It’s almost time for our next adventure in Hyrule. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom releases on May 12, and it looks like it has the potential to be the biggest Zelda game yet. It’s been a long time coming—so long that it barely feels real that we’ll be playing the sequel to Breath of the Wild soon.
We’re counting down the days, and although everyone wants to hurry up and jump right into the game as soon as possible, there are several things you should do ahead of time. Here are six ways to prepare for the release of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in order to make the most of your experience.
Revisit Breath of the Wild
With less than a week left before Tears of the Kingdom’s launch, it’s probably not a great idea to start Breath of the Wild over from the beginning. However, it is worth revisiting the first game in general to re-familiarize yourself with it.
Tears of the Kingdom takes place in the same Hyrule as Breath of the Wild. There are some differences this time, but many of the landmarks and general layout of the overworld will largely be the same. If you want to be prepared for the new game, it would help to explore the world again to remember the general layout of the map, where the towns are, etc.
I recently revisited the game to do this, and I found that I had forgotten many of the game’s controls, especially for mechanics like using the Sheikah slate and switching quickly between items. I was able to practice all of the controls and get used to them again, which made me feel more prepared for jumping into Tears of the Kingdom.
Familiarize Yourself With the Timeline and Lore
While it’s not a requirement to enjoy the games, learning the Zelda timeline and general lore helps to enhance your experience while playing. We don’t know how story-heavy Tears of the Kingdom will be, but we have already seen some hints that it will expand on the lore in Breath of the Wild specifically.
Nintendo has not officially commented on where Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom are on the Zelda timeline, but many fans believe that these games could represent a merge of all three timelines. There are references in Breath of the Wild that indicate this, but other fans who insist the game has a place in just one timeline. You can form your own opinion by researching the timeline for yourself and seeing how Tears of the Kingdom fits in when you play it.
It also seems like the Zonai, an ancient tribe of barbarians hinted at in Breath of the Wild, may play a much bigger role in Tears of the Kingdom based on what we’ve seen in trailers. Specifically, the trailers showed a collectible Zonai item that will help us build vehicles during our quest. If the Zonai are totally unfamiliar to you, it’s a good idea to research who they were if you want to make the most of your experience in Tears of the Kingdom.
Free Up Your Switch’s Storage Space
Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo’s biggest first-party game on the Switch yet. The game’s file size is 16GB, which takes up half of the internal storage space of the regular Switch model.
If you have the Switch OLED model, your console has 64GB of internal storage, so you have some more room to work with. Adding a SD card to your Switch can help create more storage space if you run out of room, or you can simply archive games you know you won’t play again for a long time.
Of course, this matters most if you are buying Tears of the Kingdom digitally. If you plan on buying a physical copy of the game, you won’t need to worry about making as much storage space available, but you’ll still want to keep some space free for your save data files and potential DLC down the road.
Consider Getting the Switch OLED Model
Speaking of the Switch OLED model, if you haven’t already upgraded, now might be a great time to do so. This is especially true if you play in handheld mode often.
This newer Switch model has a larger screen with a better display, improved speakers, longer battery life, and increased internal storage. The dock also includes a LAN port, which the original model does not have.
If you care about the best way to play Tears of the Kingdom in handheld mode, the OLED is worth the upgrade. If you are on a tight budget, play exclusively in docked mode on your TV, or don’t care too much about the visual presentation of the game, then you might not be as interested in upgrading.
There are a few OLED models available to choose from with the most recent being a special Tears of the Kingdom edition, which you can see in the picture above. If you do upgrade, make sure you give yourself some extra time to transfer over your profile from your old Switch to the new one.
Preorder and Preload the Game
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ll want to play Tears of the Kingdom at the earliest possible minute it is available. To make the most of each moment, it would be smart to preorder and/or preload the game ahead of time so you can jump right in without waiting.
You can preorder the game whether you plan to buy it digitally or physically. If you’re going the digital route, Tears of the Kingdom is already available to preorder on the Nintendo eShop. Fortunately, this also preloads the game for you, so you should see the game icon for Tears of the Kingdom on your Switch before May 12. It will unlock and be playable on May 12 at midnight EDT (9 pm PDT on May 11).
If you are buying the game physically, you don’t need to worry about preloading the game as you will be able to start playing it as soon as you pop the cartridge into your Switch. You may want to consider the available preorder bonuses ahead of time to score exclusive merchandise.
Cancel All Social Plans and Request Time Off
Tears of the Kingdom is one of the biggest video games releasing this year. It’s been highly anticipated since it was announced back in 2019, and it already seems like it’s going to be more expansive than Breath of the Wild was.
Let your friends and family know that you’ll be busy for a while. Maybe you’ll want to let them know you’re taking care of some important tasks for a princess. It’s not a lie!
Tell your boss that you can’t come into work on May 12 and probably for several days after that, too. I hear there’s a really bad case of the Hylian Flu that’s been going around.
In all seriousness, it’s important to take some time for yourself, and Tears of the Kingdom’s release is a good excuse to do so. New Zelda games don’t come around every day, so make sure you do everything you need to be ready for this next great adventure.
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