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The Sky Islands open up a wider scope of Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom. Naturally, Link is bound to run into new enemies, items, armor, and weapons. This also includes new materials that can be used for cooking. One such item is the Golden Apple.
Since regular, red apples were so abundant in Hyrule, one may hope that this would be the same case for the Golden Apples. Unfortunately, they're quite rare in Tears of the Kingdom. If players haven't done so, they'll need to complete the tutorial mode before they can start farming Golden Apples around Hyrule.
Golden Apple Locations
Once players get the Paraglider and activate their first Skyview Tower at the Lookout Landing, they should head south towards the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower, located at 00753, -1019, 0064 (or refer to the above image for the location). After activating the Tower, they should then scan the Map and glide down onto one of the Sky Islands in the South Hyrule Sky Archipelago.
How to Reach South Hyrule Sky Archipelago (Hyrule Field Skyview Tower)
Since this might be one of the first Towers players discover, it's advised to proceed with extreme caution. They'll need to break into the Monster Landing which is full of Blue Bokoblins and Blue Moblins. They may not be a threat later, but they will be if Link only has four hearts.
First, take out the Blue Bokoblin at the bottom fortress, then go after the Moblin. If players want to, they can use the Ultrahand Ability to pick up the dynamite barrels to drop them on enemies.
Once Link reaches the top of the fortress, the Blue Bokoblins near the Landing's entrance will roll out a giant steel, spiked-ball. Players can either dodge this, or use the Ultrahand Ability to pick it up. Another alternative is to switch to the Fuse Ability and attach it to a weapon.
The Bokoblins (three) will then rush down the bridge to attack Link. Defeat them, then head inside. Do not go right once inside the Landing. There's a nearby camp with its fair share of monsters, and without the right weapons or skill, Link won't stand a chance. Instead, head towards the Skyview Tower without making too much noise.
Once the Travel Point is unlocked, go to the center of the Tower to scan the Map. Link will then be launched into the air. Free fall until Link nears the floating islands. Look south for a group of islands. There should be one with three trees on them, so take out the Paraglider with X-button and glide towards it. The coordinates for this island are -0699, -1174, 0986.
There are three Golden Apples on this Sky Island in the South Hyrule Sky Archipelago. Upon collecting one Golden Apple, the description will say that Golden Apples sometimes grow among regular apples. Of course, other Golden Apples can be farmed from Sky Islands, so the best bet here is to keep Scanning Maps via Sheikah Towers and searching for islands with trees.
What Happens When You Cook Golden Apples?
There are benefits to cooking Golden Apples. For starters, an uncooked Golden Apple recovers more hearts (one and a half) than red apples. This should be an indicator for the cooking effects a golden has over a regular.
Any recipe that calls for Fruit (ex: Fruitcake, Fruit Pie) can make use of a Golden Apple, but Golden Apples should also be cooked with food that have effects (ex: Stamina). When cooking, players may hear a 'tune' and end up with a stronger meal. If cooking a Golden Apple, then the meal will always be better than if had been cooked with regular ingredients.
For example, compare the Fruit and Mushroom Mix recipe:
- x1 Regular Apple and x1 Stamella Shroom will create a Fruit and Mushroom Mix that restores 2 hearts.
- x1 Golden Apple and x1 Stamella Shroom will create a Fruit and Mushroom Mix that can restore up to 7 hearts.
Golden Apples are ideal for those that need to recover health in a pinch. While it's okay to eat them raw or baked, players are better off cooking them into meals. Those that aren't looking to create fancy meals should remember that they can cook Golden Apples by themselves. Doing so will result in Simmered Fruit. Three Golden Apples, such as the ones from the Sky Archipelago, can create a meal that restores 12 hearts. Otherwise, it's best to use Golden Apples sparingly until players have easier ways of traveling and farming them from the Sky Islands.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.