The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has introduced more than a dozen new items for Link to use on his journey to save Hyrule, as well as useful favorites from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. But there are only so many things that players can focus on, and they may be in need of singling out the most helpful materials.
Players will soon realize that certain materials will be used more often than others in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and these are the ones they should focus on farming. From ingredients that produce helpful stamina boosts and heart recovery to plants that light up the Depths, these are the most important materials for players to farm in the game.
Updated on September 8, 2023, by Sophie McEvoy: It's best practice to pick up everything in Tears of the Kingdom, as the only limitation is reaching a maximum amount of objects. There are no carry limits for players to worry about, and some items are beneficial to have on hand, even if they may not seem like it at the time. Players may not think twice about particular materials. Still, they may stumble on a side quest further down the line that will involve specific ingredients. There are dozens of items and materials to forage in Tears of the Kingdom, but only a select few will prove to be helpful during Link's journey across Hyrule.
10 Hylian Rice
Hylian Rice can be used for all sorts of things in Hyrule. It's a very resourceful ingredient for cooking, as it can often be used as a base for many meals, adding an extra dose of hearts. Side quests also require Link to have Hylian Rice on hand, including the Lurelin Village restoration project and making a Monster Curry dish for Symin out at Hateno School.
This ingredient is easy to find, so long as players know where to look. While Hylian Rice can be harvested by cutting long grass, it's not always a guaranteed drop. Thankfully, the ingredient is in stock at stores within Zora's Domain, Hateno Village, Korok Forest, Lookout Landing, Gerudo Desert, and Beedle at the Riverside Stable. At 12 Rupees from all vendors, it's best to make it a habit to pick this up each time it's in stock.
9 Crystallized Charges
Crystallized Charges are a new addition to Tears of the Kingdom. They are used to upgrade Link's Energy Cell, which provides battery capacity when powering up and using Zonai Devices. Each battery well costs 100 Crystallized Charges, which is a fair amount to farm. Thankfully, this material isn't that difficult to collect — so long as players know how to find them.
The primary way to obtain Crystallized Charges is by exchanging Zonaite ore with a Forge Construct. However, Crystalized Charges can also be found by clearing Yiga Clan bases in the Depths and defeating bosses in the Sky Islands. Players can also exchange Zonaite for Large and Huge Crystalized Charges, comprising of 20 and 100 standard Charges, respectively. Netting these will give players a substantial stash in no time.
8 Zonaite
Zonaite is an essential material to farm in Tears of the Kingdom and is used for various things. By traversing the Depths, players will quickly discover a lot of this magical rock by mining Zonaite deposits and defeating Frox and other Gloom-infused enemies.
As previously mentioned, Zonaite can be exchanged for Crystalized Charges. But it can also be swapped for Zonai Charges when trading with Forge Constructs, which Link can use to restore a single energy well. This material can also be deposited in a Device Dispenser for Zonai Device capsules. Zonaite can also be used during Autobuilding. If Link doesn't have the parts on hand, players can substitute it with Zonaite. However, these parts can't be separated from the main structure once put together, and they will disintegrate when they fall apart.
7 Dragon Parts
Dragon parts are much easier to farm this time around. Thanks to Link's ability to go skywards, he can hitch a ride on any of the four dragons surveying the skies (and Depths) of Hyrule. The usual way of obtaining these parts still works: aiming for particular areas and following the pieces to the ground. But players can also perch on the dragon and do the same for a more precise blow.
The dragons each follow a route through the skies, while Farosh, Naydra, and Dinraal also travel into the Depths through chasms. A ten-minute timer is in place regarding how many times players can farm dragon parts, which is demonstrated by the dragon's glow fading once a part has been harvested. Once they start glowing again, the process can be repeated.
6 Stamella Shroom
After nearly being killed by a mummified Ganondorf in the prologue, Link must regain his lost stamina and hearts by trading Light of Blessings to Goddess statues. While grabbing as many Heart Containers as possible early on is tempting, focusing on collecting Stamina Vessels should be a priority.
Completing Link's Stamina Wheel will take some time, but thankfully there's an abundance of ingredients for Link to collect around Hyrule to up his stamina in the meantime. Players will come across a lot of Stamella Shrooms, which can be made into meals to replenish Link's Stamina meter while climbing and gliding.
5 Endura Carrot
Endura Carrots were useful in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when crafting recipes to provide Link with extra stamina beyond its limit. In Tears of the Kingdom, Endura Carrots serve an entirely different purpose. Once Link finds Malanya, the God of Horses, players will need to trade an Endura Carrot to receive his services.
If players need to revive their horses, Malanya requires Roasted Endura Carrots for his effort. To enhance their horses' abilities, players must make recipes that involve cooking Endura and Swift carrots like the Vegetable Risotto, Carrot Cake, and Carrot Stew. Of course, Endura Carrots can be used for other things outside of interacting with Malanya, but the God of Horses has given the ingredient a new lease on life in Tears of the Kingdom.
4 Brightbloom Seeds
Brightbloom Seeds certainly aren't hard to come by in Tears of the Kingdom. Every cave that Link traverses through will have a dozen or so hidden within, whether small or large. Players will quickly amass many of these if they continuously harvest them in these areas.
These new materials aren't very helpful on the Surface, but players will constantly use them when traversing the Depths. Link can either throw Brightbloom Seeds to light up an area or fuse one to an arrow and shoot into the distance. Brightbloom Seeds can also light up when struck, adding an extra dose of light in caves.
3 Elemental Fruit
Elemental arrows are a thing of the past in Tears of the Kingdom. Instead, Link must rely on elemental fruit, a new addition to the game which can be found in specific areas around Hyrule. These elemental fruits can be fused to arrows or thrown to create the desired effect, like burning, freezing, or electrifying.
Fire Fruit and Dazzle Fruit are the first elemental materials players will come across, followed by Ice, Electric, and Splash Fruit. Aside from the obvious effects of the three primary elemental fruit, Dazzle Fruit can be used to stun enemies and one-shot Stal foes, while Splash Fruit can be used to clear sludge in Zora's Domain or to drench Link. While drenched, Link can find a brief moment of respite in hot areas in addition to boosting the effect of Zora weapons with the Water Warrior trait, doubling the weapon's attack.
2 Bomb Flowers
There are no Bomb Arrows to be found in Tears of the Kingdom, but Bomb Flowers have made their triumphant return. Bomb Flowers are a long-time tradition in The Legend of Zelda series, having first been introduced in Ocarina of Time and have since appeared in most games since then.
Like Brightbloom Seeds, Bomb Flowers can be found in most caves around Hyrule. This essential material can also be found within the Depths, growing at the roots of large trees. This is where players will typically find other valuable materials to use in combat, like Muddle Buds and Puffshrooms. Players will grow through Bomb Flowers quicker than expected, so it's wise to farm these when possible.
1 Hearty Ingredients
As collecting Stamina Vessels should be the first priority, Heart Containers will very quickly fall by the wayside. There's no use in facing strong enemies like Lynels or Hinox with only three hearts (unless particular players are a master at parrying and other combat techniques).
Thankfully, there are plenty of Hearty ingredients to be found in Hyrule Kingdom, and they are easily farmable. These include Truffles (found in caves), Radishes (found in woodland areas and the Sky Islands), as well as seafood and critters like Hearty Bass, Hearty Lizards, and Hearty Blueshell Snails.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.