The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a new mechanic to the beloved series: the enigmatic Light Roots. These Lightroots are found exclusively in the Depths, an intriguing, mysterious world that exists beneath the surface of Hyrule.
Their number is not random, and below, we’ll detail why that is, as well as the exact number of Lightroots that you can activate.
How Many Lightroots In Tears Of The Kingdom?
So, how many of these Depths illuminating Lightroots are there that you can interact with? Well, there are precisely 120 Lightroots to discover in the game, making it a pretty long task if you want to activate them all.
Why 120, you may ask? This number precisely mirrors the number of Shrines found on the surface of Hyrule, underscoring the theme of duality that exists between the surface world and the Depths.
The Depths, introduced in Tears of the Kingdom, is an exact, albeit inverted, reflection of the surface world. This subterranean realm boasts the same geographic layout as the world above, yet it is twisted and distorted, imbuing the familiar landscape with an eerie, dark quality.
This reflection is represented not just in the landscape, but also in the mechanic of the Lightroots, which serve as a direct counterpart to the Shrines in the surface world.
Just as players are encouraged to seek out and interact with the Shrines above ground, they are also incentivized to locate and activate all the Lightroots in the Depths. The discovery of these Lightroots is integral to the gameplay of Tears of the Kingdom, affecting the player’s Depths progression and the ability to actually see down there.
Contrary to Shrines though, Lightroots don’t offer challenging puzzles and enemies that reward successful completion with beneficial effects, and instead, only serve as a tool to help you navigate, assisting your journey through this darker, more perilous version of Hyrule.
In conclusion, the 120 Lightroots in Tears of the Kingdom serve to emphasize the symmetry between the surface world and the Depths.
They represent a crucial aspect of gameplay, guiding the player’s journey through this new realm and offering a mirror to the experience of shrine discovery in the world above.
