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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchUsually, no. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, ordinary side quests are optional when your goal is to reach and finish the main story. Follow the quests marked as Main Quests, and use the Adventure Log to check the status of a specific task.
That answer is not a rule for every Zelda game. Quest categories and progression requirements differ by installment, so the title you are playing matters more than the franchise name.
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What counts as “finishing” Zelda?
Players often use “beat Zelda” to mean two different things:
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- Full completion: clearing optional shrines, quests, collectibles, discoveries and other activities tracked by the game.
Side quests are generally designed for the second category. They can add context, rewards, character encounters or exploration goals without being a prerequisite for the final story mission. A player who wants only the ending can normally leave them unfinished and return later, where the game allows it.
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Do not confuse a side quest with a Shrine Quest, Side Adventure or another similarly named category. The label in the game’s quest list is the safest indication of how the objective fits into progression.
Breath of the Wild: the side quests are optional for the ending
For Breath of the Wild, the answer is no for ordinary side quests. A community-maintained Zelda Wiki reference identifies three Main Quests as required to complete the game:
- Follow the Sheikah Slate
- The Isolated Plateau
- Destroy Ganon
This list is useful for understanding the required path, but it is not a Nintendo-published quest checklist. It should not be read as a claim that every other quest entry is worthless; it means those three are the quests the reference identifies as necessary for completing the game.
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You can leave ordinary Side Quests unfinished and still pursue the main ending. A scholarly discussion of the game uses “Hylian Homeowner” and “From the Ground Up” as examples of side quests that could be skipped when beating Breath of the Wild. Their optional status in that game is separate from the discussion of how they appear in Tears of the Kingdom; a quest’s later appearance does not make it a requirement for the earlier game.
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Side content can still be valuable if you want more dialogue, activities or practical rewards. The important distinction is that optional value is not the same as a story dependency.
Tears of the Kingdom: follow Main Quests for story milestones
In Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo advises players to follow the Main Quests when they want to reach story milestones. Nintendo also describes side quests as smaller activities, such as collecting mushrooms or taking in-game pictures. Those examples illustrate the intended role of side content: optional objectives that support exploration rather than a mandatory route to the ending.
A 2023 PowerPyx walkthrough lists 23 Main Quests, 31 Shrine Quests, 60 Side Adventures and 139 Side Quests, for a listed total of 253 quests. These are walkthrough category totals, not Nintendo-published statistics. They are also not a count of quests required to finish the story. A large quest inventory should not make you assume that every entry must be completed before the finale.
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The walkthrough describes players as able to return to remaining side content after the story. That means you can choose a story-first route, complete the ending, and then use the remaining quest list for cleanup. The exact order of exploration is flexible: Nintendo emphasizes that “Every player’s exploration experience will be different.” Another player’s route, recommended order or completed side-quest list is therefore not automatically a requirement for your game.
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How to tell whether a quest is required
Use the game’s own classification before relying on a guide or another player’s checklist.
- Open the pause menu and go to the Adventure Log. This is where the game records started and finished quests.
- Read the category and title. Look for Main Quest when your objective is story progression. Treat Side Quest, Side Adventure and Shrine Quest entries as separate categories unless the game explicitly makes one part of the current main objective.
- Read the quest notes and hints. Nintendo says the Adventure Log can provide reminders or hints, which can clarify what the game expects next.
- Check whether the objective is marked complete. If you are unsure about a particular task, its status in the log is more reliable than a generic franchise-wide rule.
- Keep a separate optional-content checklist. If your goal is 100 percent completion, record side quests and other activities even though they are not needed for the ending.
Guide terminology can differ. One author may call a task a side quest while another groups it under Side Adventures or Shrine Quests. Match the guide’s wording to the category shown in your own Adventure Log.
Story completion versus 100 percent completion
Nintendo’s Breath of the Wild guidance explains that the completion percentage appears after the main story. Reaching 100 percent requires additional work beyond defeating the final threat, including:
- Completing every shrine
- Defeating every boss
- Collecting every Korok seed
- Discovering every location
That post-story percentage is why players can feel that the game still has unfinished business after seeing the ending. It measures broader map and activity completion, not merely whether the main narrative has been completed. Side quests may be part of a personal 100-percent checklist, but the percentage requirement should not be confused with the minimum route to the story ending.
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| Goal | What to prioritize | Are ordinary side quests required? |
|---|---|---|
| Reach the ending | Main Quests and the objectives they unlock | No, in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom |
| Explore at your own pace | Main Quests plus any optional activities you choose | No; order is flexible |
| Complete the map and tracked activities | Shrines, bosses, Korok seeds, locations and other checklist items | Some optional tasks may be needed for your personal target, but this is different from story completion |
Which quest labels should you understand?
Main Quests
Main Quests are the clearest story-progression category. If you are trying to advance the narrative, start with the Main Quest entry currently shown in your log. In Breath of the Wild, the Zelda Wiki reference specifically identifies “Follow the Sheikah Slate,” “The Isolated Plateau” and “Destroy Ganon” as the required Main Quests.
Side Quests
Side Quests are optional objectives. They can send you to collect items, take pictures, help characters or investigate local problems. Nintendo’s Tears of the Kingdom examples include collecting mushrooms and taking in-game pictures.
Side Adventures
Tears of the Kingdom uses Side Adventure as a distinct category. PowerPyx lists 60 Side Adventures in its 2023 walkthrough. The category name alone does not make those quests mandatory for the ending; treat them as optional unless a Main Quest or the Adventure Log says otherwise.
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Shrine Quests
Shrine Quests are associated with discovering or solving shrine-related objectives. They can be important for upgrades and exploration, but completing every shrine is part of broader completion rather than the minimum story route in the games covered here.
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A practical route for players who want to finish the story quickly
- Identify the installment. Confirm whether you are playing Breath of the Wild or Tears of the Kingdom; do not apply this answer automatically to another Zelda title.
- Open the Main Quest section. Select the active story objective and read its current hint or destination.
- Ignore optional markers when necessary. You can leave Side Quest, Side Adventure and Shrine Quest entries for later if they are distracting you from the story.
- Use the Adventure Log when blocked. Review started and finished quests, reminders and hints rather than assuming an optional quest is missing.
- Return for cleanup. After the story, revisit the log and pursue the optional activities that match your own completion goal.
This approach avoids two common mistakes: spending hours on a completion checklist when you only want the ending, and abandoning useful optional content because you assumed it was mandatory.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
Mistake: treating every quest marker as part of the main plot
Open the quest details and verify the category. A map marker or an urgent-sounding character does not change a Side Quest into a Main Quest.
Mistake: assuming one game’s structure applies to the whole series
The evidence here supports a confident answer for Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. Other Zelda installments may use different labels, dependencies or required dungeons. For another game, check that title’s own progression guide and quest list.
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Mistake: confusing 100 percent with the ending
In Breath of the Wild, Nintendo describes the completion percentage as appearing after the main story and lists extra requirements such as shrines, bosses, Korok seeds and locations. Seeing unfinished items after the credits is therefore expected.
Mistake: treating a walkthrough’s totals as official requirements
The PowerPyx numbers for Tears of the Kingdom describe the walkthrough’s categories and totals. They do not establish that all 253 listed quests are mandatory, nor are they official Nintendo figures.
Bottom line for each game
| Game | Answer | Best next step |
|---|---|---|
| Breath of the Wild | Side quests are not required for the main ending. | Follow the required Main Quest path; the Zelda Wiki reference names “Follow the Sheikah Slate,” “The Isolated Plateau” and “Destroy Ganon.” |
| Tears of the Kingdom | Side Quests and Side Adventures are not the normal route for story milestones. | Follow Main Quests and check the Adventure Log for hints, reminders and status. |
| Other Zelda games | Not established by the guidance above. | Check that installment’s specific quest structure and progression requirements. |
If your only objective is to see the main story ending in either of the two open-world games, you can safely postpone ordinary side quests. If your objective is a complete map, a 100-percent file or every optional interaction, keep them on your checklist and treat story completion as only one milestone.
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