To say The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is massive is a bit of an understatement. Not only is the game incredibly large in terms of scale and scope, but it’s also full of seemingly endless secret systems and mechanics you’ll want to be aware of. It’s only been out a month, yet players have discovered a slew of hidden mechanics that completely change how the game is played. While there’s no shortage of hacks and tricks to go through, we’ve compiled 10 of the best in this list. Here are 10 wild hacks in Tears of the Kingdom you probably missed.
10. Shrine Sensor
Trouble tracking down all 152 Shrines? If so, you’ll want the Shrine Sensor, which will beep at you as you get close to an undiscovered Shrine. To acquire it, you’ll need to finish the Camera Work in the Depths and the A Mystery in the Depths quests. Then, visit Robbie in Hateno Village to trigger the Research Lab side quest. Complete the Mayahisik Shrine and return to Robbie to claim your reward.
9. Sensor Plus
Building upon the previous ability, you can acquire the Sensor Plus, which tracks pretty much any type of item in the game. For instance, you can use the Sensor Plus to track chests, foods, enemies, and anything in the Compendium. To earn this item, you’ll need to trigger the Presenting: Sensor + quest by talking with Robbie, and then you’ll have to take five pictures of different creatures.
8. Revive Horses
Did you know you can upgrade and even revive fallen horses? You’ll need to speak with Malanya the Horse God to do so. Start by sleeping at a stable and picking the Malanya Bed, which will trigger Malanya to visit you in your dreams. Malanya will tell you to visit them at their spring in the northeastern part of Akkala. Visit them, offer an Endura Carrot (located around the top of the Satori Mountain) and you’ll then be able to revive and upgrade horses by speaking with Malanya.
7. Mushroom Fusing is OP
Mushrooms are highly effective in the heat of battle. Fuse a mushroom with a shield and parry an enemy to disarm them. You can also Fuse a mushroom into a weapon and then attack with it to launch an enemy into the air.
6. Extra Heart or Stamina Container
Complete the A Call From the Depths quest to earn a permanent heart or stamina upgrade. You’ll find this quest just east of the Great Plateau North Chasm, hidden behind some rocks on the side of a building. Destroy the rocks to drain the water in the area and expose the entrance. Head inside and you’ll be prompted to visit the Temple of Time Ruins. Head to the Temple of Time Ruins, pray to the Goddess statue, and unlock the quest.
5. Beehive Wand
You can make a beehive wand to send bees chasing after your foes. To do so, simply Fuse a beehive to a stick. A similar tactic can be used if you Fuse a beehive to an arrow. It’s a useful strategy that much easier to take down certain foes.
4. Gem Farming for Easy Rupees
Rupees are scarce in Tears of the Kingdom, even if you’re deep into the main story. However, there’s a great Rupee farming method that involves utilizing creatures known as dondons. First, you’ll need to acquire a Luminous Stone which can be found in the Crenel Hills Cave in Hyrule Field.
Then, you’ll need to visit the dondons in their pen just south of Bronas Forest (found on the southern side of the map to the east of Faron Grasslands). You can feed the dondons your Luminous Stones and they’ll literally poop out gems, including diamonds, which are extremely valuable when sold.
3. Homing Arrows
Tired of missing your shots with arrows? Fuse a Keese Eyeball to your arrow to give them a homing ability, meaning you’ll pretty much never miss a shot ever again.
2. Never Run Out of Stamina While Gliding
Even with full stamina, gliding around can be a pain, as you’ll eventually run out of juice. If you’re gliding and about to run out of stamina, you should drop a Zonai wing right below you and drop down onto it to refill your stamina before continuing ahead. Make sure you drop the wing from the inventory menu rather than the quick hotbar.
1. Fast Travel Medallion
By default, you can only fast travel to specific points in Tears of the Kingdom. However, you can unlock access to a Fast Travel Medallion, allowing you to warp to any location on the map. To unlock it, progress through the aforementioned questlines given to you by Robbie in Hateno Village. You’ll need to head to Robbie’s lab in Akkala where you’ll trigger a quest to find the Travel Medallions.
“It's dangerous to go alone!” Check out more of Inverse’s Tears of the Kingdom coverage:
- THE INVERSE REVIEW: Tears of the Kingdom Is the Best Nintendo Switch Game Ever Made
- Tears of the Kingdom’s Best New Mechanic Could Change the Series Forever
- Why Zelda Speedrunners Plan to Take It Slow With Tears of the Kingdom
- Tears of the Kingdom Doubles Down on Breath of the Wild’s Best Inspiration
