Daily Debate: How Much Time Have You Put Into Tears of the Kingdom After Finishing the Main Quest?

Warning: Minor spoilers for the end of Tears of the Kingdom.

So, you just finished Tears of the Kingdom. The princess is saved, and Ganon is defeated. You watch as the credits roll, filled with a sense of accomplishment, reflecting on your journey and the greater consequences of the game’s story on the future of the Zelda franchise. The game eventually directs you back to the main menu. What do you do? Do you pick up the controller and jump right back in, or are you content with the closure the game’s ending left you with?

I’m the latter. This doesn’t mean I won’t go back to the game eventually, just that since I finished my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom, I haven’t played a single minute. This is because I had spent three months playing the game the way I wanted to play it, all the while ignoring those last few main quest objectives. By the time I finally decided to wrap up my playthrough and take on those game-ending tasks, it was because I felt that my journey had reached a sufficient conclusion. I had experienced what I wanted to experience and was ready to move on. So, as a capstone to that journey, I slew the Demon King and put the game to rest.

However, I recognize that Tears of the Kingdom is a beefy game and there is a ton of content that I missed out on, even after 150 hours of gameplay. There are still side quests to tackle, there are still Koroks to find, and there are still Sky Islands left unexplored. I know all of that is waiting for me when I come back, but for the time being, I feel no urge to jump back in, as I am satisfied with the experience that I had.

So, how about you? Have you continued to explore Hyrule after finishing the main quest? How much time have you put into the post-game? Maybe you still haven’t finished the main quest and are waiting to wrap things up once you’ve finished more side content. Tell us about it in the comments.

Nick Miller

Nick is a writer for Zelda Dungeon and a longtime fan of the Zelda franchise. In his free time, he enjoys fishing, archery, skateboarding, and some good ol’ fashioned family time. He’s an advocate for physical media and an avid video game collector. His favorite Zelda game is Ocarina of Time, though Breath of the Wild and the Link’s Awakening remake are close contenders. His other favorite video games series include Kingdom Hearts, Fallout, and Ratchet & Clank.