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Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: release time, file size, and preload options

Jesse Lennox
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The Demon King Ganondorf is back and Link is the only hero that can save Hyrule (again) in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, launching tomorrow on Nintendo Switch. The highly anticipated sequel to Breath of the Wild, the most popular Zelda titles and one of the greatest games of all time, features the same massive world of Hyrule, classic enemies, and fan-favorite weapons but with new powers an abilities.

Like its predecessor, Tears of the Kingdom is a game that you can easily get lost in and spend hundreds of hours exploring without finding all of its secrets. If you’re itching to save this version of Hyrule, it’s surely taken a lot of patience to wait this long for the sequel to launch. Ee can’t make it come any faster, but we can at least tell you exactly what time time you can play Tears of the Kingdom and how to download the game early.

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom release time

Zelda holds a tear-shaped object in her hand in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's final trailer.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will become available to play starting at 9 p.m. PT on May 11 or 12 a.m. ET on May 12 depending on your timezone.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom file size

Link climbs a cliff in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

If you’re downloading Tears of the Kingdom, you won’t have too large of a file to deal with. The game is currently 16.2GB in size.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preload options

Link floats in a water bubble in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Preloading for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom began May 5 for digital owners. That gives players a full week to complete the relatively small download and be ready to play when the full game unlocks.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom preorder details

Link flying through air in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

While there is only one edition of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to get, you can preorder it at various retailers that offer their own exclusive bonuses, such as a print from Best Buy and a plaque from GameStop. No matter where you preorder, the game will cost you $70. If you want to spend more, you can also look to get the limited edition Switch OLED, Pro Controler, or Amiibo, however, none of these come with a copy of the game.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom arrives exclusively on the Nintendo Switch on May 12.

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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox loves writing, games, and complaining about not having time to write and play games. He knows the names of more…
Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom first update fixes bugged Closed Door quest
Link soon after awakening in Tears of the Kingdom.

Compared to some other recent AAA releases like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn't bogged down by tons of bugs. That said, no game is immune to having issues, and one of Tears of the Kingdom's main quests was bugged for some players. Thankfully, the game's first post-launch update, Ver 1.1.1, fixed that issue. 

The mission in question is The Closed Door, which takes place on the Great Sky Island. To complete it and access the Temple of Time, players must explore the four Shrines, gaining abilities like Ultrahand, Fuse, Ascend, and Rewind in the process. Some players did all of that, but the questline wasn't cleared and they couldn't advance the story. According to the Ver. 1.1.1. patch notes, which you can see below, this should no longer be an issue for players.

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The best weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Link holding the master sword in the clouds.

Prior to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Link's arsenal of weapons was usually limited to a couple of options. You could count on having a sword, a ranged weapon like a bow, and a handful of other weapons. But since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues with the weapon durability system from that game, Link will be swapping out weapons far more frequently.

Since just about anything can be used as a weapon, even a stick, the power difference between the worst and best weapons is massive. Just as massive, however, is the size of Hyrule this time around. That can make the best, more unique weapons far more difficult to get your hands on. If you're trying to gear up before taking the fight to Ganon, here are the best weapons and where to find them in Tears of the Kingdom.
Best weapons and where to find them

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All weapon Passive Abilities in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Zelda holding the decayed Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom.

Thanks to the weapon durability system returning in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom from Breath of the Wild, you will be swapping out weapons all the time. At first, you will only be concerned with having something to defend yourself with, but eventually, you will acquire a nice stash of tools to dispatch your many foes. At this point, you will start comparing damage numbers, but that's not the only factor you should consider when deciding which weapon to wield. Passive Abilities are granted to some weapons that give them a special trait that can make them more useful than they seem at first. To better understand your arsenal, here are all the Passive Abilities in Tears of the Kingdom and what they do.
All Passive Abilities

Passive Abilities are buffs that a specific weapon can come with to give it an edge of some form. You can see the name of a Passive Ability under a weapon when you're quick-switching, or examining a weapon in your inventory. There are 15 possible Passive Abilities in Tears of the Kingdom that are well worth learning about. Also know that if you fuse a weapon with a Passive Ability, it will transfer over to your new fused weapon, so don't worry about losing any buffs by fusion.
Breaking Point
- Damage increases when the weapon is close to breaking.
Charged Attack Stamina Up
- Consumes less stamina for charged attacks.
Demolisher
- Weapon is usable for breaking cracked walls and rocks.
Desperate Strength
- Damage increases when you only have one heart.
Extra Durable
- Weapon does not break easily.
Fuse Recycling
- Materials fused with the weapon can be reused again and again.
Gloom Toll
- Weapon Contains Gloom.
Improved Flurry Rush
- Increases the power of Flurry Rush.
Quick Charge
- Enables quicker charged attacks.
Revitalized Sword of Legend
- Exclusive to the Master Sword - allows the Master Sword to regain durability over time.
Strong Fusion
- Enhances the fused Material's power but does not add as much durability.
Water Warrior
- Increases attack power when the weapon gets wet.
Wind Busrt
- Weapon produces a strong wind.
Wind Razor
- Creates vacuums when performing an attack
Zonaite-Powered
- Increases attack power if the weapon is fused with a Zonite device.

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