Right from the start, Tears of the Kingdom introduces players to a whole new level of play area in the sky. Fragmented islands float above Hyrule as a result of the mysterious Upheaval event, and they are all begging to be explored and looted from the get-go.
Players will mostly find shrines, Device Dispensers and Korok Seeds hidden in the heavens, but among these discoveries are other collectibles and activities that are well worth taking the time to travel above. Be it via a Skyview Tower or reversing a falling piece of land, there’s lots to see and do on these islands. These are the best sky islands players should check out as soon as possible.
7 Starview Island
This island is less of an island and more of a planet. Looking at it from below or afar will give off Death Star vibes, but investigating it is a lot more fun than a killer space station.
Getting within a certain vicinity of Starview Island will begin to affect Link's gravity making him a lot more floaty. This makes for fun physics while climbing the nearby floating terrain to enter the sphere, and then completing the Shrine Quest within.
6 North Hyrule Sky Archipelago
During the beginning of the game on the Great Sky Island, players are introduced to Device Dispensers which take Zonai Charges for one time use capsules containing Zonai Devices used for building machines or vehicles. Each Device Dispenser has a different selection of three to five devices.
The two dispensers in the North Hyrule Sky Archipelago will be of particular interest to players early on as they contain Control Sticks, Homing Carts, Construct Heads, and Flame and Shock Emitters. Control Sticks allow for greater control over player created vehicles while Homing Carts and Construct Heads allow for the creation of autonomous ally creations to aid Link in battles.
5 Bravery, Valor And Courage Island
Within the same cluster of islands in the aforementioned North Hyrule Sky Archipelago is Bravery Island, one of three sky islands that include a diving challenge with a valuable reward.
Found on this island, and also Courage and Valor island, is a Steward Construct who will challenge Link to dive from the highest point of whichever island he is currently on, to the pond below while making sure to fall through the rings that appear. After doing this once, the Steward will offer a reward for completing the same challenge within a time limit.
The reward for beating each time is a new piece of the Glide Armor set which raises Link's mobility when free-falling. A form of travel players will find themselves using a lot.
4 Lomei Labyrinths
As well as the Death Star-esque sky islands, players may draw some resemblance to another sci-fi series when they spot the ominous floating cubes in Hyrule's skies. However, they are mostly non-threatening. Returning players from Breath of the Wild may have experienced the labyrinths in the distant corners of the game's map. Well these challenges are back and elevated to new heights.
Rewards for navigating these labyrinths are a shrine, Korok Seeds, but what most players will want to seek out are the Mighty Zonai weapons hidden within. Great for using on their own, or as a base for fused weapons.
3 Rising Island Chain
One of the first main quests players will be given is to investigate the "regional phenomena" occurring in each of Hyrule's four regions. It's up to players which one they tackle first, but character dialogue does try to influence them to investigate the intense blizzards of the Hebra region first. Should they succumb to this influence, players will be greeted with an exciting first challenge to Tears of the Kingdom's temples that follow a similar design to Breath of the Wild's Divine Beasts.
This particular temple is an ark in the sky and getting to it is arguably the best part. It involves a constant climb up a ladder of floating terrain that feels like it's never going to end. It's a great example of the game's world design in terms of platforming.
2 Zonaite Forge Island
One of the more unique sky islands Tears of the Kingdom has to offer, Zonaite Forge Island is high up in the sky and a decent distance away from other islands which make it a bit tricky to get to. But thanks to Link's new abilities in this game, the options on making it to this grandiose structure in the sky are plentiful.
Upon landing on this island, its true scale becomes apparent as players will activate the towering chimneys of the forge to glide up to the very top. Dotted on some of the more derelict chimneys are Korok Seeds, and then within the central tower players will discover a combat shrine, device dispenser and a hidden chest. Be sure to have some hydrant devices on hand.
1 Sky Mine
Unusually named as there is not much mining going on up here, save for a small island of luminous stone deposits, Sky Mine has quite a bit to see and do in a few small islands.
Players will likely be quickly drawn to the panel which activates three near vertical launchers on each cross shaped island. These will allow Link to gain access to the nearby floating sphere where players will discover they need to use the final launcher to fire the blocks scattered around the area, into the sphere to gain access to a chest in a sort of strange take on basketball.