Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom drops you onto the Great Sky Island with almost nothing and forces you to explore fully to make any progress. Very early on, you’ll encounter one of the treacherous weather conditions that can harm our hero Link — cold. Freezing cold air will slowly drain Link’s health until you’re down for good. There are two ways to protect yourself against the unyielding freezing weather, and we’ll talk about both in the guide below.
There are two types of inclement weather you’ll have to worry about in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. There’s cold weather and hot weather — with extreme heat being one of the most dangerous. There are two types of protection: temporary recipes or more permanent clothing items that will protect you as long as you’re wearing the right gear. You can find one of each on the Great Sky Island.
And if you’re playing the original, here’s how to get Cold Protection in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Cold Protection | Great Sky Island Weather Guide
To protect yourself from the cold weather on Great Sky Island, you’ll need to improve your cold weather resistance. Cold Weather will slowly drain Link’s Heart Meter. The worse the cold conditions, the faster his hearts will drain. By adding Cold Resistance, Link will be able to safely traverse snowy regions.
- How To Get Temporary Cold Resistance: In snowy regions, you’ll find red fruit called Spicy Peppers. Pick as many as you can.
- Take the Spicy Peppers and cook them in a pot. The more Spicy Peppers you cook, you longer your Cold Resistance will last.
- Cooking Spicy Peppers prepares Spicy Sauteed Peppers. Consuming this item gives you Cold Resistance temporarily — a timer will appear and show you how long your Cold Resistance will last.
Cooking Spicy Sauteed Peppers is required for early-game cold protection on the Great Sky Island. This is a perfect method for protecting yourself when you don’t have anything better.
There is another method for protecting yourself from the cold on the Great Sky Island.
- How To Get Permanent Cold Resistance: Travel to the east side of Great Sky Island and find the Gutanbac Shrine. Look for the old, hollowed tree trunk near the shrine — use Ascend and enter the trunk. You’ll find a chest containing Archaic Warm Greaves.
- Ascend is only available after completing the Gutanbac Shrine.
The Archaic Warm Greaves are a permanent armor piece. Equipping gives you Cold Resistance — very useful this early in the game.