Beginner's Guide

1. Stamina Over Hearts

In the early game, you might be tempted to invest your Spirit Orbs into Hearts to survive enemy attacks. However, upgrading your Stamina Vessel first provides far more utility. Extra stamina allows you to climb higher mountains, glide further, and run away from dangerous enemies that you aren't ready to fight yet.

2. Cook Everything

Eating raw apples restores a tiny fraction of health, but tossing five apples into a cooking pot multiplies their healing value. Experiment with different ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to mix a "buff" ingredient (like a Mighty Banana) with neutral ingredients (like Meat or Mushrooms).

3. Weapons Break—Accept It

Weapon durability is a core mechanic. Don't hoard your powerful weapons waiting for the "perfect moment". Use them when you need them. The game is designed to constantly feed you new weapons from defeated enemies or hidden chests.

4. Activate Towers Immediately

When you enter a new region, your first goal should always be reaching the Sheikah Tower. Activating it fills in the map for that region, making it much easier to spot landmarks, stables, and shrines from a high vantage point.

5. Talk to Everyone

NPCs with a red exclamation mark above their head offer side quests, but even those without one often provide valuable hints about nearby shrines, hidden treasures, or recipes. Be careful on the roads, though—some travelers might be Yiga Clan assassins in disguise.

6. Where to Get Early Game Weapons

Leaving the Great Plateau with only tree branches and rusty swords can be daunting. Here are a few places to grab powerful gear safely:

• Majora's Mask (DLC): Grab this immediately from the Kolomo Garrison Ruins. Wearing it prevents early enemies from attacking you.
• Phantom Armor (DLC): Hidden in Hyrule Field. Gives you a massive attack boost without needing upgrades.
• Coliseum Ruins (Outer Edge): Sneak around the edges (avoiding the Lynel) to find elemental weapons lying around.
• Hyrule Castle Docks: If you're brave, sneak into the back of the castle via the water. The Docks have an easily accessible Great Flameblade and a shrine for fast travel.

7. Mastering Stealth

Stealth is your best friend when you have low health. Pay attention to the sound meter (the purple sine wave) in the bottom right corner of your screen. Crouching, moving slowly, and un-equipping clanky shields makes you quieter.

If you successfully sneak directly behind an enemy, a prompt to Sneakstrike will appear. Sneakstrikes deal exactly 8 times your weapon's normal damage, allowing you to instantly kill tough enemies with weaker weapons.

8. Kakariko vs. Hateno

After leaving the plateau, King Rhoam tells you to visit Impa in Kakariko Village. Follow this advice. Do not try to run straight to Hyrule Castle or a Divine Beast yet.

Kakariko unlocks the main story quests, gives you the Champion's Tunic, and introduces you to armor upgrading. From there, your next immediate stop should be Hateno Village to the east to unlock the Camera Rune and upgrade your Sheikah Sensor at the Tech Lab.