The long-anticipated sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild promised multiple new features and systems, and now that the game is finally out, these promises have proven true. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lets players experiment with Zonai device technology, new abilities, new enemies to defeat, and more. One Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom feature that fans have appreciated is the Pony Points system, which incentivizes visiting stables and catching wild horses more frequently.
In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players could tame wild horses and register them at stables scattered throughout Hyrule, where each horse had unique stats and behavior. However, many players found themselves not using wild horses often, as simply catching one horse with good stats was enough to carry them through the game. The Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Pony Points system makes its stables feel more integrated into the game, offering rewards and even connecting horse-catching and riding to a multistep side quest.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Pony Points Reward Players For Experimenting With Horses
There are dozens of wild horses with various colors, patterns, and stats that Link can find and tame as he explores Hyrule. There are even some rare horses, such as a glowing golden one rumored to belong to Princess Zelda herself. That said, the most powerful horse in the game is not one who can be caught—Link's iconic steed Epona, who is both powerful and obedient to her rider, is obtained via scanning certain Zelda amiibos.
In Zelda: Breath of the Wild, many players found themselves sticking with Epona because no horse could measure up to this beloved companion. However, obtaining maximum Pony Points in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom cannot be accomplished without catching and registering multiple horses.
Pony Points are awarded for visiting a new stable for the first time, registering a new horse, or sleeping in a stable's bed. Otherwise, catching horses is one of the quickest ways to earn these points. Pony Point rewards include new saddles and bridles, additional horse registration slots, mane-styling services, and the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Towing Harness, which lets Link pull wagons and other vehicles by attaching them to a horse. Collecting a total of 40 Pony Points even grants Link a permanent discount when sleeping at stables.
Malanya Beds Help With A Major Side Quest in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The reward for earning seven Pony Points is the ability to sleep in Malanya Beds, which are special beds found only at stables. In addition to granting Link bonus health and stamina, Malanya Beds also grant Link prophecies provided by Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Malanya, the God of Horses.
Malanya hints at the location of rare horses, reveals meals that can be offered to him in exchange for upgrading horses' stats, and, best of all, provides information about how to awaken the Great Fairies from their buds. The quest to awaken the Fairies must be completed to upgrade Link's various armor sets and can be done without sleeping in a Malanya Bed, but the Horse God's tips are extremely helpful to players who don't want to idly hunt for buds all over Hyrule.
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is receiving praise for a number of quality-of-life upgrades that address concerns fans had with Zelda: Breath of the Wild. These include the addition of armor that provides Slip Resistance, the ability to Ascend through the ceiling instead of constantly climbing, and a Recipe Book to store Link's culinary creations. The Pony Points system is definitely one such improvement, giving a little-used and poorly managed gameplay element from the original game its chance to properly shine in the sequel.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently available for the Nintendo Switch.
