The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, much like its predecessor, is a game that grants players quite a bit of freedom, letting players do things in the game in any order they like, solve puzzles any way they want, and so on. While this level of freedom is extremely nice to have, it also comes with some issues, especially at the start of the adventure when Link finally managed to return to Hyrule.

　　If you are feeling lost and have no idea how to proceed with your adventure without getting confused by puzzles or destroyed by enemies, you have come to the right place, as these six tips will help you make the most out of your starting hours in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and make the experience way more enjoyable.

　　

Get Used to Your Powers

After the introduction, Link will find himself on the Great Sky Island, and during his time on it, he will explore different Shrines to power up his new arm with four unique abilities - Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Recall. While going from one Shrine to the other straight away may seem like a decent way to proceed, you really should take the time to learn about these powers and how you can take advantage of them. Ultrahand allows you to create all sorts of things by attaching a variety of objects together, while Fuse lets you fuse weapons and shields with items to power them up and grant them special effects. Ascend, and Rewind have some more unique applications, as they let you ascend through anything and manipulate time to restore an object's prior state.

　　As you won't get much time to get used to these abilities once you reach the surface, and you may be overwhelmed by the number of things you can accomplish there, you should take the time on the Great Sky Island to get used to these powers, and how they can work together. Instead of brute forcing your way up with climbing like you did in Breath of the Wild, make sure to check your surroundings for any opportunity to use Ascend, to make an example. Or, instead of traveling around to get over a chasm, you could just pick any item Link can stand upon, move it towards the place you want to go with Ultrahand, then use Recall to make yourself a moving platform, to make another. The possibilities are truly endless, and the more you get used to thinking outside the box, the far less trouble you will have when the adventure proper starts.

　　

Don't Rush Off

Taking your sweet time is advice you should keep in mind even after you reach the surface. Instead of heading off into the great unknown as soon as you get to Hyrule, you should take the time to explore Hyrule Castle and the map's central region as much as possible. By doing so, you will gain a better understanding of the world's current state, get a few useful items, including the Paraglider, and become ready for the challenges ahead. Also, once Purah tasks you to investigate four specific areas, make sure to speak with Josha and Robbie to start a questline that will provide information on the Depths and even unlock Autobuild, Link's final ability that allows you to build vehicles automatically. In case the "A Mystery of the Depths" quest doesn't unlock, complete one of the Temples and then speak with Robbie and Josha again to unlock it.

　　

Get a Horse

While The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom provides a lot of different means of transportation, a horse will still be the one that will help you the most. As such, you will want to get one as soon as you can and register it at the nearest stable. Wild horses are found all over Hyrule, and you will be able to find plenty of them not too far from Hyrule Castle and Lookout Landing. To mount any of them, approach them as slowly as you can, then press the A button when prompted. If the horse is agitated, mash the L button to soothe them, and they will soon be calm enough to be ridden normally.

　　

Experiment With Everything

With the first few main and side quests under the belt, and a trusty horse, it is finally time to venture into the great unknown, complete some Shrines to increase your Health and Stamina, fight enemies, and enjoy the wonders that Hyrule, its skies, and the Depths have to offer. As the game is all about freedom, you should take advantage of it as best you can, and the only way to do so is to experiment with everything, both during exploration and combat.

　　Pick every item you can find, read its description carefully, and use it in conjunction with other items to make discoveries that can really help you out as you try to save Hyrule once again. Any item with an elemental property, for example, can be fused with weapons to grant them the same property. Dropped parts from monsters can be combined with specific weapons to create unique ones. Weapons themselves can be fused together for some unique effects. Want to combine a claymore with a spear to increase its reach? You can. Want to stick two longswords together so as to have better range and retain the ability to use a shield? You can do this too. And if you want to get wild, you can fuse Zonai devices, which you should stock up every chance you get, with weapons to make yourself flamethrower shields, beam-emitting clubs, and so on.

　　Fusing weapons with items also makes weapon durability far less of a problem than in Breath of the Wild, as you can get a decently powerful weapon by thinking outside the box and using everything at your disposal to create it yourself.

　　

Don't Forget To Cook

　　Cooking returns in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it's every bit as useful as it used to be in Breath of the Wild. Cooked dishes not only heal you for more than single ingredients but can also grant Link a variety of beneficial effects, such as increased resistance to cold and heat, higher attack power, higher speed, and much more. Every time you see a pot ready to be used, take the time to use everything you have picked up to whip up some delicious dishes that can really save you out there. With so many powerful enemies lurking behind every corner, you never know when you may need some serious healing.