Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - 12 Side Quests With The Best Rewards

Updated  Sep 23, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT

Joanna Koziol is a 2022 graduate from Northern Illinois University, having earned a B.A. in English, a minor in Professional Communication, and a Creative Writing Certificate. She was also awarded with the Outstanding Women and Gender Advocacy Award for her persistent aspiration to work in the video game industry.

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Link is on an important mission to save Princess Zelda, but he should still try to find the time to partake in the game's best side quests. These missions are optional and not required to complete the main story of the newest Zelda title, but they can reward you with some of the most useful gear, weapons, and upgrades that Hyrule has to offer.

This makes them well worth the extra effort. However, with so many to discover and complete, it can be difficult to discern what the best side quests in TOTK actually are. As dire as her situation is, the Princess can afford to wait a few extra days for some help, especially in light of the best side quests in Tears of the Kingdom.

Lurelin Village Restoration Project

The Lurelin Village Restoration Project is a side adventure, which consists of several quests. This means that completing it takes a bit more time and effort than a standard side quest—but in this case, it's very much worth it. The quests have Link helping the residents of Lurelin Village one at a time. And while each resident will reward Link with a nice gift for helping them, the end result is more enticing: a fully restored town.

Not only that, but Link will also receive several perks for helping bring the town to its best form: He'll get access to unlimited free nights at the inn, one free meal per day at the restaurant, and one free play per day of the Lucky Treasure Shop's chest minigame.

The Dragon's Tears

The Dragon's Tears quest is a lengthy one, but it's well worth completing. This side quest sends Link to search the Geoglyphs for Dragon's Tears—pools that contain fragments of memories. These pools reveal bits of lore and history surrounding Princess Zelda, and can best be discovered as you adventure around Hyrule.

You can unlock the quest by speaking to Impa outside the New Serenne Stable in Hyrule Ridge. From there, you'll have to find all the Dragon's Tears, and piece together the story. As a reward for completing them all, you're rewarded with a richer understanding of the story and a unique cinematic event.

This quest is technically marked as a main story quest, but it's not required to complete the game, so some players may miss it. But if you wan to really understand the events of the game, this is an important questline to complete.

The Hunt For Bubbul Gems

It may not be immediately clear if there's a reward for finding every Bubbul Gem in Tears of the Kingdom, but as it turns out, the answer to the question is a resounding yes. By killing Bubbulfrogs in caves and bringing the gems to Koltin (who can initially be found by the Woodland Stables), you can earn anything from plain monster parts to valuable pieces of the Mystic armor set.

Koltin only provides Link with a reward for the first 46 Bubbul Gems, but dedicated players will find that handing in the remaining 100 will secretly get them Koltin's Fabric, a unique Paraglider material that glows in the dark.

A Call From The Depths

There's plenty to do and discover in the Depths, but Link should be careful not to skip over "A Call From The Depths," as it's one of the best side quests in Tears of the Kingdom. While the mission initially begins on the surface near the Great Plateau and the Temple of Time, it eventually leads the protagonist to the Depths below Hyrule, where he'll be tasked with returning four stone eyes to a Bargainer Statue.

Doing so will grant him with his choice of a Heart Container or Stamina Vessel—and it'll also open him up to trading with the statue, which can help him get his hands on both the Dark and Depths armor sets.

The Mother Goddess Statue

For those in search of the coolest new weapons in Tears of the Kingdom, "The Mother Goddess Statue" can grant them their wish. By obtaining a claw from three dragons and then bringing them to three matching Goddess Statues, you'll repair the giant Mother Goddess Statue that resides in the Forgotten Temple.

As a token of her gratitude, she'll reward you with the White Sword of the Sky: a beautiful white-and-blue blade that deals a sizable 24 base attack damage.

Potential Princess Sightings

In "Potential Princess Sightings," the Hero of Hyrule takes a break from his current occupation to become a reporter for the Lucky Clover Gazette. By working with Penn to visit all of Hyrule's twelve stables and learn about Princess Zelda's whereabouts, Link will unlock all three pieces of the Froggy armor set courtesy of Traysi.

This armor set allows him to climb wet and slippery surfaces with ease. Plus, the Snowfield Stable in particular presents an opportunity to obtain Zelda's iconic golden horse, which is undoubtedly one of the best rewards of any quest in TOTK.

Misko's Treasure: The Fierce Deity

The Fierce Deity armor set is a fun callback to Majora's Mask that is just as powerful as it is nostalgic, and for players that don't have the Majora's Mask Link amiibo, "Misko's Treasure: The Fierce Deity" will be the way to obtain it. After completing "Misko's Cave of Chests" in Cephna Lake Cave, Link will be challenged with a map-wide scavenger hunt.

By traveling to the Akkala Citadel Ruins, the center of Skull Lake, and a certain tree stump in Hyrule Field, he'll find the three pieces of the Fierce Deity armor set. Plus, he can then even return to Cephna Lake Cave to get the Fierce Deity Sword.

Serenade To A Great Fairy

In Breath of the Wild, Great Fairies presented players with the invaluable opportunity to upgrade their armor. It's possible to do so again by completing one of the best side quests in TOTK, "Serenade To A Great Fairy."

By helping the Stable Trotters repair their cart at the Woodland Stable, Link will be able to accompany the group on their trip. During this trip, he'll meet the Great Fairy Tera and unlock access to all the rest of the Great Fairies in Tears of the Kingdom. This side quest is not only fun, it's also incredibly useful since it allows Link to upgrade his armor.

Who Goes There?

Choosing between Heart Containers and Stamina Vessels can be a tough decision, and occasionally, players may start to second-guess their upgrades. Fortunately, the reward for the "Who Goes There?" side quest in TOTK can help with this dilemma.

In Lookout Landing's Emergency Shelter, Jerrin will admit to sweeping too hard and accidentally creating a hole in the wall, from which an unsettling voice now emanates. Exploring the hole and subsequent passageway will lead Link to a Forbidden Horned Statue, which is willing to swap Heart Containers for Stamina Vessels (and vice versa). Jerrin will also reward him with a red Rupee.

Hestu's Concerns

With there being a whopping one thousand Korok seeds to find in TOTK, "Hestu's Concerns" may seem like an unappealing side quest. However, even if you don't plan on seeing the mission through to the end—which you probably shouldn't, given Hestu's final reward in Tears of the Kingdom—it's still an important endeavor that's worth some amount of time.

Bringing Korok seeds to Hestu is the only way to increase weapon, bow, and shield inventory space. Since the starting inventory is quite limited, Hestu's Concerns makes itself a valuable investment before long.