the 3DS called The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D and contains several features:
Updated graphics
Quality of life features such as modified controls and guides to help the player
Boss Challenge mode
Master Quest mode which is a harder version of the game where Link takes more damage and the dungeon layouts are mirrored
F.A.Q.
Reward for Collecting 100 Gold Skulltulas: collecting all 100 Gold Skulltulas will result in all the family members returning back to their original form, and the Rich Man will award the player with a Huge Rupee worth 200 Rupees. The player can receive as many Huge Rupees as they want by leaving and entering the house and talking to the Rich Man.
Majora’s Mask (2000)
Several months after the events of Ocarina of Time. Link seeks his fairy, Navi, who departed after returning to Kokiri Forest. During his search, he is ambushed by Skull Kid wearing a mysterious mask and his two fairy companions, the siblings Tatl and Tael. They steal both his horse, Epona, and the Ocarina of Time. Link pursues them and falls into a trap; Skull Kid curses Link, transforming him into a Deku Scrub, but inadvertently leaves Tatl behind. With no other choice, Tatl guides Link to Clock Town. They meet the Happy Mask Salesman, who pressures Link into recovering the mask that Skull Kid stole, promising to break the curse if he succeeds. After three days, Link manages to locate Skull Kid and retrieve the Ocarina of Time but fails to get the mask. As the moon nears impact, Tael instructs Link to awaken the Four Giants, Termina's guardian deities. Link plays the Song of Time and miraculously returns to the day he first set foot in Termina.
Mistakenly believing that Link recovered the mask, the Happy Mask Salesman breaks Link's curse. He soon discovers that Link failed and flies into a rage. He explains that Skull Kid's mask is Majora's Mask, which contains a powerful evil that can bring about the end of days. After he collects himself, the Happy Mask Salesman dispatches Link to retrieve Majora's Mask. Link embarks on his quest by going to the regions that Tael mentioned: Woodfall, Snowhead, the Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon. Link learns that the four locations are afflicted by Majora's magic. In Woodfall, the swamp is poisoned and the Deku princess was kidnapped. Snowhead has been suffering an eternal winter, driving the Gorons to starvation. Great Bay's waters have been contaminated, turning its creatures into monsters. In Ikana, inhabitants are terrorized by a plague that brings the dead back to life. Through his travels, Link learns that Skull Kid cursed the land as revenge for feeling abandoned by his Giant friends when they became Termina's guardians. Tatl and Tael befriended the lonely Skull Kid and accompanied him in the mischief that led to his theft of the mask, which has been corrupting him ever since. Under the mask's influence, Skull Kid forced the moon on a collision course with Termina.
Across numerous time loops, Link liberates the Giants and summons them on the eve of the Carnival. They manage to halt the moon's descent but Majora's Mask comes alive and possesses the moon itself, abandoning Skull Kid. Link confronts Majora's Mask inside the moon and defeats it. Link, the fairies, and the Giants all make amends with Skull Kid, while the Happy Mask Salesman recovers the now powerless Majora's Mask. The Carnival of Time begins with celebrations based on Link's accomplishments. In a nearby forest, Skull Kid draws himself with Link and his friends on a tree stump.
An enhanced remake was released on the 3DS called The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D and contains several features:
Updated graphics
Quality of life features such as modified controls and guides to help the player
The Song of Double Time now allows the player to skip ahead to any hour of the given day as opposed to only six-hour intervals
The Bombers' Notebook now keeps track of virtually every character involved in any kind of quest as opposed to the more vague hints in the original
The player can permanently save by checking in at any of the Owl Statues or Save Statues that inhabit the game world
New fishing minigame was added however there are no rewards associated with this minigame
F.A.Q.
To Unlock the Fierce Deity Mask: to unlock the Fierce Deity Mask, the player must collect all masks besides the main story masks (i.e. Deku, Goron, and Zora masks). In the Moon area, the player must complete the Moon Children sidequest which results in the player giving all 20 normal masks to the Moon Children. The last child, wearing Majora's Mask, will give the player the Fierce Deity mask for the final boss battle because the player has no non-transformation masks left.
The Wind Waker (2003)
The Wind Waker takes place many centuries following the events of Ocarina of Time after Link, the "Hero of Time", defeats Ganon and time-travels back to his childhood. A crisis emerges when Ganon returns, but Link does not.
Centuries later, the people live on islands in the Great Sea. They preserve the story of the Hero of Time as a legend, but his kingdom's fate is unknown. The main character, a young boy also named Link, lives on Outset Island, where boys dress in green like the Hero of Time when they come of age.
While Link is celebrating his coming of age, a gigantic bird drops pirate captain Tetra into Outset Island's forest. Link rescues Tetra from monsters, but the bird carries off Link's sister Aryll. Tetra agrees to help Link find his sister, and they sail to the Forsaken Fortress, where the bird, the Helmaroc King, has been taking girls with long ears. Link finds Aryll and other kidnapped girls, but the Helmaroc King captures him and takes him to Ganon, who orders Link thrown into the sea.
Link is rescued at Windfall Island by a talking boat, the King of Red Lions, who explains that the bird's master is a returned Ganon. To defeat him, Link must find the Hero of Time's power, which requires the 3 Pearls of the Goddesses. Link finds Din's Pearl on Dragon Roost Island, home of the avian Rito and the dragon Valoo; Farore's Pearl in Forest Haven, home of the Great Deku Tree and the plant-like Koroks; and Nayru's Pearl with the water spirit Jabun on Outset Island. The King of Red Lions then takes Link to the Tower of the Gods, where he faces trials before descending beneath the ocean to a castle suspended in time. Here Link finds the Hero of Time's weapon, the Master Sword.
Link returns to the Forsaken Fortress. Tetra's crew arrive and rescue the girls, but Ganon easily overpowers Link and Tetra: the Master Sword has lost its power. Ganon recognizes Tetra's Triforce necklace and realizes she is the incarnation of Princess Zelda he is seeking. Link's Rito allies and Valoo save Link and Tetra from Ganon. The King of Red Lions brings the two back to the underwater realm, explaining it is the legendary kingdom of Hyrule, which the goddesses submerged long ago to contain Ganon while the people fled to the mountaintops. The King of Red Lions reveals himself to be Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the last King of Hyrule, and Tetra is his heir, Zelda, keeper of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Tetra remains in the castle while Link and the King journey to the two sages who provided the Master Sword's power. They discover Ganon's forces murdered them both, so Link must awaken new sages, the Rito Medli and the Korok Makar, and guide them through the Earth and Wind Temples. The sages restore the Master Sword, but the King learns that Ganon has abandoned the Forsaken Fortress and fears an attack. They then track down the eight shards of the missing Triforce of Courage, once kept by the Hero of Time, and the gods recognize Link as the Hero of Winds.
Link and the King return to Hyrule to discover that Ganon has captured Tetra. Link follows them to Ganon's tower, defeating Ganon's minions before Ganon overcomes him. Ganon joins Link's and Tetra's Triforce pieces with his own Triforce of Power, forming the complete Triforce, which will grant his wish to rule the world. Before he can act, the King of Hyrule appears and wishes that the Goddesses wash Ganon and Hyrule away, and grant Link and Tetra hope for their own future. Link and Tetra battle Ganon with the Master Sword and magical arrows as water pours around them; with the final blow, the Master Sword turns Ganon to stone. Link and Tetra rise to the surface as the King and Hyrule are submerged. After reuniting with their friends, the heroes sail off to find a new land.
An enhanced re-release was released on the Wii U called The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and contains several features:
Updated graphics
Quality of life features such as utilizing the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen
The Swift Sail item allows for faster sailing on the Great Sea
Streamlined Triforce quest
Improved Picto Box
Removed the Tingle Tuner mechanic
Additional Seacharts
F.A.Q.
To Unlock the “Link and the King of Red Lions” Figurine: to unlock the “Link and the King of Red Lions” figurine, the player must collect all figurines in the Nintendo Gallery. Completed figurines transfer to the second playthrough.
Twilight Princess (2006)
A teenage boy named Link works as a ranch hand in Ordon Village. One day, Bulblins take away the village's children. Link pursues and encounters a wall of Twilight. A Twilight monster pulls him beyond the wall into the Twilight-shrouded forest, where he is transformed into a wolf and imprisoned. Link is soon freed by an imp creature named Midna, who offers to help him if he obeys her unconditionally. She guides him to Princess Zelda, who explains that Zant, the Sorcerer/Usurper King of the Twili, invaded Hyrule Castle and forced her to surrender. The kingdom became enveloped in Twilight, turning all its inhabitants besides Link and Zelda into invisible spirits. To save Hyrule, Link, aided by Midna, must first revive the Light Spirits by entering the Twilight-covered regions and recovering the Spirits' light from the Twilight beings that had stolen it. Once revitalized, each Spirit returns Link to his Hylian form and informs Link and Midna of the hidden location of a Fused Shadow; one of the fragments of a powerful relic that will have to be used to match Zant's power to defeat him. During this time, the ghost of a departed swordsman (the same incarnation of Link from Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask), the Hero's Shade, also appears to provide swordsmanship training he had failed to pass on before his untimely death, as well as information regarding Link's destiny in Hyrule.
During his journey, Link also finds Ordon Village's children and assists the monkeys of Faron, the Gorons of Eldin, and the Zoras of Lanayru. After restoring the Light Spirits and obtaining the Fused Shadows, Link and Midna are ambushed by Zant, who takes away the fragments. Midna calls him out for abusing his tribe's magic, but Zant reveals that his power comes from another source, and he uses it to trap Link in his wolf state. Failing to persuade Midna into joining forces with him, Zant attempts to dispose of her by exposing her to the light of Lanayru's light spirit. Bringing a dying Midna to Zelda, Link learns from her that he needs the Master Sword to remove Zant's curse and she proceeds to sacrifice herself to heal Midna, vanishing mysteriously. Moved by Zelda's act of selflessness, Midna starts to care more about Link and the fate of his world.
After gaining the Master Sword, Link is cleansed of the curse that kept him in wolf form. Deep within the Gerudo Desert, Link and Midna search for the Mirror of Twilight, the only known gateway between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm, but discover that it is broken. The Sages there explain that Zant tried to destroy it, but only managed to shatter it into fragments; only the true ruler of the Twili can completely destroy the mirror. They also relate that they once used it to banish Ganondorf, the Gerudo leader who attempted to steal the Triforce, to the Twilight Realm after failing to execute him. Link and Midna set out to retrieve the missing shards of the mirror. Once it has been fully restored, the Sages reveal to Link that Midna is actually the true ruler of the Twili, usurped and cursed into her current form by Zant. Confronting Zant, Link and Midna learn that he forged a pact with Ganondorf, who asked for his assistance in subjugating Hyrule. After Link defeats Zant, Midna recovers the Fused Shadows and kills Zant after learning that only Ganondorf's defeat can release her from her curse.
Returning to Hyrule, Link and Midna find Ganondorf in Hyrule Castle, with a lifeless Zelda suspended above him. Ganondorf fights Link by possessing Zelda and then transforming into a gigantic boar-like beast, but Link defeats him by using his wolf form, and the power Midna received from Zelda is able to resuscitate her. Ganondorf revives, and Midna teleports Link and Zelda outside the castle so she can hold him off with the Fused Shadows. However, as Hyrule Castle collapses, Ganondorf emerges from it victorious, crushing the Fused Shadow piece that Midna wore on her head, and pursues Link on horseback. Assisted by Zelda and the Light Spirits, Link eventually knocks Ganondorf off his horse and duels him on foot before finishing him off with the Master Sword. With Ganondorf dead, the Light Spirits revive Midna and restore her to her true form. After bidding farewell to Link and Zelda, Midna returns home and destroys the Mirror of Twilight, ultimately severing the link between Hyrule and the Twilight Realm. As Hyrule Castle is rebuilt, Link leaves Ordon Village, heading to parts unknown.
An enhanced re-release was released on the Wii U called The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and contains several features:
Enhanced graphics
Quality of life features such as utilizing the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen
Amiibo functionality (mainly health and items)
Speeds up some cutscenes, reduced repetitive gameplay elements such as collecting Tears of Light
Cave of Shadows: requires Wolf Link Amiibo
Hard Mode: requires Ganondorf Amiibo, enemies deal double damage, no heart drops
F.A.Q.
Reward for Collecting All 60 Poe Souls: collecting all 60 Poe Souls removes the curse on Jovani who rewards the player with 200 Rupees which can be collected indefinitely each time the player speaks to Jovani’s cat, Gengle.
Skyward Sword (2011)
A prequel to the entire The Legend of Zelda series.
According to legend, 3 ancient Goddesses bestowed a great wish-granting power: the Triforce. The Demon King Demise laid waste to much of the land seeking to take the Triforce. The Goddess Hylia gathered the survivors and sent them into the sky, allowing her to launch a full-scale offensive against Demise. She was victorious, but the land was severely damaged. Uncounted years later, the outcrop is known as Skyloft, and its people believe the surface below is a myth.
In the present, knight-in-training Link passes his final exam despite attempted interference by his class rival Groose, who considers himself a romantic rival for Link's childhood friend Zelda. After passing the exam and on a celebratory flight together, Zelda is whisked away below the clouds by a dark tornado. After recovering back on Skyloft, Link is led into the island's statue of Hylia to the Goddess Sword by Fi, the spirit of the sword who resides within it. Link draws the sword, showing himself to be the prophesied hero who will finally destroy Demise. Opening a way through the clouds to the surface, Link is guided by Fi to the Sealed Temple, where he meets an old woman who tells him to track Zelda: this leads Link across the regions of Faron Woods, Eldin Volcano, and the Lanayru Desert. While he catches up with Zelda, he is prevented from returning her to Skyloft by Impa, a young woman guarding and guiding Zelda. Link also encounters Ghirahim, a self-proclaimed Demon Lord working towards freeing Demise. At the Temple of Time in the Lanayru Desert, Link defends Zelda and Impa from Ghirahim, buying the two enough time to depart through a Gate of Time into the past, which Impa destroys as they pass through.
Returning to the Sealed Temple, Link is followed by Groose and the two end up on the surface together. Link then has to defeat the Imprisoned, a monstrous form of Demise attempting to reach the Sealed Temple, after the old woman shows him a second, albeit dormant, Gate of Time. With the Imprisoned defeated, Link sets out to strengthen the Goddess Sword by passing trials set by the ancient Goddesses and using their gifts to find Sacred Flames to purify and strengthen the blade so the Time Gate can be awakened. Returning to find the Imprisoned attempting to break free, Link reseals it with help from Groose. Activating the Gate of Time and traveling to the past, he finds Zelda and learns that she is the mortal reincarnation of Hylia; Hylia could not kill Demise and was too weakened from their battle to fend him off again, so she created the Goddess Sword and reincarnated as a mortal to find someone who would fulfill her duty by using the Triforce to wish Demise's destruction, as only mortals can use the artifact. Zelda then seals herself inside a crystal to strengthen Demise's seal, granting her power to the Goddess Sword and upgrading it into the Master Sword.
Link locates the Triforce on Skyloft and uses it to destroy Demise. With Demise dead, Zelda is freed, but Ghirahim arrives and kidnaps Zelda: though Demise is dead in the present, Ghirahim intends to use Zelda as a sacrifice to resurrect him in the past. Link pursues Ghirahim into the past and fights through his army. He then defeats Ghirahim, who turns out to be the spirit of Demise's sword but is unable to prevent Zelda from being used to reincarnate Demise's humanoid form. Groose guards Zelda's body while Link challenges Demise: Link triumphs and absorbs Demise's essence into the sword, but not before Demise curses Link and Zelda's bloodlines to be haunted by his reincarnated rage. To complete the sword's seal, Link drives it into a pedestal in the Sealed Temple, with Fi accepting eternal slumber as a result. Groose, Link and Zelda return to their time while Impa remains behind and destroys the Gate of Time, as she is a person of that time and must watch over the Master Sword. In the present, the old woman greets them one last time before she dies and vanishes, revealing that she was Impa. The game ends with the surface now freely accessible to the residents of Skyloft, while Zelda decides to remain there to watch over the Triforce; she and Link together establish the kingdom of Hyrule.
An HD remaster was released on the Switch called The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD and contains several features:
Enhanced graphics
Adds an additional traditional control scheme utilizing the buttons and the right analog stick for motion controls
Quality of life features such as the ability to skip dialogue boxes, cutscenes, and FI’s hints are now optional.
The Zelda & Loftwing amiibo allows for fast travel between the sky and the surface
F.A.Q.
Reward for Collecting all 80 Gratitude Crystals: collecting all 80 Gratitude Crystlas results in Batreaux being transformed into a human and giving the player the Tycoon Wallet which can store 9000 Rupees. Additionally, there will be no more enemies in Skyloft at night.
Breath of the Wild (2017)
In ancient times, the ancient Sheikah race had developed Hyrule into an advanced civilization, protected by four enormous animalistic machines called the Divine Beasts and an army of autonomous weapons called Guardians. When an ancient evil known as Calamity Ganon appeared and threatened Hyrule, four great warriors were given the title of Champion, and each piloted one of the Divine Beasts to weaken Ganon while the princess with the blood of the goddess and her appointed knight fought and defeated him by sealing him away.
Ten millennia later, the kingdom of Hyrule had since regressed to a medieval state. Reading their ancestors' prophecies, Hyrule's peoples recognized the signs of Ganon's return and excavated surrounding areas to uncover the Divine Beasts and Guardians. During this time, Princess Zelda trained vigorously to awaken the sealing magic needed to defeat Ganon while trying to maintain her personal research. In the meantime, a knight was appointed to protect her: Link, a Hylian who was chosen due to his ability to wield the Master Sword, also known as "the sword that seals the darkness". After being sought out by Zelda, the Champions—Mipha, princess of the aquatic Zora; Revali, archer of the birdlike Rito; Daruk, warrior of the mountainous Gorons; and Urbosa, chief of the desert-dwelling Gerudo—assembled to pilot the Divine Beasts (Vah Ruta, Vah Medoh, Vah Rudania, and Vah Naboris, respectively) while Zelda and Link would face Ganon directly.
However, when Ganon appeared on Zelda's seventeenth birthday, he possessed the Guardians and Divine Beasts, turning them against Hyrule. King Rhoam and the Champions were killed, much of the kingdom was laid to waste, and Link was gravely wounded protecting Zelda while on their way to Fort Hateno. Zelda unlocked her sealing powers, using them to save Link. Zelda had Link taken to safety for him to heal, hid the Master Sword in Korok Forest under the protection of the Great Deku Tree, and used her light magic to seal herself and Ganon in Hyrule Castle. This cataclysmic tragedy came to be known over time as the Great Calamity.
A century after being placed in a healing chamber in the Shrine of Resurrection, an amnesiac Link awakens in a now-ravaged Hyrule. He meets an old man, who eventually reveals himself as the lingering spirit of King Rhoam. Rhoam explains that Ganon, sealed in Hyrule Castle, has grown stronger; he pleads for Link to defeat Ganon before he regains his full strength, breaks free, and destroys the world.
Link reunites with Impa, a Sheikah elder who previously served the royal family, and she instructs him to free the Divine Beasts. Link travels across Hyrule, returning to locations from his past and regaining his memories. At the behest of Hyrule's peoples,[c] he boards the four Divine Beasts and purges them of the Blight Ganons, freeing the captive spirits of Hyrule's fallen Champions and allowing them to pilot the Divine Beasts once again. After freeing the Champion's spirits, they each gift Link an ability. Mipha gives him Mipha's Grace, a healing ability, Revali gives Revali's Gale, a flight-giving ability, Daruk, gives Daruk's Protection, which grants immunity to attacks, and Urbosa, gifts him Urbosa's Fury, allowing Link to create lightning. In this endeavor, Link is assisted by Sidon, the Zora prince and Mipha's younger brother; Yunobo, Daruk's cowardly descendant; Teba, a Rito warrior; and Riju, the child chief of the Gerudo. After obtaining the Master Sword from Korok Forest, Link enters Hyrule Castle and confronts Ganon. The Divine Beasts weaken him, and after Link defeats him, he transforms into Dark Beast Ganon in an attempt to destroy the world. Zelda gives Link the Bow of Light, which allows him to weaken Ganon enough for Zelda to seal him away, restoring peace and allowing the spirits of King Rhoam and the Champions to depart to the afterlife. Sensing their presence, Link and Zelda smile fondly.
Post-Credit Scene: Zelda declares that Hyrule must be rebuilt and that she and Link must begin the process by themselves. As Link and Zelda survey Hyrule and embark to restore it to—and perhaps beyond—its former glory, the princess confides in him that although her powers may have dwindled over time, she has come to terms with it.
DLC
Expansion Pass - Bonus Chests
Expansion Pass - The Master Trials
Additional armor
Travel Medallion
Hero’s Path Mode
Trial of the Sword
Master Mode
Expansion Pass - The Champions’ Ballad
Additional Main Quest and Divine Beast Dungeon
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Tie-In
Additional Side Quest
Additional armor
F.A.Q.
To Unlock the Post-Credit Scene: to unlock the post-credit scene, the player must find all thirteen memories in the "Captured Memories" main quest.
Reward for collecting all 900 Korok Seeds: collecting all 900 Korok seeds results in Hestu giving the player Hestu’s Gift which has no function.
Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Tears of the Kingdom takes place years after Breath of the Wild.
Link and Zelda explore caverns beneath Hyrule Castle, from which gloom, a poisonous substance, has been seeping out and causing people to fall ill. There, they find murals depicting the founding of Hyrule and a subsequent conflict known as the Imprisoning War—an ancient battle against a being referred to as the "Demon King"—all relating to a mysterious race called the Zonai. Venturing deeper, they find and trigger the awakening of a mummy that was being restrained by a disembodied arm. Link's right arm is badly wounded by the mummy and the Master Sword is shattered, and Hyrule Castle is raised into the sky. Zelda falls below, and as Link tries to catch her, she vanishes with a mysterious artifact from the disembodied arm. Link is rescued by the arm and awakens on the Great Sky Island to find it has replaced his damaged limb. He meets the spirit of Rauru, a Zonai, and the source of Link's new arm. Rauru assists Link as he traverses the Great Sky Island, and when the latter reaches his destination, the shattered Master Sword vanishes and Link dives to the surface below.
There, he learns that the event in the cavern, known as the Upheaval, has wrought chaos upon Hyrule, and sets out to investigate reports of strange phenomena throughout the kingdom. Link ventures into ancient Zonai temples alongside his allies Sidon, the prince and eventual king of the Zora; Tulin, a young Rito archer and the son of Teba, a past ally of Link's; Yunobo, the Goron president of the YunoboCo mining company; and Riju, the chief of the Gerudo. With the defeat of the monsters occupying the temples, Link finds strange artifacts containing the spirits of sages from ancient times, who each appoint his allies as their successors and grant them artifacts, secret stones, which they once wielded. After numerous sightings of Zelda, Link locates her at Hyrule Castle, but she reveals herself to instead be an impostor serving the Demon King, Ganondorf, the mummy that Link previously encountered. Link and his allies defeat the impostor, and he sets out to find the last of the ancient sages, Mineru who remains in the physical world via spiritual projection. Link helps create a mechanical body for her spirit to inhabit.
Through insight from Mineru, the other ancient sages, and items called Dragon's Tears scattered throughout Hyrule, Link learns of Zelda's fate. The artifact that vanished with Zelda was a secret stone, which transported her into the distant past. There, she met Rauru, Hyrule's first king, and Sonia, Hyrule's first queen. After Ganondorf killed Sonia and used her secret stone to become the Demon King, Rauru appointed Mineru, Zelda, and the leaders of the Zora, Rito, Gorons, and Gerudo as sages. With their help, Rauru battled with the Demon King and sacrificed himself to seal Ganondorf away. Later, Zelda received the broken Master Sword from the future and tasked the sages with aiding Link when Ganondorf reawakens. In order to repair the Master Sword, she swallowed her secret stone and underwent a process known as draconification, becoming the immortal Light Dragon.
In the present, after ridding the Great Deku Tree from Gloom in Korok Forest, Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Light Dragon and confronts Ganondorf below Hyrule Castle. With the aid of Sidon, Tulin, Yunobo, Riju, and Mineru, Link battles an army of monsters before engaging in combat with Ganondorf himself. Nearing defeat, Ganondorf swallows his secret stone and becomes the Demon Dragon, taking Link into the skies above Hyrule. With the assistance of the Light Dragon, Link uses the Master Sword to shatter the Demon Dragon's secret stone, killing it. The spirits of Rauru and Sonia help Link turn the Light Dragon back into Zelda and restore his original right arm. Rauru and Sonia fade away, and Link and Zelda fall to the surface below. Some time later, on the Great Sky Island, Mineru bids goodbye to Zelda and Link before fading away, while the sages vow to protect Hyrule.
F.A.Q.
The Legend of Zelda (2D)
The classic The Legend of Zelda genre