Memory Locations Guide: All Dragon's Tears in TotK

The Dragon's Tears are 12 memories hidden at Geoglyph sites across Hyrule. Together they tell the story of Zelda's journey in the ancient past and explain the origin of the Light Dragon. This guide covers all locations and the recommended viewing order.

How Dragon's Tears Work

Each of the 12 main Geoglyphs contains a shining pool — the Dragon's Tear. Walking into the pool triggers a cutscene memory showing events from Zelda's time in the founding era of Hyrule. The memories can be found in any order, but the story makes most sense in the intended sequence.

The 12th memory (the finale) requires collecting all 11 others first, and it's found at a special location not tied to a standard Geoglyph.

Recommended Order and Locations

Memory 1 — "Where Am I?"

Geoglyph: Southeastern Hyrule Field, large dragon-shaped Geoglyph near Lake Hylia Coords: -0794, -2346, 0026 Shows Zelda's arrival in the past and first encounter with Rauru.

Memory 2 — "An Unfamiliar World"

Geoglyph: East Necluda, near Kakariko Village surroundings Coords: 1986, -1953, 0176 Zelda explores the founding-era Hyrule and meets Sonia.

Memory 3 — "Mineru's Counsel"

Geoglyph: Eldin region north of Death Mountain Coords: 2085, 2770, 0308 Introduction to Mineru and her explanation of Secret Stones.

Memory 4 — "The Gerudo Assault"

Geoglyph: Gerudo Desert, large snake Geoglyph in the sand Coords: -3832, -2548, 0055 Ganondorf's ambition revealed; his plan to obtain a Secret Stone.

Memory 5 — "A Show of Fealty"

Geoglyph: Akkala region, northeastern Hyrule Coords: 3688, 2002, 0069 The founding-era Sages swear their oaths.

Memory 6 — "Sonia Is Killed"

Geoglyph: Lanayru region, east of Zora's Domain Coords: 3278, -1027, 0098 The most emotionally devastating memory — Ganondorf murders Sonia and steals her Secret Stone.

Memory 7 — "Tears of the Kingdom"

Geoglyph: Faron region, southern Hyrule near Lake Floria Coords: 1149, -3512, 0024 Rauru's grief after Sonia's death; the Sages rally.

Memory 8 — "Birth of the Demon King"

Geoglyph: Lanayru Wetlands, west of Zora's Domain Coords: 1623, -0294, 0019 Ganondorf swallows the Secret Stone; the Imprisoning War begins.

Memory 9 — "The Imprisoning War"

Geoglyph: Tabantha Frontier, near Rito Village Coords: -3486, 0922, 0211 Rauru sacrifices himself to seal Ganondorf; the Sages are bound to their purpose.

Memory 10 — "Mineru's Wish"

Geoglyph: Eldin/Akkala border region Coords: 2739, 1513, 0180 Mineru's plan to survive beyond death and assist the future hero.

Memory 11 — "Zelda and Sonia"

Geoglyph: Necluda/Lanayru border Coords: 2514, -1718, 0092 Zelda's growing bond with Sonia; the moment before everything goes wrong.

Memory 12 — "Zelda's Destiny" (The Finale)

Location: NOT a standard Geoglyph — found at the center of Hyrule, near the location marked after collecting all 11 others. Check the Dragon's Tears album photo hint. Zelda's decision to swallow her Secret Stone and become the Light Dragon.

Tips

• Open the Purah Pad Album — the pre-loaded photos show each Geoglyph from above as aerial hints
• Activate Skyview Towers in each region to make aerial navigation to Geoglyphs easier
• The Geoglyphs are large enough to be visible from Skyview Tower launch heights
• Complete all 12 for the full story revelation and the most emotionally complete experience of TotK's narrative

Emotional Beats — What Each Memory Reveals

The Dragon's Tears sequence is structured as a slow-building tragedy. If you collect memories in order, here's what emotional arc each one delivers:

| Memory | Key Revelation | Emotional Beat | |--------|---------------|----------------| | 1 | Zelda arrives in the ancient past | Wonder and disorientation | | 2 | Zelda meets Sonia — the royal lineage begins | Warmth and safety | | 3 | Mineru introduces Secret Stones and their danger | Foreboding | | 4 | Ganondorf appears to submit; clearly dangerous | Suspense | | 5 | The Sages make their founding vows | Hope | | 6 | Sonia is murdered; Ganondorf steals her stone | Devastation | | 7 | Rauru's grief; the Sages rally before the war | Resolve under loss | | 8 | Ganondorf becomes the Demon King | Horror | | 9 | The Imprisoning War; Rauru sacrifices himself | Grief + catharsis | | 10 | Mineru's plan to survive beyond death | Sacrifice | | 11 | Zelda's final bond with Sonia before the murder | Retroactive heartbreak | | 12 | Zelda swallows her Secret Stone; becomes the Light Dragon | Tragic self-sacrifice |

Why 11 before 6: Memory 11 shows Zelda and Sonia's bond at its warmest. Experiencing this memory before Memory 6 means you watch Sonia die knowing how much she meant to Zelda. The alternate order (6 first, 11 later) is less devastating. If you can only control one thing about your memory order, place Memory 11 before Memory 6.

Finding Geoglyphs Without a Guide

If you prefer exploration over coordinates, the Purah Pad approach works:

1. After landing on Hyrule's surface, visit Purah at Lookout Landing
2. She gives you the Camera rune and access to your starting Album photos
3. The Album already contains 12 pre-loaded aerial photos of Geoglyphs — each photo was taken from above, showing the full shape of the Geoglyph in the landscape
4. Zoom into each photo and look for recognizable terrain features (mountains, lakes, distinctive regions)
5. Match the terrain in the photo to your map

The photos are intentionally vague enough to require exploration while giving enough context to narrow down the region. This is the intended discovery method.

Skyview Tower synergy: Each Skyview Tower covers one region's Geoglyphs. Activating a tower reveals enough terrain that matching album photos to map landmarks becomes significantly easier. The recommended approach: activate towers methodically, then revisit your album after each one.

Geoglyph Shapes and What They Represent

Each Geoglyph depicts a figure from Hyrulean mythology — and the shapes correspond to the memory content:

• Dragon Geoglyphs (multiple): Represent the Light Dragon / Zelda's transformation
• Snake Geoglyph (Gerudo Desert): Represents Ganondorf's secret — a coiled threat pretending to be inert
• Hand Geoglyphs: Represent Rauru's power — specifically the arm he would sacrifice in the Imprisoning War
• Eye Geoglyphs: Represent Mineru's watchfulness — knowledge preserved across time
• Wing Geoglyphs (Faron/Akkala): Represent the Sage vows — protection spreading outward from a center

Reading the shapes before collecting their memories adds interpretive depth. The Gerudo snake Geoglyph in particular is obvious in retrospect: it's shaped exactly like what it contains.

Glide Shirt Reward

After collecting all 12 Dragon's Tears, the quest logs the final memory and an NPC points you toward the Forgotten Temple in Eldin. Inside the Forgotten Temple's sealed room (accessible via Recall on the descending stone platforms), you receive the Glide Shirt — a piece of the Glide Set that increases your horizontal speed while sky-diving.

The Glide Set (Glide Shirt, Mask, and Tights) is scattered across three sky island chests but completing the Dragon's Tears questline directs you to the Shirt specifically. Full set bonus: sky-diving no longer costs stamina, allowing indefinite controlled falls.

Playing the Memories in Sequence vs. Discovery Order

The game permits any collection order, but there are two distinct play experiences:

Discovery order (recommended for first playthrough): Collect Geoglyphs as you explore naturally. The emotional impacts land at different times based on exploration paths — Memory 6 might hit immediately, or might land midway through the game. This creates a more organic relationship with the story.

Intended order (1→12): Following the numbered sequence creates a coherent narrative arc with proper escalation. The pacing of the tragedy is deliberate — Memories 1-5 establish happiness and hope so that Memory 6's loss hits as hard as possible.

Hybrid approach: Many players recommend: discover the first 3-4 naturally, then use coordinates to find the remaining in order. This gives the early exploratory experience before locking into the story's intended emotional sequence.

After Memory 12 — What Changes

After Zelda swallows her Secret Stone in Memory 12, the game provides narrative clarity for everything that has happened:

• The Light Dragon now has explicit story significance (Zelda)
• All 12 memories can be replayed from the album
• The Purah Pad quest marker for Dragon's Tears updates to "complete"
• New NPC dialogue becomes available in some villages acknowledging the ancient events
• The Forgotten Temple quest (Glide Shirt) unlocks

The moment Link realizes he's been standing on the Light Dragon's back every time he visited a sky island is among the game's most effective retroactive revelations. It was Zelda, the entire time.

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Story — Collectibles — Lore — Dragon's Tears