Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Want to know how to unlock the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ending? Much like Breath of the Wild, the gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom liberates the player from being constrained by an overarching narrative. You can go anywhere, at any time, and interact with story beats in any order, but the game does have an overarching plot involving finding Princess Zelda, defeating Ganondorf, the Demon King, and recovering Hyrule from a devastating tragedy known as the Imprisoning War.
Knowing how to get the Tears of the Kingdom true ending requires a good grasp of the game’s mechanics. For example, you need to obtain the Master Sword as early as possible to unlock new quests and make the journey to becoming the true Zelda hero. Likewise, certain cutscenes that explain Ganondorf’s origins are unlocked as you progress through the main story. Fully disclosing the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom map also helps uncover certain story arcs, but some aspects of the game’s final boss battle remain a mystery until the end. Here’s everything you need to know to reach the Tears of the Kingdom true ending, watch the credits roll, and finally put a stop to Ganondorf once and for all.
How to Unlock the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Ending
Obtaining the Master Sword, watching Dragon’s Tear cutscenes, and completing main quests will unlock the game’s true ending, but not all of these are essential to progressing the story. Likewise, the main quest isn’t the only avenue to unlocking new cutscenes and interactions with characters like Purah. As you progress through the game, check out the areas where you can speak with characters and interact with objects to find entrances to underground areas such as Dark Ruins and Grand Temple.
Here are the required events to unlock the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom true ending:
Those familiar with the Breath of the Wild ending will recognize some of these concepts, but Tears of the Kingdom attempts to provide a little more context to Ganondorf’s motives. After defeating Ganondorf in his Gerudo form and watching the credits, you’re given the option to continue exploring Tears of the Kingdom. Simply speak to Astrid at the Great Deku Tree stump to begin the extended ending.
How to Unlock the Tears of the Kingdom Sages
The four main Sages that aid Link throughout Tears of the Kingdom include Belma, Purah, Calamity, and Rado. The Sages are, of course, named after the regions they call home, such as Belma Valley, the home of the Sage of Wind. Other characters will also point you in their direction if you discover Sealed Entrances, but each Sage stays put in their personal sanctum starting from their recruitment quests.
Calamity will upgrade the Knight’s Ring and Knight’s Ring+, which you receive from Belma and Purah respectively, at any point if you’re close to maximising the upgrades in either ring. The fifth Sage, Mineru, doesn’t formally join the team until you complete her questline, but she essentially acts as a mini-Faron with a unique ability and brings clarity to the fourth-age mystery that affects many of the characters.
Tears of the Kingdom Final Boss – Ganondorf
The final boss and determining factor of the Tears of the Kingdom ending rests entirely on whether or not you’ve collected all of the Secret Stones, which need to be destroyed in specific locations as the game’s final quests instruct you. Ganondorf can only be fought while targeting a Secret Stone, and this is the only battle in the game that’s mandatory.
While it may appear the fight against Ganondorf is the climactic ending to the game, this is merely the penultimate chapter prior to the true ending. After being defeated and choosing not to succumb, Ganondorf forces Link to relive the final moments of the Imprisoning War, a conflict that resulted in the exile of the Light Dragon, Link’s loss of his memory, and Ganondorf obtaining god-like powers.
The four Sages arrive to assist Link, having seen visions via Calamity’s Amber, and try to find a way to revert Ganondorf to his Gerudo form. Ganondorf threatens Link again and tells of the deception, instantly sending Phantom Ganons to attack.
The Sages manage to locate the Secret Stone, and Link realizes Ganondorf lured them to observe the final tragedy. Ganondorf shows multiple visions from different points in time, slowly revealing how Ashei, Deep Zora, and the
