Tears of the Kingdom bring back the dungeons-mechanic from Breath of the Wild. Rather than Divine Beasts, players will venture into Temples alongside one of Link's allies. Completing the Temples are required for several main quests, so finding them is easy so long as TotK players follow the story.
There are a total of seven dungeons in Tears of the Kingdom, a larger count than the four dungeons/Divine Beasts in the predecessor. Completing a dungeon usually requires the activation of four/five switches or locks before Link can take on the Temple Boss. Thanks to the open-world gameplay of TotK, the first four Temples can be tackled in just about any order depending on the player's preference. Finally, completing dungeons will also reward Link with a Heart Container.
Heavy spoilers for late-game The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
7 Wind Temple
After completing the tutorial mode, TotK pushes its players to go to Lookout Landing. Once Link gets the paraglider from Purah at Lookout Landing, he'll receive a hint to investigate the happenings at Rito Village. This begins "Regional Phenomena," a main questline in Tears of the Kingdom. If Link goes to Rito Village first, he'll eventually meet Tulin ("Tulin of Rito Village" main quest), which then leads to the Wind Temple.
Although players can save the Wind Temple for later in their quest, it's recommended to complete this one as soon as possible if only for the Vow of Tulin. Getting to the Wind Temple requires the use of Ascend, the paraglider, and Tulin's Gust Ability.
6 Fire Temple
Unlike the Wind Temple, the Fire Temple is actually in The Depths of Hyrule. Once players visit Goron City, they'll meet Yunobo which then starts "Yunobo of Goron City." Follow the main quest cues, and eventually, players will need to climb Death Mountain. There's a miniboss against a monster called Moragia where players will need to use Yunobo's Ability and fly a Zonai-powered Fanplane. After this, they'll need to jump into the Death Mountain Chasm and make their way to the Fire Temple from there.
The Fire Temple will have scorching temperatures that will chip away at Link's health if he's not wearing flame-resistant armor (not heat-resistant). Players can buy one of the Flamebreaker Armor pieces from the general store in Goron City. The Fire Temple is nice to follow up after the Wind Temple thanks to the Vow of Yunobo. Unlike Tulin's Vow, Yunobo's Vow is good for breaking rock walls or blazing a trail through a mob of enemies.
5 Water Temple
Another one of the four temples is the Water Temple. This one is floating in the sky with the other Sky Islands, and Link will need the help of his Zora Armor in order to reach it. The Water Temple is locked behind a few steps in the "Sidon of the Zora" quest, but the Temple itself can only be reached by swimming up a waterfall from the East Reservoir Lake.
BotW-players may want to rush off the Water Temple once they get the "Regional Phenomena" quest, but it's best to do this one last or second-to-last. The Sludge Like, a mini boss that Link and Sidon must defeat before the Water Temple, is a difficulty spike for newcomers or players that are lacking in hearts and decent weapon/armor. If players are struggling with the Sludge Like, then chances are they are not ready for the Water Temple.
4 Lightning Temple
The final temple is the Lightning Temple, which is preceded by several steps in "Riju of Gerudo Town." First, players will need to find Riju and the Gerudo, then Link will need to defend Gerudo Town from the Gibdos, and after that comes a puzzle that requires venturing out into the desert. Players will also need level 1 cold and heat-resistant armor. Once players unearth the Lightning Temple, they will need to charge four batteries in order to get the temple's elevator working in order to defeat the Queen Gibdo.
Like the Water Temple, it's better to attempt the Lightning Temple later in a playthrough. The Gerudo desert is not kind to those without weather-protective gear, and the Gibdos will be impossible to beat without elemental weapons (ie: Ice Fruit, Shock Fruit, etc). However, some players may ignore this in favor of getting the Vow of Riju earlier in their playthrough. It's arguably one of the better Sage Vows thanks to its AoE, and it makes defeating Gibdos very easy.
3 Hyrule Castle
BotW players will be familiar with most of Hyrule Castle's interior, but TotK newcomers will not have the same advantage. To make matters worse, Hyrule Castle is now floating and covered in gloom, making it a tricky place to navigate for those just starting out. While Hyrule Castle doesn't follow the traditional dungeons like the four Temples, players will need to go from one floor to another in order to complete "Crisis at Hyrule Castle" main quest.
The "Crisis at Hyrule Castle" quest involves chasing after Zelda, who will appear and disappear from one floor to the next. Link will need to fight hordes of monsters before being led back to the Sanctum on the 1st Floor. The monsters she summons are incredibly strong for a beginner, so it's absolutely not recommended to attempt this main quest/"dungeon" until players have all four Sages. Once Link makes his way to the Sanctum, he'll discover that the Zelda he's been seeing throughout TotK was nothing but a puppet created by Ganondorf. Defeat Phantom Ganondorf, then players will need to go back to Lookout Landing to start the second half of Tears of the Kingdom's campaign.
2 Construct Factory
Getting to the Construct Factory is long and arduous since it involves unlocking and completing the Thunderhead Islands beforehand. However, it's the only way to enlist the help of the fifth sage, Mineru. Instead of undoing locks and charging switches, players will need to gather four pieces of a Zonai machine for Mineru's Spirit. Players will need to use their imagination in order to solve the puzzles at the Construct Factory.
Since this is part of the main story, the Construct Factory will always come after the "Crisis at Hyrule Castle" main quest. By the time players reach this dungeon in The Depths, they'll have all four Sage Vows. Completing Mineru's body at the Construct Factory will then require players to seek out the Spirit Temple, where the Seized Construct and Mineru's secret stone awaits.
1 Hyrule Castle Chasm (Gloom's Lair, Forgotten Foundation)
The final dungeon in Tears of the Kingdom is Gloom's Lair, which leads to the Forgotten Foundation, Imprisoning Chambers, and finally to Ganondorf. Gloom's Lair is in fact the Chasm below Hyrule Castle. If players have been doing the "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" side adventure, they'll be informed of Ganondorf's whereabouts when they defeat Kohga at the Abandoned Hebra Mine. However, it's entirely possible for players to stumble into the Hyrule Castle Chasm on accident. The Chasm can be accessed immediately after Link gets the paraglider.
Trying to venture into Hyrule Castle Chasm without armor, weapons, gloom-replenishing meals, or the Sage Vows is dangerous. In fact, it's extremely likely that players won't even reach Ganondorf. The Hyrule Castle Chasm is infested with gloom monsters and gloom patches on the floors and walls, making it much more difficult to traverse than Hyrule Castle or even The Depths. This "dungeon" doesn't involve any puzzle sovling. Instead, it's set up to test Link's strength and endurance as the final stretch in TotK before Ganondorf.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.