Beneath Hyrule Castle is where your adventure in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom begins.

You’re not trapped in the dark for long though, as Link will soon find himself on the Great Sky Island - the starting area of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Here you’ll find the Purah Pad and begin one of the game’s first main quest, The Closed Door.

Below we’ll walk you through your first steps on the Great Sky Island and, if you’d like to learn more about Link’s quest, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

Remember - it’s dangerous to go alone and this guide contains spoilers! We've done our best to avoid any major storyline spoilers.

Beneath Hyrule CastleGreat Sky Island and how to get the Purah PadHow to start the Closed Door main questTo 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

Beneath Hyrule Castle in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Our adventure in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom begins deep beneath Hyrule Castle. All you have to do for now is follow Zelda, talk to her on occasion and examine what you find beneath the castle.

Eventually, after walking through a short corridor containing some statues, you’ll be attacked by some Keese. Upon their defeat a cutscene will play and, once it's finished, head through the corridor containing the red smoke. (I’m sure nothing will go wrong.)

Head down this corridor. | Image credit: Nintendo

Upon waking up, pick up the Decayed Master Sword and, even though it's in less than ideal condition, use it to cut down the vines hanging over the doorway. Once you’re in the next room, interact with the glowing green circle decorated with a hand symbol.

Image credit: Nintendo

With that done, head through the newly opened doors and continue down the tunnel - diving into water and climbing walls as you go - until you find a chest containing the Archaic Legwear. You should probably put this on so Link has some form of armour, but you do you.

Image credit: Nintendo

After this head through the doorway leading to the outside world and dive down to the Great Sky Island!

Great Sky Island and how to get the Purah Pad in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Welcome to the Great Sky Island - the starting area for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom! Your first destination is the Temple of Time and, as you travel there, we recommend picking up any Tree Branches and food you see as they will be quite useful.

After landing in the lilypad covered pond, swim to the shore and head down the steps. Continue following the path and you’ll quickly come across a Zonai Soldier Construct which you can defeat. With it dispatched, you’ll be able to easily reach the small stone structure and collect the Wooden Stick - a stronger weapon than your tree branches - inside.

Image credit: Nintendo

Next, continue following the path until you reach a friendly Steward Construct who will give you the Purah Pad - Tears of the Kingdom’s version of the Shiekah Slate.

Image credit: Nintendo

How to start the Closed Door main quest in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Now you have the Purah Pad, it’s time to visit the Temple of Time in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

First, however, you need to interact with another green circle to the right of the Steward Construct to activate a bridge for you to cross. After crossing, follow the path to a platform overhanging a pond you can dive into.

Dive from this platform. | Image credit: Nintendo

You’ve now reached one of the larger parts of the Great Sky Island and, while this walkthrough focuses on the more direct route to the Temple of Time, you can always take a different journey if you’d prefer to go exploring.

We reached the Temple of Time by leaving the pond between the two stone stands and following the path which begins at their feet, destroying any Soldier Constructs we encountered, until we came to the steps leading to the temple.

Image credit: Nintendo

When you’re at the temple, swim through the water to reach the steps and then climb the steps. You’ll encounter a Soldier Construct wielding a shield who you need to defeat and, afterwards, try to enter the Temple of Time.

Image credit: Nintendo

After a cutscene plays, the main quest The Closed Door will automatically begin and you'll be tasked with visiting the shrines scattered across the Great Sky Island. Your first destination is the Ukouh Shrine where you’ll unlock Ultrahand. You can also visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough to learn more about Link’s adventure.

Good luck adventuring in Tears of the Kingdom!

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