The 10 WORST Side Quests in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
Most side quests in "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" are worth doing, but these are the bottom of the barrel. For this list, we'll be looking at optional quests that are either unimaginative, not worth the effort, or just plain unfun to play. Our list of the worst side quests in "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" includes Cash In on Ripened Flint, Disaster in Gerudo Canyon, Endurance Contests, Where Are the Wells?, and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for the 10 Worst Side Quests in “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.” We’ve already covered the best. So, for this list, we’ll be looking at optional quests in “Tears of the Kingdom” that are either unimaginative, not worth the effort, or just plain unfun to play. The game has gotten plenty of praise. So head to the comments and let us know what your least favorite side quest was.
There are multiple quests in the game that require Link to transport a large crystal, which transforms into a Shrine once he’s reached the right location. Some players think there are far too many of these and would rather have more puzzle-centric Shrines. So, the only one that actually charges you money for its crystal easily comes off as the weakest. In Tarrey Town, Link can find Hagie, who asks 100 rupees for the crystal but will charge you 50. It’s not as if you need to travel very far, and the Shrine in question gives you a Diamond. But with so many similar ones throughout the game, this does come off as a bit uninspired.
As Link heads into Gerudo Canyon, he’ll meet a man named Quince who has lost three of his fellow travelers. Naturally, it’s up to you to find them. Unfortunately, the quest marker on your map stays on Quince, so you really will have to search a canyon for them. The first one is thankfully found not far down the road being attacked by Lizalfos. But the other two are sitting in random locations and require a splash fruit and spicy pepper respectfully. Exploring and searching may be similar, but the former is definitely more fun than the latter. Wandering around aimlessly seems like a waste of time, which it is as the quest only gets you 10 bomb flowers.
There are several quests and puzzles within the new “Zelda” era whose instructions are purposefully vague, causing most players to stand around wondering what they should do. ‘Moon-Gazing Gorons’ is one of those quests. After completing Yunobo’s main story mission, Link can find Volcon and Tray in Goron City trying to remember a place from their childhood where they could see the full moon during midday. All they tell you is that it’s near Lake Ferona, but you’d be wrong for thinking you need to take a picture of the actual moon. Link must go into a nearby cave, which has a skylight that produces a moon-shaped ray on the ground. At least they pay you 100 rupees for your troubles.
The fun factor of some quests depends on how late into the game you find them. ‘A Bottled Cry for Help’ is found at the beach near Hateno Village, which most players will find early. A bottled message tells you of someone trapped in a nearby cave. And Link must follow debris with brightbloom seeds attached to find them. If you stumbled upon this quest when we did, you won’t have access to some of the better Zonai devices and you’ll be forced to use those nearby. Following this trail with a simple boat, and against the current mind you, isn’t annoying enough to be offensively bad. But it is quite tedious.
After Link tracks down the full Yiga Clan Armor Set, he can make it into two new locations: their hideout from the first game and the Yiga Blademaster Station. It’s this second spot where Link can take an exam to earn Blademaster status. While you might think that title is gained by surviving tough fights, all you really have to do is place bunches of bananas at five pedestals around the area. That is so much less interesting than what we were expecting. And you can pretty much avoid any enemies that would be in your way. You get great rewards, including a Shrine and a pristine Eightfold Longblade. But we can’t deny how disappointing doing this quest is.
Wells are one of the ways in which Nintendo expanded on the surface map. By exploring them, Link will eventually meet the NPC, Fera, who wants to know about all 58 of them. She gives you 10 rupees each and the All’s Well snowglobe for finding all of them. Plus, they hold useful resources so you’ll probably end up going down some anyway. Unlike the other large quantity collectathons in the game, like Korok Seeds, Addison’s signposts, and Bubbul Gems, ‘Where Are the Wells?’ is added to the quest log. That means you have to find every single one in order to clear it. For the average player, it likely just sits there, mocking you to find the patience to hunt these things down.
For some reason, when “Breath of the Wild” was translated from Japanese to English, someone had the strange idea to make the pen pal relationship between Finley, a Zora girl, and Sasan, a Hylian man, romantic. But even if that uncomfortable cringe wasn’t carried over into “Tears of the Kingdom,” their side quest still wouldn’t be very fun. After completing the main Zora questline, you can find the duo separated in a cave at Tarm Point. Sasan will need help getting his raft through the water, which is constantly rising and falling. Making this more frustrating are the massive stalagmites on your path. Make one slight mistake, and he’ll freak out and make you start over. Oh Sasan, I hate so much about the things that you choose to be…
This one is barely a quest, and yet it’s incredibly annoying. Sitting outside the Bedrock Bistro in the Eldin region is a wealthy Goron named Gomo. While the rest of us are out there dealing with Hyrule’s problems, Gomo sits around waiting for someone to bring him ripened flint, which looks the same as ordinary flint. You can give him some in portions of 20, 50, or 100, with higher numbers increasing your likelihood. In order to not lose resources, I must have reloaded the same save 20 times, continuously giving him 50 pieces of flint. After getting fed up, I returned later with 100 and got it the first time. At least he gives you 1,000 rupees, but it’s just bad quest design all around.
On Mount Granajh in the Gerudo Canyon, you can find Rahdo, an old man who will challenge Link to two endurance tests. The first has you both put up 50 rupees and stand declothed on a pillar during the cold night, while the second is for 150 rupees during the humid day. While you can’t touch the ground, there are many ways around succumbing to the environment, like meals and elixirs or equipping different elemental weapons. But you then have to stand there, from 8 to 4:30, amounting to around 16 minutes IRL for both quests. We don’t have to tell you how boring it is just stand, uninterrupted, in a video game. May as well take a bathroom break after you start.
A fetch quest in a terrific game is still a fetch quest. ‘A Call From the Depths’ directs Link to four spots on the Great Plateau, where he’ll find large stone eyes he needs to chuck into the Depths. From there, you can use whatever means you want to transport each eye to the Great Abandoned Central Mine, where you’ll find their owner. This quest does give you a better reward than most; you get to choose to increase your health or stamina. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a slog to play through. The monotony that comes from retreading the area four times over, even with Zonai devices, will make you want to do almost anything else.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re scraping the bottom of the barrel for the 10 Worst Side Quests in “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.” We’ve already covered the best. So, for this list, we’ll be looking at optional quests in “Tears of the Kingdom” that are either unimaginative, not worth the effort, or just plain unfun to play. The game has gotten plenty of praise. So head to the comments and let us know what your least favorite side quest was.
Rock For Sale
There are multiple quests in the game that require Link to transport a large crystal, which transforms into a Shrine once he’s reached the right location. Some players think there are far too many of these and would rather have more puzzle-centric Shrines. So, the only one that actually charges you money for its crystal easily comes off as the weakest. In Tarrey Town, Link can find Hagie, who asks 100 rupees for the crystal but will charge you 50. It’s not as if you need to travel very far, and the Shrine in question gives you a Diamond. But with so many similar ones throughout the game, this does come off as a bit uninspired.
Disaster in Gerudo Canyon
As Link heads into Gerudo Canyon, he’ll meet a man named Quince who has lost three of his fellow travelers. Naturally, it’s up to you to find them. Unfortunately, the quest marker on your map stays on Quince, so you really will have to search a canyon for them. The first one is thankfully found not far down the road being attacked by Lizalfos. But the other two are sitting in random locations and require a splash fruit and spicy pepper respectfully. Exploring and searching may be similar, but the former is definitely more fun than the latter. Wandering around aimlessly seems like a waste of time, which it is as the quest only gets you 10 bomb flowers.
Moon-Gazing Gorons
There are several quests and puzzles within the new “Zelda” era whose instructions are purposefully vague, causing most players to stand around wondering what they should do. ‘Moon-Gazing Gorons’ is one of those quests. After completing Yunobo’s main story mission, Link can find Volcon and Tray in Goron City trying to remember a place from their childhood where they could see the full moon during midday. All they tell you is that it’s near Lake Ferona, but you’d be wrong for thinking you need to take a picture of the actual moon. Link must go into a nearby cave, which has a skylight that produces a moon-shaped ray on the ground. At least they pay you 100 rupees for your troubles.
A Bottled Cry for Help
The fun factor of some quests depends on how late into the game you find them. ‘A Bottled Cry for Help’ is found at the beach near Hateno Village, which most players will find early. A bottled message tells you of someone trapped in a nearby cave. And Link must follow debris with brightbloom seeds attached to find them. If you stumbled upon this quest when we did, you won’t have access to some of the better Zonai devices and you’ll be forced to use those nearby. Following this trail with a simple boat, and against the current mind you, isn’t annoying enough to be offensively bad. But it is quite tedious.
The Yiga Clan Exam
After Link tracks down the full Yiga Clan Armor Set, he can make it into two new locations: their hideout from the first game and the Yiga Blademaster Station. It’s this second spot where Link can take an exam to earn Blademaster status. While you might think that title is gained by surviving tough fights, all you really have to do is place bunches of bananas at five pedestals around the area. That is so much less interesting than what we were expecting. And you can pretty much avoid any enemies that would be in your way. You get great rewards, including a Shrine and a pristine Eightfold Longblade. But we can’t deny how disappointing doing this quest is.
Where Are the Wells?
Wells are one of the ways in which Nintendo expanded on the surface map. By exploring them, Link will eventually meet the NPC, Fera, who wants to know about all 58 of them. She gives you 10 rupees each and the All’s Well snowglobe for finding all of them. Plus, they hold useful resources so you’ll probably end up going down some anyway. Unlike the other large quantity collectathons in the game, like Korok Seeds, Addison’s signposts, and Bubbul Gems, ‘Where Are the Wells?’ is added to the quest log. That means you have to find every single one in order to clear it. For the average player, it likely just sits there, mocking you to find the patience to hunt these things down.
True Treasure
For some reason, when “Breath of the Wild” was translated from Japanese to English, someone had the strange idea to make the pen pal relationship between Finley, a Zora girl, and Sasan, a Hylian man, romantic. But even if that uncomfortable cringe wasn’t carried over into “Tears of the Kingdom,” their side quest still wouldn’t be very fun. After completing the main Zora questline, you can find the duo separated in a cave at Tarm Point. Sasan will need help getting his raft through the water, which is constantly rising and falling. Making this more frustrating are the massive stalagmites on your path. Make one slight mistake, and he’ll freak out and make you start over. Oh Sasan, I hate so much about the things that you choose to be…
Cash In on Ripened Flint
This one is barely a quest, and yet it’s incredibly annoying. Sitting outside the Bedrock Bistro in the Eldin region is a wealthy Goron named Gomo. While the rest of us are out there dealing with Hyrule’s problems, Gomo sits around waiting for someone to bring him ripened flint, which looks the same as ordinary flint. You can give him some in portions of 20, 50, or 100, with higher numbers increasing your likelihood. In order to not lose resources, I must have reloaded the same save 20 times, continuously giving him 50 pieces of flint. After getting fed up, I returned later with 100 and got it the first time. At least he gives you 1,000 rupees, but it’s just bad quest design all around.
Endurance Contests
On Mount Granajh in the Gerudo Canyon, you can find Rahdo, an old man who will challenge Link to two endurance tests. The first has you both put up 50 rupees and stand declothed on a pillar during the cold night, while the second is for 150 rupees during the humid day. While you can’t touch the ground, there are many ways around succumbing to the environment, like meals and elixirs or equipping different elemental weapons. But you then have to stand there, from 8 to 4:30, amounting to around 16 minutes IRL for both quests. We don’t have to tell you how boring it is just stand, uninterrupted, in a video game. May as well take a bathroom break after you start.
A Call From the Depths
A fetch quest in a terrific game is still a fetch quest. ‘A Call From the Depths’ directs Link to four spots on the Great Plateau, where he’ll find large stone eyes he needs to chuck into the Depths. From there, you can use whatever means you want to transport each eye to the Great Abandoned Central Mine, where you’ll find their owner. This quest does give you a better reward than most; you get to choose to increase your health or stamina. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a slog to play through. The monotony that comes from retreading the area four times over, even with Zonai devices, will make you want to do almost anything else.
