Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom brings with it a whole slew of game mechanics and items for you to test out. It's a big world, and you'll want to make sure to explore it all thoroughly.
Tears of the Kingdom encourages you to think outside the box, and gives you the items and tools you need to make all of your weirdest dreams possible, mixed in with the classic Zelda items you know and love.
10 Decayed Master Sword
It's not particularly useful, and you only have it for a very short time in the beginning of the game. So what makes the Decayed Master Sword so special?
If you've ever played a Zelda game, then you know how it goes - world needs saving, hero awakens, hero fights a few bosses, hero finds epic sword to complete his destiny. Breath of the Wild puts even more emphasis on the importance of the Master Sword. It's as much of a staple in the games as Link himself.
Seeing it destroyed throws the entire world on its axis for a moment, as you try to process what just happened; how is the sword gone, now what? It's not necessarily an important item, but the emotional impact of seeing it will last for a long time to come.
9 Zonai Devices
Need wheels? Fans? A flame emitter? Zonai Devices have you covered. You can attach them to weapons, shields, or use them to create modes of transportation, and they run off an energy cell that regenerates automatically over time.
And if that wasn't cool enough, you can get travel-size ones out of a gumball machine! There are a variety of travel ones, including a time bomb and a one-time use cooking pot. They're handy and convenient, and nothing quite matches the thrill of seeing what you get out of the dispenser.
8 Sticky Frogs and Sticky Lizards
You find yourself in front of a cliff wall. You've got your speed boosts and stamina elixirs, and you're ready to go... and then it starts to rain.
In Breath of the Wild, that would be the end of your climbing adventure and the beginning of a long walk. Tears of the Kingdom, however, has a solution to that problem - the Sticky Elixir. This ingenious little concoction can only be made with two unique critters: the sticky frog and sticky lizard.
Wildlife was a big part of your elixir repertoire in Breath of the Wild as well, so this is nothing new, but a solution to climbing wet walls is a welcome relief. Never be stopped by the rain again!
7 Fun With Flora
A lot of the regular items in the game, such as bombs and fire, ice, and electricity arrows, are missing from Tears of the Kingdom, but in their place we get plants that can attach to arrows, which have a variety of effects.
There's the Brightbloom Seeds which can light up a dark area; the Puffshroom, which acts as a smoke bomb; the Muddle Bud, which confuses the enemies and has a chance of making them turn on each other; and fruits that imitate the element arrows. And that's just to name a few.
It's a far cheaper option to stock up regular arrows and then go forage for mushrooms and fruits, and you'll feel like a bit of a trick archer every time you loose an arrow.
6 Travel Medallions
Fast travel is a wonderful thing. But what if you haven't found a shrine or a skyview tower near somewhere you want to go often? Or you just want to be closer? Purah Pad is here with the answer.
The updated version of the Sheikah Slate comes with the ability to set up travel gates, allowing you to fast travel straight to a certain point whenever you want. Originally these were only available with the Breath of the Wild DLC, and you could only do one at a time. But with a fully upgrade Purah Pad, you can handily have up to three.
5 Hylian Pine Cone
"Grows on trees and found all over Hyrule. It contains oil and burns well. Throw it into a fire to increase the intensity of the flames."
This little seed will give you a big boom. They're extremely common, and might seem worth skipping over, but you'll want to keep a few on hand, especially if you're someone who got used to using Rivali's Gale to easily get places in Breath of the Wild. Now you can just throw down some flint and wood, start a fire, and throw a pine cone on the fire for a gust worthy of the dead champion.
4 Towing Harness
One of the biggest new features in Tears of the Kingdom is the ability to build transport devices, including prototype cars that can move on their own (or with the help of a Zonai device). The stables have also introduced a reward system called Pony Points - you get a point when you do business with a stable, and the towing harness will be your first prize.
You can then choose to customize your horse at the counter, where you can attach the towing harness. From there, simply attach whatever wheeled vehicle you've created, and get going. Cruise the fields of Hyrule with the coolest horse and cart in all the lands.
3 Sleepover Tickets
Do you love the concept of inns but hate spending your hard-earned rupees? Pony Points have you covered. Once you hit 45 points (and again at 55 points) you'll get five Sleepover Tickets, which can be exchanged for one sleep in a regular bed at any stable.
That's 10 free sleeps total, perfect for when you need a quick doze and don't want to travel back to Lookout Landing just to save 20 rupees (or if you're broke because you spent all your money on arrows again...).
2 Construct Parts
The Zonai Constructs are mostly harmless. Until you find a soldier. They're Tears of the Kingdom's version of guardians - everywhere, strong, and ready to kill you without a second glance. Upon death, they drop horns of various sizes, which you can then fuse to a weapon to make a soldier spear or sword.
There are various levels of soldiers - the higher the level, the better the part you get, and the stronger your fused weapon will be. You can also trade them for devices at the Zonai Device dispensers, so they'll never go to waste.
1 Fabrics
Nintendo has finally caught on to the one thing everybody loves - customization. Tears of the Kingdom opens up the game in ways no Zelda game has before, even if it's just in small ways - namely, the ability to build using the Attach and Fuse options, and customize your glider with fabrics.
While a lot of them are only available through Amiibos, you can get a few from the game, including an introductory fabric, from the Kochi Dye Shop in Hateno Village, where you can also get your glider customized. It's the little things that really make the game good.