Tears of Light

Tears of Light are the only way to lift the Twilight from a province. Each tear hides inside a Shadow Insect that you can see only in wolf form; kill it and the tear drops into the Vessel of Light. Twilight Princess HD cut the number from 16 to 12 per province, so every province now needs exactly 12 tears. The Light Spirit of the province marks the remaining insects on your map, and when the Vessel is full you are pulled back to the spring, where the spirit restores your human form. The tears of one province are only marked while you are in that province, so finish each Vessel before moving on.

How Tears of Light work

Each Light Spirit gives you the Vessel of Light at the start of its province. The first tears are easy, but later insects are on walls, underground or behind obstacles. Hold the senses button to spot an insect, then target it and attack. Insects often come in pairs. Some run away from you: chase them until they drop, or dig up the ones that burrow. A few jump to a wall and must be shaken loose with a dash attack. Midna’s jump and the dig spots appear on your map as you play, so use them to reach the tricky ones.

Faron Province (12 tears)

Tears 1 and 2: north of the spring

Follow the path north from Faron Spring and look with your senses for the first two insects close together. A Twilit Deku Baba grows beside them, so keep your distance until they are dead.

Tears 3 and 4: inside Coro’s house

At the fork by Coro’s house, climb the ledge south of the building. Look at the house, target Midna and jump the gap to the open window on the second floor. Talk to Coro with your senses and two insects run out. Kill them, then leave through the same window.

Tear 5: under the gate

Go back to the fork and dig beside the locked gate leading to the temple path. On the far side an insect waits for you.

Tear 6: the wall in North Faron Woods

Leave the tunnel into North Faron Woods and turn to the north-east wall. Dash into it to shake the insect loose and chase it down.

Tears 7 and 8: across the poison fog

The swamp is covered in purple fog that damages you. Walk to the branch near the east side where Midna appears, target her and jump to the next safe spot, repeating until you reach the hollow tree in the middle. Two insects sit there.

Tears 9 and 10: buried at the end of the path

Keep following the chain of Midna jumps past a few Twilit Deku Babas and a swinging log. At the end two insects are buried in the ground; dig each one up and kill it.

Tears 11 and 12: the monkey at the temple steps

Walk north to the steps in front of the Forest Temple, where you freed Talo’s monkey earlier. Two insects are tormenting it. Kill both and the Vessel is full.

Eldin Province (12 tears)

Tears 1 to 3: Renado’s cellar

Jump onto the roof of the large house by the spring and drop through the weak patch of hay. Light the four candles with the stick and the fire in the room so that the statue slides aside, then jump into the cellar. Three insects are there. Leave by jumping out the scaffolding into the graveyard.

Tear 4: the fireplace house

Climb the ramp on the west side of the village and cross the gap to the wooden ledge. Drop into the house, light a stick from a nearby flame and burn the fireplace to flush out the insect.

Tear 5: the soft-roof house

On the south-east side of the village, hop along the rooftops until you reach a roof that gives way. Push the crate aside to reveal the insect.

Tear 6: Barnes’ Bomb Shop

Climb the shed beside the bomb shop and dash through the window. Inside, go upstairs and dash into the cupboard to topple it and expose the insect.

Tears 7 to 9: the storage house

Squeeze through the small hole in the building above the shop. Burn the fireplace with a stick: the building catches fire. Leave straight away. When the fire dies, three tears lie in the ashes.

Tears 10 to 12: Death Mountain trail

Leave through the north gap and climb to the Goron ledge. The first insect is near the Howling Stone; dig it up if it burrows. Continue to the open ground with four Shadow Beasts and kill the isolated one first. The second insect is in this arena. For the last tear jump from the small ledge to the platform above, wait for the steam to stop, climb the ramp and drop down the far side to the insect. When the Vessel fills you return to Eldin Spring.

Lanayru Province (12 tears)

Tears 1 to 3: Lake Hylia

Lanayru gives you the Vessel in the cave. Tear 1 is an insect that climbs the wooden bridge outside. For tear 2, defeat the three Shadow Beasts to the west and dig up the insect on the ledge above. Tear 3 is at the far end of the lake: swim there.

Tears 4 to 6: the kargarok ride

Howl the tune at the grass by the third insect to call the kargarok. Three insects appear on the map during the ride up Zora’s River; target each one and dash into it.

Tear 7: Upper Zora’s River

Talk to Iza by the boat shop and an insect crawls out from under the platform.

Tear 8: Castle Town

Kill the three Shadow Beasts outside the gate, enter the town and find the insect hiding behind the crates near Telma’s Bar.

Tears 9 to 11: Zora’s Domain

At the entrance the insect clings high on the wall: dash into the wall, jump and catch it. Jump down the waterfall to the lily pads for the second. The third burrows east of the pool and needs digging.

Tear 12: the Twilit Bloat

A twelfth mark appears at Lake Hylia. Warp there and use your senses to find the Twilit Bloat. It is a giant electrified insect. Dodge its swoops, attack when it drops and loses its charge, then jump on its back when it rolls over and hold the attack button on its legs. This tear fills the Vessel.

Tips and discrepancies

The Vessel of Light is the only counter, so use your map as a checklist: every unclaimed insect in the current province is marked on it. The original Wii and GameCube versions have 16 tears per province; HD has 12. If a tear seems to be missing, check the places where the HD route needs a tool: dig spots (Faron 5, 9, 10; Eldin 10; Lanayru 11), Midna jumps (Faron 3, 4, 7 to 10) and fire (Eldin 1 to 4, 7 to 9).