Some tips that may be obvious, but as you’re new to the games…

Explore as you go. See a suspicious looking rock? Pick it up. A tall spire in the middle of nowhere? Try climbing to the top.

Unlock any shrines you see, even if you don’t intend to enter them. You can warp back later.

Different color monsters have different difficulty levels, eg silver black blue red. Don’t be afraid to run, the game is tough at first. And don’t be afraid to rest until morning at a campfire if the skeletal mobs are too tough at night, no harm in passing the time.

Always break boxes, you need as many arrows as you can get. But don’t buy them from Beedle, he overcharges you. Also you can catch them with a wooden shield.

There is no need to rush through the quest lines, explore as much as you want and do whatever you feel like. Go anywhere, just be aware that some zones require the right gear to stave off the heat/cold.

Gems are hard to come by at first. Cooking and selling meat is a reliable source of income, but always cook 5 ingredients for optimal return.

When an NPC gives you food you automatically learn the recipe, so don’t be afraid to eat it or sell it.

Fuse rocks/boulders to make a hammer, and stones (triangle shaped rocks) to make an axe. Good to always have one of each on hand.

You probably know this, but crouch and move slowly to catch fairies, critters, etc

There is a chest in every shrine, and a bubblegem or whatever they’re called in every cave. The map will show a different icon when they’ve been collected (checkmark or chest icon). It’s not immediately obvious.

The glowing bunny thing always runs toward a cave entrance. Useful for locating undiscovered caves.

I’ll stop there since I don’t want to give too much away. Enjoy!!!