You're standing on top of a cold, lonely pedestal in the Gerudo Highlands. The wind is howling. Link is shivering because you forgot to equip the Snowquill set, and you’re staring at a massive, circular tower in the distance. This is the Breath of the Wild Sign of the Shadow quest, and honestly, it’s one of those moments where the game stops being a fun exploration sandbox and starts being a test of your actual patience.
Most people stumble onto this by talking to Kass. You know the guy—the Rito accordion player who shows up in the middle of nowhere to drop cryptic musical riddles on your head. He’s perched on a pillar near the Gerudo Tower, playing his signature theme. If you talk to him, he sings about a "light from the northwest" and a "shadow's core." It sounds poetic. It's actually just a very specific timing puzzle that has led to countless players sitting around campfire after campfire, wondering why the hell the shrine won't pop up.
The Mechanics of the Sign of the Shadow
To trigger the Sasa Kai Shrine, you have to stand on a specific pedestal located southeast of the Gerudo Tower. The "light" Kass mentions is the sun. The "shadow" is the shadow cast by the Gerudo Tower itself. Basically, you need the tower's shadow to pass directly over the center of the pedestal.
But here’s the kicker: it only works at a specific time of day.
Usually, the sweet spot is between 2:55 PM and 3:50 PM in-game time. If you’re standing there at noon, nothing happens. If you’re there at sunset, you’ve missed it. You have to watch that long, dark line of the tower's shadow creep across the desert floor like a slow-motion clock hand. When the tip of that shadow touches the pedestal, it starts to glow orange.
Wait.
Don't just stand there. You have to shoot an arrow.
That's the part that trips people up. The riddle says to "fire an arrow into the light," which actually means aiming toward the sun/tower while the pedestal is active. If you just stand there looking cool, the shadow passes, the glow fades, and you’ve just wasted an entire in-game day. You've got to be active.
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Why This Quest Is Actually Harder Than It Looks
The Gerudo Highlands are a nightmare for visibility. It’s almost always snowing, or there’s a thick fog, or a sandstorm is blowing in from the waste. This makes tracking the Breath of the Wild Sign of the Shadow incredibly annoying. If it's cloudy, the shadow doesn't cast. No shadow, no shrine.
You’ll find yourself sitting at a campfire, selecting "Wait until Noon," and then staring at the sky. If you see clouds, you might as well just sit at the fire again. It's a loop. It’s a grind. It’s the kind of environmental storytelling Nintendo loves because it forces you to pay attention to the world's physics, but man, it can be tedious if the RNG (random number generator) for weather isn't on your side.
Dealing with the Cold and the Verticality
Most players approach this from the Gerudo Tower itself. You paraglide down to the pedestal. If you haven't upgraded your cold resistance, Link’s health will slowly tick away while you’re waiting for 3:00 PM to roll around.
- Tip: Use a Spicy Elixir or the Rito gear.
- The Pedestal Location: It’s on a flat, snowy plateau. You can’t miss the glowing circle once it's active, but finding it initially requires looking for the pedestal structure that looks like a giant, ancient manhole cover.
Interestingly, some players have reported that you can use a Fire Arrow to "light" the pedestal even if the shadow isn't perfectly aligned, but that’s mostly a myth or a physics glitch. The game wants that shadow. It wants the alignment. It's a celestial event on a micro-scale.
Sasa Kai Shrine: The Reward (or Lack Thereof)
Once you nail the shot, the Sasa Kai Shrine rises from the ground. Now, if you’re hoping for a complex puzzle inside after all that work... I have bad news.
It’s a "Modest Test of Strength."
You walk in, a Guardian Scout III pops up with its glowing blue weapons, and you have to do the dance. Dodge, flurry rush, parry, repeat. For veteran players, this is a thirty-second fight. For newcomers, it’s a bit of a wall. But compared to the effort of timing the shadow perfectly, the fight feels like an afterthought. You get a Frostblade for your troubles, which is decent for the area, but the real prize is the Spirit Orb and the fast travel point.
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The Gerudo Highlands are vast and empty. Having a warp point right there in the middle of the snowy peaks is actually the real reward. It makes hunting for the nearby Lynel or collecting Rushrooms much easier.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
I've seen people try to use the moon. Kass mentions "the light," and since there are blood moons and bright nights in Hyrule, it's a fair guess. But no. The Breath of the Wild Sign of the Shadow is strictly a daytime affair.
Another mistake? Using a multi-shot bow like the Great Eagle Bow. Sometimes the physics engine gets weird when multiple arrows hit the pedestal trigger simultaneously. Stick to a single-shot bow—a Phrenic Bow or a Golden Bow is perfect here because they have a zoom feature. It makes aiming at the sun/tower much more satisfying, even if the distance isn't that great.
- Check the clock: If it's 4:00 PM, you're too late. Reset at a fire.
- Check the weather: If there are clouds blocking the sun, the pedestal won't glow.
- The Arrow: You don't need a special arrow. A plain wooden one works fine. Just make sure you are standing on the pedestal when you fire it toward the tower.
The Deeper Lore of the Rito Songs
Kass isn't just a random NPC. His teacher was the court poet for the Royal Family of Hyrule. These songs—the "Ancient Songs"—were passed down specifically to help the Hero (Link) find the shrines hidden by the Monks 10,000 years ago.
When you complete the Sign of the Shadow, you’re not just clearing a quest; you’re fulfilling a piece of oral history. It’s one of the few ways the game connects the current, ruined state of Hyrule with the high-tech, Sheikah-dominated past. The fact that the shrine is triggered by a shadow cast from a Sheikah Tower is a clever bit of circular design. The towers were meant to help the hero, and here, the tower's physical form is literally the key to a hidden trial.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you’re currently stuck on this, or if you’re planning your route through the Highlands, here is exactly what you need to do to get it done in one go.
First, warp to the Gerudo Tower. Look southeast. You’ll see the pedestal on a lower cliff. Glide down there. If it’s early morning, drop some wood and a flint (or use a flame weapon) and start a fire. Sit until "Noon."
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Now, you wait. In-game hours move at a rate of one minute per second. So, you’ve got about three real-life minutes of waiting. Use this time to farm the nearby Ore Deposits. There are usually some Rare Ore Veins around the cliffsides here that drop Topaz or Sapphires.
At 2:55 PM, stand in the center of the pedestal. Draw your bow. Aim it toward the top of the Gerudo Tower. As soon as that shadow hits the center and the floor starts glowing orange, let the arrow fly.
If you do it right, the camera will immediately cut away to the shrine rising. If you miss the window, don't panic. Just drop more wood, sit until noon the next day, and try again. The weather is the only thing that can truly screw you over, so if a storm rolls in, just keep "sleeping" at the fire until the sky is clear.
This quest is a microcosm of what makes Breath of the Wild special. It’s not about combat or gear; it’s about being present in the world and observing how the environment moves around you. It’s slow, it’s slightly annoying, and it’s incredibly rewarding once that Sheikah structure finally breaks the surface of the snow.
Once you finish Sasa Kai, make sure to head further west. There are more secrets in the Highlands, including the Eighth Heroine statue, which is a whole other level of "where the heck am I going?" But for now, you've conquered the shadow. Take the Frostblade, grab your Spirit Orb, and get out of the cold.
Next Steps for Players:
- Check your inventory: Ensure you have at least one bow and a handful of arrows before heading to the pedestal.
- Monitor the weather icon: If the forecast shows rain or snow for the next three "blocks" of time, consider exploring a different region and coming back later to avoid wasting wood on fires.
- Mark the map: Even after the shrine is open, the pedestal remains. It’s a good landmark for finding the nearby hidden Korok seeds tucked under the surrounding rock formations.