Tears of the Kingdom Caves, wells, and similar places

[Uwu_Oocoo2]

Feels kinda weird to be making a TotK thread like this almost a year since it came out, but I've been seeing a lot of people talk about how they love the caves and stuff and I can't help but... disagree? I know they're kinda necessary for making the world more interesting with the map being so similar. But I just don't enjoy them.
Firstly, I can't really tell them apart. Every underground space feels very same-y, making it kind of boring to explore. If there's something in the cave I can't get to until later, like I don't have good gear or whatever, you had best believe I'm not gonna remember which cave it was. And secondly, they kind of remind me of the shrines in the sense that it feels like it's pulling you away from your destination. If I'm trying to get somewhere I don't want to feel like I have to stop my journey a hundred times to explore cave systems. And if I skip it, I'm not gonna be able to find it later (map markers are for the weak).

Anyway that's my opinion, and potentially a poor one. But what do you guys think? Do you like them?

 

[Azure Sage]

I thought they were great and definitely were a welcome addition to the map. Personally I adore a hundred distractions from the current objective, and you don't need map markers because caves are automatically marked.

There is only one single cave I was disappointed with and that was the Akkala Citadel cave. They had so much potential and pre-existing assets, even. And instead of utilizing any of that, they decided to make it a regular cave interior after you walk through a brick and mortar doorway, as if that makes any sense. That was super lame of them.

 

[Uwu_Oocoo2]

I thought they were great and definitely were a welcome addition to the map. Personally I adore a hundred distractions from the current objective, and you don't need map markers because caves are automatically marked.

Well when I mention markers, I mostly mean for if you haven't finished exploring one. Like, if I pop into a cave just so it's on my map, I'm not gonna remember that I didn't fully explore it later.

 

[Azure Sage]

Well when I mention markers, I mostly mean for if you haven't finished exploring one. Like, if I pop into a cave just so it's on my map, I'm not gonna remember that I didn't fully explore it later.

Fair point. The check it gets marked with is for getting the bubblfrog, not completing it. (though still, not getting the bubblfrog means u didnt complete it yet...)

 

[Vanessa28]

Oh I love the caves! I always try to figure out if I missed anything. Mostly I do this by checking the underground map to see what a possible place for a cave might be. Some caves are boring but still I love the hunt

 

[Bowsette Plus-Ultra]

I think the caves could be fun, but I think it would have been nice if we saw differing themes throughout, like how Elden Ring mixes up its own side dungeons as caves, dungeons, and tombs.

 

[thePlinko]

Caves could have been cool if there were literally any reason to ever visit one outside of the occasional random armor piece. Instead they’re just yet another example of Nu-Zelda’s obsession with mindless repetition and filler content.

 

[A Link In Time]

I appreciate the variety that sky Islands and caves brought to TotK, but I definitely remember more sky Islands than caves, especially the starting area and those sky diving challenges. The caves were definitely pretty samey.