The Thunder Helm is one of the most unique pieces of armor in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. During the main story about Vah Naboris, you first have to retrieve the sacred treasure from the Yiga’s hiding place, but Queen Riju won’t give it to Link at this point. Only after Thunderblight Ganon has been defeated and the Divine Beast Vah Naboris has been freed can you begin the Side Quest “The Treasure of the Gerudo”. To do this, you have to help the residents of Gerudo Town with four problems: “Noble Stones”, “The Molduga Heart”, “The Environmental Polluter” and “The Search for Barta”. Riju then names Link Honorary Gerudo and permanently loans him the Thunder Helmet for the remainder of the game.
The effort is worth it: the thunder helmet only has 3 defense points and can with the Great Fairies cannot be improved, but it gives Link completeness Lightning protection. Natural lightning and electric attacks no longer deal electrical damage, Link is no longer knocked back by electricity, and no longer drops a weapon or shield when hit. This means that the thunder helmet provides the same complete electrical protection as the complete insulation set, which has been improved to at least two stars – but only requires a single armor slot.
Thunder Helm – Stats and Effect
| Property | Thunder Helmet |
|---|---|
| Defense | 3 |
| Effect | Lightning Protection – complete immunity to electricity and lightning |
| Improveable | No |
| Dyeable | No |
| For sale | No |
| Location | Riju in Gerudo Town |
| Prerequisite | Free Vah Naboris and complete “The Treasure of the Gerudo” |
Another practical feature: the thunder helmet can be worn together with the women’s robe and trousers or sand or snow boots without throwing Link out of Gerudo Town. So you can use the helmet there even after completing the main story.
Defeat Prerequisite – Vah Naboris and Ganon’s Thunderbane
Before Link can wear the Thunder Helmet himself, you have to complete the entire main story surrounding Vah Naboris. When you first visit Gerudo Town you will learn that the Yiga have stolen the sacred treasure of the Gerudo. Link therefore infiltrates the Yiga’s hideout, defeats Kohga and returns the Thunder Helmet to Riju. During the subsequent attack on Vah Naboris, Riju wears the helmet himself, creating a protective zone against the Titan’s powerful lightning attacks.
Only after you enter Vah Naboris, activate all terminals and defeat Thunderblight Ganon will Riju return to Gerudo Town with the Thunder Helmet. Then visit her in the throne room. The helmet lies on a small pedestal right next to her throne.
Side Quest Start “The Treasure of the Gerudo”
After freeing Vah Naboris, examine the Thunder Helm next to Riju and declare that you would like to wear it. Since it is a sacred treasure that the Gerudo chiefs have passed down since Urbosa’s time, Riju cannot simply gift it to Link. However, she is willing to borrow the helmet if you earn the trust of the residents.
This begins the Side Quest “The Treasure of the Gerudo”. Four tasks must be completed for the Thunder Helmet:
| Side Quest | Client | Requires |
|---|---|---|
| Tools of the Trade | Isha | 10 flints |
| Medicinal Molduga | Malena | 1 Molduga Heart |
| The Mystery Polluter | Dalia | 10 Wild Berries |
| The Search for Barta | Liana | 1 Maxi Durian |
Noble Stones and The Molduga Heart may have already been completed before you defeat Vah Naboris. In this case they automatically count towards the Thunder Helm. The Polluter and The Search for Barta, on the other hand, only become available after Vah Naboris is freed and The Treasure of the Gerudo is started.
Tools of the Trade – 10 flint stones for Isha
The simplest of the four tasks is “Precious stones”. Seeks Isha at the closed jewelry store “Star Friends” in Gerudo Town on. She lacks materials to reopen her shop, so she asks Link for them 10 flints. If you’ve been traveling through Hyrule for a while and regularly smashing ore deposits, you’ve probably already had enough copies in your inventory. Otherwise, you can find flints almost everywhere on normal ore veins and especially often in rocky regions like Eldin.
Give the ten flint stones to Isha. This concludes “Tools of the Trade” and the jewelry shop opens permanently. As a thank you, you can choose one of three pieces of jewelry for free: rhodonite headband, sapphire headband or topaz earrings. The sapphire headband is a very good choice for the Gerudo Desert because it provides heat protection; Rhodonite, on the other hand, protects against cold and topaz increases electrical protection. All pieces of jewelry can later be purchased regularly and improved with the Great Fairies.
Gerudo jewelry based on “Tools of the Trade”
| Jewel | Effect |
|---|---|
| Rhodonite headband | cold protection |
| Sapphire Circlet | heat protection |
| Topaz earrings | electrical protection |
The store will later offer additional jewelry, including opal and amber earrings and the precious diamond headband. You can find a complete overview in our guide to all armor in Breath of the Wild.
Medicinal Molduga – Helping Malena’s husband
For the second task you are looking for Malena. During the day she often stays with the warriors in Gerudo Town. Her husband is seriously ill and in order to find the cure she needs the heart of one of the most dangerous monsters in the desert. This begins “The Molduga Heart”.
In the Gerudo Desert A total of four normal Molduga live. It doesn’t matter which copy you defeat for this task. If you already have a Molduga heart in your inventory, you can even complete the task immediately. Otherwise, it’s best to grab a sand seal and look for one of the four desert monsters. You can find all positions in our detailed guide all Molduga in Breath of the Wild.
Defeat Molduga easily
Look for an elevated rock platform at Location where the Molduga cannot reach you. Throw a remote bomb on the sand. The monster feels the shock, swims to the bait and jumps out of the ground. Detonate the bomb at the right moment and the Molduga will be thrown to the ground. Then jump down and attack them with your strongest melee weapon. Repeat the process until the boss is defeated.
Then be sure to collect the Molduga Heart and bring it to Malena. She will also reward you with a golden Rupee worth 300 Rupees. Axyl up more Molduga Hearts because you also need them for various armor upgrades.
The Mystery Polluter – Dalia and the polluted water
After starting “The Treasure of the Gerudo” you will find the Gerudo girl Dalia in the northern area of Gerudo Town. She stands sadly by a small bed that she would like to use as an orchard. However, the water is constantly polluted by large amounts of garbage. Talk to her and you will start the Side Quest “The Environmental Polluter”.
Investigate the watercourse and follow the floating frostmelon rinds against the current. Climb onto the roofs or to the aqueduct in the western part of Gerudo Town. Calyban sits there and eats one frost melon after the other. She carelessly throws the bowls into the water and is therefore responsible for Dalia’s problem.
Find 10 wild berries for Calyban
Talk to Calyban about the pollution. She only wants to stop eating the frostmelons if Link tells her in return 10 wild berries brings. Wild berries grow primarily in cold regions – especially in the Hebra Mountains and the Gerudo Plateau. If you don’t have one in your inventory yet,Hebra hence a good place to look.
If you have the opportunity, photograph a wild berry for the Hyrule Compendium and then activate the Sheikah Sensor+ if you have already activated the function at Purah in Hateno Village. This makes it particularly easy to locate other berries in the area.
Give Calyban ten wild berries. She eventually realizes that her behavior has harmed Dalia, stops polluting, and even helps clean up the garden. Then speak to Dalia again to complete the Side Quest. As a small reward you will receive a frosted melon; Later, wild berries will also grow here, which Link can help himself to.
The Search for Barta – Liana in the barracks
The final task also only becomes available after you start “The Treasure of the Gerudo”. Go to the barracks in the western area of Gerudo Town and talk to Liana. Barta has disappeared again and this time apparently went deep into the Gerudo Desert. Liana fears that something might have happened to her. This begins “The Search for Barta”.
Before you set off, you absolutely need a maxi durian. If you don’t have one in your inventory, you can buy one in Gerudo Town or collect larger quantities in Faron. You should also pack heat protection if you are traveling during the day. With the desert set or corresponding chilled dishes you are well prepared.
Find Barta at the Gerudo Giant Fossil
Barta is located in the extreme southwest of the Gerudo Desert at the Gerudo giant fossil. The area is partially obscured by a sandstorm on the first visit, causing the map and Sheikah sensor to temporarily fail. A sand seal speeds up the journey significantly.
At the fossil you will also find the Hawa Koth Shrine and the source of the Great Fairy Tera. It is therefore worth combining the excursion directly with our guide to the Great Fairies. Tera could charge up to 10,000 Rupees for her liberation, depending on her progress so far.
Barta lies exhausted in the shadow of the huge fossil and practically only talks about a maxi durian. Speak to her and give her the fruit. The Gerudo immediately recovers and returns to Gerudo Town. Also travel back and tell Liana about the rescue. As a reward you will receive a silver Rupee worth 100 Rupees.
Get Riju’s Thunder Helmet
Once “Noble Stones”, “The Molduga Heart”, “The Polluter” and “The Search for Barta” have been completed, return to the throne room and speak to Riju again. She learned of Link’s help for the residents and explained that you have earned the Gerudo’s trust. Link is appointed Honorary Gerudo and Riju keeps her promise: the Thunder Helmet is now part of your armor collection.
This completes the Side Quest “The Treasure of the Gerudo”.
Why is the Thunder Helmet so strong?
The thunder helmet not only protects against lightning strikes during a thunderstorm. Its effect grants Link complete immunity to electrical damage. Electric arrows, Electric Keese, electric echsalfos and other electric attacks lose their most dangerous effect. Link will no longer be shocked, drop a weapon or shield, or take electrical damage.
This is particularly valuable because most normal Electro Protection effects only reduce damage. Otherwise, you get complete lightning protection with the complete insulation set, after all three parts of the Great Fairies have been given at least two stars. The Thunder Helm achieves the same protection immediately and only requires the head slot.
Thunder helmet or insulation set?
| Thunder Helmet | insulation set |
|---|---|
| Only one piece of armor needed | Three pieces of armor required |
| Instant complete lightning protection | Complete protection only with complete ★★ set |
| Only 3 defense | Significantly higher maximum defense |
| Cannot be improved | Can be improved up to ★★★★ |
| No set bonus required | Set Bonus requires all three parts |
The thunder helmet is often the more comfortable choice for exploration and combat because the head, upper body and legs can otherwise be freely combined. However, if you need as much defense as possible at the same time, the fully improved insulation set may make more sense.
Do you really have to do all Side Quests in Gerudo Town?
No. For the Thunder Helmet, your only needs four very specific Side Quests. Other missions from Gerudo Town and the Gerudo Desert are not included. For example, you don’t have to unlock the Gerudo Secret Club or complete “The Eighth Warrior”, “The Forgotten Sword”, “The Seven Warriors” or the various shrine tasks in the region.
| Requires | Not required |
|---|---|
| Tools of the Trade | Gerudo Secret Club |
| Medicinal Molduga | The Eighth Heroine |
| The Mystery Polluter | The Forgotten Sword |
| The Search for Barta | The Seven Heroines |
For our complete 100% walkthrough for Breath of the Wild, we of course still complete all of the region’s side and shrine tasks.
Can you sell or lose the Thunder Helm?
No. The Thunder Helm is a unique piece of armor and cannot be sold. This means there is no risk of accidentally losing it permanently. With Granté in Tarrey Town you don’t have to be able to buy a replacement – unlike, for example, Hylian Shield or various unique pieces of armor.
Can the Thunder Helm be improved?
The Thunder Helm cannot be upgraded on Cotura, Mija, Kaysa and Tera . His defense remains permanently at three points. Since its main purpose is full electricity immunity anyway, it remains extremely useful even in the endgame. You can find an overview of all upgradeable and non-upgradeable armor in our guide to all armor.
The Thunder Helm – Collectibles
| Target | status |
|---|---|
| Retrieve Thunder Helm from Yiga Hideout | During the Vah Naboris plot |
| Defeat Thunderblight Ganon | Vah Naboris free |
| “The Treasure of the Gerudo” start | Investigate Thunder Helm at Riju |
| “Precious Stones” | 10 Flints to Isha |
| “The Molduga Heart” | 1 Molduga Heart to Malena |
| “The polluter” | 10 Wild Berries to Calyban |
| “The Search for Barta” | 1 Bring Maxi Durian to Barta |
| Thunder Helmet | Collect at Riju |
| “The Treasure of the Gerudo” | Completed |
The Thunder Helmet for the full game
The Thunder Helm does not directly increase the official 100% map gauge. The four required for this Side Quests However, they are part of our complete to-do list and the helmet itself is a unique piece of armor that should not be missing in a complete collection. At the same time, the quest leads you to several other important contents: You defeat at least one of the four Molduga, opens Isha’s jewelry shop and travels to the Gerudo giant fossil with Tera and the Hawa Koth Shrine.
After Vah Naboris at the latest, it is worth completing “The Treasure of the Gerudo” completely. With ten flints, ten wild berries, a maxi durian and a moldora heart, the effort is manageable – and as a reward you get one of the most practical items in Breath of the Wild.