With at least 20 electric arrows in his quiver, Link is ready for the first of the four Divine Beasts. The main goal “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” first leads over the eastern reservoir together with Prince Sidon and then into the interior of the huge Sheikah machine. Vah Ruta works differently than a classic Zelda dungeon: there is no conventional labyrinth map with keys and locked doors. Instead, we first have to download the Divine Beast Map and then activate five terminals. We can use the map to move Vah Ruta’s trunk, influencing water flows, gears and platforms throughout Titan.
We take all the valuable Treasure Chests with us. This is particularly worthwhile because you can no longer freely enter the Titan after it is finally completed. Before Ganon’s water curse is defeated in the next chapter and the main control unit is then activated, all interesting treasures should be collected. The most important loot is a Ancient Core, which you need for Purah’s Stasis Module+, among other things.
Main target “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” – preparation at the eastern reservoir
Prince Sidon waits at the jetty of the eastern reservoir. Before you talk to him, take a few steps across the northern dam. Near the resting place there is a Treasure Chest with a knight’s shield. Take it with you if there is still space in your inventory. With its high defense, it is a significant improvement over most shields Link has found so far.
Then check your equipment. You need it for the attack Zora armor, a working bow and electric arrows. The 20 arrows are merely the prerequisite for Sidon to begin the attack; In fact, you only need a few of them for the four targets if every shot hits. Normal arrows are not needed during the attack because Vah Ruta’s ice projectiles can be destroyed much more elegantly with the cryo module.
Healing dishes are also useful, even if the actual attack is less dangerous than the subsequent boss fight. Anyone who already has the complete Zora set can wear a helmet or leg protection; However, the chest part remains crucial for swimming up the waterfalls. You can also find all the armor pieces in our guide to the armor in Breath of the Wild.
Attack with Prince Sidon Vah Ruta
Speak to Sidon and confirm you are ready. Link jumps onto his back and Sidon swims through the reservoir at high speed. You cannot freely determine its direction of movement; Your task is to eliminate Vah Ruta’s defenses and hit the four glowing control points on his flanks with electric arrows at the right moment.
Vah Ruta first throws large ice blocks at you. Activates the cryo module and aims the crosshairs directly at an incoming block. Instead of creating a new ice block, you instantly destroy Vah Ruta’s missile. Wait until the ice is relatively close and remove each block one at a time. This means you don’t waste arrows or weapons.
Later, additional spiky ice balls are created that shoot across the surface of the water towards Sidon and Link. They can also be broken immediately with the cryomodule. When a missile is chasing Sidon, turn the camera backwards and destroy it before it reaches you. Stay calm – after each wave of attacks, Sidon will automatically take Link to one of the waterfalls.
The four control points with electric arrows hit
As soon as Sidon swims next to a waterfall, the request to swim up appears. Jump into the water and use the Zora Armor to shoot up the waterfall. Link is catapulted high into the air at the top. Now draw the bow immediately.
While Link is in the air with the Paraglider or in free fall, time slows down when aiming. Select a Electro Arrow and aim at the glowing control point on Vah Ruta’s body. Takes into account a slight flight curve and aims slightly above the target at greater distances. A direct hit is enough.
After the shot, Link ends up back in the water and Sidon picks him up again. Repeat the process for all four checkpoints: destroy ice projectiles with cryo module, swim to the waterfall, shoot up and fire an electric arrow in slow motion. After each successful hit, Vah Ruta becomes weaker and the attack waves become slightly more extensive.
If you hit all four targets, Vah Ruta’s electrical defense collapses. The constant rain over the Zora area ends and Sidon takes Link to the Titan’s boarding platform. This is where the actual dungeon begins.
Enter Vah Ruta and activate fast travel
Immediately after entering, Link automatically activates the Sheikah terminal at the entrance. This creates a fast travel point directly on Vah Ruta. As long as the Titan has not yet been finally freed, you can leave it at any time via the map and return here later. So if you are missing weapons, arrows or healing dishes before Ganon’s water curse, you are not trapped in the dungeon.
Shortly afterwards, Link hears the voice of Mipha. Her mind is still trapped in the titan. She explains that Vah Ruta’s card is needed first and then five terminals must be activated.
Go up the ramp and shoot the glowing eye of the black Ganon mass. The corruption disappears and the passage opens. In the next area there is a small nano guard waiting. Defeat him and collect his ancient materials. If you want to complete your Hyrule Compendium yourself, take photos of new Guardian types and their weapons before collecting them.
Find titan map of Vah Ruta
In the lower room a grate blocks access to the guidestone. First look into the water. There is another glowing eye on the wall or just below the surface. Destroy it with an arrow to make the Ganon mass disappear.
The grid itself does not open with Magnesis. Activates the Cryomodule and creates an ice block directly under the grid. The column grows upwards and simply lifts the gate out of its position. Run through and place the Sheikah Slate in the Guide Stone.
You get the Titan card from Vah Ruta. The positions of the five terminals and a three-dimensional model of the Titan appear on it. The additional control on the trunk is crucial. If you open the map in the future, you can move Vah Ruta’s trunk over several height levels. The water that flows from its top changes gears and other mechanisms inside the dungeon.
Optional: Retrieve antique feather from the water
[Optional – recommended] Don’t leave the map room yet. A metal Treasure Chest lies in the water in the large lower area. Activates the magnetic module, pulls it out of the water and opens it. Inside is a Antique Spring.
You should still not sell ancient materials. They are required at the Hateno Village Institute for module upgrades and later at the Akkala Institute for ancient equipment.
Terminal 1 – Lower Room
Opposite the card room is a large mechanism with a metal crank. Activates the magnetic module and grabs the handle. Turn the gear until the platform with the first control terminal rises out of the water.
Once the terminal is fully accessible, walk over and use the Sheikah Slate. The first of five terminals is activated. Mipha confirms the progress and the corresponding mark on the Titan map disappears.
This first puzzle already demonstrates the basic principle of the dungeon: many mechanisms have to be solved not through hidden keys, but through the interaction of the four Sheikah modules and Vah Ruta’s movable trunk.
Climb up to the small water wheel
Leave the lower room through the side exit opposite the entry platform and follow the ramp up. Another nano guard guards the next floor. Defeat him and approach the smaller of the two water wheels.
The wheel is powered by a constant jet of water. The next control terminal is located inside the wheel, but it is constantly rotating. Before we stop it, let’s pick up an easy-to-miss Treasure Chest.
Optional: 100 Rupees for the small water wheel
[Optional] In the water basin next to the small wheel you can create an ice block with a cryo module. Climb onto it and then onto the upper edge of the wall. There is a Treasure Chest with a silver Rupee worth 100 Rupees.
The find takes hardly any time and helps with the increasingly expensive armor, fairy springs and house expansions. Then jump back down to the water wheel.
Control seal 2 – Stop small water wheel
Watch the wheel and wait until the control terminal is almost at its lowest point and is upright. Now activate the Cryomodule and aim at the water jet that drives the wheel. Creates an ice block there. The water stops and the wheel stops immediately.
If you have chosen the right moment, the terminal will be directly in front of Link and can be activated without any problems. If it is too high or upside down, destroy the ice block again, let the wheel run a little further and stop the water jet again.
Activates the second terminal. Then remove the ice block so that the wheel can move again.
Setting the big water wheel in motion
Behind the small water wheel there is a much larger mechanism. This wheel initially stands still because no water reaches it. Open the Titan card and move Vah Ruta’s trunk upwards until his water jet hits the blades of the big wheel from the outside. You don’t have to remember a specific numbered trunk position: the only thing that matters is that the water visibly reaches the wheel and it begins to rotate.
Then observe the wide blades of the large water wheel. One of them is covered in black Ganon mass and has a glowing eye. Shoots out the eye. This exposes a Treasure Chest that travels along with the wheel.
Optional: Ten Fire Arrows on the large water wheel
[Optional – recommended] Waits until the exposed Treasure Chest on the bucket comes to an accessible height. Jump onto the rotating wheel or let yourself be taken along by one of its wide struts and open the chest. Inside are ten Fire Arrows.
Then stay on the big wheel. It also serves as an elevator to the upper levels of Vah Ruta. Use a shovel to go up and jump onto the side passage. A stronger nano-guardian is waiting there. Defeat him.
Next to the guard is a Floor Switch. Step on it. This activates an additional waterfall that leads from the lower floor up to here. With your Zora armor on, you can now swim up this waterfall at any time. The new path is an excellent shortcut through the Titan.
Optional: Ancient Core in the large water wheel
[Optional – be sure to take it with you] The large wheel contains a second and much more valuable Treasure Chest. Look inside the wheel. There is a chest moving between two heavy stone blocks. As the wheel turns, the blocks shift and keep jamming the chest.
Waits until the top or outer block moves away from the chest. Freeze this block at this moment with Stasis. This leaves enough space to get to the chest and open it. Inside is a Ancient Core.
Ancient Cores are some of the rarest early Guardian materials. If you haven’t unlocked Purah’s Stasis Module+ yet, this find will bring you a big step closer to the upgrade. So be sure to save the core.
Control seal 3 – ball and switch in the large wheel
The third control terminal is also located inside the large water wheel. As the wheel rotates, a large ball moves along a guide. When it reaches the highest range, it briefly rolls to a Floor Switch. This opens the grid in front of the terminal for a moment.
Wait until the ball is on the switch and freeze it with Stasis. This means the grille remains open. Immediately run or jump into the small chamber with the terminal. The stasis just needs to last long enough for Link to stand behind the bars.
Activates the third terminal. As soon as the ball continues rolling again, the grid can close behind you; The output still remains accessible as soon as the mechanism is opened again on the next revolution.
Optional: Knight’s halberd over the waterfall
[Optional – recommended] Now uses the previously unlocked waterfall. Jump in and swim up with the Zora armor. At the highest point, Link is thrown into the air. Open the Paraglider and turn towards the front inside of Vah Ruta.
A Treasure Chest stands on a narrow ledge. Slide over and open it. Inside is a knight’s halberd. It has excellent range and good attack power. If your weapon inventory is full, it’s better to part with a weak Bok weapon than with this spear.
Get to Vah Ruta’s trunk
From the upper level a passage leads directly towards the Rüssel. Open the Titan card and first lower the trunk as far as possible. Go to the opening and wait until the large platform at the end of the trunk is low enough.
Jump out and glide with the Paraglider onto the platform at the tip of the trunk. The area moves along with the entire trunk. From here we can reach both another Treasure Chest and the fourth terminal.
Optional: Antique axle on the tip of the trunk
[Optional] Before you lift the trunk again, look for black Ganon mass on its underside or just below the platform. A glowing eye holds a Treasure Chest there. Stand on a small, safe ledge and shoot the eye.
The corruption disappears and the Treasure Chest becomes accessible. Open it and you will get a Antique Axle. This material is also needed for Sheikah upgrades and ancient equipment.
Terminal 4 – Riding Vah Ruta’s Trunk
Return to the large platform at the tip of the trunk. Now open the Titan card and slowly lift the trunk. While moving, stay on the platform and watch the control terminal attached to the side of the trunk.
As the trunk curves upward, the surface containing the terminal also rotates. As you move, carefully go around the tip of the trunk and adjust Link’s position to the new inclination. Selects a height at which the surface with the control terminal upright and walkable stands. You don’t need a specific numbered card position; Simply lift the trunk gradually until you can walk directly to the terminal.
Activates the fourth terminal. From this high position we then reach Vah Ruta’s back and head.
Optional: Ten Ice Arrows on Vah Ruta’s back
[Optional – recommended] Lift the trunk as high as possible and stand as high as possible on its tip. Jump off and glide up with the Paraglider Vah Ruta’s back. To the left or on one of the side platforms is another one blocked by Ganon mass Treasure Chest.
The associated eye is on the opposite side of the back. Shoot it from a distance or slide there first, destroy it and then return to the chest. Inside are ten Ice Arrows.
These arrows are particularly useful for the imminent battle against Waterblight Ganon. You don’t necessarily have to use them for this, but they offer a good way to stun the opponent and cause damage from a safe distance.
Penetrate Vah Ruta’s head
Move from the back to the top of the titan’s head. There is a large rectangular opening there. Jump in. Link ends up in a chamber above the large lower main room.
There is another glowing eye on the ceiling. Destroy it immediately. As long as it lives, the surrounding Ganon mass regularly spits out cursed Bokoblins or Moblins. After the hit, both the eye and the monster source disappear.
There is a large mechanical crank in front of you. Activates the magnetic module and turns the handle several times. This will open the roof of Vah Ruta’s head. Directly below is the last control terminal – although it is completely surrounded by flames.
Terminal 5 – Extinguish fire with trunk
The solution now connects all of the Titan’s mechanics. Open the map and change the height of Vah Ruta’s trunk. Watch the jet of water through the roof that has just been opened. Aim the trunk so that its water directly hits the chamber and the flames.
As soon as the beam is in the right position, the fires around the terminal are extinguished. Jump down and activate the fifth and final terminal. Mipha reports again and explains that now only the main control unit needs to be activated.
This completes the puzzle part of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
Collected all treasures from Vah Ruta
If you followed our path, in addition to the knight’s shield at the reservoir, you opened all the important Treasure Chests inside the titan: the antique feather in the lower water basin, the silver Rupee on the small water wheel, ten Fire Arrows on the big wheel, the Ancient Core inside the wheel, the knight’s halberd at the waterfall, the Ancient Axis at the tip of the trunk and ten Ice Arrows on Vah Ruta’s back.
Straight reactor core and ancient materials should remain in inventory. Rupees can be spent immediately, while weapons and arrows are useful for the upcoming boss fight.
Hyrule Compendium in Divine Beast Vah Ruta
[Optional] If you would like to fill the Hyrule Compendium as completely as possible with your own photos instead of purchased images, take photos of the various Nano Guardians and their weapons in the Titan. The cursed monsters from the Ganon masses can also be interesting for the manual if you are missing relevant entries.
Particular attention should be paid to the final boss in the next chapter: Waterblight Ganon can only be photographed naturally during the boss fight. So don’t forget to use the Camera Rune right at the start of the fight. Missing boss pictures can be added later via Symin’s picture service, but taking your own photo saves money Rupees.
Save from Waterblight Ganon
The main control unit is located in the large central room on the lower level. As soon as you examine it, the fight against Waterblight Ganon begins immediately. So don’t activate it yet if you want to sort your equipment beforehand.
Save the game and preferably equip a fast one-handed weapon with shield. Waterblight Ganon uses an extremely long lance; A shield offers more security in the first attempts than a heavy two-handed weapon. Prepare a good bow and check your arrow supply. The Ice Arrows you just found and the remaining electric arrows can be helpful, but normal arrows are generally sufficient as well.
If you are missing healing, weapons or arrows, you can still leave Vah Ruta without any problems. Open the map and travel to any shrine or village. You can then return directly to the Titan via Vah Ruta’s fast travel point. The five activated terminals remain intact.
Main target “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” before the boss
The main target “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” is not yet completed despite the five terminals activated. Inside the Titan is still the creature that defeated Mipha a hundred years ago and has controlled Vah Ruta ever since. Only after their victory can Link finally activate the main control unit and free the Titans from Ganon’s influence.
In the next chapter follows the first big boss fight of our Walkthrough: Ganon’s water curse. We explain both phases of combat, the safest methods with a bow and cryomodule, photograph the boss for the Hyrule Compendium and then get the Heart Container and Mipha’s Grace. Afterwards we return to the Zora village and completely complete the main objective “Divine Beast Vah Ruta” with King Dorephan.