Story Summary and Timeline Placement

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (BotW 2) follows the events of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Read on for a full summary of Tears of the Kingdom, as well as the Zelda timeline as a whole.

Note: This page contains story spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom.

Tears of the Kingdom Story Summary

Follows the Events of LoZ: BotW

As a direct sequel to the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we know that Tears of the Kingdom, often referred to as BotW 2, takes place after Link and Zelda take down Calamity Ganon.

Should you play Breath of the Wild first?

You can still play Tears of the Kingdom even if you have not played Breath of the Wild. However, since the game is a direct sequel, you will be immersed more in the story, characters, and the world if you have played the previous game.

Should You Play BotW First?

Link is the Main Protagonist

As with previous Zelda games, Link is the main protagonist for Tears of the Kingdom. This is also the same Link we play as from Breath of the Wild.

Link Profile and Backstory

Ganon's Awakening

In the prologue, Link and Zelda explore the underground area beneath Hyrule Castle. The area contains hieroglyphics that tell the story of an ancient war between the Demon King and Hylians.

They continue on and come across the corpse of Ganondorf, sealed by a hand-like object gripping his chest.

Prologue Walkthrough

Link is Rescued by the Sealing Hand

When Ganondorf awakens, it causes the chamber around them to collapse and Zelda falls into a pit. Ganondor's malice breaks the Master Sword, reducing Link's hearts to just three and injuring his right arm in the process.

Link gets rescued by a hand from an entity that was sealing Ganondorf. The entity then attaches a mysterious device on Link's right arm to assist him in his adventure.

This is the point where the adventure begins, as it would set up Ganondorf's return as well as Link and Zelda's separation.

If you want to more about the story, check out the Main Story Walkthrough for more details!

A Floating Hyrule Castle

As Ganondorf awakens, we get a glimpse of what effect this has on Hyrule. We see the ground shake as Hyrule Caste is lifted from the ground. This also explains the many floating islands we see Link exploring, as they were likely ripped from the ground at the time Ganondorf's seal was broken.

World Map of Hyrule

Tears of the Kingdom Timeline Placement

May Be at the Furthest Point of the Timeline

We speculate that Tears of the Kingdom's placement is at the furthest point in the known timeline and is also set before Skyward Sword. This is due to three references that connects both of these games.

TotK's Logo Represents Eternal Cycle

One reference is Tears of the Kingdom's logo, which resembles the ouroboros. This symbol is usually used to symbolize an eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This corresponds to Demise's eternal curse that he placed upon Zelda's and Link's bloodlines and their reincarnations.

Sky Islands and Skyloft Connections

Another reference is how Hyrule Castle is lifted from the ground and the existence of the Sky Islands. According to the legend from Skyward Sword, an ancient battle occurred in the surface world to prevent Demise from stealing the Triforce from Hylia. A hero was chosen in this battle to serve and protect Hylia.

In the end, Hylia seals Demise and sends the survivors into the sky for safety. With this in mind, we speculate that the Link we play in TotK may be the same chosen hero that fought in the legend. In addition, the Sky Islands may serve as a predecessor to Skyloft, the floating islands in Skyward Sword.

Fi's Role in Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword

Image taken from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

It was hinted in Breath of the Wild that the Master Sword has a voice that Link and Zelda could hear. This is a reference to Fi, a spirit that resides within the sword who first appeared in Skyward Sword.

Fi's voice and theme song also plays in a cutscene when you obtain the powered up Master Sword upon completing the Trial of the Sword.

In Tears of the Kingdom, the Master Sword is broken but it still has the glow that serves as an indication of Fi's voice.

Why Is the Master Sword Broken?

Timeline of the Legend of Zelda Series

The Legend of Zelda Timeline Diagram

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Zelda Games in Chronological Order

From Skyward Sword to Ocarina of Time

Title	Overview
Skyward Sword	Era: The Oldest Story The story of the creation of the Master Sword. A story set in the vast sky and the earth.
The Minish Cap	Era: A long time after the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule Princess Zelda has been turned to stone by Vaati, who freed the Light Force from the seal. To cure Zelda, Link meets the magic hat Ezlo that makes Link's body Minish-sized. Together with Ezlo, he sets out on a journey to fix the Picori Sword and defeat the Vaati.
Four Swords	Era: Vaati is resurrected Vaati is resurrected, and Princess Zelda is kidnapped. With the sword that sealed Vaati, Link embarks on a journey to rescue Zelda.
Ocarina of Time	Era: After the Hyrule Unification War This is the first game that features Ganondorf, which is said to be the enemy of fate. Link uses the power of the Master Sword to go back and forth between childhood and adulthood to prevent Ganondorf from conquering the world.

From Skyward Sword to Ocarina of Time, the timeline can be told with a single line.

However, due to the events at the end of Ocarina of Time, three parallel timelines were born.

Hero wins: Child Era

Title	Overview
Majora's Mask	Era: Sequel to Ocarina of Time, set a few months after the game. After saving Hyrule from Ganondorf, Link, who returned to his original era, set out on a journey with his beloved horse, Epona, in search of his friend Navi, who had left him. Along the way, while passing through the forest, he is attacked by a demon Skull Kid who wears a strange mask and is invited to another world called Termina.
Twilight Princess	Era: Hundreds of years after Majora's Mask Strange shadow monsters appear and kidnap the children of Ordon Village. Link chases the monsters to save the children, but transforms into a wolf and passes out. Link is dragged to prison and finds Hyrule shrouded in Twilight. A mysterious imp named Midna frees Link, and an adventure to save the world of light, Hyrule and the world of shadow, Twilight begins.
Four Swords Adventures	Era: Centuries after Majora's Mask Princess Zelda visits the sanctuary where the Four Sword is sealed with six shrine maidens. However, a shadow similar to Link kidnaps Princess Zelda and the shrine maidens. Link pulls out the Four Sword to save Princess Zelda, but at the same time breaks the seal of Vaati.

These are titles form the timeline after Ocarina of Time where the Hero of Time returns to his original time and stops Ganondorf's ambitions from taking shape.

Except for Majora's Mask, the time gap between these games span hundreds of years.

Hero wins: Adult Era

Title	Overview
Wind Waker	Era: After the Hero of Time wins and Hyrule Kingdom is submerged hundreds of years later A boy born on an island where the folklore of the hero of the time remains, travels over the ocean to save his sister who has been kidnapped by a monster bird.
Phantom Hourglass	Era: A few months after Wind Waker A story set by the sea area next to Hyrule, which is governed by a great spirit, who visits with the pirates led by Tetra in search of a new world that can become a new Hyrule. Tetra gets kidnapped by a ghost ship, so Link travels with Linebeck in order to find the ghost ship and rescue his friend.
Spirit Tracks	Era: Future of Phantom Hourglass, after establishing the new Kingdom of Hyrule A story about a place where the railway network had developed before people moved in, and the vast land was made into the new Kingdom of Hyrule.

These are titles form the splinter of the timeline when the Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time stays as an adult after winning the battle with Ganondorf. Ganon returns, but the hero does not. To prevent the destruction of the world, the goddesses submerge and seal Hyrule beneath the Great Sea. After Hyrule is sealed and flooded, the era progresses to Wind Waker.

The time gaps between these games are all relatively small and they all feature the same Link from Wind Waker.

Hero Fails

Title	Overview
A Link to the Past	Era: The Hero of Time is defeated in Ocarina of Time and Ganon is imprisoned in the Sacred Realm in his Dark Beast form. On a stormy night, Link hears a mysterious voice in his dreams. Ganondorf is resurrected and an adventure to save Hyrule begins to prevent Hyrule from being covered in the darkness.
BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets	Era: 6 Years after A Link to the Past. A Japan-only downloadable Zelda game released in the Satellaview, an add-on for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. In this game, the player controls a male or female avatar dubbed as the Hero of Light instead of Link. The hero then must acquire the eight stone tablets and save Hyrule from Ganon. Due to the nature of the games' platform, it is no longer commercially available.
Link's Awakening	Era: A story after subduing Ganon and embarking on a journey to train. After completing his training journey, Link loses consciousness due to a storm on his way back to home. He woke up to the call of the girl Marin at Koholint Island, an island holding a huge egg on the top of the mountain.
Oracle of Ages Oracle of Seasons	Era: Hundreds of years after Link's Awakening. Link with a Triforce is challenged to see if he is worthy to handle its power. This work is divided into a Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. In addition to different stories being developed, there are also endings that can be unlocked by playing both.
A Link Between Worlds	Era: Set in Hyrule and Lorule, Hyrule's dark twin. The triforce remains a legend. Suddenly, Yuga who plans to revive Ganon appears and seals the descendants of the Seven Sages in the painting. Link will also be sealed in graffiti, but with the power of a special bracelet, he has the power to move freely on the wall, and with that power Link chases Yuga and reach the world of Lorule.
Tri Force Heroes	Era: A few years after A Link Between Worlds. The game takes place in Hytopia, a kingdom whose citizens are into fashion. Princess Styla holds reigns free on Hytopia until a witch known as The Lady curses her, forcing an unremovable brown jumpsuit upon her. The king recruits legendary heroes to break the witch's curse, and three young people who come there are selected as heroes and are tasked with subduing the witch.
The Legend of Zelda	Era: After the Kingdom of Hyrule has declined, time has passed, and divided into several smaller countries. The army of Ganon, the Great Demon King, rushes into a small country in the Hyrule region, and the national treasure Triforce of Power is robbed. Link, who was traveling at the same time, helps Zelda's nanny Impa who is being attacked by monsters. Impa tells Link that he is looking for someone who can defeat Ganon, and Link goes on a journey to find the Triforce of Wisdom to subdue Ganon.
The Adventure of Link	Era: 6 Years after The Legend of Zelda. Link subdued the Great Demon King Ganon and regained the Triforce of Power and Wisdom. On his 16th birthday, a Triforce emerges on the back of his hand, and Impa instructs him to head to the North Castle. At the castle, he finds a sleeping Zelda from a distant era and is ordered to look for the Triforce of Courage to wake her up from her long slumber.

This is the timeline where Ganondorf defeats the Hero of Time and steals the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage. With the hero defeated, Princess Zelda and the six sages seal Ganondorf in the Sacred Realm in his dark beast form.

In this timeline, the Kingdom of Hyrule slowly declines and was divided into smaller countries.

Games with no known timeline

Title	Overview
Hyrule Warriors	Era: Unknown time and route. There is a theory that the beginning of time is different here compared to older games. A work released as Zelda's first Warriors game. Although it is set in Hyrule, it is a festive work with various Zelda characters.
Breath of the Wild	Era: The exact placement of this game in the timeline is unknown. We only know that it is the last in the history of Hyrule. Link answers a woman's call and wakes up in a regenerative shrine. With the guidance of the voice, he picks up the Sheikah Slate and leaves the shrine. Set in the land of Hyrule that spreads beyond, Link embarks on a journey to save Princess Zelda while learning how to fight.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity	Era: A story about a 100-year-old calamity set before Breath of the Wild. Unlike the Breath of the Wild, it is a Warriors game and a story in which Link, Zelda, and heroes of various races fight against a large number of monsters that can be expressed only in the Warriors series. It's a story in which the "defeat" that leads to the Breath of the Wild was decided.
Tears of the Kingdom	Era: Set directly after Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom is the latest game in the timeline and is the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild. Ganondorf reemerges and brings forth a new threat to the Kingdom of Hyrule. Link embarks on a journey once again to find Zelda and defeat Ganondorf.

The above series are games whose timeline is unknown in the current version of Hyrule Hystoria. Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, Tears of the Kingdom are connected stories, but since we do not know which timeline the Breath of the Wild is in, we expect that future releases will reveal this information.

The popular theory is that Breath of the Wild is the convergence of the three parallel timelines that splintered off at the end of Ocarina of Time, with Tears of the Kingdom following directly after Breath of the Wild.

The Timeline may change in the future

The info on timelines described above has been compiled based on currently confirmed knowledge about the series.

The Hyrule Historia has officially stated that the setting of each era may change someday, and every time a new game appears, the setting of the era changes due to new discoveries and new interpretations like a history textbook.

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