The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has quests that send Link to each region to explore odd occurrences that are plaguing the people living there. Like in Breath of the Wild, Link receives help from a character in each region, which turns into him gaining an ability that can be used going forward. For Tears of the Kingdom, those abilities are rewarded as part of the “Regional Phenomena” main quests, each of which have their own unique vibe.
Tears of the Kingdom‘s primary main quests are the branching stories of the “Regional Phenomena” quest, which have Link go investigate the unusual events happening to the home regions of the Rito, Zora, Gerudo, and Goron. These are the quests that lead into Link awakening the Sages whose ancestors swore to pass on their power in order to help him defeat Ganondorf in the distant future. While none of the Regional Phenomena quests are bad, some offer more in terms of story with fewer environmental hindrances.
4 Goron
The Goron “Regional Phenomena” questline in Tears of the Kingdom seems to have the most humor of the four. With its proximity to Death Mountain, it’s no surprise that players are going to need some of TOTK’s heat-resistant armor for Link, which can be purchased in Goron City. Early in the questline, it’s clear that the Marbled Rock Roast the Gorons are obsessed with isn’t benefiting them. Even Yunobo is acting strange and supporting the consumption of Marbled Rock Roast, and his reason is that “Princess Zelda” told him to wear a mask and that the Goron should be eating this odd food.
Link frees Yunobo from the mask that’s controlling him, and they look for the image of Princess Zelda that headed for Death Mountain, which leads to the entrance of the Fire Temple. Overall, the storyline feels lackluster compared to the other “Regional Phenomena.” Instead, the highlight of the Goron questline is the Fire Temple itself. The focus on using mine carts is not only fitting for the Goron, but it’s fun for the player and sets the design of the Fire Temple apart from the others in TOTK.
3 Rito
The Rito “Regional Phenomena” quest has the essence of a coming of age story. The Rito in Tears of the Kingdom are struggling with the unending cold and snow that the Upheaval brought. Tulin believes that the snowfall is related to a ship in the sky hidden in the clouds, which is an old legend passed down as a children’s tale among the Rito. As such, the rest of the Rito dismiss Tulin’s speculation, but he does receive permission to go investigate the clouds.
Getting to the Wind Temple is fun at first, but it can be stressful as well since it’s easy to miss the next bit of Sky Island Link needs to land on. The Wind Temple itself isn’t too exciting, and players without cold resistant gear or a lot of meals will run into issues with Cold Damage. Then, the boss fight is a test of skydiving prowess, and in the end, Tulin’s theory about the boat in the sky causing the snow was correct. The Rito “Regional Phenomena” questline in TOTK is interesting enough and fun at parts, but it isn’t the best of the bunch.
2 Zora
Perhaps it’s the lingering memories of Princess Mipha from Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but the storyline of the Zora “Regional Phenomena” quest feels more emotional than the others. The chain leading up to the temple seems longer than other regions, and seeing Prince Sidon being driven by his worry about losing more people he loves like he lost Mipha is a great contrast to the usually charismatic and upbeat personality he shows the world. Plus, Link has to clean a statue of himself riding into battle on Prince Sidon’s back, which can be unexpected given the weight of the situation the Zora are facing.
The Water Temple in TOTK isn’t too different in concept from other temples, but having to remove the sludge gives it a feeling reminiscent of Super Mario Sunshine. If players don’t have enough ChuChu Jelly or Splashfruit, then the boss fight becomes tedious since players have to rely only on Sidon’s ability to clear out sludge. Overall, it’s the storyline, the characters, and the ambiance make up for the temple and travel that leads up to it.
1 Gerudo
The Gerudo “Regional Phenomena” questline has Link once again slip into an area where men are generally forbidden from entering. The lead up to the Lightning Temple requires players to use Riju’s ability in Tears of the Kingdom often, even before leaving Gerudo Town with her. The journey to the temple requires a combination of puzzle solving and creativity to navigate the sand shroud, which reduces visibility greatly and disables the map.
The Lightning Temple relies on light puzzles, and this gives it a feeling reminiscent of Ocarina of Time and the Mirror Shield. The boss doesn’t bring anything new to the table, as players face her before even entering the temple and the fight in the temple hardly adds more features aside from more Gibdos being spawned and Queen Gibdo flying for a portion of it. In the end, Riju’s character design and her zest for fighting against evil with Link, along with the mesh of elements from more classic Zelda titles that set the Gerudo “Regional Phenomena” questline apart from the others.
It isn’t easy to rank the “Regional Phenomena” quests as each one is unique and has its own charms; however, some feel more enjoyable to play through than others, even if there’s an element of personal preference involved. Tears of the Kingdom does a great job showing what the phenomena are that plague each region, and lets players witness how their actions directly help the people of those regions as Link continues his hunt for Princess Zelda. The temples might have a repetitive feel to them, but it’s the combination of characters and the story leading to them that make the Regional Phenomena quests special in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.