The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom may be the latest entry in the long-running Legend of Zelda franchise and feature new gameplay ideas not seen in the series before, but it still has some classic weaponry that all players can recognize. Not surprisingly, the bow and arrows are still in the game.
While The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, players do not have a bow at the beginning of the game. This guide will show players how early they can get a bow and how to equip it.
How to Get a Bow in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The bow can be acquired early on in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, depending on how much the player explores around the Great Sky Island after a somewhat lengthy introduction. Eventually, the path across the sky islands will bring Link to the front door of the Temple of Time, where he will meet Rauru.
After a brief conversation, Rauru will point the player in the direction of the first shrine to complete, the Ukouh Shrine. Players that make a beeline for the shrine will have to drop down from the giant broken Temple of Time stairs into a little forested area in the picture above. An enemy armed with a bow and arrows will be perched on a high ledge to the left.
Players should have little trouble taking out this lone enemy with a few hits of a tree branch or sword. Upon defeat, the enemy will drop an Old Wooden Bow. It is not very powerful, but it should be good enough for Link to clear the Great Sky Island before being able to get more powerful bows later on in the game.
How to Equip a Bow in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Players familiar with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will know how to equip a bow once it is obtained. To equip a bow, players just need to press the ZR trigger button while Link is not holding any other weapons. Link will bring out the bow, and players can immediately shoot an arrow by holding down the ZR button and then releasing it.
Link is able to carry multiple bows at one time and can switch between them during combat. While the bow is out, players can hold the right directional button and scroll through the bow inventory with the right stick. Players can sort and drop bows in this menu, but letting go of the right directional button will equip whatever bow is selected.
It's also worth noting that Bows and arrows can be found lying around all over Hyrule, so eventually, players will have no trouble getting their hands on some.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is now available for the Nintendo Switch.