Explorers be prepared, Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom brought back the open world from Breath of the Wild, changed places you know and love, added new places, and oh right, there's the Sky Islands and the Depths.
Which begs the question - where should you start? Are some places more important than others? What if you miss something? The biggest downside of an open world is that there's always a chance of missing something. There are definitely some locations that are more important than others, however. Make sure you don't miss out on them.
5 Lookout Landing
After you jump from the Sky Island and eventually clear the cloud line, the first thing you'll see will be Lookout Landing, built into a clearing like a giant target. It's obviously the first place you have to go, and where you'll get your main quest to start the story, but don't just run out when you're done talking to Purah. Lookout Landing has so much more to offer than just being a place to get your exposition dump.
Lookout Landing is a great home base for Link. It has a small shop with some basic food, arrows, and the Hylian clothing set. The underground bunker has a Goddess statue for trading in Lights of Blessing, a cooking pot, available weapons that replenish if you take them, and - perhaps most importantly - a free bed for sleeping and recovering hearts.
You'll also find Hestu there, ready, willing, and eager to take any Korok seeds you have. He doesn't move, so you can keep going back for him without having to hunt him down.
There are side quests abound in Lookout Landing, including quests in the Depths. Explore and talk to everyone - even the weird statue near Josha's work station. You never know what you'll find.
4 The Closest Stable
Once you leave Lookout Landing, you'll have three stables in easy walking distance - Wetland Stable, Riverside Stable, and New Serenne Stable.
New Serenne Stable is probably the best choice, because nearby you'll find Impa and the start of the Dragon's Tears quest, but any of them will do. The first thing you'll want to do there is get a horse. If you played Breath of the Wild and have a horse there, Tears of the Kingdom will pick them up. You can get your old, loyal horse and have an instant ride to anywhere.
At the same time, you'll learn about the new stables reward program, known as Pony Points. You get a Pony Point for doing business at a stable, or even visiting for the first time, and you'll get a prize with your very first Pony Point - a towing harness, which allows you to attach your horse to a wagon for easy towing. The stable offerings have really expanded from Breath of the Wild - make sure to learn what they are and take advantage of them.
3 The Lucky Clover Gazette
Journalism has reached Hyrule. You'll first meet Penn, a Rito Village native, after Purah launches you into the sky. He doesn't recognize you as the hero of Hyrule, but still happily talks to you and mentions his gig at the Lucky Clover Gazette.
The newspaper office has moved into the former building of the Rito Stable, and is run by Traysi, former author of the Rumor Mill from Breath of the Wild.
After some talk, she'll appoint you as Penn's new partner and send you off on the Potential Princess Sightings! quest. This is a side adventure, and also a great way to make some quick cash.
You can take your time with it, meeting up with Penn at the stables whenever you have time or need for money, and explore Zelda sightings that sometimes involve a shifty-looking person searching for a man with blonde hair.
You'll earn 50 rupees for your first few investigations, then get a raise to 100 rupees, and Traysi will also dole out the sticky armor in pieces at three intervals. Not bad for a day of honest work.
2 Tarrey Town
Remember the town you helped build in Breath of the Wild? Or maybe you didn't. But you'll get credit for it when you visit Tarrey Town in Tears of the Kingdom.
The small town is now a bustling haven of people walking around saying "Son and done!" as they go about their daily chores.
Tarrey Town is a great place to drop in on, talk to some people, buy supplies, and help the locals with their problems. Or you can just single-handedly fund their economy and pray to their Goddess statue. The town is also one of the few places you'll find selling bomb flowers, so stock up when you're there.
1 Bargainer Statue
Did you talk to the statue at Lookout Landing? It'll offer you a trade - collect Poe souls in the Depths and trade them into the statue to get items, including the dark tunic and the Tunic of the Depths. Once you have those, the statue is a handy place to stop by and pick up some bomb flowers and muddle buds and other Depths-related items.
The statue on the surface, which was excavated from its spot, will also tell you about its brethren in the Depths, and mark the location of one on your map. It's not too far from the Stakijat Lightroot, so you can teleport right to it without much hassle.
The Depths Statue doesn't offer anything different from the one at Lookout Landing, but if you're in the middle of exploring the Depths, it's nice to have a statue you can easily go back to without interrupting your adventures too much. And there are other Bargainer Statues out there to really itch your need to explore.