Best Early Game Guide — What to Do First in TotK

Starting Tears of the Kingdom is overwhelming. The game opens up into an enormous world with no mandatory direction after the tutorial. This guide gives you the optimal priority list for your first 5–10 hours, ensuring you're properly set up for the mid and late game.

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Priority 1 — Complete the Great Sky Island Tutorial

Don't skip or rush the tutorial. The Great Sky Island teaches every core mechanic in the game:

• Ultrahand (build things)
• Fuse (weapon modification)
• Ascend (move through ceilings)
• Recall (reverse an object's movement in time)

All four are mandatory for the entire game. Fully understand them here before going to the surface.

Before leaving Great Sky Island:

• Complete all 4 tutorial shrines
• Get the Purah Pad
• Collect every Brightbloom Seed you see (you'll need them for Depths later)
• Pick up Sundelions (they only grow in the sky — stock up for Gloom resistance)

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Priority 2 — Activate Skyview Towers (First 5)

Towers unlock the map. Without map coverage, you can't see shrines, towns, or terrain.

Activate these first:

1. Lookout Landing — Free (given to you as you arrive)
2. Hyrule Ridge Tower (west of Hyrule Castle) — Easy access, reveals central map
3. Lanayru Tower (southeast) — Reveals Zora's Domain area
4. Eldin Canyon Tower (northeast) — Reveals Goron City area
5. Rospro Pass Tower (northwest, Hebra) — Reveals Rito Village area

Don't spend hours trying to unlock all 15 towers immediately. These 5 reveal enough map to identify your early priorities.

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Priority 3 — Find 3 Horses (Register at Stables)

Horses transform traversal. You'll cover 3× as much ground per hour with a good horse.

How to get horses:

1. Find a stable (Dueling Peaks Stable or Woodland Stable are early and well-placed)
2. Ride out from the stable and find wild horse herds
3. Sneak up (crouch + Silent Shroom meal or Stealth food) → mount → soothe
4. Register at the stable for 20 Rupees

Best early horse: Black horse with solid stats — found in Akkala meadows and Necluda fields. Or any 5-speed horse you can find.

Register 2 horses minimum early. Horses die permanently if you're not careful. Having a backup prevents re-grinding.

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Priority 4 — Collect 20+ Shrines Before First Temple

Each group of 4 Shrine completions = one upgrade. You want at least 10 hearts before tackling your first temple at intermediate difficulty.

Starting at 3 hearts:

• 4 Shrines = 4 hearts
• 8 Shrines = 5 hearts
• 12 Shrines = 6 hearts
• 16 Shrines = 7 hearts
• 20 Shrines = 8 hearts

8+ hearts gives you enough buffer for the Wind Temple (easiest first temple).

Focus on accessible shrines: Central Hyrule shrines, Necluda shrines around Dueling Peaks area, and any shrine you see from tower launches. Don't grind one region exhaustively — collect the easy ones across multiple areas.

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Priority 5 — First Temple: Wind Temple (Rito)

The Wind Temple is the easiest temple and should be your first. Tulin's Gust ability is also the most universally useful sage power for early exploration.

Route:

1. Travel northwest to Rito Village (Rospro Pass Tower area)
2. Speak to the Rito elder → start the Tulin questline
3. Follow Tulin up through the blizzard (cold resist food or Snowquill Armor required)
4. Complete 4 propeller puzzles → boss fight: Colgera
5. Tulin joins — Gust ability unlocked

What Gust does for early game: Tulin's Gust provides a mid-air horizontal boost that dramatically extends paraglider range. Combined with Skyview Tower launches, it turns multi-stage aerial navigation into single jumps.

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Priority 6 — Farm 10+ Hearts Before Second Temple

After the Wind Temple, pause to collect more Shrines. Aim for 10–12 hearts before the Fire Temple.

Efficient shrine hunting:

• Use the Shrine Sensor app (Purah Pad)
• After Tulin is unlocked, his Gust extends aerial range — use Tower launches more aggressively
• Sky Island shrines become very accessible with Gust

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Priority 7 — Get the Climbing Armor (Exploration Game-Changer)

The Climbing Armor is hidden in three caves but dramatically improves all exploration — faster climbing and less stamina on climbing jumps.

Piece locations:

1. Climbing Bandana — Ploymous Mountain Cave (Akkala)
2. Climbing Gear — Upland Lindor Cave (Hyrule Ridge)
3. Climbing Boots — Mount Dunsel Cave (Faron)

Get this early. The difference between having and not having it is enormous.

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Priority 8 — Second Temple: Fire Temple (Goron/Yunobo)

Requirement: Flamebreaker Armor (buy in Goron City — 700 Rupees for one piece minimum)

Yunobo's rolling charge is useful for breaking Gloom-ore and cracking certain cave walls. The Fire Temple is the second easiest overall.

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Early Game Mistake List — What NOT to Do

Don't: Sell all your materials immediately. You need them for armor upgrades later.

Don't: Spend Rupees on low-value items. Save for armor purchases (Flamebreaker: 700 R, Snowquill: ~1,500 R, etc.)

Don't: Skip Shrines thinking you'll come back. Do them as you encounter them.

Don't: Try to fight Lynels or Gleeoks early. These require late-game gear. Mark them on your map and return.

Don't: Explore the Depths without Brightbloom Seeds and Sundelion meals. You will die from Gloom and be frustrated.

Don't: Use Ancient Arrows immediately. They're rare and should be saved for the toughest encounters.

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Early Game Rupee Farming

You'll need Rupees for: horse registration, Flamebreaker Armor, Snowquill Armor, Goron City bomb materials, and food ingredients.

Fastest early Rupees:

1. Ore node mining — Smash every sparkling rock you see with a hammer/club. Sell Flint (cheap but abundant) and keep Opal, Topaz, Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond for later
2. Talus fights — Each Talus drops gems worth 200–600 Rupees
3. Cook and sell surplus food — Cooked items sell for more than raw ingredients

Don't sell: Dragon parts (Dinraal's Scales, Farosh Horns — these extend elixir duration and are irreplaceable), Star Fragments, Ancient Materials

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Related Guides

• Getting Started Guide
• Hearts vs. Stamina Guide
• Temple Order Guide
• Climbing Armor Guide
• Wind Temple Walkthrough
• Rupee Farming Guide