i have played every zelda game. beaten them all too--
i had a path i used in breath of the wild to "level up" and get good items quickly.
before I really took any ground in totk, i went for my path, and through possibly my engineering background, advanced thru that path quickly and procured the hylian shield.
i had no idea that would happen, but i was guided to that end by trying to locate my old house to see if my items were still on the walls.
zelda: tears of the kingdom minor item spoiler
@mauve they weren't but the location is worth visiting. it sent me on a quest to find something that wasn't the hylian shield that i also wanted.