Efficient Arrow Management in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

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Down in the Depths, light is scarce and arrows scarcer. Stop firing every brightbloom you find-your aimless shots may leave you trapped in total darkness when you need them most.

But the second you head underground into the deep, dark Depths, it’s another story entirely. The first time you go down there, you’ll be advised that you can attach Brightbloom Seeds to your arrows, creating pools of light wherever you wanna walk. And this works great! But after just a few minutes of using arrows this way, your supply will quickly diminish.

There are plenty of Brightbloom Seeds in the Depths, but how do you make up for the lack of arrows? The Tears of the Kingdom developers thought about that! (Though it isn’t the most intuitive solve.)

You can actually throw any of the materials you have in your inventory, and they’ll activate when they hit the ground. This includes Brightbloom Seeds, which will emit the light you seek while exploring in the Depths.

How to throw items in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

To throw an item, press and hold the R button as if you’re about to throw your weapon, then press up on the D-Pad to open the item selection wheel. Choose the item you want to toss-like a Brightbloom Seed-and Link will hold it above his head, ready to throw. Release R to toss it just like a weapon. This method saves arrows, especially useful in the Depths where light sources are key to exploring safely.

At any time while playing, hold down the right bumper and then hold Up on the D-pad. It’ll bring up a menu of all of the items you can toss. To make it easy, sort by “Most Used” using the Y button, and you’ll likely see the Brightbloom Seeds pop up. Hover over the seeds and release Up, and Link will prepare to toss the item. When you’re ready to throw, release R.

If you’re looking to get some decent range on your seed throw, try aiming up a bit. Here’s a gif showing it all in action:

You’ll still want to use your arrows for those moments where you need your seeds to get a bit more range, but generally speaking, you’ll be fine just throwing most of them.

How to use Brightbloom Seeds without consuming arrows

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Brightbloom Seeds illuminate the dark Depths without needing arrows by simply throwing or striking them instead of fusing to projectiles.โ€‹โ€‹

Throwing Method

Hold the R button to open the materials menu, then press Up-D-Pad to select Brightbloom Seeds and release R to toss them. They activate on impact with surfaces, sticking and blooming to light up areas effectively for close-to-medium range. Aim slightly upward for greater distance without wasting arrows.โ€‹

Melee Strike Technique

Fuse a seed to your sword via the fuse menu, then jump and perform a downward strike (hold jump during fall) to plant it firmly on the ground. This works well for precise ground placement in tight spots and conserves seeds since the bloom persists. Striking dropped seeds with any weapon also triggers them instantly.โ€‹โ€‹

Additional Tips

Giant Brightbloom Seeds offer brighter, longer-lasting light and follow the same throw/strike rules. Collect seeds abundantly from caves and wells near chasms to maintain a stockpile. Combine with Lightroots for permanent map reveals to reduce overall seed use.โ€‹โ€‹

How to throw Brightbloom Seeds from inventory step-by-step

To throw Brightbloom Seeds from your inventory in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom without using arrows, follow this simple process during gameplay.โ€‹

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Hold the R button (right bumper) to enter throw mode and open the materials wheel.

  2. Press Up on the D-Pad to scroll to materials; hover over Brightbloom Seeds (sort by “Most Used” with Y if needed for quick access).

  3. Release R while aiming-Link will throw the seed, which blooms on impact to light up areas.โ€‹

  4. Aim slightly upward for more distance; it works for close-to-medium range in the Depths.โ€‹

Pro Tips

Thrown seeds stick to surfaces and stay lit permanently, just like arrow-fired ones. Use Giant Brightbloom Seeds for brighter light following the same steps. This conserves arrows entirely while navigating dark caves or Depths.โ€‹โ€‹

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Leigh Alexander

Role: Freelance Game Journalist, Consultant, Critic, Editor, Freelancer
Genre: Analytics, Indie Games, Industry, Criticism, Game Culture

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