Tears of the Kingdom theory explains why BOTW’s most useful ingredient is missing
NintendoA Reddit theory provides a compelling explanation for why the Hearty Durians found in Breath of the Wild cannot be found in Tears of the Kingdom’s version of Hyrule.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom makes plenty of great changes to its beloved predecessor’s formula. Its building mechanics let players do anything from torture Koroks to walk on water, and the ability to explore the Sky above and Depths below Hyrule essentially triples the amount there is to traverse.
However, not everything from Breath of the Wild is available in the massive game.
Since launch, returning players have lamented the loss of the Hearty Durian. When cooked, a single Hearty Durian would give Link +4 temporary hearts. That, combined with being relatively easy to find, made the ingredient a fan favorite.
NintendoWhy TOTK players blame the Yiga Clan for the Hearty Durian’s absence
While Tears of the Kingdom never explains why this useful item is missing, a Reddit theory by 1amlosy provides a potential in-game reason for the loss of the Hearty Durian that involves the evil Yiga Clan.
Introduced in Breath of the Wild, the Yiga Clan is a villainous organization of Sheikah assassins and thieves led by Master Kohga. In both games, members of the group will ambush Link, moving quickly and avoiding attacks by teleporting away.
While their evasive tactics can make them challenging to take down, Yiga Clan members have one crucial weakness: their overwhelming love of Mighty Bananas.
According to 1amlosy’s theory, the Yiga Clan’s banana obsession may be the reason for the lack of Hearty Durians in Tears of the Kingdom. Both fruits are mainly found in the Faron region, so it wouldn’t be too surprising if the Yiga Clan cut down all of the durian trees to make room for their cherished Mighty Bananas.
Doing so would also have the helpful side effect of making it harder for Link to survive. While there are other “Hearty” ingredients available in Tears of the Kingdom, they are significantly harder to find and less powerful than they were in Breath of the Wild.
Of course, since it’s the Yiga Clan, the bananas were likely a stronger motivator than hindering their greatest enemy.
While the lack of Hearty Durians may make Tears of the Kingdom more difficult, there’s no shortage of resources for players to turn to, including these tips and tricks from Twitch streamer Limealicious.