Tears of the Kingdom’s Surface and Depths share a deep connection 

The world of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is separated into three “layers.” Of these three, The Surface and The Depths are closely linked in terms of structure and layout, and players have been enthusiastically sharing discoveries they have made about the various connections.  

Please note that this article contains spoilers regarding The Surface and The Depths of Hyrule. 

In Tears of the Kingdom, the world of Hyrule that Link can explore has been vertically expanded to a great degree. He can roam the Sky Islands floating high above or delve into the darkness of The Depths. The Sky, The Surface, and The Depths are almost equally vast, and players are able to switch between maps for all three layers. But these layers are not independent of each other, and the strong correlation between the buildings and other structures found on The Surface and in The Depths has been discussed among players.  

One of the most well-known connections is that the Shrines of Light found on The Surface are in the same positions as Lightroots found in The Depths. It’s likely that many players happened upon this fact while looking over the maps of both layers. There are even cases where this can be useful for gameplay, as comparing the locations of the shrines and roots can give you a hint as to which ones you have yet to uncover.  

However, the connections don’t end there. A great number of players have shared their own worldly discoveries in a Reddit thread about the topic. For example, the location of each Stable on The Surface corresponds to the location of a Lynel in The Depths, and a grave with a flower on it on The Surface will be an indication that there are ghost soldiers holding weapons in The Depths. Many posters were only realizing these connections for the first time, and all kinds of information was shared in a friendly manner.

  The majority of this information was very useful, too. Users who are hoping to get their hands on a lot of Zonaite would be helped by the knowledge that towns on The Surface coincide with Abandoned Mines in The Depths, and the location of a mountain on The Surface will guide you to a smaller mine with a chest in The Depths. Other info includes the fact that when a Bargainer Statue is found in The Depths, there is a Goddess Statue above, and a Dark Skeleton is waiting to be found beneath a Colossal Fossil. 

There was also another tidbit found in a different Reddit thread, explaining that magma can be found beneath Secret Springs. When you consider that hot springs are created from groundwater which is heated by geothermal energy, it’s a great example of how the fictional world of Hyrule also contains elements of realism. 

The relationship between The Surface and The Depths is not limited to fixed spots either. They are also linked on a geographical level, with one example being that water on The Surface coincides with walls in The Depths. If you examine The Depths closely, you will see vestiges of The Surface, and it’s almost like they are two sides of the same coin. Using the map of The Surface as a reference and becoming familiar with the terrain may also prove to be a big help in your exploration of the Depths. If you carefully compare the structure of The Surface and The Depths (or even the Sky Islands too) you may stumble upon some new connection that has yet to be discovered.  

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-06-08 17:31 JST)