Tears Of The Kingdom Reveals That Not Even Hyrule Is Safe From Inflation

Summary The price of items has steadily increased in Zelda games, and this is apparent by the cost of the Hylian Shield in Tears of the Kingdom.

Fuse materials and item variety may be to blame for increased prices at shops in TOTK.

However, the overall increase in prices is minimal when time is factored in, since there are thousands of years between games.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gives Link the option to purchase items he might need from various shops around Hyrule, which is the case in most - if not all - previous games in the series. In past games, Link had the option to purchase items like arrows, bombs, and items that restore health from various stores and shops. But in BOTW and TOTK, the options expanded with the cooking system and Fuse ability.

Depending on how Link approaches his heroic quest, he might not find himself visiting shops often unless he needs to pick up an item required to progress and there's no other way of acquiring it. This is especially true in TOTK because of its open-world design, loot system, and gathering options. But if he finds himself at a shop in TOTK, Link might notice that prices are higher than what his previous incarnations paid for the same items.

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The Hylian Shield Reveals Inflation Has Hit Hyrule

How Prices Have Changed In Zelda: TOTK

The Hylian Shield is a staple item in many Zelda games, and Link doesn't always need to purchase it for himself in order to use it. However, there are two games where he needs to buy the shield, and the prices aren't the same. In Ocarina of Time, the Hylian Shield costs 80 Rupees. But in Tears of the Kingdom, it now costs 90 Rupees. That's not even the worst part, because the shield is indestructible in OoT, but it's subject to durability and breaking in TOTK.

Why Items Cost More In Zelda: TOTK

Fuse Materials & Variety May Be To Blame For Item Prices Going Up

The book Creating a Champion offers insight on this topic, along with revealing why Hyrule isn't rebuilt in TOTK. According to this book, both BOTW and TOTK are set thousands of years after the other Zelda games, which has made the events of those games nothing more than legends to the people of Hyrule now. With that in mind, it becomes rather impressive that the price of the Hylian Shield has only gone up by 10 Rupees, even if it's also less durable than it used to be.

It's not clear how item prices are set for items in TOTK, or other games in the series, but sometimes it leads to fun observations about how the economy of Hyrule has changed over time. With Link's new abilities in TOTK, he might find himself visiting the markets more often for Fuse materials, and therefore needing more Rupees overall. However, all that extra shopping makes items that are priced higher than they used to be more of a financial burden for Link in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.