As is with previous Legend of Zelda games, having a Fairy or three will revive Link if he's defeated by an enemy in Tears of the Kingdom. Fairies will instantly help Link the minute he's out of hearts, saving players the trouble of having to dig through their inventory. While useful to have at any time, they're most helpful when players are just starting their journey.
Tears of the Kingdom follows the same Fairy Formula as Breath of the Wild: Link needs to use stealth to catch them, and they'll only restore five hearts. With changes to the Great Fairy Fountains following The Upheaval, TotK players will have better luck farming Fairies from the Sky Islands than they will on the ground - especially in the beginning.
Fairy Locations & How to Catch Them
Players may have noticed by now that the locations of the Great Fairies in Breath of the Wild have changed in Tears of the Kingdom. Not only were Great Fairy Fountains the places to go for upgrading armor, but players could also find regular Fairies flying about. Since unlocking Great Fairy Fountains are part of a new series of sidequests in Tears of the Kingdom, it's easier to farm Fairies on the Sky Islands.
When scanning the map from Skyview Towers, Link will be launched into the air where he can then Dive or use his Paraglider to glide onto one of the floating islands. Another way to get into the sky is to use Recall on ruins that fall from the Sky. It doesn't matter which methods players use.
Fairies prefer Sky Islands with ponds, so here are two coordinates to visit:
Sky Islands | Hyrule/Surface Counterpart | |
|---|---|---|
2113, -2600, 1264 | West Necluda Sky Archipelago | East of Popla Foothills Skyview Tower |
-0668, -1312, 0861 | South Hyrule Sky Archipelago | South of Hyrule Field Skyview Tower |
When catching Fairies Link must use Stealth. He can crouch by pressing down on the L-stick. Pay close attention to the Noise Meter in the bottom right corner of the screen. If players don't have Stealth Gear, then they can take a Stealth Elixir, or just approach as slowly and quietly as possible.
Unfortunately, the fairies fly higher in Tears of the Kingdom. If they do this, just wait directly under the Fairy and tap A-button when the action command reads Catch. Fairies will take off if Link moves too fast, or if there are nearby enemies, so make sure to clear the area before farming them.
Fairies will cap at four and no longer respawn until Link has less than the maximum, but there are ways around this to trick the system. Hold a Fairy so that Link has no more than three in the inventory (do not release them), and more should spawn in the area.
What Should You Do with Fairies?
Fairies can be used to cook a Fairy Tonic, which restores HP just like any other cooked meal. Fairy Tonics will restore more than 5 hearts to Link's overall health. However, drinking a Fairy Tonic before getting killed won't give Link a "revive" buff or anything to that effect. Thus, it's better to just keep the Fairies in the inventory. If Link's exploring dangerous areas or falling from great heights, they'll prove their use.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available on Nintendo Switch.