As you travel below, above, and through Hyrule, you probably have encountered Koroks needing help or hidden throughout the landscape. Much like in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Koroks can be found in the nooks and crannies—or even by solving a simple puzzle—in Tears of the Kingdom.
While the number of ways people are torturing these poor Koroks is trending, helping them get from Point A to Point B and unearthing them from a billow of flying leaves is worth it. In this article, I’ll be training you on how you can spot a Korok a mile away.
Collecting a Korok Seed requires you to solve a puzzle. Thankfully, the puzzles aren’t as tricky as those in Shrines. These can be as simple as carrying a Korok with an oversized backpack to a specific location or lifting a small, out-of-place rock. That said, Koroks utilize a lot of ways to hide throughout Hyrule, many of which you’ll be familiar with if you’ve played Breath of the Wild.
Here’s a list of every puzzle type I’ve encountered so far when Korok hunting:
Lifting A Suspicious Rock
If you ever find a sus rock, lift it. There’s a good chance it’ll reveal a Korok.
Pinwheels
Whenever you see small pinwheels crafted of leaves and sticks, approach it to reveal a target or a series of targets; you can tell through the ‘pop’ sound when they appear. The trial might require you to follow a light with a time limit or shoot balloons. Either way, once you complete it, a Korok will reveal itself and giu with a Korok Seed for your efforts.
Tree Stumps
It’s normal to see tree stumps, especially in Central Hyrule. But if you come across a very short tree stump on your travels, try standing on it. This will trigger a timed race and a floating circle will appear in a distance, which is the goal you’ll need to reach. If you reach the goal in time, you’ll get a Korok Seed.
Chains With Corks(?)
Some stumps seemingly have corks with chains tied to them. Use Ultrahand to attach the chain to something—be it a wooden board or a boulder—and pull to obtain a Korok Seed.
Stone Placements
You’ll see different stones placed around Hyrule in a pattern where one stone isn’t where it’s supposed to be. If you place the stone at a correct angle to complete the pattern, a Korok will appear.
Reuniting Friends
This new puzzle type is exclusive to Tears to the Kingdom. You’ll find a Korok who needs some help getting to their friend. How you deliver them to their destination is entirely up to you. Sometimes the trek can be long, so it’s best to utilize your abilities like Ultrahand to cut the trip short. If you manage to reunite the Korok with their friend, you’ll be able to earn two Korok Seeds.
Dandelions
Be on the lookout for Dandelions, as they’re one of the easiest ways to get a Korok Seed. All you have to do is chase the Dandelion around until a Korok appears. There are times when the Dandelions spawn at an area out of your vision, though, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled.
Statue Offering
While you’re exploring Hyrule, you might come across statues that are holding empty bowls. If you place an Apple in the bowl, a Korok will pop up to give you a Korok Seed.
Again, just like in Breath of the Wild, you’ll need to bring your Korok Seeds to Hestu if you want to use them. You’ll first find him in Central Hyrule towards the closest Sky Tower in the region. He’ll ask you to defeat the trees ahead of him when you talk to him. Once that’s done, you can start trading your Korok Seeds for additional inventory slots.
After the initial meeting, you can find Hestu set up in Lookout Landing, where Purah and the other survivors after the Upheaval can be found. Note that each time you expand your inventory—whether it be your Bow, Shield, or Weapon slots—you’ll need more Korok Seeds to expand it again. Luckily for you, there are a lot of Korok Seeds waiting to be found. You don’t have to collect them all either; just collect them whenever you see them.