Some notable side objectives include finding all 900 Koroks, for which players will receive a thoughtful final Korok Seed from BOTW ‘s Hestu . Players can also finish all 120 shrines to get all the Spirit Orbs and the heart and stamina upgrades, in addition to a special armor set reminiscent of link Home customization‘s classic green garb. If players wish to truly dive deep into all of BOTW ‘s side activities, they can make it a mission to master all the minigames such as Gut Check Rock, or the Paraglider course on Eventide Island. There’s also even smaller unmarked objectives such as fully upgrading every armor set, taking pictures of all the creatures and weapons that BOTW has to offer, and cooking every possible rec
While much of Hyrule’s past has been left intentionally obscured by the overarching Zelda timeline, there are shreds of details present throughout the canon games and companion books that may add deeper context to the series’ main events. Namely, the Hyrulean Civil War mentioned in Ocarina of Time and the Interloper War alluded to during Twilight Princess are two major events in Hyrule’s history that have yet to be thoroughly detailed. It’s possible that BOTW ’s First Great Calamity is actually another name for the Interloper War, which would place almost every single game on the Zelda timeline between BOTW ’s two apocalyptic Calamit
Despite TOTK ’s ambiguous position on The Legend of Zelda timeline, it seems that the game may connect directly to Twilight Princess , as many fans have already begun to speculate. Not only are the Heroes of Sky, Time, and Twilight directly referenced by Princess Zelda in BOTW , but several notable details in TOTK ’s trailers seem to reference the Twilight Realm as well. Fans were quick to spot the snake and ouroboros imagery in the most recent trailer (seen below), which is strikingly similar to the ornamentation in the throne room of the Palace of Twilight where Link encountered Zant the Usurper in Twilight Princ
Fans were quick to note that the trailers released for Tears of the Kingdom thus far have featured some notable Twili imagery, suggesting a strong possibility of this Realm’s relevance in the upcoming game. In particular, the snake and Ouroboros images that appear in TOTK’ s trailers are extremely similar to the snake ornaments that decorated the throne room of the Palace of Twilight. These snakelike carvings and hieroglyphs notably appear in the Zonai Ruins in BOTW as well, sparking plenty of theories about connections between the
That said, it’s unclear exactly what state Zelda ’s Sacred Realm is in during the era of Breath of the Wild . The game’s somewhat ambiguous timeline placement makes it difficult to determine which branch it belongs to, though it’s said to take place at the end of the story. It’s possible that the Sacred Realm remains a safe land of light in this era, but there’s an equal chance that Ganon’s malice has corrupted this divine realm once again. As such, fans have speculated that BOTW and TOTK ’s stories will lead to the ending of the fractured Zelda timeli
Tears of the Kingdom ‘s trailers contain references to the ancient Zonai tribe, whose ruins litter BOTW ‘s southeastern Faron region. This ancient warlike tribe is said to have mysteriously vanished, leaving the citizens of Hyrule to whisper about their strange and powerful magic, according to the Creating a Champion art book released in 2018. According to Twilight Princess , there were many years of peace after Hyrule was established thanks to the power of its Triforce. However, as word of the Triforce spread, a group of powerful sorcerers known only as the Interlopers attempted to gain control of The Legend of Zelda ‘s Sacred Realm . In order to stop their plot, the Goddesses had them sealed away in the Twilight Realm along with the Fused Shadow created by their ma
There are three main branches of the Zelda timeline which split from one another after the events of Ocarina of Time . BOTW ’s developers have ambiguously stated that the game takes place at the end of the Zelda timeline, though the exact branch it belongs in remains to be confirmed. Bits and pieces of lore referenced in BOTW and TOTK ’s trailers thus far seem to include details from all three branches, potentially implying that these games will be connected to the timeline in its entirety. A full playthrough of every single mainline Zelda game before TOTK ’s release would be a near-impossible feat, but Zelda fans should be sure to revisit these major tit
Not much is known about the Interloper War mentioned in Twilight Princess , but its placement on the official Zelda timeline may have some deeper implications for the series when combined with the lore about BOTW ’s two Calamities. Assuming that the Zonai truly are the ancestors of the Twili people sealed away to end the Interloper War, then it’s possible that this group was among the first to attempt to revive the Demon King after Demise was sealed away in Skyward Sword . While the vague legend about the Twili’s origins leaves plenty of room for interpretation, it’s possible that the Interloper War has since become known as the First Great Calam