Tears of the Kingdom follows on the success of Breath of the Wild, bringing a new exciting story while drawing on some of what made its predecessor successful: popular NPC's, crafting recipes for armor, weapons and food, combat against creatures, and of course, the shrines that have become a main-stay in the current series.
The shrines require players to make use of numerous mechanics the game introduces, as well as engaging their ability to solve problems. Often, they offer challenges to the players, but some employ fun and satisfying puzzle mechanics.
8 Igoshon
Located on Wellspring Island, the Igoshon Shrine is themed all around water, including its puzzles. Players will find the shrine on the aforementioned Island, one the lower level to the east, the side close to the Floating Scales Island.
Entering the shrine will challenge them with the Orbs of Water trial, an apt name for the puzzle awaiting them. In order to reach the end of Igoshon Shrine, players must travel through the provided orbs of water. In order to progress to the next platform before the orbs combust, players will need to make clever use of their abilities such as Ultrahand and Recall, making it satisfying to solve the puzzles and progress further in.
7 Jiukoum
The Shrine titled as 'Built for Rails', most fans could take an educated guess at what puzzles would be awaiting them in this particular shrine. Located on the surface of the Faron region, Jiukoum Shrine stands out close to the Poplar Foothills Skyview Tower, making it easy to locate and enter, but that's when the hard part begins.
Players will have to make use of Ultrahand to grab the platforms provided and jerry-rig together a rollercoaster-esque ride to take them to the following platforms. Players will need to take care of how they position some of the aforementioned platforms, as too much weight on one side could cause the platform to tumble down, and Link right with it. Though this all sounds simple to execute, it is still entertaining to slide around on the rails, and highly satisfying to glide from one platform to the next.
6 Ishodag
Ishodag Shrine, or a Windy Device, is another shrine that proposes a series of increasingly harder puzzles that must be solved using one of Link's devices that will aid him in his adventures in Hyrule. Players can locate this shrine by climbing a rocky hill that lies to the west of the Hyrule Castle Ruins, but in order to reach it, players must know and use Ascend once they have climbed to the rocks.
As the title of the shrine suggests, players must use the fan in order to make their way through the shrine by attaching it to various platforms to jettison them from point to point. Though this sounds simple in theory, the practice will be much more challenging to players, but it does provide extremely fun and satisfying gameplay mechanics to make use of.
5 Ekochiu
Ekochiu Shrine will be one of the earliest players should be complete, as it makes use of one of the most basic of game mechanics; the Recall ability. The Rise and Fall Shrine is located in the Great Hyrule Field region, close to Pico Pond, thus is relatively easy to locate.
Though the Ekochiu shrine will not be the hardest to complete, players must give thought into how to use the Recall ability, as well as the buttons provided in the shrine that will move the blocks. Players will need to make use of these two mechanics in conjunction, and those who do will be rewarded with how fun and satisfying it is to see them rewind objects to help them progress further into the shrine.
4 Zakusu
The Zakusu shrine might be one of the most difficult to gain access to, but hides within it one of the most satisfying trials. But in order to experience it, players must first gain access to it by completing the High Spring and Light Rings shrine quest. Only then will they be able to enter the shrine found in the Mount Lanaryu region. The quest itself to gain entry is satisfying enough, as players myst guide Link on a shield sled through seven rings of light.
Once inside the shrine, players will be stripped of their gear for the duration of the trial, and must rely on the resources provided, making it a challenging but rewarding experience, as it challenges players to make the most of limited equipment. Inside, players will encounter enemies, with only a sticks and wooden shields. Defeating these enemies with only the most basic combat equipment will be one of the most satisfying victories in Tears of the Kingdom.
3 Riogok
The Riogok Shrine invites players to solve its 'Force Transfer' puzzle, which some fans might think is the trickiest puzzle in the game, but it also stands out as the most satisfying. In order to experience the trial for themselves, players must traverse to the Hyrule Field Region, and explore the banks of the River of the Dead, opposite to Mount Hylia.
Once inside the shrine, players must make use of the surrounding environment to solve the trial, mainly by utilizing Ultrahand to rearrange objects and platforms to progress. Clever thinking will let players figure out which configurations will unlock that door or activate that platform that they just need. The satisfaction in this puzzle comes from the rewarding feeling of finally deducing what objects to use and how to make use of them to solve part of the environmental puzzle.
2 Mayachideg
Another shrine that will strip Link of his equipment, players must rely on what the shrine makes available, as well as their tactical thinking skills in order to survive and overcome the challenge. For players who want to test their mettle in the proving grounds, they can find Mayachideg Shrine in the Eldin Canyon region, near to the South Akkala Stable.
Once players step inside the shrine, all of their items and equipment will be taken away as they must prove they have skill and tactical thinking to use the items available to solve the problem of the constructs that stand in their way. Players will be provided with primitive equipment to craft the most basic of weapons as well as Zonai devices. Players can use their provided equipment to create makeshift weapons, attach them to the Zonai devices and set them after the constructs. Watching their war machines dispatch of the enemies can be very satisfying, as it proves the resourcefulness of the players.
1 Mayaotaki
The Mayaotaki Shrine is perhaps the most unique and fun shrine of the entire game, opting for puzzles that differ from most within Tears of the Kingdom, though its mechanics do harken back to the maze puzzle in Breath of the Wild. In order to receive the blessing, players must locate the Shrine within the North Lomei Labyrinth.
Players will encounter more than dead ends in this labyrinth though, as there will be other obstacles to overcome such as damaging environments, and notes of others that have tried to brave the maze. The added nuggets of lore make this shrine trial more intriguing than the rest, and the feeling of victory once players overcome the challenge is unmatched. The satisfaction players will feel at best this maze in unrivaled, and well worth the effort.