In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, fans of the Zelda franchise get to explore a much richer and more vibrant Hyrule than even the one in Breath of the Wild. While completing the game's main story, players will often encounter characters, villages, and ancient relics that might even catch their interest more than the mystery of Hyrule Castle's upheaval.
Along the way, some players may be enticed to complete every side quest they can find. However, some might not be as rewarding as others. Whether it's due to how long they take for little reward, or for how difficult they are to actually complete, these side quests in Tears of the Kingdom will likely frustrate fans the most.
6 Cold-Endurance Contest!
There's nothing worse than a side quest in a game like Tears of the Kingdom where the main objective is to do nothing. That's how many fans feel after completing "Cold-Endurance Contest!," which requires players to scale to the top of Mount Granajh in the Gerudo Highlands and talk to Rahdo, who lives there in a tent.
When talking to Rahdo, he issues players a challenge in cold endurance to see if Link can survive standing in the chilly weather without dying. Players can easily circumvent this challenge by eating a meal or elixir with cold endurance benefits. However, they'll still spend most of the time standing on a pillar throughout a night, which can feel like a waste of time.
5 Cash In on Ripened Flint
Throughout a playthrough of TotK, players will probably come across many Flint throughout their travels by smashing mineral deposits. While they can be fused to weapon or used to start fires, several Flint will also be required to complete the side quest "Cash In on Ripened Flint" near Bedrock Bistro.
The quest asks players to donate flint to the Goron Gomo, who offers 1,000 rupees in exchange for ripened Flint. The only downside is that Gomo will only accept 20 or 50 pieces at a time, and players have no way of knowing if the batch randomly contains ripened Flint. While it might be easier to save and reload before trading, others may find it a waste of perfectly good Flint.
4 A Picture For Closed Stable
This series of side quests kicks off at Gerudo Canyon Stable, where players will encounter Piaffe after freeing him from a pile of boxes. Afterward, Piaffe will give players the opportunity to help the stable by taking pictures for the frames on the wall. The only problem is, Piaffe has very specific wants that players must fulfill.
The two photos Piaffe wants are of Spectacle Rock smiling and a giant sword. These vague clues might confuse many players who don't have the commitment to complete the quest, while others will bear through the confusion to get it done. After all that, the quest only rewards a few Pony Points and some meals, which is a pretty lousy prize.
3 The Mayoral Election
Another series of side quests can be activated once players arrive at Hateno Village, where an upcoming mayoral election is the talk of the town. It's a battle between fashion designer Cece and incumbent Reede, who both are keeping secrets from those closest to them. Link must discover these secrets, while also helping influence the election's turnout.
Ultimately, nothing Link ends up doing has any impact on the election result, as Cece and Reede eventually decide to work together. By completing the entire Side Adventure, players will be given a Cece Hat as their reward, which sadly has no purpose other than fashion. Unlocking Cece's clothes shop is a nice bonus, but it's a lot of busy work leading up to it.
2 A Monstrous Collection
This side adventure in the Akkala region of Hyrule can only be unlocked once players have completed previous side quests, like "Mattison's Independence" and "The Search for Koltin." Upon arriving back in Tarrey Town, Koltin will ask players to take photos of various monsters in order to turn them into replicated statues as decoration in Tarrey Town.
Though side quests only require players to take pictures of the monsters rather than defeat them, some can be harder to get a good snap of than others. Some monsters are only located in The Depths too, which makes for an even more exhausting hunt just for a picture, and semi-decent rewards.
1 Messages From An Ancient Era
This side quest in Tears of the Kingdom initially seems like it will be vital for the game's main story. After discovering a stone tablet that's fallen in the center of Lookout Landing, players will meet Wortsworth, who is studying the ancient texts and asks players to find more of them throughout the Sky Islands that have recently appeared throughout Hyrule.
For some players, it can be a fun side adventure that encourages exploration of the Sky Islands in exchange for Wortsworth's decipherings in Kakariko Village. However, completing the quest will only net players 100 rupees for each text, as well as a fabric that can be used to customize Link's paraglider. For some players, this is a meaningless reward for all that hard work.