Highlights
- Tears of the Kingdom offers a vast and immersive world for players to explore, with three main sections: land, skies, and The Depths.
- Some locations in the game are more challenging to access than others, requiring thoughtful thinking and planning from players.
- Finding secret locations in Tears of the Kingdom is worth the effort, as they often offer exciting rewards and unique gameplay moments that players wouldn't want to miss.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the perfect game for players looking for a vast world to discover and explore. The world of Hyrule is split into three main sections: land, skies, and The Depths. The Tears of the Kingdom map is far bigger in scale than its predecessor, Breath of the Wild, and players will find themselves overwhelmed trying to figure out where to explore first.
However, some of the locations in the game are a lot more difficult to reach than others, and require a bit more thoughtful thinking and planning to access. Players might be left scratching their heads as to how it's even possible to reach some areas, but alas, there's always a way.
Updated September 13, 2023 by Bronwyn Lee: Tears of the Kingdom is set on an incredibly large scale, with players still finding new areas months after its release. Some of these areas, in particular, are quite well hidden and often require some hunting down to locate.
However, players should definitely make the effort to find these secret locations, as they often boast exciting rewards, or interesting gameplay moments that they might miss otherwise. With this in mind, this list has been updated with even more locations players might have missed, that are worth checking out.
13 Forest Coliseum
While there are plenty of coliseums spread throughout Hyrule, the Forest Coliseum is one of the most difficult to access. This is because it's hidden within the Great Hyrule Forest Depths.
Players trying to track down this arena should head west from the Ramobnukas Lightroot, where they will eventually find a trail of Mighty Bananas. This trail will lead them straight to the Forest Coliseum, where the Yiga Clan will then trap Link, and force him to battle a Black Hinox.
12 Gerudo Secret Club
Tears of the Kingdom players who are interested in acquiring the elusive Desert Voe armor set will have to find a way into the Gerudo Secret Club. Unfortunately, it's not exactly simple finding a passage inside.
Players will have to navigate the caves beneath Gerudo Town until they find a spot where they can Ascend. It can be a bit tricky to locate if the player doesn't know where they're going, which is why it's one of the most difficult locations to reach in Tears of the Kingdom.
11 Gerudo Jail
The Gerudo Jail is one of the most hilarious additions to Tears of the Kingdom, although it's not initially clear how players can find their way inside. Whilst men, or "voe," are banned in Gerudo Town, Link is free to explore thanks to his help in Breath of the Wild. Unfortunately, the other voe aren't so lucky, and players may notice one locked up in a cell, being guarded by a Gerudo guard.
If the player commits any incriminating activities, such as removing Link's clothing or dressing as a Yiga Clan member, they'll find themselves locked away in the Gerudo Jail until they clean up their act.
10 Gerudo Highlands Tower
The Gerudo Highlands Tower is one of the most complicated Skyview Towers to activate in Tears of the Kingdom. Players can find this tower can be found tucked away in the West of the map, and North of Gerudo Town. The reason this tower is so complicated is that it's actually been buried underneath the snow!
Players are then made responsible for finding their way underneath the tower to locate its entrance. Luckily, there's a diary nearby that will guide players to where they need to go.
9 Gerudo Town
Some players may find that their first trip to Gerudo Town is a particularly perilous one. Navigating through the desert can be quite difficult for players due to the sand shroud surrounding the Gerudo region. The sand shroud blocks the player's visibility, making it difficult for them to see more than a few inches in front of them.
Additionally, the shroud blocks the player's map, making it almost impossible for the player to know which direction they're heading in. The region also has fluctuating temperatures, meaning players will have to make sure they're prepared to deal with both intense heat and cold whilst they're making their way to Gerudo Town.
8 Thunderhead Isles
Tears of the Kingdom players who are curious about the giant thundercloud above Faron may find themselves attempting to make their way to the Thunderhead Isles. Unfortunately, these Isles are almost impossible to navigate, without the help of certain equipment. This is because of the constant, aggressive storm surrounding the Isles, making navigation almost impossible.
Players will struggle to see more than a few inches in front of them, and will probably find themselves dropping down a hole, and being killed by an enemy they couldn't even see.
7 Eventide Island
Players wanting to reach Eventide Island will have to get creative with their building skills. The island is far away from the shores of Hyrule and requires some clever thinking to reach. The island can be found in the very Southeast corner of the map, just off the coast of Necluda.
Players do have a few options for how they can travel there - they could build a raft, try paragliding their way over, or they could build a Zonai device to get them there. However they decide, they'll have a decent way to go before they reach Eventide's shores.
6 Lone Island Coliseum
Lone Island Coliseum can be found just under the Eventide Island Chasm. However, this can be a pretty tricky location to get to in the first place. Eventide is far off the shores of Hyrule, and once players manage to find their way there, they will have to sneak their way past or fight their way through, the hoards of enemy pirates who have made the island their home.
Players will need to pack plenty of Brightbloom seeds with them to light the way once they're down the Chasm, as it's pretty dark, with very few light sources to navigate.
5 Korok Forest
Korok Forest requires players to do quite a bit of exploring to reach it. Navigating through the Lost Woods is impossible, so players will have to find an alternative route. This will lead them under the forest, through The Depths. The Depths are not easy to navigate, with Gloom and monsters everywhere, and very little light.
Once players figure out how to reach the Korok Forest, their job isn't quite done. The area will be covered in Gloom, and players will have to work out where the source of it is coming from in able to access the reinvigorated Korok Forest.
4 Lomei Labyrinth Island
Lomei is one of three labyrinths located around Hyrule and is certainly the most complicated to get to. The Labyrinth is located far out in the sea, off the Akkala coast. This means that players will have to get creative and make use of some Zonai devices to get there.
However, the challenge only gets started once players arrive. They will have to navigate their way through the challenging and seemingly endless walls of the maze, making the Lomei Labyrinth one of the most difficult locations to access in Tears of the Kingdom.
3 The Light Dragon
Whilst not necessarily a place, The Light Dragon is incredibly difficult to track down. Unlike the other Dragons, who have set paths and locations they frequent, The Light Dragon traverses all of Hyrule, and can often be found high up in the skies, making it difficult to reach. The Light Dragon has some really valuable items that players can acquire from it once they've tracked it down and gotten onto its back, making it all the more frustrating trying to locate it.
Luckily, this task becomes a lot easier once players have completed a certain mission in Korok Forest, as they'll be able to track The Light Dragon on their map. Despite this, The Light Dragon can often be found in some pretty difficult locations, making it hard to reach.
2 King Gleeok's Coliseum
For players looking for a challenge, or those who are looking to take down every beast in the game, King Gleeok's Coliseum is the place to be. Unfortunately, the island can be found high up in the skies, above the Lightning Temple. It's far away from any other island or a Skyview Tower, which means it can really take some traversing to get to.
The best way for players to access this island is to head to the North Gerudo Sky Archipelago. Once they've made it there, players should be able to locate some Zonai devices that will allow them to make their way to King Gleeok's domain.
1 Forgotten Foundation
Players who are brave enough to enter the Hyrule Castle Chasm, and fight their way through Gloom's Approach will find they've made their way to a strangely familiar location. The Forgotten Foundation is actually the location players will find themselves exploring with Zelda at the very beginning of the game, and it's incredibly cool being able to explore the area again.
Unfortunately, the Forgotten Foundation is incredibly difficult to get to, as players will have to fight their way through some of the most difficult enemies in the game, including a large amount of powerful Gloom monsters.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for the Nintendo Switch.