Cold resistance is an essential part of survival in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and one that you are faced with very early on in the game.

Whether you’re still on the first Sky Island or braving the blizzard around Rito Village, you’re going to want to traverse Hyrule prepared. Entering a cold area without protective warmth will see Link rapidly lose health and hand you a Game Over screen.

Luckily, there are a number of ways to grant Link cold resistance in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including cold resistance food and elixir recipes.

When do you need cold resistanceCold resistance food recipesCold resistant elixir recipesBest cold resistant armor setTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings 10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting The Legend of Zelda Tears of the KingdomWatch on YouTube

If you'd like to learn more about Link's adventure, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

When do you need cold resistance in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Fortunately, it’s pretty easy to see when Link needs to wrap up or eat up — Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom makes no bones about telling you when you’re causing Link to suffer. Not only will the thermometer on the bottom right of the main screen swing to extreme, but you’ll see Link shiver on the weapons and armor screen.

Another helpful hint is to simply watch the environment. Is it snowing? It’s probably cold then.

Cold resistance food recipes in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Extreme cold is one of the first natural hazards you’ll come across in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — right after falling to your death and drowning. Nobody said Hyrule wasn’t a dangerous place…

To the right (east) of the Great Sky Island is a mountainous area where you come across the Gutanbac Shrine. Getting there requires you learn the ropes of making cold-resistant food.

Fortunately, this Sky Island comes with plenty of Spicy Peppers — simply collect a few of them and chuck them in a cooking pot. The game will automatically create a dish for Link to enjoy!

There are many ways to eat a pepper, as the saying goes. First and foremost, chuck five in a pot together for a whopping 12:30 minutes of protection. However, if you want to play with the theme, you can mix them with apples, raw meat… the world is your culinary oyster.

Cold resistant elixir recipes in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Elixirs are a way of using monster parts to further Link’s quest to find the princess in another castle. You likely won’t come across these until later in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as you’ll be missing the corresponding bug to mix in with it.

You can either find butterflies out in the wild, if you have the patience to sneak up on them, or (more likely), you can buy them from Beedle at Tabantha Bridge Stable.

Once you have a Summerwing Butterfly (Eldin Canyon or Gerudo Highlands) or Warm Darner (Akkala Highlands or Faron Grasslands), go ahead and mix it with your favourite monster parts to create a Spicy Elixir.

Best cold resistant armor set in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

As mentioned, the trip to the Gutanbac Shrine on the Great Sky Island is your first test of cold endurance. This shrine is the one where you learn the Ascend ability — fortunately, there’s a conveniently placed overhand from an old, dead, hollowed out tree, right in front of you as you exit the shrine! Guess what that was put there for?

If you guessed 'an opportunity to test the Ascend ability in the wild', you guessed correctly! Head on up and grab the Archaic Warm Greaves, which offer two points of defence and one point (out of two) of cold resistance.

While the Archaic Warm Greaves will get you most of the way through Tears of the Kingdom, you will eventually find that some places are absolutely frigid, and Link needs to double down on the down jacket.

Fortunately, these can be found where the world is coldest: Rito Village, which is experiencing the adverse effects of climate change: a sudden and persistent blizzard.

To get the best cold-resistant armor set, head to the Brazen Beak armor shop in Rito Village and pick up the Snowquil set for a total 2150 Rupees - this includes the Snowquill Headdress, Snowquill Tunic and Snowquill Trousers. You only need two pieces of cold-resistant armor though, so if you’re strapped for cash, the Tunic is the cheapest of the three.

If you’re seriously into wasting Rupees though, the Ruby Circlet in Gerudo Shelter does exactly the same thing as the Snowquill Headdress, but costs twice as much at 1300 Rupees.

Need some more help with resistances, don't forget to check out our guide for finding the best heat-resistant armor set and, if you'd like to learn more about Link's adventure, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

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