The main goal leads to Vah Ruta and the liberation of Naydra “Free the Divine Beasts” to the northwest Hyrule’s. We reach this via the Hyrule Mountains and the Tabanta Borderland Village of the Rito, above which the Divine Beast Vah Medoh draws its circles. The route there is significantly longer than previous journeys between Kakariko Village, Hateno Village and the village of Zora, but offers an exceptionally high number of permanent rewards.
We get the royal gray horse and his special horse harness on this route, activate the Ridgeland Tower and the Tabanta Tower, solve the shrine task “Trial in the Storm”, receive the insulating armor, find two more memory photos and awaken our second Great Fairy with Kaysa. At the end we reach the Rito village, activate the Akh Va’quot shrine and get reliable cold protection for the coming Hebra areas.
From the east Hyrule’s to the stable of the plain
First teleport to Ha Dahamar Shrine at the Dueling Peaks Stable and pick up a registered horse there. Follow the road west through Western Necluda and continue along the southern edge of the Hyrule Field. The route is much safer than riding straight through the center of the plain, where several guards patrol.
Stick to the paved roads and follow the signs towards the stable on the level. The long section can be covered very quickly with a horse. We ignore opposing camps that are clearly out of the way; You can of course take raw materials, ores and visible Korok puzzles right along the way with you.
Rota Ooh Shrine – Whoever passes through the gate
On the hill west of the stable is the Rota Ooh Shrine. Activate it first to give the stable a fast travel point, then enter the trial. There is a huge lattice structure in the room that rotates 90 degrees as soon as you hit the Crystal Switch on the right.
Shoots the switch with an arrow. The construction tilts and reveals a narrow path to a chest on the left side. Inside is a Small Key. Then press the crystal again so that the construction returns to its original position and use the key to open the locked door.
There is an orange ball there. Carry them back to the entrance area and throw them in the metal basket next to the Crystal Switch. Turn the switch on again. The entire structure rotates and the ball falls into its recess on the other side. This will activate a catapult platform in the center of the room.
Stand on the catapult and let Link fly into the air. At the highest point, open the Paraglider and glide to the Treasure Chest on the rear wall. Inside lies a Rito sword. Return to the catapult, let yourself be thrown up again and this time draw your bow in the air. Shoot the Crystal Switch while Link hovers over the structure. The wall rotates and forms a walkable platform to the priest. Get the Spirit Orb.
Side Quest “The Horse of Kings”
[Optional – Highly Recommended] Speak to Toffa at the plains stable. His grandfather told him about an extraordinary white horse of the royal family that used to graze at Salphura Hill. Travelers are said to have seen a completely white mold there again. This begins the Side Quest “The Horse of Kings”.
The gray is one of the special horses in Breath of the Wild and can only be caught once. In addition, you will receive the king’s bridle and the king’s saddle for the task. Since our further path leads directly past Salphura Hill anyway, now is the best time to take the task with us.
To Sanidin Park Ruins and Salphura Hill
Ride northwest from the stable and follow the road through the Hyrule Mountains. After the Manhala Bridge you approach the Sanidin Park Ruins. The ruins are easily recognized by the massive stone horse statue.
Gets off the horse briefly and opens Zelda’s photo album. One of the pictures shows exactly this place. Approach the glowing dot in front of the large horse statue and activate the memory.
Main goal “Souvenir photos” – To Mount Lanayru
Link remembers a ride with Zelda. The princess talks about her horse and that trust and patience are necessary for rider and animal to understand each other. She then looks towards Mount Lanayru. The following day, Zelda turns 17 and is allowed to enter the source of wisdom for the first time – the very source we visited in the previous chapter.
The memory is titled “Zur Mount Lanayru” and supplements the events surrounding Zelda’s’s later, unsuccessful attempt to awaken her sealing power at the Spring of Wisdom. This completes another picture of the main goal “Souvenir photos”.
You can also find all Locations in our ZeldaCollection guide to the memories in Breath of the Wild.
Optional: Royal White Horse at Salphura Hill
[Optional – special horse] Northwest or west of Sanidin Park Ruins lies the Salphura Hill. Several horses graze there. There is no mistaking the animal you are looking for: its entire coat is pure white and it often stays a bit apart from the other horses.
The gray horse has an impetuous temperament and requires significantly more stamina than the usual piebald horses from the Dueling Peaks stable. Put on stealth clothing or eat a dish with a stealth bonus. Approach slowly from behind, jump onto the back with A and then quickly and repeatedly press L.
If your normal stamina is not enough, eat a stamina dish while taming. The yellow additional circle becomes available immediately and allows you to make enough additional attempts at calming down. Once the animal is tamed, calm it down a few more times while riding so that its bond grows.
Register the royal white horse
We don’t have to ride the white horse back to the plain stable. Our path leads further west anyway. Therefore, first ride towards the stable of the Tabanta Bridge and register the white horse there for 20 Rupees.
Afterwards you can finish the Side Quest without having to go far back: Teleport yourself to the Rota Ooh Shrine at the stable on the plain, get the white horse you just registered from the stable and lead him to Toffa. He immediately recognizes that it must be the descendant of the royal family’s horse.
As a reward you will receive royal bridle and royal saddle. The special harness is automatically attached to the white horse. Then you teleport back to the Tabanta Bridge stable.
To the Ridgeland Tower
Before crossing the great Tabanta Bridge, we take a detour north to Ridgeland Tower. He stands in the middle of a lake in the Hyrule Mountains. Even from a distance you can see that access is significantly more dangerous than with the previous towers.
Several Electro-Lizalfos and Electro-Pyromagus patrol the water. Her attacks are particularly dangerous because electricity travels through water and can knock equipped metal weapons out of Link’s hand. Therefore, stay on the bank if possible and take out the opponents one by one with bows or ice arrows.
Jumping directly into the water in the middle of several electric opponents is not a good idea. Instead, use the cryo module and create several ice blocks to work your way step by step to the tower. This means Link mostly stands on dry surfaces and can better avoid incoming electrical projectiles.
Activate Tower of Hills
As soon as you have reached the actual tower, the normal ascent begins. The platforms are spaced apart enough to allow you to fully regenerate your stamina over and over again. Just make sure that any remaining Pyromagus don’t shoot Link from below.
Activates the Sheikah Socket at the top. This makes the Hyrule Mountains including Thunder Plateau, Salphura Hill, Regenzia River and western Hyrule Plain visible on the map.
If necessary, you can find all the shrines in the region in the ZeldaCollection special guide to the shrines at the Ridgeland Tower.
Optional: Bird Folk Challenge at Branli
[Optional – Minigame] On the tower is the researcher Branli. He is interested in flying and studies the mysterious bird people in the West. For 20 Rupees, Link can take part in his Bird Folk Challenge.
Jump from the tower and open the Paraglider. Branli then measures how far Link has flown. The longer the route, the higher the ruby reward. The mini-game is not necessary for the main story, but it does offer a small foretaste of the Rito and the enormous mobility that we will later get through Revali’s ability.
Shrine Quest “Trial in the Storm”
[Optional – required for all shrines] To the northwest of the tower lies the constantly thunderstorm-hit Thunder Plateau. As soon as you enter it, the shrine task “Trial in the Storm” automatically starts.
First discard all equipped metal items. Metal weapons, metal shields, and metal bows attract lightning during a thunderstorm. For the puzzle, use wooden or guard equipment instead, as long as it is not conductive. On the plateau there are four columns with different colored symbols and each with a hollow. Four balls with the same colors must be placed in the appropriate wells.
The four balls on the Thunder Plateau
The purple ball lies directly on the plateau and can easily be carried into its appropriate hollow. Two more balls are on tall stone pillars at the edge. Shoot them down with normal arrows and then bring them to the matching colored symbols.
The most difficult ball is outside the plateau. Because of the constant rain, it’s difficult for you to climb the high outer walls while carrying the ball. Therefore, place it on a smaller ledge towards the plateau, freeze it with Stasis and hit it several times with a heavy weapon towards the upper surface. After the stasis expires, she flies to the plateau. Then climb up over one of the low, damaged areas of the wall yourself.
If all four balls are in the correct hollows, the permanent thunderstorm disappears and the Toh Yahsa Shrine rises from the ground.
Toh Yahsa Shrine – Secret of the Rifts
There are large, brittle stone blocks everywhere in the shrine. First, blow up all accessible blocks with remote bombs. This opens a small niche below the entrance with a Treasure Chest. Inside lies the insulating armor.
This chest piece grants electrical resistance and is part of the three-piece insulation set. The armor is particularly useful for later Gerudo and thunderstorm areas. Don’t take photos of them if necessary – armor isn’t included in the Hyrule Handbook – but be sure to keep them.
Among other blown up blocks you will find a large metal cube and a massive Floor Switch. First use the cube with the magnet module to knock a high-up Treasure Chest off its pillar. Inside lies a opal.
Then place the cube as a step in front of the raised platforms and climb to the ladder. From above you can grab the metal block again with Magnesis and place it on the large Floor Switch. The gate to the priest opens. Get the Spirit Orb.
Tabanta Bridge Stable
Teleports you back near the main road or to the Tabanta Bridge stable. The stable is located directly east of the massive wooden bridge over the Kukudja Gorge. If necessary, pick up your horse and replenish arrows or food.
On the hill immediately south of the stable is the Shae Loya Shrine. Activate it first so that the stable remains permanently accessible as a fast travel point.
Shae Loya Shrine – The Right Moment
In the shrine, a ball is regularly thrown into the air by a mechanism. The task is to get them off their track at exactly the right moment. Watch the rhythm and activate Stasis as soon as the ball reaches its highest point. Then shoot an arrow at it. After the stasis expires, she falls into the nearby target hollow.
This causes the platform at the entrance to periodically catapult Link upwards. Before you go to the exit, look up to the right. A Treasure Chest hangs on a wooden platform on two ropes. Shoot through both ropes and open the falling chest. Depending on your previous game progress, it contains a swallow bow or falcon bow.
Then let the catapult throw you into the air and glide to the platform on which the ball was previously shot up. There is another chest there with a Topaz. Return to the catapult. During the next jump, turn towards the wall and shoot the Crystal Switch above the locked door during slow motion. The door opens and you reach the priest.
Side Quest “Follow the Shadow”
[Optional – Highly Recommended] Speak to Toren at the Tabanta Bridge Stable. He is looking for a Great Fairy and has heard that the shadow of Tabanta Tower leads the way to its source in the afternoon. Since he cannot climb the tower himself, he asks Link to bring his offering to the fairy.
Toren will give you 500 Rupees. Since Cotura is already the first resurrected Great Fairy at Kakariko Village in our save, the next fairy demands exactly these 500 Rupees. So you don’t have to invest a single Rupee of your own.
Crossing the Tabanta Bridge
Now cross the huge Tabanta Bridge. It spans the deep Kukudja Gorge and leads directly into the Tabanta borderland. Ride carefully – parts of the railing are missing in some places and falling into the gorge will cost you a lot of time.
Under the bridge, Dinraal occasionally passes through the Kukudja Gorge in the early morning. If you happen to be here around morning and see the dragon, you can jump off the edge of the bridge, use the updraft and win a scale, claw, tooth or horn shard. A targeted farming round follows later; for now, this find is just a bonus.
You can also find the flight routes of all three dragons in our guide to Dinraal, Naydra and Farosh.
Reach Tabanta Tower
West of the bridge you first follow the main road. The Tabanta Tower will soon rise in front of you. The lower area is surrounded by black mud of hate, so you can’t easily climb the tower from all sides.
There are several Bokoblins, Moblins and Lizalfos around Neroh Hill. You don’t have to completely eliminate the enemies. Approach from the western or southwestern side and look for the two large leaning stone pillars next to the tower.
Remove Sludge of Hatred at Tabanta Tower
Climb the smaller, safer stone pillar. From there you can see an orange glowing Eye of Hate on the large neighboring pillar. Shoot an arrow straight into it.
The mud disappears and the larger pillar tilts towards the Tabanta Tower. This creates a natural ramp. Run over the fallen pillar and jump onto the tower. From there the normal climb over the platforms begins.
Activates the Sheikah Socket at the top. The entire Tabanta borderland with Rito village, Lake Oronini, Snipe Hill, ancient stone pillars and numerous other areas becomes visible on the map.
A complete overview of the shrines can be found in the ZeldaCollection special guide to the shrines at Tabanta Tower.
Great Fairy Kaysa on the snipe hill
[Optional – highly recommended] From the top of Tabanta Tower, glide south or southeast to Snipe Hill. There is the second source of a Great Fairy between large plants and trees. The huge closed flower bud is visible from a great distance.
Approach the bud. The fairy introduces herself as Kaysa and demands 500 Rupees on our score. Pay the amount – Toren gave us exactly that amount. Kaysa awakens and from now on enables the second level of reinforcement of armor parts.
This is much more important in terms of play than just additional defense. Many full armor sets only receive their special set bonus once all three pieces have been upgraded at least twice. This applies, for example, to our climbing set and the Zora set.
You can also find all fairy sources in the ZeldaCollection guide to the Great Fairies.
Improve climbing set and Zora set to level 2
[Optional – highly recommended] Check your materials immediately at Kaysa. If you can improve all three parts of the climbing set twice, Link will receive the set bonus, which means that climbing jumps use significantly less stamina. This is enormously helpful for the upcoming Hebra Mountains.
The Zora set also benefits from the second amplification level. With a completely upgraded set, the stamina consumption when swimming quickly decreases. This bonus is less important for Vah Medoh, but will still be useful later on lakes and coasts.
You can find a complete overview of the sets in our special guide to the armor in Breath of the Wild.
Optional: Korok on the snipe hill
[Optional – required for 100%] West or northwest of Kaysa’s spring is a small circle of flowers. In the middle lies a single stone. Lift it and the Korok appears.
Another Korok lies on a higher ledge on the snipe hill. There is a wind turbine there. Approach and shoot the balloons that appear with your bow. Both seeds can be directly linked to a visit to Kaysa.
Side Quest Complete Follow the Shadow
After Kaysa is awakened, briefly teleport to Shae Loya Shrine and speak to Toren at the Tabanta Bridge Stable again. Tell him that you found the Great Fairy and delivered his offering.
There is no additional material reward – the actual 500 Rupees were already intended for the fairy. However, the Side Quest is completed and Kaysa’s armor improvements remain permanently available.
Main target “Souvenir photos” – Zelda’s Zorn
Teleport back to Tabanta Tower and from there glide southwest to the Ancient Stone Pillars. The crumbling ruins lie on a high cliff above the Kukudja Gorge. The next shining point of remembrance is located between the numerous arches and columns.
Enables it. Link remembers Zelda investigating a shrine, desperately trying to understand its secrets. As Link follows her, her frustration erupts. She angrily tells him not to accompany her any further.
This memory is titled “Zelda’s Zorn” and shows very clearly how strained the relationship between Zelda and Link was at the beginning of their journey together. Damit ist ein weiteres Foto des Hauptziels „Captured Memories“ abgeschlossen.
Tena Ko’sah Shrine – A Major Test of Strength
It is located directly between the ancient stone columns Tena Ko’sah Shrine. There is one waiting inside A Major Test of Strength against a Guardian Scout IV. Thanks to Mipha’s Grace, improved armor, and our now much better weapons, this is a good time for the test.
Targets the Guardian with ZL and waits for his melee attacks. Side jumps and back flips at the right moment trigger a flurry rush. When the guard extends his weapons and rotates around the arena, stand behind one of the pillars. He crashes into it and is briefly stunned.
Bei niedriger Lebensenergie lädt er einen mächtigen Laser auf. Shoot him in the eye or attack aggressively before he can fire. After the victory, be sure to collect his guardian weapons++ and ancient materials.
The Treasure Chest in front of the priest contains a king’s halberd. Then take the Spirit Orb with you.
To the north towards the village of Rito
Teleport you back to Tabanta Tower and now follow the main road to north. You approach Lake Oronini via the Kolami Bridge. Lizalfos and a Felstalus may appear on the way. The Talus is optional and can be easily bypassed if you don’t need gems or Monster Order progress.
The further north you go, the cooler it gets. The winter doublet is usually sufficient in the southern Tabanta borderland, but north of the village and in the Hebra Mountains we will soon need more protection from the cold.
Rito Stable
Shortly before Lake Oronini you reach the Rito Stable. Here you can leave your horse, sleep, cook and replenish supplies. The actual village is just a few minutes away on the large rocky island in the lake.
[Optional] Sprecht am Kochtopf mit Lester. He misses a spicy curry and starts the Side Quest “Curry against the cold”. For this you need Goron spice. Since our trip to Goron City comes later, you can record the task in your diary now. We buy the spice we need in Eldin and bring it with us the next time we visit.
Reach village of Rito
Cross the long wooden bridges over Oronini Lake. As soon as you take the first step onto the central island you will see the wind titan Vah Medoh circling high above the village. Its guns prevent the Rito from moving freely in the air – a huge problem for a people whose entire life is based on flying.
Follow the spiral path uphill a bit. Before we talk to the village elder, we activate the shrine on the southeast side of the village.
Akh Va’quot Shrine – Wind Turbines
Akh Va’quot Shrine is the central fast travel point of the Rito village. Activate it and go inside. The main room contains numerous small wind turbines and fans. The goal is to set all the wind turbines in motion at the same time.
First go up the stairs to the right of the entrance. There are three Treasure Chests waiting in this side room. First shoot the Crystal Switch there. A fan rises and drives a wind turbine, opening the entrance to the first chest. Inside is a Ancient Core.
Two more chests are in raised niches. Use the cryo module to create ice columns under or in front of the niches and climb up. You get a sapphire and a magpie lance. The Reactor Core is particularly valuable if Purah’s Stasis Module+ has not yet been unlocked.
Solve Akh Va’quot Shrine correctly
Return to the main room. There are several fans on rotating bases. Each fan influences one or more wind turbines. Turn the fans until the air flows are coordinated and finally all wind turbines rotate at the same time.
Works best from one side of the room to the other and only changes one fan at a time. Once a wind turbine is running, it no longer tries to change its air supply. If all mechanisms are active at the same time, access to the priest opens and you receive the next Spirit Orb.
Buy Rito set in the village
[Optional – Highly Recommended] Then visit the armor shop “Red Peacock”. The complete Rito set is sold there:
- Anti-snow springs – 1,000 Rupees
- Rito robe – 600 Rupees
- Rito trousers – 550 Rupees
Each piece provides one level of cold protection. Just two parts are enough for the extremely cold areas of the Hebra Mountains. The complete set can later be improved by Great Fairies and receives the set bonus “No Freezing” from level 2 onwards. This means that many ice attacks can no longer completely freeze Link.
If your Rupees are in short supply, first buy Rito robe and Rito trousers. Together they cost significantly less than the complete set and already provide two levels of cold protection. You can add the anti-snow springs later. However, if you have collected enough gemstones, you should buy the complete set directly.
Bomb Arrows and Tabanta Wheat Buy
In the general store “The Slippery Falcon” you will find several useful goods. Bomb Arrows are particularly interesting because they will be extremely helpful in the upcoming battles against Vah Medoh. Buy a small supply if your Rupees allows it.
The store also sells Tabanta wheat, goat butter and cane sugar. These ingredients appear in several recipes and Side Quests the Rito on. You don’t need to stock up quite yet, but a few units of Tabanta wheat and butter will save you money later.
Vah Medoh above the village of Rito
You can see Vah Medoh from almost every platform in the village. The Titan orbits continuously at high altitude around Lake Oronini. Unlike Vah Ruta, he does not threaten the region with water or direct destruction, but instead shoots any flying object that comes too close to him. For the Rito, this means that its greatest advantage – flying – has become virtually unusable.
The main goal “Free the Divine Beasts” therefore next leads us to the old village elder Kaneli. He lives at the top of the village and recognizes from the Sheikah Slate that Link must be one of the Champions from a hundred years ago.
Preparation for Divine Beast Vah Medoh
With the Akh Va’quot Shrine we now have a fast travel point directly in the village, the Rito set protects against the cold and Kaysa enables stronger armor upgrades. The coming sections largely take place in the air, which is why a good bow becomes more important than in Vah Ruta.
Therefore, keep the swallow or falcon bow from the Shae Loya Shrine as well as the knight’s bow from earlier chapters. Replenishes the supply with normal arrows and bomb arrows. Meals for extra stamina are also helpful, as slow-motion free-fall shots use up stamina.
In the next chapter we talk to Kaneli, remember Revali, look for Teba at the airfield, complete his bow training and then start the attack on the wind titan Vah Medoh.