The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was Nintendo's first ever open-world game, a game that became known for its stunning graphics, beautiful towns, and gigantic map. Following the games' success, there was a lot of pressure for Nintendo to impress with the sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. As Breath of the Wild has become known for its beloved map, a lot of this pressure to succeed was directed to the new game's map.
Players wondered if the game would include a new map altogether or a new version of the old map. They were also eager to see what towns were to be included in the game. Towns and settlements in both games offer a place to rest, somewhere to get armor weapons, and ingredients for food. Taking all these things into account, the best towns and settlements of Tears of The Kingdom can be decided.
10 Goron City
Located in the burning hot and lava-littered mountains of northeast Hyrule is Goron City. This mining and volcanic-themed settlement is home to the Goron species. Most players will discover this area when completing the 'Devine Beast' main quests as Goron City is home to the Devine Beast Vah Rudiana. In terms of gameplay, Goron City is pretty isolated on the map meaning there are not many side quests or stables nearby making the city one of the less popular areas on the map.
In addition to this, Goron City is excruciatingly hot and players will need to prepare by brewing fireproof elixirs using monster parts and fireproof lizards, and/or buying the armor available in the town's clothing store. Unlike in Breath of the Wild, players can actually access Goron City without these items, however, when completing the 'Regional Phenomenon' main quest, preparation is a must for this area.
9 Gerudo Town
Much like Goron City, Gerudo Town is a hot and isolated area, located opposite Goron City in the Southwest area of Hyrule. This desert settlement is one of the largest in Hyrule and is possibly the game's largest city. The town itself is stunning, filled with streams of water, ambient lights, and palm trees. Home to the all-female Gerudo, this town is filled with fierce personalities.
This town is both gorgeous and practical with places for players to rest and restore hearts and shops for players to stock up on food and arrows. The only downside of Gerudo town is that it is far from a lot of the rest of the map meaning players will not need to visit here often as there are other towns and settlements in more convenient locations.
8 Rito Village
Of the four main towns in Hyrule, Goron City, Gerudo Town, Zora's Domain, and Rito Village, RIto Village is by far one of the best. These four towns first appeared in the 1998 game Ocarina of Time and were essential in Breath of the Wild. Because of their history within The Legend ofZelda franchise, there is a sense of nostalgia for longtime players of the series within these towns, and Rito Village captures that perfectly.
The scenic views and stunning soundtrack perfectly capture the wild feeling of Breath of the Wild and the nostalgia of Ocarina of Time, reminding players of what these games are truly about. The peaceful scenery, music, and hints at the older games make this town exciting to visit for long-time fans.
7 Hateno Village
Hateno Village is one of two Hylian settlements found within the Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom maps of Hyrule and is rumored to be the birthplace of Link. Hateno Village is definitely the game's most practical town for all it has to offer. Including a handful of side quests, plenty of armor and food shops, a dye shop, and the Ancient Hateno lab, there is plenty to aid players in the journey within Hateno Village.
The peaceful farming village located in the hills of East Necluda truly has it all being scenic as well as practical. Players can even enjoy Link's home, a free place to rest and restore hearts as well as somewhere for players to store their favorite weapons and weapon fuses. It is without a doubt that Hateno Village is one of the best towns that Hyrule has to offer.
6 Zoras Domain
The whimsical and mystical appearing Zora's Domain is the home of the Zora species, located in Lanayru area of Hyrule. This town will transport players to another world with stunning Atlantis-like visuals and dreamy music. Despite the sludge that is present until the completion of the 'Regional Phenomenon' side quest, Zora's Domain is still one of the game's most stunning towns.
Home of Sidon and once Mipha, players can enjoy interacting with beloved characters and the many side quests the town has to offer. As the other main towns do, Zora's Domain also has a supplies store and a place to sleep. Here, players can also unlock the beloved Zora armor from Breath of the Wild which gives the ability to swim up waterfalls, an extremely helpful skill to have when exploring. The beauty of the town alone makes it worthy of being one of the game's best areas.
5 Lookout Landing
A new settlement added to Hyrule within Tears of the Kingdom is the Lookout Landing, a base dedicated to locating Princess Zelda and fighting monsters. Here, many beloved characters from Breath of the Wild such as Purah and Robbie can be found as well as a supply store, plenty of weapons, and the Emergency Bunker, which can be used by players to rest.
The area adds a completely new element to the game as well as a sense of unity that makes it feel as though players are less alone in their quests. Something that completely contrasts the isolated feel of Breath of the Wild. The liveliness of Lookout Landing gives the game a unique feel and a lust of life that is new, and one that bounces back to players making them more determined to enjoy the game and complete the quest of finding Zelda and saving Hyrule.
4 Lurelin Village
Despite being overrun by pirates, Lurelin Village is arguably the most beautiful area on the map. When in the game's main map of Hyrule, this beach-style getaway is like a breath of fresh air away from all the grassy fields and forests of Hyrule. Once players have defeated the pirates, Lurelin offers Link a place to stay, plenty of food to purchase, fish to catch, and weapons to buy.
For the scenery alone, Lurelin takes the cake for one of both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom's best towns. Not only that, the music is perfectly suited, adding to the relaxing and peaceful aura that Lurelin Fishing Village gives off.
3 Kakariko Village
The second of two Hylian settlements is Kakariko Village, a Japanese-inspired town giving a node to Nintendo's origin in Kyoto, Japan. Firstly, the town's design is completely unique, being beautiful and reminiscent of Japan, with fitting music that is equally beautiful. The town also is filled with side quests, homes, and areas to explore, as well as armor shops and supply stores.
The town has since its debut in Breath of the Wild become a fan favorite for all the above reasons. The town is also suitably located near central Hyrule meaning players can visit with ease and stock up or rest before continuing on their journey to save Princess Zelda and Hyrule.
2 Great Sky Island
The Great Sky Island, where the story begins in Tears of the Kingdom. This area is completely fresh, unlike any of the grassy fields of Central Hyrule or the decayed towns of Breath of the Wild. This area of the map is vibrant and filled with warm oranges and yellow, perhaps representing the growth that has happened since the calamity that took place in Breath of the Wild. Upon starting Tears of the Kingdom, The Great Sky Island is the first area players actually get to play and explore.
This map is stunning, colorful, and most importantly new! Refreshing players fresh out of the gate that this game is different from BOTW as many feared the two games would be two similar. The Great Sky island is a visually stunning and fun area to explore and acted as the perfect opening for gameplay because of its reassuring uniqueness, as well as its challenging terrain which forces players to explore the game's new features, ultra hand being one in particular that is explored here.
1 Tarrey Town
Forgetting about practicality and scenery, Tarrey Town is one of Tears of the Kingdom's best towns for a reason that is completely separate from the rest. Tarrey Town was first introduced to The Legend of Zelda franchise in 2017 within Breath of the Wild, a game filled with signs of decay and ruin as the story was set in a Hyrule that was destroyed after the Calamity. Among the ruin, Tarrey Town was a new settlement beginning to emerge, acting as a symbol of hope within the game as well as a symbol for the game's story of decay and ruin.
Within Tears of the Kingdom, Tarrey Town is alive with builders and people constructing and building. Now, Tarrey Town represents rebuilding after devastation, truly acting as a symbol for what the game's story is all about. This progress also ties the two games together, showing development and giving what players completed within Breath of the Wild meaning. Unlike any other game in the series, Tarrey Town is a symbol and tells a story, making it one of Tears of the Kingdom's best towns.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for the Nintendo Switch.