Much of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is built on its predecessor Breath of the Wild. The newer game wouldn't be possible without the older one, even if much of it now makes its predecessor seem primitive. Hyrule could not feel so large and detailed were it not for Breath of the Wild laying its foundation, and many things like the more individualized dungeons and even Tears of the Kingdom's much-praised arm powers could only have come about with their components already prepared.

One of TotK's major innovations is the Side Adventure, a new type of quest. These are much larger and often more segmented than normal side quests, and can span all of Hyrule. Within Tears of the Kingdom there are 60 Side Adventures, with certain standouts like "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" feeling more like main quests in size and complexity. These, much more than any other side content, are essential parts of Tears of the Kingdom, and none could be described as more so than the totally revamped Great Fairy questline.

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Breath of the Wild's Great Fairies Were A Mixed Bag

Back in Breath of the Wild, the four Great Fairies were significant. Players were most likely introduced to their first one early on just outside of Kakariko Village, and from there would be on the lookout for more. Even though armor upgrades weren't always necessary in BotW, the Great Fairies themselves were a unique reward that set up for endgame upgrades. They were well-integrated into Breath of the Wild's Hyrule, with side quests often pointing to them and even Malanya the Horse God acting as a surprise subversion for those who find him.

While they were a good element, they did have some weaknesses. The four Great Fairy Fountains were spread out across the map, and the farthest one is found in the bottom left corner of the Gerudo Desert. To make matters worse, because the Great Fairies had been starved of their power, they needed a significant amount of rupees to recover, and rupees were rare in Breath of the Wild. Adding the increasing amounts for each successive Fairy, the total needed came to a stunning 11,600 rupees, and that's just to unlock the ability to fully upgrade equipment with other materials. This feature had a lot of room for improvement, and Tears of the Kingdom thankfully took another swing at it.

The Great Fairy Side Adventure Makes TotK's Progression Fun

Players' interactions with Tears of the Kingdoms Great Fairies will kick off by either finding a Fairy Fountain and being turned away, or through the Serenade to a Great Fairy Side Adventure at Woodland Stable. The Fairies don't need massive rupee donations anymore, but because of Hyrule's recent Gloom outpouring during the Upheaval, they've scattered and are too scared to leave their flowers. A fortunate side effect of this is that they are all a bit closer to the center of Hyrule, and that's not the only boon their plight brings.

Stemming from the even larger Potential Princess Sightings! Side Adventure with the Lucky Clover Gazette, the Great Fairies' quests involve helping a troupe of traveling musicians at certain Stables. After the first Fountain, these can be done in any order, only delaying players if they haven't also found a Fountain's desired musician. Being the horse harness' main use, the ensuing Ultrahand puzzles fuse Shrines elements with Korok travelers in an interesting way. The result is a more enjoyable way to engage with Tears of the Kingdom's Great Fairies, which is good considering how important armor upgrades have become. Few elements in Tears of the Kingdom can claim to be that big of an improvement.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now for Nintendo Switch.

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