The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – All about the item distributions [Latest: #10 – The Likes of Like Likes]

On July 4th/5th, Nintendo released a new update for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Ver. 1.2.0). This update provides various fixes, but also adds a rather interesting feature: it allows players to receive some extra items by launching the game from posts shared by Nintendo via the News feature of the Nintendo Switch.

Here’s how it works:

• Nintendo posts a news article via the News feature of the Nintendo Switch, on the channel dedicated to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (those articles are shared on a regular basis);
• Those articles offer various tips and tricks, shine light on interesting things/spots in the game, etc. They often focus on specific items and/or weapons;
• In each article, there’s a button which, when clicked, launches the game;
• Clicking on that link and loading your save file allows you to claim some bonus items (only once per save file). Those items can be found on the ground right next to Link. Those items are generally related to the contents of the News article, and allow you to try for yourself the tricks/recipes/etc. described in it.

NB: the bonus items are not exclusive to those News posts. They’re generally common items you can find during normal gameplay, so don’t worry about missing out. And of course, the items are available free of charge (they’re not paid DLC!). Also, depending on your progress or your current location, you may not be able to receive the items. If that’s the case, simply move to a different location, save your game, and try again.

To subscribe to the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom channel (and make sure you don’t miss any of the posts), it’s pretty simple:

• make sure your Nintendo Switch is connected to the internet
• from the Home Menu, click on the News icon
• click on the “Find Channels” button in the top right corner of the screen
• search for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and click on “Follow Channel”

In this post, you will find the list of all News articles available and the bonus items you can claim by checking them out. They’re listed from most recent to least recent. NB: the posts from Nintendo of Europe and North America have different titles, and are shared at different dates.

Post #10: The Likes of Like Likes (October 13th / Europe) / Here’s a tip that even Like Likes… like (North America / October 24th)

The 10th post is now live, and it’s all about Like Likes.

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, they lie in wait in dark areas (like caves) and along paths, hoping to gobble up unsuspecting passers-by.

Those pesky creatures, found in many Zelda games, can be tricky to deal with. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to deal with them: you can use your weapons and shields… but not in the way you’d expect! Indeed, instead of trying to hit them with your sword or defend yourself with your shield, why don’t you try… feeding either to the Like Likes?

Like Likes are quite partial to weapons and shields, and will gobble up any that’s dropped nearby. And while it’s busy feasting on your equipment, you’re free to run away… far away!

Items distributed:

• Hunter’s Shield
• Knight’s Broadsword

Post #9: Lost in the dark? Time for your cooking to shine! (September 29th / Europe) / Light the way with this glowing endorsement (North America / October 17th)

The 9th post is now live, and it’s all about Cooking.

When exploring the Depths of Hyrule, having a reliable light source is key. Who knows what you might bump into down there (spoiler: nothing good!). Fortunately, if you ever find yourself in a pinch, you can turn to cooking to light up your way (literally).

Try cooking some glowing cave fish and brightcaps (found in caves throughout Hyrule): you will get a meal (such as a Fish and Mushroom Skewer) which, when eaten, will cause Link to glow. Unfortunately, the effect doesn’t last forever, and will only light up a limited area, but it should be enough for you to find your way!

Items distributed:

• Glowing Cave Fish x3
• Brightcap x2

Post #8: Shields – perfectly designed for… flight?! (September 22nd / Europe) / Need a lift? Here are a couple uplifting ways to use your shield! (October 10th / North America)

The 8th post is now live, and it’s all about Shields.

When it comes to shields, the first thing that generally comes to mind is their use as a defensive tool. But of course, things are quite different in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Like many other items, shields gain some rather unexpected properties when Fuse comes into play. You can even use them to shoot straight up in the sky!

For example, you can fuse an Octo Balloon to a shield in order to lazily drift in the air. Unfortunately, you won’t get very high with that method, which is why you might want to Fuse a rocket to your shield instead!

Items distributed:

• Octo Balloon
• Rocket
• Traveler’s Shield

Post #7: Gems – Not Just a Pretty Facet (September 1st / Europe) / Here’s a gem of a tip! (October 3rd / North America)

The 7th post is now live, and it’s all about Gems.

When mining ore deposits in caves, you will often come upon opals, rubies, etc. You may have wondered about what to do with them. Your first idea might be to sell them (they do fetch for a pretty rupee, after all), but you might want to hold onto them, for each gem has its own practical uses.

For example, try fusing a ruby with a sword or a spear: the resulting weapon will launch fireballs! Try the same with an opal, and you will get water balls instead. Topaz, you ask? Lightning balls, of course!

And if you ever think of fusing one such gem with a Magic Rod, just… don’t. The last thing you’d want is increase its attack power, right?

Items distributed:

• Opal
• Magic Rod

Post #6: Shield Surfing: the Speedier Way to Get Around (August 25th / Europe) / Want to surf ON turf? Try shield surfing! (September 19th / North America)

The 6th post is now live, and it’s all about Shield Surfing.

Anyone who’s ever played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild knows that Shields aren’t just about blocking attacks: they can also be used for Shield Surfing! This feature is also found in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. To start surfing, find yourself a nice slope, take out your shield, press X to jump, and quickly press the A button mid-jump.

The Fuse ability can be used to power up Shield Surfing: try fusing a shield with a cart to see what happens! You can also use a frozen ingredient for a smoother ride.

Items distributed:

• Soldier’s Shield
• Cart

Post #5: A Tip for Finding Lightroots in the Depths (August 11th / Europe) / Find Lightroots with ease! (September 12th / North America)

The 5th post is now live, and it’s all about Lightroots.

Lightroots are crucial for anyone looking to explore the Depths, as they light up the surrounding area. That’s why finding them is key. Fortunately, there’s a trick to locating them: the positions of the Shrines of Light and of the Lightroots match, which means you can look at the map of overground Hyrule and compare it to the map of the Depths to locate Lightroots (you can do the opposite to find Shrines of Light!).

Items distributed:

• Sundelion x2 (can be cooked into a dish that can be eaten to restore hearts lost to the gloom).

Post #4: Smile for the Camera! (August 4th / Europe) / Remember your adventure with an in-game selfie! (September 5th / North America)

The 4th post is now live, and it’s all about the Camera.

Here’s a little tip: if you press X while using it, you can switch to the Self-Portrait Mode. You can then use the Left Stick to select one of four poses, with four more available by pressing the ZL Button while using the Left Stick.

While browsing the pictures you’ve taken on the Purah Pad, you can press the Y Button to enter Full Screen Mode. You can then use the Nintendo Switch’s Capture Button to get take a screenshot!

NB: if you don’t have the Camera yet, you need to progress the following Main Quest: “Camera Work in the Depths”.

Items distributed:

• Golden Apple.

Post #3: Whip Enemies into Shape! (July 21st / Europe) / Whip things into shape and live to tell the tail, er, tale. (August 29th, North America)

The third post is now live, and is all about Lizalfos tails! If you fuse one to a weapon, you will turn it into a makesfit whip, allowing you to safely hit enemies from a distance. And if the tail comes from “elemental” Lizalfos (like Fire-Breath or Electric Lizalfos), the resulting weapon will keep that element!

Items distributed:

• Lizalfos Tail
• Traveler’s Sword

Post #2: Dazzle Foes to the Bone with Dazzlefruit (July 14th / Europe) / Dazzle your enemies with the Dazzlefruit! (August 22nd / North America)

The second post is now live, and is all about the Dazzlefruit. It’s a useful item that creates a flash of bright light when thrown, blinding enemies in the process. It’s especially useful against bone monsters, as it defeats them instantly!

Items distributed:

• Dazzlefruit x2

Post #1: Fun Uses for Fungi (July 5th / Europe) / Mushroom attack! Make combat more fun(gi) with these items (July 25th / North America)

This post explains how you can use mushrooms not just as food or ingredients for cooking, but also as… weapons! For example, you can Fuse a mushroom to a Tree Branch in order to get a Bouncy Branch. It will not deal lots of damage, but the extra bounce will send enemies flying with ease!

Items distributed:

• Hylian Shroom
• Soldier’s Broadsword

Source: Nintendo (Nintendo Switch News)