How to Get Free In-Game Items and Physical Merchandise for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom offers several avenues for players and collectors to acquire complimentary items, both within the game and as physical merchandise. These freebies are distributed through official Nintendo channels, retailer promotions, and the My Nintendo loyalty program. Access to in-game items requires an internet connection and ownership of the game, while physical merchandise requires redemption of earned points or specific purchasing actions. The availability of these offers can be time-sensitive, and some retailer bonuses may require re-ordering to qualify if a purchase was made prior to the promotion's start date.

In-game freebies are primarily distributed through the Nintendo Switch News channel. These items are available to all Switch owners with an internet connection and do not require a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Once a news story is viewed, the corresponding items are added to the player's inventory the next time the game is loaded. These items typically include crafting materials and basic equipment intended to assist with specific gameplay mechanics, such as exploring dark caves or creating elemental weapons.

Physical merchandise is available via the My Nintendo store in exchange for Platinum Points earned through various Nintendo activities. These rewards include keychains and digital icons. Retailer-specific promotions for physical goods, such as art prints, are also available at select stores like Best Buy, though these often require pre-ordering the game.

Accessing In-Game Freebies via the Switch News Channel

Nintendo frequently distributes free in-game items for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom through the Switch News application. These freebies are available to all users, regardless of Nintendo Switch Online membership status.

Glowing Cave Fish and Brightcaps Nintendo released a set of items designed to aid in exploring dark caves and the Depths. The offer includes three glowing cave fish and two brightcaps. According to Nintendo’s official description, cooking these ingredients creates a Fish and Mushroom Skewer that causes Link to glow, providing limited illumination in dark areas. * Availability: All Switch owners with an internet connection. * Distribution Method: Switch News channel. * Required Action: View the specific news story. * Retrieval: Items appear in the inventory upon loading the game.

Opal and Magic Rod A second distribution includes an Opal and a Magic Rod. These items allow players to create elemental weapons. Fusing the Opal to a weapon creates water balls, and fusing it to the Magic Rod increases attack power. * Availability: All Switch owners with an internet connection. * Distribution Method: Switch News channel. * Required Action: View the specific news story. * Retrieval: Items appear in the inventory upon loading the game.

Soldier’s Shield and Cart Previous distributions included a Soldier’s Shield and a Cart, which facilitated the "shield surf" mechanic. * Availability: All Switch owners with an internet connection. * Distribution Method: Switch News channel. * Required Action: View the specific news story. * Retrieval: Items appear in the inventory upon loading the game.

Step-by-Step Redemption Process

To claim these in-game items, players must follow a specific sequence of actions within the Switch ecosystem.

Access the News App: On the Switch Home Menu, select the ‘News’ icon.
Locate the Story: Scroll to find the relevant Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom news story. These stories often have titles such as "Lost in the dark? Time for your cooking to shine!", "Gems – Not Just a Pretty Facet", or references to specific items like the Soldier's Shield.
Play the Story: Click the ‘Play Now’ button within the news article. This registers the claim with the system.
Load the Game: Boot up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and load a save file.
Receive Items: The items will be automatically added to the player's inventory or material cache.

Physical Merchandise via My Nintendo Rewards

The My Nintendo program allows users to redeem Platinum Points for physical merchandise related to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Glow in the Dark Ultra Hand Keychain * Cost: 550 Platinum Points. * Design: Features Link’s new Ultra Hand ability. * Status: As of the reporting date, this item is listed as in stock.

Splatoon 3 Zelda Crossover Keychains * Cost: 550 Platinum Points. * Design: A set of three keychains representing the Triforce symbols for Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. These designs are based on a recent Splatoon 3 Splatfest event where players chose between Team Power (Ganondorf), Team Wisdom (Zelda), and Team Courage (Link). * Status: As of the reporting date, this set is listed as in stock.

Digital Custom Icons * Cost: Variable Platinum Points. * Content: Digital icons for Nintendo Switch profiles based on Tears of the Kingdom imagery.

Retailer Pre-Order Bonuses

Retailers often offer exclusive physical bonuses to entice customers to pre-order major releases like Tears of the Kingdom. These offers can change, and eligibility may depend on when the order was placed.

Best Buy Art Print Best Buy offered a free art print to customers who pre-ordered The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. * Design: The print features the same artwork seen on the game's cover, bordered by a sleek frame. * Eligibility: The promotion was activated recently. Customers who pre-ordered the game before the promotion went live may not automatically qualify. * Workaround: To ensure eligibility, customers who pre-ordered prior to the promotion start date were advised to cancel their existing order and place a new pre-order.

Gameplay Optimization: Hearts and Stamina

While not a "freebie" in the traditional sense, there is a method to maximize health (hearts) and stamina efficiently using in-game mechanics. This method utilizes the Horned Statue and specific game sequences to convert resources.

The Conversion Method This process allows players to effectively max out both hearts and stamina. It involves storing Lights of Blessing at the Horned Statue to convert hearts into essences.

Storage: Store all but five hearts at the Horned Statue.
Recovery: Utilize Ganondorf and fairy mechanics to recover hearts.
Conversion: Convert the excess hearts into stamina or store them as needed.

Limitations and Details * Cap: The game caps health at 40 hearts. No further heart containers can be obtained once this cap is reached. * Speed: The process of storing and retrieving essences at the Horned Statue is slow, potentially taking 10–20 minutes to max out health. * Usage: This method can be used early in the game to gain extra hearts. * Glitch Status: This method was identified by the speedrunning community. It does not appear to have negative effects on gameplay stats.

Conclusion

Players and fans of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have multiple options for acquiring free items. In-game resources are best obtained by checking the Nintendo Switch News channel regularly, as Nintendo rotates these offers. Physical merchandise is available through the My Nintendo store using Platinum Points, with specific rewards like the Ultra Hand keychain and Splatoon crossover set currently listed as available. For those seeking retailer exclusives, monitoring Best Buy’s pre-order bonuses is recommended, keeping in mind that re-ordering may be necessary to secure the free art print if the purchase was made prior to the promotion's activation.