Summary

• Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, but delivers many unforgettable story moments all on its own.
• Certain gameplay moments, like Link's first skydive or climbing up to the Wind Temple, stand out for their impressive scale.
• Many of TOTK's unforgettable moments come from it's most important story beats involving Link, Zelda, Ganondorf, Rauru, and Sonia.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues the story of Breath of the Wild as a direct sequel, starting with Link and Zelda exploring ruins beneath Hyrule Castle that they didn't know were there. Naturally, that acts as the beginning of a new adventure, since Zelda discovers not only reliefs in the ruins that tell a story, but the sealed body of Ganondorf. And this encounter begins a journey that spans thousands of years.

[Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.]

Like most Zelda games, the story of TOTK is told through a combination of quests, NPC dialogue, and cutscenes. Altogether, they create a story that's difficult to forget given how many memorable moments are shown throughout the game. From the beginning of the game to its very end, these are 10 of the most incredible moments that help make TOTK an unforgettable experience.

10 Link Loses His Arm

Ganondorf Is Unsealed

It doesn't take long to reach a memorable scene in TOTK. The cutscene that leads to Link losing his arm is among the first scenes in the game. While exploring the ruins beneath Hyrule Castle, Link and Zelda find - and incidentally release - Ganondorf. His Gloom latches onto Link's arm and drains its vitality, which also leaves him unable to save Zelda when she falls into the darkness and disappears.

9 Link's First Skydive Off Great Sky Island

Ending TOTK's Tutorial Section

After Link is saved by Rauru's arm and spirit, he wakes up on Great Sky Island. This is the first look Link gets at the Sky portion of the map, which he'll need to keep returning to throughout the game. And this section leads to Link's first skydive off one of the islands, which displays the experience of adventure and different layers of maps that compose this version of Hyrule.

8 Entering The Depths For The First Time

Seeing Another World Under The Surface

Opposite to the Sky section of the map exists the Depths. The first time that Link enters the Depths can be a bit jarring with how dark it is. Plus, encountering Gloom attacks while in the Depths can also be frightening, since Link's hearts don't recover from Gloom damage until he sets foot in sunlight or is basked in the glow of a Lightroot.

7 Climbing Up To The Wind Temple

A Perilous Journey With Tulin

The Wind Temple in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom takes a bit of effort and a lot of patience to reach, which is mainly because the only path to the temple requires Link using flying ships and the resources available on scattered sky islands to climb the lengthy path up to the temple's entrance. While there are shrines that act as checkpoints that Link can fast travel to, falling or dying still becomes a setback that requires going through the same sections again.

6 Ascending Into Korok Forest From The Depths

Ingenious Use Of TOTK's Design

Trying to enter Korok Forest in TOTK can be frustrating at first because it seems like there's no way to get into the forest. However, when all other options have been tried and ended up failing, it becomes clear that the only way to reach Korok Forest is from below. Finally reaching Korok Forest from the Depths using Ascend is unforgettable after all the frustration that comes with exhausting every option before figuring it out.

5 Zelda Swallows A Secret Stone & Turns Into The Light Dragon

Emotional Memory That Solves The Master Sword Mystery

This cutscene is the last of Zelda's memories from the past that Link witnesses through Dragon Tears. She makes the decision to abandon her humanity and turn herself into an immortal dragon so that she'll eventually arrive in Link's time, knowing that there's no guarantee she'll return to being mortal after the transformation. It's the only way to repair the Master Sword and return it to Link, so Zelda swallows her Secret Stone, undergoing an unforgettably horrible and painful transition into the Light Dragon.

4 Ganondorf's Final Phase As The Demon Dragon

End Of TOTK's Final Boss Fight

Zelda isn't the only character to turn into a dragon in TOTK. During the final phase of Link's fight against Ganondorf, the Demon King turns into the Draconified Demon King. His appearance looks a lot like Zelda's when she's the Light Dragon, but he keeps his usual red coloring. Still, the transformation and abilities during this phase of his fight are unforgettable, especially with the help from Zelda, even though she no longer re who she used to be while she's the Light Dragon.

3 Zelda Becomes Hylian Again

TOTK's Final Cutscene

After helping Link defeat Ganondorf in his dragon form, Zelda gets to return to her form as the Hylian princess. Of course, her dragon transformation isn't something she can undo by herself, and not even Link has the power to change her back. However, the power of Rauru, Sonia, and Link combined turns Zelda back into her original form, which means that Link needs to catch her as she falls from the sky in an unforgettable reunion.

2 Zelda Arrives In The Past & Meets Her Ancestors

King Rauru & Queen Sonia

Zelda falls into the abyss when Ganondorf is unsealed, and her fate is uncertain until Link witnesses the Dragon Tear memory that shows her arriving in the past. Of all the places that Zelda could've ended up, the distant past when Hyrule was a new kingdom didn't seem like a possibility. But that revelation and meeting the first king and queen ended up becoming an unforgettable and surprising moment. And at the same time, it set up a dynamic that showed the beginning and end of Rauru's mission to get rid of Ganondorf.

1 Sonia Dies By Ganondorf's Hand

Hyrule's First Queen Is Killed

Sonia is shown to be a kind ruler, intent on helping Zelda in any way possible, which is why her death is so shocking and emotional. The scene leading up to Sonia's death makes it seem like she and Zelda were able to design a trap for Ganondorf, but then their trap falls apart so quickly, and Sonia is killed by Ganondorf before Zelda can even try to save her. It was a shocking moment, and perhaps the most unforgettable scene in TOTK.

Although it didn't win The Game Awards' Game of the Year, Tears of the Kingdom is a journey full of unforgettable moments and vast areas to explore. The events that happen to Link and Zelda might happen thousands of years apart, but they're so intertwined that the direct results of the past can still be felt in the present. This is almost certainly the last entry to the journey that began with Breath of the Wild, but that doesn't mean that it'll be easy to forget the events that happened to Link, Zelda, Sonia, and Rauru in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.