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Are there Tears of the Kingdom dungeons? Dungeons were a staple of the Zelda series until Breath of the Wild bucked the trend with Divine Beasts, so you might be wondering what dungeons in The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild sequel will be like. While many fans enjoyed the Divine Beasts and Shrines of BotW, we’re not sure many would complain at a return to traditional Zelda dungeons in TotK.
With a sprawling new Tears of the Kingdom map, there are sure to be plenty of opportunities for some new Tears of the Kingdom dungeons to explore, full of all new Tears of the Kingdom enemies to take on, too. If you’re intent on avoiding spoilers, be aware that the details below.
Does Tears of the Kingdom have dungeons?
Yes, Tears of the Kingdom includes dungeons.
One complaint many fans had of BotW was that the Divine Beasts were too similar. While the puzzles and mechanics of them differed, the aesthetics and design of the beasts made them feel quite repetitive. TotK appears to be reverting to the classic Zelda dungeons, each individually themed around a particular element or area, such as Fire and Water Temples.
The Divine Beasts were also considered by many fans to be too small to be true Zelda dungeons. Many puzzles were somewhat simple, and each Divine Beast could be completed reasonably quickly, especially on repeat playthroughs. Luckily, it seems that Nintendo have heard this feedback, as noted by art director art director Satoru Takizawa.
“Making a “wide variety” was pretty challenging. The four Divine Beasts were the dungeons in the last game, and they shared similar designs. This time, the dungeons are huge and each carry their own regional look and feel, just like traditional The Legend of Zelda games. We think they will provide a satisfying challenge for players. They were certainly a challenge to develop!”
Typically, Zelda dungeons feature a slew of monsters unique to the dungeon and its surrounding area, as well as one-off boss and mini-boss battles. The Divine Beasts did have final bosses in the form of the Blight Ganons. While copying the abilities of the four Champions was a creative idea, the Blight Ganons also suffered from very similar designs, making them individually less memorable.
Meanwhile, a number of leaks have also suggested that Shrines will be making a return, with over 150 new ones, increasing on the already sizable 120 in BotW.
If you want to be ready for any enemies and puzzles you’ll come across in these dungeons, check out Link’s all new Tears of the Kingdom abilities, including Fuse, Recall, Ultrahand, and Ascend, to prepare yourself.
