The Only REAL Dungeon in Tears of the Kingdom

[@itsmeike]

The Stormwind Ark itself may not have been the best, but the entire build up and atmosphere leading to it (and the boss fight that followed) made for one of the best and most memorable experiences in the game imo. If the dungeon itself was better, I think it would genuinely be one of my favorite acts in any Zelda game ever

[@Irish_Enderman]

I think it's the best one

[@SmashtoonGamer]

This

[@RGC_animation]

I think the gameplay aspect of the divine beast from Breath of the Wild weren't bad at all, and the main complaint about them is the overused aesthetic after the 2nd time. If they incorporated the divine beast terminal activation gameplay and put it with the improved theming and aesthetic of Tears of the Kingdom, I think they could make some truly fantastic dungeons.

[@Evelyn_Rose1151]

Yeah I really liked the divine beast puzzles. The ones in Totk felt more boring since it always felt like doing multiple small scale problems which are identical before getting the thing you want. Over. And Over. As opposed to the Divine Beasts where everything feels more connected and like every puzzle inside the beast is different and challenges the player to use the beast’s mechanics.

[@GreyVictory1510]

The temples are the reason why I want a more traditional Zelda game as the next one in the series. It was fun for 2 games, but I dont need it a 3rd Time, especially if it means no new Items and cool dungeons!

[@Froggycolouring]

I don’t mind the open world thing and I think its nice(may just be because I was conditioned to like it after botw and totk) but I think at the very least remove weapon durability and return classic dungeons, it really feels like they just tried to fill the game with filler to get a longer playtime which sucks

[@jacobs5546]

I don't care if it improves atmosphere, if it prevents me from using a combat based ability in combat, it's a bad mechanic. Oh? Just Whistle? Well now they're all right next to me, making it next to impossible to pick out the one I want. Great.

[@cuddlequeen3225]

I entirely disagree that older zelda games are obsolete. 1. A lot of them have an open world design, just locked behind obtaining items or progressing questlines. It's more metroidvania in that sense. I prefer the dungeon design, the way the story is delivered, the fact that there are special dungeon items that makes traversing parts of the world and the dungeons themselves fun. I personally have a deep fondness for the old traditional zelda formula that makes them superior to the newer games to me. Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[@WaluigiGoesWa]

In my opinion one main problem with dungeons is that you can access them without the helpers. On my main playthrough I found the spirit temple way before completing the other dungeons, and while I knew where it was I wasn’t able to do anything with it until I unlocked the 5th sage. On one hand I understand the order of progression, but on the other, I wish the game didn’t tell me I had found the spirit temple until I had the ability to actually do it. (Maybe by blocking it off with a wall of stone or something like the second half of the Garden of Hope in Pikmin 3).

[@eeveestar6826]

I still prefer the build up to the Wind Temple with hearing the legend of the Stormwind Ark and ascending up the sky and over the tornado. Running across the desert when you can't see shit and turning a mirror was boring. And the whole legend about the Lightning Temple felt like an afterthought. Stormwind Ark is the first thing you hear about in Rito Village before you even see Teba again, the Ritos constantly talk about it. Meanwhile after all the defending the Bazaar and Gerudo Town, Riju is just like "What should we do, oh yeah there's this legend-" I think the build up to the temple is just as important as the temple itself.

[@AngelofGrace96]

Agreed, I adored the music and the climb to the storm wind arc, and while the fight with colgera might not be the hardest, it was definitely fun! And the story throughout all of rito village felt very integrated

[@samueltitone5683]

TotK’s temples are a marked improvement over the Divine Beasts. Instead of being hands down the worst dungeons in the entire series, they’re only the second worst.

[@megastarwarsrocks99]

Totk water temple is worse than all the divine beasts

[@jorgehuertas3995]

Are they? Fire Temple with no gliding and... was it sand temple? I don't remember, it doesn't matter. Those two sure are. But water, wind and spirit temples were just so lame. At least the divine beasts had some complexity considering the shifting map that gave you 0 clue of the layout because of its bad design. It wasn't intended, but added some needed challenge. Water wind and spirit are just 4 totally unrelated puzzle rooms that a 4 year old could solve. I miss full temple gimmicks and by far the thing I miss most is timed challenges. A lot of the puzzles in this game would gain some needed difficulty if they were on a timer.

[@samueltitone5683]

@@jorgehuertas3995 God TotK and BotW are such frustrating games. Yeah they’re some of the best open worlds in gaming but the actual dungeons? You know, the challenges you’re supposed to be working toward? It’s as if the legacy dungeons didn’t exist in Elden Ring but people were satisfied because you could fight Godrick at the end of the Fringefolk Hero’s Grave.

[@jorgehuertas3995]

@@samueltitone5683 I absolutely agree with that statement. I don't agree with TOTK being the second worst, they are tied in last. Well BOTW gave you a pretty good ability when you completed them. So totk is a 0.1 and botw a 0.11, something like that.

[@Froggycolouring]

Yeah, I got totk after beating oot since I never played any open world zelda games and people where saying that totk was peak zelda, but I was just disappointed as soon as I got to the first “dungeon”(granted I’m comparing one of if not the best zelda game to totk but with totk being so highly rated I’d expect more, especially with totk having multiple years of development while oot was incredibly rushed)

[@anthonynguyen1289]

I was trying to play the game in a somewhat intended way. What that means is I was going out of my way to try to do the story beats in the order the developers and game hinted at. For dungeons this would be to try to solve the puzzles in front of me with the main sage ability in mind instead of Link’s abilities. It made the other dungeons feel more fun and deliberate, but these were me placing restrictions on myself. The only temple that I feel worked with the openess of the game is the Wind Temple. You could say it’s a bit forced, but Tulin’s arc is about trying to be more free to do what he wants in life. The idea of wind itself is freedom and open movement. That’s why I think the buildup and the openess of the temple work with the theme. The fire and water temple do not benefit from the openess and would have been better suited as closed dungeons like the lightning one. The construct factory is hard to be called a dungeon, but due to the fact it is utilizing the freedom ability that is ultrahand it being open is pretty fine in my mind as well.

[@thisisnotacryforhelp5800]

In the heat of battle, calling all your companions to you is not especially advantageous. The abilities are still finicky and the companions will still move on their own. Additionally, it is difficult to distinguish each sage from the other on-the-fly, because they're all the same color. It really is not a good system. Maybe it helps prevent them from feeling like power-ups, but they still are just power-ups. And this is a video game. Gameplay is the most important thing here, and the way these powers have to be engaged with does not allow for fun gameplay.

[@Krishavoc14]

I wish we got better temples

[@Seabasstard22]

Like we had the desert - then the hobos all around the desert itself - the battle against them - the quest to unlock the temple - the temple itself. Folgers was here some blizzard - dress warm now - and jump and ascend to the temple - fly around and just shoot at targets on an ice wyrm. Every temple besides the lightning temple the rest were basically just one puzzle that when solved reveals an easily beaten boss. The queen gibdo, while fighting her had all the sub enemies attacking you while fighting the regular and moth gibdo’s. Was just more thought out and more complex and rewarding after all the hard work. I mean with Sidon in the water temple he literally just stood in one spot and waited for you.

[@pigeongod3450]

I find for the best experience in a dungeon, turning off all the sage avatars you have really helps the atmosphere of it all, as it feels so much more personal with the sage you're actually working with

[@agentdopkant]

i pretty much played with only one sage at any given point in time save for the end and i feel like that's the best way to experience the game.

[@angeldude101]

The part about dungeon items is an interesting one. In traditional dungeons, the main item is given about halfway through the dungeon. In Tears of the Kingdom, the "dungeon items" are the partners... that are given _before_ you even enter the dungeon. In Breath of the Wild, the Champions' Abilities played a similar role, except they were given _after_ having already beaten the boss. Both games also have 4 other things that could be considered dungeon items: the 4 runes on the Great Plateau, and the 4 abilities on the Great Sky Island. These are all right at the start of the game, right at the start of their respective dungeons, _and_ those dungeons are all too short to really be considered dungeons at all. By saving the "dungeon item" for after the dungeon, or giving it right from the start, you lose an important point in the progression through the dungeon. On the other hand, this would make the dungeon more linear as it would separate the dungeon into two halves that must be done in order (but that linearity is also impossible to separate from the sense of progression).

[@baronstijn]

I think most people agree with the wind temple having the best buildup, while the lightning temple has the best interior

[@cailloufranchement3032]

You're right riju is the best, fire temple would've been my favorite if you couldn't escape the puzzles just by climbing lol

[@pokedude720]

People did that? The minecarts are literally right there

[@FuryJack07]

​@@pokedude720people can be incredibly stupid and absolute geniuses at the same time and this is one of the many examples Botw and Totk offer

[@waterierStone]

I think the fire temple is still really good because it's so obvious to just use the minecarts. Like you might be able to skip all of the minecart switches, but it's pretty unfun to just make a flying bike and skip the whole dungeon. the best temples are in the following order: Lightning, Fire, Air, water. The water temple had no business being in the air. like the sewer section before unlocking it was better.

[@itsmeike]

I agree--when played the "intended" way, the Fire Temple is actually super cool and feels very Zelda imo

[@Jamaimz]

Imo a good dungeon would be lightning temple puzzles, wind temple boss (maybe with more involvement from the companion) and Fire temple build up. Actually going to the fire temple was really fun compared to just climbing a mountain. the water temple was just the worst in almost every regard other than being able to do funny physic shenanigans

[@Seabasstard22]

The only dungeon I liked was the lightning temple which was something I wish I had done last cause the rest weren’t even close to being as complex and puzzle based than the others in the game. Like the multi leveled pyramid with the challenge of angling the light and placement of mirrors while dealing with enemies and how to fully use the 3d space around you was so great and the rest were. Well they exist and are there but not really fun.

[@spidey5108]

Great Wellspring, I forgive since you're free to explore the 5 islands in any order, but must progress fully through each to successfully activate the Fountains. Lost Gorondia I genuinely don't see Zonai Constructs helping you terribly. Most of the rooms are surrounded by walls and roofs, meaning it doesn't matter how much air you traverse, you still need to position Yunobo for 5 strikes. Stormwind Ark really has no excuse, but it's really only the 2 hallways that specifically feel like you can skip traversing the Temple for any shortcuts you want. And Construct Factory was kind of a**, but at least Hyrule Castle eliminates the issue of Gorondia: No matter where you move, you have to trail Zelda eventually. It's just too bad the Spirit "Temple" is only the boss room. Mural's Myth I think suffers from the _immediate_ boss fight and having to go through half of it before reaching the warp point. I'd say the Zora and Gorons handled the linearity of the first half and exploration of the second half better.

[@pauvi0303]

I literally skipped the first linera gauntlet by going into the celling

[@AfterArtist]

I think the Lighting Temple is the best Dungeon, but the Sky temple is the best Experience, but I’m biased cause I love the music

[@agentdopkant]

imo, the best dungeon in totk is about as fun and in depth as the worst dungeon in oot. which has been a sour spot in the franchises new direction for me since botw. the game itself is really well made and fun to play but the dungeons are husks of what they could have been as a direct result of these changes. i like unlocking new abilities that pave my way through the dungeon and now i can't get that from the franchise that did it best. in the name of freedom, they took out half the adventure. i love these games, but i really hate that it looks like nintendo listened to the common complaints about zelda and by addressing it, they removed what was genuinely my favorite part of the zelda experience

[@HylianGamr1]

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I'm just glad the Water Temple wasn't pain.

[@Mr.Snekofsnex]

Personally I liked the dungeons. Especially the wind and lightning temples.

[@aqlcaramsm3907]

always glad to see you're good man :), great video lightning temple is AMAZING, my favorite "dungeon" for sure

[@Irish_Enderman]

In my opinion, the temples in this game would be ranked in this order: 1 Wind, 2 Lightning, 3 Water, 4 Fire The Stormwind Arc is my favourite for a few reasons, its build up is the best, the floating islands thst you have to slowly climb your way up along with the flying ships you use to bounce up is an awesome moment and is fun but also challenging, the temples aesthetic is probably my 2nd favourite (I think the lightning temple is cooler looking) but the Wind temple being a giant floating ship high above the clouds covered in ice and snow inside a huge storm is a really unique design compared to the others, the way the dungeon integrates Tulin's ability is well done and is a huge part of what makes the lead up to it so good, boss is easily my favourite in every way, the most fun, best design, best music ect Fire temple on the other hand sucks in every way exept the boss

[@Lodestone8]

Wow I appreciate your points and respect them, but strongly disagree. I absolutely enjoyed the Lightning temple but I have some disagreements with some points. For instance I despise having to track down a sage for its ability and have found little to no use for Riju outside the Lightning Temple in my personal experience. Firstly there's the chasing her down for the ability even with whistling she tends to stay behind you making it difficult to catch her, then her aura needs to expand, slowly, oh so slowly, and it doesn't even reach that far for something that exclusively works with a bow. And finally after all this, you hit an enemy once for mediocre damage at best and a lightning effect, something that could be achieved with a bloody shockfruit instantly at any range. In any case the actual temple was overall fine, if a little cramped compared to other Totk dungeons, not at all compared to traditional dungeons and its actual size is pretty impressive but some of the corridors feel smaller than the rest of the game. Also while I appreciate the idea of the light triangle to get into it, in execution I found it finicky and lackluster. I really liked some of the puzzles in the temple as they approached being, you know, puzzles unlike most of the game's challenges, but being reflection based inherently made them have some jank to deal with which was unpleasant. Also, unlike you evidently, I glitched through this thing six ways to Sunday on my first time due to ascend, I got into the boss room without activating any switches and, despite reaching the peak being the stated goal, found no boss to be fought. Also I really like the queen gibdo fight, though you didn't mention it, it was moderately difficult and the addition of the hives to take out was interesting, though part of me didn't like the fight being somewhat spoiled outside the temple but it provided a different experience when compared to the other temples. Overall? Not bad, I really loved the siege on Gerudo town, it was a solid dungeon. One of the best of the series? No. But a solid dungeon? Yes. Most my complaints are nitpicks besides the fact that it could've been better but modern Zelda puzzles usually aren't great.

[@SmashtoonGamer]

Haven’t watched yet but I wholeheartedly agree even tho this was the only one I didn’t get stuck on

[@t-bird6853]

Yay, a new vid from the Kirby no jump guy

[@ja-melvinson7994]

I completely agree with everything you said about Riju and especially activating sage abilities. Sure it’s a BIT annoying when stuff goes wrong, but, like, you’re working with other PEOPLE here. Sometimes things go wrong. I would’ve loved for all of the other dungeons to feel like expeditions a bit more too. I feel like it actually could’ve been helped by what happens in the spirit temple where you physically can’t get in without Mineru and need to be WITH HER for things to happen. Sure you could rough it alone, but why would you when you have this awesome companion with you the whole way? I also literally got through a number of the puzzles in the fire temple by just using rockets on the outside

[@Gavin-h4f]

forth?

[@N12015]

I think there's a playlist who indeed analyzed Zelda dungeon and well, it indeed failed flat due to giving you too much freedom. The key element of a great dungeon is making the whole thing a puzle You have to solve via individual themes and giving clear progression; BotW even failed at atmosphere, something no other Zelda game failed since ALttP.

[@Pecha1nt]

Fire temple was awesome

[@folfyblue]

I'm not sure the Lightning temple was that great, during my casual playthrough I used the "ascend" ability to skip past every enigma the temple had to offer

[@eyaadbaig3201]

Is it just me or am I the only one who skipped the linear part by ascending?

[@CMeeCraftGaming]

Wow, didn't even know that was possible. Neat.

[@hdk-gamer2829]

Make a hollow knight video?

[@axelperez2917]

A place?

[@michaelfryers1914]

Second?

[@alexiball1983]

third?

[@JammyLoner]

First?

[@lordcake158]

ya'll just cant enjoy anything? the temples were AMAZING and the lightning temple was the worst in my opinion.

[@ultimate9056]

Come back after you play a game with real dungeons like any of the 2D games or Ocarina of Time. I loved BOTW and enjoyed TOTK but their dungeon design pales completely to the dungeons of the past.