When I first dove into The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom back in 2023, I knew I was in for a sprawling adventure. Three years later, Hyrule still feels impossibly vast, with 230 side missions scattered across its surface, sky, and depths. Yet, as any veteran player knows, quantity doesn’t always guarantee quality. After countless hours, I’ve sifted through the forgettable filler and emerged with a definitive list of the ten most tedious, snooze‑inducing side quests that you should probably just skip. Trust me, your time is better spent hunting Koroks.

10. Rock for Sale – The Pricey Pebble That Could

I remember strolling through Tarrey Town when Hagie offered me a “weird rock” for 50 Rupees. Curiosity got the better of me, and I bit. Spoiler: that rock is actually a shrine crystal, and the entire quest boils down to walking it back to Jochi‑ihiga Shrine. Sure, you’ll eventually snag a diamond, but with 152 shrines to discover, the tedium of this errand is almost offensive. Unless you’re a completionist possessed by an ungodly resolve, just leave Hagie’s rock alone and find the shrine the normal way.

9. Disaster in Gerudo Canyon – Where’s the Sense of Urgency?

“Disaster in Gerudo Canyon” sounds dramatic, but the real disaster is its design. Quest‑giver Quincey never bothers to update his marker, so you’re on your own scouring the canyon for three missing companions. One is a breeze, but the other two hide so well that I spent more time bumbling around than actually saving anyone. And my reward? A measly ten Bomb Flowers. I could have gathered those by bombing a cave. Little about this quest feels heroic or worth the effort.

8. Cash In on Ripened Flint – A Gambler’s Nightmare

Outside the Bedrock Bistro, Gomo the Goron wants a Ripened Flint, but the only way to get one is to feed him flint in batches of 20, 50, or 100 until the RNG gods smile. I cycled through hundreds of flint pieces before I gave up and adopted the save‑scumming method. It still felt like a chore. The 1,000‑Rupee payout is tempting, but after the mind‑numbing repetition, I didn’t even care about the cash. This quest is a masterclass in how not to implement randomness.

7. Moon‑Gazing Gorons – Guesswork Under the Stars

I love a good puzzle, but “Moon‑Gazing Gorons” gives you almost nothing to work with. The instructions are vague, so you’re left squinting at the sky and trying different positions until something clicks. Without a guide, you’ll waste a full moon cycle on trial and error. And for what? A paltry 100 Rupees. The atmosphere is nice, but the execution made me stare blankly at my screen as much as the Gorons stared at the moon.

6. Cold‑Endurance Contest! – Waiting Simulator

Climbing Mount Granajh to start the “Cold‑Endurance Contest!” already tests my patience. Once I met Rahdo, I realized the entire challenge is to stand on a pillar all night. No combat, no strategy. You can simply gulp a spicy elixir and go make a sandwich. The quest doesn’t even care if you cheat. It’s a literal waste of time – and a glaring missed opportunity to test actual endurance through creative cold‑weather survival mechanics.

5. A Picture for the Closed Stable – Unreasonable Demands

I freed Piaffe from some boxes and thought I’d get a heartfelt thanks. Instead, I became his personal photographer, expected to fill empty frames with very specific – and annoyingly picky – shots. He’ll reject anything that isn’t just so, and the whole back‑and‑forth felt like unpaid freelance work. The reward? A handful of Pony Points and a meal. I could have cooked that meal myself and saved the frustration.

4. The Mayoral Election – Politics as Usual

Hateno Village’s mayoral race pits fashionista Cece against incumbent Reede, and somehow I got dragged into the drama. I ran errands, listened to arguments, and hoped my involvement would tip the scales. In the end, nothing Link does changes the outcome. It’s all window dressing, and the whole affair is so dry that I felt like I was background‑checking candidates instead of adventuring. Even the laziest Korok seed holds more thrill.

3. A Bottled Cry for Help – Five Minutes, Still a Chore

“A Bottled Cry for Help” is mercifully short, but that doesn’t make it good. You find a note, build a raft, float to a cave, and rescue a guy named Chumin. The whole thing takes less than five minutes, yet every second felt like an obligation. The 100‑Rupee reward is barely enough to buy a single arrow bundle. If a quest this brief still manages to feel like a drag, you know it’s a stinker.

2. A Call from the Depths – Eye‑Rolling Fetch Quest

This side adventure sends you into the Depths to collect four scattered stone eyes and return them to a Bargainer Statue. In theory, exploring the Depths should be exciting. In practice, you’re just warping around, following map markers, and occasionally fighting the same few enemy types. The reward – a heart container or stamina vessel – is decent, but the monotony of the fetch loop nearly put me to sleep. There are far more engaging ways to power up Link.

1. The Yiga Clan Exam – Bananas Over Brains

I expected the Yiga Clan exam to involve stealth, combat, or at least a ridiculous banana‑themed obstacle course. Instead, I was handed a quiz of pure tedium: transport and place bunches of Mighty Bananas on five pedestals. That’s it. No clever riddles, no intense fights – just a glorified delivery service. The rewards are okay, but the sheer letdown stings more than any Blademaster could. Even finding the hideout was more fun than this mindless task. I’ve never been so disappointed by a group of banana‑obsessed ninjas.

After all this complaining, I should note that Tears of the Kingdom remains a masterpiece. But even masterpieces have their dull corners. If you value your time as much as your Rupees, steer clear of these quests and focus on the adventures that truly make Hyrule shine. 😴🗡️