Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) came out 6 years after BOTW so developers took their sweet time in its making and there is a lot to unpack not just in its ending but its story as a whole. While Breath of the Wild made you face Calamity Ganon and restore the Divine Beasts for its help. This game’s story takes a turn in a whole different direction. And this is not for the worse, in fact the story and the ending are some of the best in the Zelda games of all time. So here is the game’s ending explained and what happens to Zelda.
Before you read any further there are going to be Major Spoilers about the game’s story. So if you have some main quests left or if you haven’t played the game. Or if you don’t want any spoilers it is best if you complete the game first and then read back later as we will be discussing everything from Zelda’s fate to the true ending below.
How Does Tears of the Kingdom End?
At the end of Tears of the Kingdom, we see Link defeat the Demon Dragon with the help of the Light Dragon. But there is a lot more to the game’s story here and the role of Zelda in it. Let us start from the beginning.
One of the most important scenes in the game is when Link places the decayed Master Sword in golden light and sends it to Zelda. He actually sends the Sword to Zelda back in time. A subtle detail to notice here is the ticking sound that plays while the sword moves back in time. We see Zelda standing on the other side of the stone table while receiving the Sword.
Another proof of it is the Regional Phenomena. Each of the sages that you help tells you the same tale of them fighting alongside Rauru and their fellow sages to defeat Ganondorf. Here Zelda is present in all of their memories. In fact, Zelda even requests them to lend their help to Link who will fight Ganondorf in the future when his binding is undone. The sages even refer to Zelda as the Sage of Time.
Finally, in the Dragon Tears quest we learn through the Memories that the one who eats the Sacred Stone turns into an immortal Dragon. This is exactly what happens in the Ganondorf fight. After you defeat him, he realizes there is no way for him to beat Link so Ganondorf turns himself into the Demon Dragon to defeat Link and destroy Hyrule. And that’s where the Light Dragon comes in to help Link fight the Demon Dragon and destroy his Secret Stone.
Does Zelda Turn Back From a Dragon in TOTK?
Yes after defeating the Demon Dragon Link’s arm begins to glow. We see Link get teleported to another dimension where he and the Light Dragon are floating. Rauru and Sonia then join him and cast a bigger glow from his hand on the Light Dragon. Once they are done the Light Dragon reverts back to Zelda. And Link’s arm also gets cured.
They are then returned to the skies of Hyrule where both Link and Zelda begin to fall. Link then catches her midair and dives into the water to save them both.
What Happened to Zelda?
From the story we saw so far we know that Zelda had gone back in time. So it is safe to conclude that in order to return back to the present she ate her sacred stone and ended up turning into a Dragon in the process. This helps explain how she was able to repair the Master Sword.
When you cure the Deku tree by getting rid of Phantom Ganondorf we get an interesting cutscene about their interaction. In it we learn that the Master Sword can heal itself. But he also adds that it can do more than just heal itself. He explains how the sword gets stronger the more it is “bathed in sacred power”.
So Zelda decides to embed the sword in her Forehead not only to heal the Sword but also to make it stronger.
True Ending of Zelda TOTK
You need to complete all main story quests in order to get the true game’s ending which gives you another cutscene. In it we see Zelda, Link, Tulin, Riju, Sidon, Yunobo, and Mineru at the temple of time. They bid their farewell to Mineru and swear to protect Zelda and all of Hyrule.
That’s everything you should know about the ending of The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. No matter if you already completed the game or if you are about to start a fresh playthrough you should find our guide useful on the best Master Sword fusions.
