Tears of the Kingdom Star Fragments explained – how to catch shooting stars

Do you want to catch shooting stars in Tears of the Kingdom? Then you’ve come to right place. Here, we’ll teach you everything you you need to know about shooting stars in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Shooting stars, also known as falling stars, are star fragments that were also present in the 2017 smash hit The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. 

Here’s how to catch them in The Legend of Zelda TOTK. If you’re looking to get about quicker to catch the stars, make sure you’ve found all the Tears of the Kingdom stable locations.

How to catch a shooting star in Tears of the Kingdom

Shooting Stars appear during the night time, so you’re going to want to know how to pass time in Tears of the Kingdom if you don’t fancy waiting around. What you’re looking for is an especially bright object falling from the sky – lighting up the area around it. When you see one, you’ve got to act fast if you’re not on one of Hyrule’s highest sky islands.

Unlike in Breath of the Wild, where you had too wait for star fragments to crash down to the ground, as Tears of the Kingdom is more vertical it allows you to pluck them out of the sky with a press of the A button on the Nintendo Switch controller. But first, you’re going to have to get to it.

When you spot one, open up your map in the Purah Pad, and fast travel to the Skyview Tower closest to the falling star’s location. And you can learn how to fast travel in Tears of the Kingdom right here. 

When you arrive the designated Skyview Tower, it’ll shoot you up incredibly high, likely above the star. Then you simply glide down and grab it before it falls to the ground. If it’s too far below you, you can catch up by diving. Be warned, this does take some practice, so don’t expect to get it right the first time. If you’re successful, you’ll have a message pop up saying you’ve found a Star Fragment. 

Alternatively, you can wait for the Star Fragment to hit the ground, at which point it will emit a large beam of yellow light that you can see from miles away. From there, make your way over to the light beam. Note that as you get close, the beam will disappear and be replaced by a start-shaped item on the ground you can pick up by tapping A on the Nintendo Switch.

What are Star Fragments used for in Tears of the Kingdom?

There are three major uses for Star Fragments. The first is as a material in armor upgrades at Great Fairies. Given the rarity of shooting stars, you’ll probably want to save most of your Star Fragments for this, as it will take a long time to farm enough Star Fragments to upgrade even one of your armor pieces, never mind full armor sets.

Secondly, they can be used as a lantern to illuminate dark areas. By fusing one to a weapon, you can fire beams of light and provide a small radius of light around Link. Perhaps more usefully, you can fuse one to a shield which can then be carried on your back, creating light so long as you have it equipped. This can be a great trick to make a kind of homemade beacon when exploring the Depths if you haven’t found the Miner’s armor set yet or are running low on Brightbloom Seeds.

The third and final use for them is simply to sell them. While this probably isn’t the best use for them, if you’ve already upgraded all of your armor sets, you may as well, right? Each Star Fragment sells for a fairly respectable 200 rupees, so if you’ve got a stockpile, it could be a great way to make some quick money.

The good news is that catching them is doable, and there are already videos making their way on to Reddit showing Link grabbing them mid air. Don’t forget to check out our guide to all Tears of the Kingdom recipes and Skyview Tower locations in Tears of the Kingdom to ensure you’re well prepared for your journey ahead.