Easter Eggs & Secrets Guide

Tears of the Kingdom is packed with hidden references to Zelda series history, Breath of the Wild callbacks, developer in-jokes, and subtle environmental storytelling. This guide collects the most notable Easter eggs, hidden details, and secrets spread across Hyrule.

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Breath of the Wild Callbacks

The Old Plateau

Great Sky Island is a direct callback to the Great Plateau from BotW — the starting tutorial area floating in the sky mirrors the opening layout of the previous game. Even the shrine placement roughly mirrors the original four starter shrines. Nintendo intentionally designed it as a "sky version" of BotW's beginning.

Ruined Divine Beasts

The four Divine Beasts from BotW are present in TotK as destroyed ruins:

• Vah Medoh (Rito) — the wreckage is visible near Rito Village
• Vah Naboris (Gerudo) — destroyed components found in Gerudo Desert
• Vah Rudania (Goron) — ruins on Death Mountain slopes
• Vah Ruta (Zora) — machine parts in Zora's Domain reservoir

Examine each ruin for flavor text that acknowledges the Calamity era.

Link's House in Hateno

Link's house from BotW exists in TotK and can be reclaimed and upgraded. If you import a BotW save or complete the Hateno Village side quest chain, the house references past ownership — bookshelves include notes referencing "that adventurer who saved Hyrule."

The Old Champion Portraits

Photos of the four Champions (Mipha, Revali, Daruk, Urbosa) appear in various locations — Rito Village, Zora's Domain, Goron City, and Gerudo Town all have memorial portraits or statues with flavor text acknowledging the BotW events.

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Zelda Series Historical References

Majora's Mask

• Happy Mask Salesman NPC equivalent — a mysterious mask merchant appears in select locations with rare mask items
• Tingle — the eccentric mapper appears in TotK as a returning character; his green outfit and balloon-riding hobby are direct series references
• The Moon imagery in the Blood Moon event is a nod to Majora's falling moon

Ocarina of Time

• Gerudo Town market layout mirrors Hyrule Market Town from OoT
• Temple of Time ruins on Great Sky Island reference the original Temple of Time — examine the architecture for matching stone carvings
• The Triforce-shaped rocks that appear in specific light conditions across Hyrule Castle are a recurring OoT reference

A Link to the Past

• Pyramid-shaped Depths structures mirror the Pyramid of Power from LttP
• Several Depths ruins have floor layouts that reference LttP dungeon designs
• The Dark World parallel dimension concept is carried forward in the Depths as TotK's version of the underworld

Wind Waker

• Rito Village architecture (spiral platforms around a central pillar) visually echoes Dragon Roost Island from Wind Waker
• Teba and Tulin are confirmed descendants of Komali and Medli from Wind Waker via in-game lore books

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Hidden Developer Nods

The Stable Register Entries

Every stable's guest register contains fictional traveler entries. Some entries include self-referential developer humor — look for names that are anagrams of Nintendo team members or references to development concepts.

The "Tears" Title Double Meaning

The game's title is intentional wordplay: "Tears of the Kingdom" refers to both the Dragon's Tears (the memories Link collects as teardrop items) and the emotional "tears" (crying) associated with Zelda's sacrifice. This dual meaning is confirmed in developer interviews.

Satori Mountain

The mountain named "Satori" is a reference to Satoru Iwata, the beloved Nintendo CEO who passed away in 2015. The mountain features a large mystical Lord of the Mountain deer who appears rarely and peacefully — a tribute to Iwata's gentle nature. The deer was present in BotW and returns in TotK.

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Hidden Environmental Details

The Blood Moon Portrait

During a Blood Moon, look toward Hyrule Castle from the Lookout Landing plateau. For a brief moment, a silhouette resembling Ganondorf appears in the moon's glow — a visual Easter egg visible for only a few seconds before the sky returns to normal.

Gloom's Language

The dark Gloom spreading from Ganondorf's mummy has subtle ancient Sheikah script on its tendrils when examined closely with the camera. The script translates to fragments of the Imprisoning War history from TotK's lore.

Dragon Scale Architecture

The Sky Islands aren't random floaters — their stone patterns, when viewed from directly above, form a pattern resembling the Zonai clan's dragon emblem. Most visible from the Great Sky Island's highest point looking down at the temple ruins.

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Hidden Items & Secrets

Ancient Blade Secret Room

In Hyrule Castle's lowest levels, a hidden chamber contains a set of Ancient Blades on a display rack — a reference to the Ancient Arrows from BotW. The room requires Ascend through a specific floor section to discover.

The Missing Sword Pedestal

The Master Sword's original BotW pedestal (in Korok Forest) now shows just the stone base — empty. A note from Hestu nearby reads something to the effect of "where did it go?" This is a player-facing acknowledgment of the Master Sword's new origin in TotK.

Zonai Script Everywhere

Zonai written script appears on nearly every Zonai structure, ruin, and device in the game. Players who decoded it discovered references to Rauru and Sonia's love story — bits of the game's main story hidden in environmental text months before the narrative reveals it directly.

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Fun Interactions

The Climbing Octoroks

Octoroks (rock-shooting enemies) can be used to repair weapon durability — throw a rusty weapon into an Octorok's vacuum breath and it will spit it back repaired. This was discovered as an Easter egg by players and is not explained anywhere in-game.

Dog Friendship

Every dog in every stable and village can be befriended by dropping food near them. Once befriended, dogs will lead Link to nearby buried treasure chests. This is a hidden mechanic mentioned nowhere in any tutorial.

Cucco Retaliation

Striking a Cucco (the chicken-like birds found in villages) multiple times triggers a swarming revenge attack — a callback mechanic present in every major Zelda game since A Link to the Past. TotK's version is particularly deadly; the Cucco swarm now includes a golden Super Cucco that deals fire damage.

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Lore Easter Eggs

The Depths Are the Underworld

The Depths layout directly mirrors the overworld — every structure on the surface has a corresponding hollow space below it in the Depths. This symmetry is intentional: the Depths represent the "death" side of TotK's world, while the sky islands represent "life" — a thematic design choice referenced in Rauru's backstory.

The Secret Stone Origins

The Dragon's Scale, Naydra Claw, and similar materials from BotW's dragon system have new lore context in TotK — they are revealed to be pieces of the Secret Stones that power sages. This retroactively explains the dragon-related mechanics from BotW within TotK's cosmology.