Link skydiving through the air towards a pile of rupees in Tears of the Kingdom. By Joanna Koziol 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. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Add Us Like Like follow Follow followed Followed Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap 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 boathouse from Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. 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 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.
Link crouched and looking at a Bubbul Gem in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. 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.