After the title sequence of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the adventure begins deep beneath Hyrule Castle. Link accompanies Princess Zelda through an extensive underground vault that was long unknown even to the royal family.
The introduction is initially very straightforward. This means you can fully concentrate on the story while familiarizing yourself with Link’s basic controls.
Note: You cannot miss any important paths during the prologue. Follow Zelda and, if you wish, examine the murals and inscriptions at the edge of the path.
Follow Zelda beneath Hyrule Castle
Follow Princess Zelda down the stairs and hallways. She stops regularly to examine the surroundings or draw your attention to special features. If you move too far away from her, she will wait for Link.
At the beginning, Link still has numerous hearts and wears the fully restored Master Sword. You can use the Y button to perform a few test strikes and familiarize yourself with the combat system again.
The black Gloom
After a short time, Zelda discovers a black substance with a reddish tint. This is Gloom, rising from the depths beneath Hyrule Castle.
You will encounter the Gloom again and again during the later adventure. Unlike regular damage, it can also temporarily damage your maximum available hearts. On the surface, such hearts are restored by sunlight; In Depths you need Lightroots or suitable dishes.
You don’t have to worry about this in the prologue. Continue following Zelda through the corridors and stay on the designated path.
The Master Sword reacts
The deeper you go under the castle, the more clearly the Master Sword reacts to the ominous power in the surrounding area. Zelda notices that there must be something nearby that the holy blade wants to use its power against.
Examine the stone tablets and reliefs along the way. Zelda recognizes references to the Zonai, a mysterious people who, according to an old tradition, came down from heaven.
The murals also tell of the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule, a demon king and the so-called Imprisoning War. You are still missing important parts of the exposition, but the events will take on central importance as the game progresses.
The first opponents: Keese
On the sloping path, several Keese attack you. The small enemies have little health and can be defeated with a single strike from the Master Sword.
Targets an enemy with ZL and waits for them to approach Link. Then hit with Y. Alternatively, you can swing the sword while the Keese are flying towards you.
Defeat the three Keese with the Master Sword. Collect any Keese Wings and Keese Eyeballs they drop, then continue after Zelda.
The murals and the Imprisoning War
In the next large room, Zelda examines several murals. These show the Zonai, the founding of the kingdom and the fight against a threatening figure.
Walk slowly along the illustrations and listen to Zelda’s explanations. Two parts of the complete mural are still hidden behind rocks. You cannot remove this barrier at this time.
Then follow Zelda into the last section of the vault. Speak to her when she is ready to move on. A longer cutscene then begins.
The Awakening of the Demon King
Link and Zelda reach a large chamber where a desiccated figure is held by a mysterious hand. As the two get closer, the seal comes off.
The released Gloom wave hits Link. The Master Sword is severely damaged, Link’s right arm is injured and his life force is reduced to three hearts. At the same time, Hyrule Castle rises from the ground as debris and sky islands become visible throughout the kingdom.
Zelda falls into the depths and disappears. Link is grabbed by the mysterious hand at the last moment, but loses consciousness shortly afterwards.
The Beneath Hyrule Castle forms the setting for the prologue. After these events, the game continues in the Room of Awakening on the Great Sky Island.
The Room of Awakening
Link wakes up some time later in a strange underground chamber. His injured right arm was replaced with a mysterious new arm. However, there is hardly anything left of the Master Sword’s former power.
Go forward and pick up the sword hilt lying on the ground. You will receive the Decayed Master Sword.
The damaged weapon only has an attack power of 1 and very low durability. However, it is enough to cut through the vines blocking the exit.
Tip: Don’t hit walls or other objects unnecessarily in the room of awakening. After opening the intended exit, the Decayed Master Sword can only withstand a few more hits.
Activate the first green seal
Use the Decayed Master Sword to destroy the vines and follow the passage into the next room. There is a green glowing seal there.
Examine it with the A button. The new arm responds to the device and opens the large stone gate.
Follow the passage behind it until you reach a ledge above a pool of water. Jump down. Link takes no falling damage as long as he lands in sufficiently deep water.
Through the underground water basins
Swim to the opposite edge and climb the low rock wall. Pay attention to the green stamina wheel. If the stamina is completely depleted, Link can no longer swim or climb.
The path takes you through several successive chambers:
- Jump into the first pool of water and swim straight ahead.
- Climb out of the water on the low ledge.
- Follow the corridor and jump down again.
- Swim to the next platform and climb up the stone slabs.
- Jump through the last opening into the deeper pool.
During the final jump, you can use the left stick to slightly correct the direction while falling. Head towards the middle of the pool of water.
Find Archaic Legwear
Before you leave the room of awakening, there is a Treasure Chest on the right or directly in front of the exit. Open it and take the Archaic Legwear.
Opens the inventory with the plus button, switches to the armor menu and puts on the item of clothing. It only has one point of defense, but at this point it’s better than no armor at all. The Archaic Legwear are the first regularly accessible piece of clothing in the game.
Jump to the Great Sky Island
Step outside and stand on the large round symbol. Once Link reaches the edge, he will begin free falling from the Sky Island.
During the fall you can control Link with the left stick. Aim for the large pool of water far below you. You don’t have to open a Paraglider yet – Link doesn’t have it yet anyway.
If you land in the water, Link will not suffer any damage. Then immediately swim to one of the large leaves or to the shore so that your stamina can recharge.
The Great Sky Island
After landing you will reach the Great Sky Island. It serves as a large introductory area and serves a similar function to the Great Plateau in Breath of the Wild.
On the island you will learn the most important new skills, building structures, using Zonai technology and dealing with the modified weapons. The game’s first four shrines are also located here.
You can explore the island for several hours. It’s worth collecting materials, fighting enemies and trying out the new mechanics at your leisure. The Great Sky Island is the central starting area and contains, among other things, the Garden of Time, four Shrines of Light and the Temple of Time.
You can find a complete overview in our guide to the shrines on the Great Sky Island.
First collect materials and weapons
Get out of the water and follow the stone stairs. On the right you will find several Skyshrooms. Collect them as they each restore part of a heart and can be cooked later.
There are also several Tree Branches nearby. A Tree Branch is a very simple wooden weapon with low attack power and durability. Nevertheless, take several of them with you, because at the beginning you only have a few alternatives.
Small trees can also be felled. To do this, hit the trunk with a sharp weapon. This only works to a limited extent with a Tree Branch, which is why you shouldn’t use up your first weapons unnecessarily.
Defeat the first Soldier Construct
On the way the first Soldier Construct I approaches from the left. Unlike the servant constructs, this machine is hostile and will attack Link as soon as it notices him.
Equip a Tree Branch from the quick menu:
- Press and hold the right direction button.
- Select the desired weapon with the right stick.
- Release the direction button.
Targets the construct with ZL. Wait for it to prepare an attack, dodge to the side and then hit with Y. Since Link only has three hearts, you shouldn’t take multiple hits carelessly.
After a few hits the construct is defeated. Collect his legacies:
- Soldier Construct Horn
- Zonai Charge
You can later connect the sharp-edged horn to a weapon using the Fuse ability. The Zonai Charge is used to power Zonai Devices and can also be exchanged for other materials. Both items are regular materials in the game.
Collect Wooden Stick
The construct emerged from a small open pavilion on the left. Go in and pick up the Wooden Stick.
The stick is also not a particularly strong weapon, but it has a longer range and is good for the following opponents. Don’t throw away damaged Tree Branches immediately: Once you’ve learned the Fuse, you can strengthen weak weapons with materials.
Obtain The Purah Pad
Follow the main path towards the large temple. Shortly afterwards you will see a construct standing motionless next to a pedestal.
Approach the machine and examine it. The Steward Construct awakens and addresses Link as “Master Link”. It explains that Princess Zelda has entrusted him with an important item.
You will receive the Purah Pad. The device largely replaces the Sheikah Slate from Breath of the Wild and serves, among other things, as a map, diary and later as a camera as well as Sensor +. According to its official item description, Princess Zelda particularly values the Purah Pad.
Use the Purah Pad
Opens the Purah Pad with the minus key. At the beginning there are only a few functions available to you, but you can already:
- view the map of Great Sky Island,
- detect your current position,
- track the main quest destination,
- switch between map and diary.
The yellow target point is in the north of the island at Temple of Time. The Steward Construct assumes that Princess Zelda is waiting for Link there.
Main objective: Find Princess Zelda
Receiving the Purah Pad begins the first main goal “Find Princess Zelda”. Your next destination is the Temple of Time, which can be reached via the large, partially destroyed bridge in the north.
You don’t have to follow the path immediately. Feel free to collect more Skyshrooms, Tree Branches and branches or examine the ruins in the Garden of Time. However, none of the new arm abilities are available to you yet, which is why many items and devices will only become usable later.
The main objective “Find Princess Zelda” officially begins after the Steward Construct gives Link the Purah Pad. The order first leads to the Temple of Time and then through the other sections of the Great Sky Island.
Next objective: Run across the large bridge to the Temple of Time. The next section of the Walkthrough begins there and you will be given the task of visiting the first shrines of the Great Sky Island.
