Daily Debate: Was the Reward for Completing all Shrines in Tears of the Kingdom Worth it?

I’m sure one of the biggest questions on all of our minds when anticipating Tears of the Kingdom was how many Shrines there would be, and what the reward would be. Some may have hoped for less, but it was those who hoped for more that won. With a grand total of 152 Shrines — 120 Surface Shrines and 32 Sky Shrines — tackling them all is no small feat.

Many likely put off completing all the Shrines for a later date, but some certainly chose to power through before the final fight. In Breath of the Wild, I was the former. With Tears of the Kingdom, I am the latter. It was daunting, and at times I considered giving in and finishing the game, but I couldn’t. In fact, I only recently completed my last Shrine, and I still have a decent chunk of story left to tackle. I intentionally put off a dungeon in hopes of a reward I’d be able to make good use of, rather than getting it and having nothing left to do but the final fight. I chose right.

Initially, I was underwhelmed by the reward, thinking it was only the Paraglider cloth. The cloth is beautiful, and I absolutely loved the extra challenge, but it felt underwhelming. The lore of the Great Sky Island was a nice touch, and came with a beautiful panning shot of the sky, but the purpose of the island was pretty self explanatory early in the game. Still, I appreciated it.

As it would turn out, I missed something. So relieved to have, after 190 hours, completed all the Shrines, and eager to finally see what purpose the top of the Temple of Time served, I ascended to the top — and too close to the sun, I might say. Realizing there was probably something else, I made my way back. Greeting me with much enthusiasm was a lone Zonai chest, and inside, a mysterious piece of armor.

The Ancient Hero’s Aspect is great. It looks amazing, and comes with some of the best defenses in the game. My one gripe is that it’s one single item. It’d be nice to pair the aesthetic of the Zonai hero with different pieces of armor, though I understand why that’s not the case. It’s also a shame Link emote while wearing this gear, as I prefer to see his reactions during major cutscenes. The armor reminds me of taking the form of the Fierce Deity in Majora’s Mask, calling upon the strength of an ancient hero after journeying so far. It also, if you ask me, sheds some nice light on the mystery of the red-haired hero in the tapestry of the war 10,000 years ago from Breath of the Wild.

What do you think of the rewards for completing all the Shrines in Tears of the Kingdom? Was it worth all the hours of searching, or are they just souvenirs that say “I did it”? What might you change about them? Let us know in the comments below!

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Sorted Under: Breath of the Wild, Daily Debate, Games, Majora's Mask, Original Content, Tears of the Kingdom
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