You're standing on the peak of Duelling Peaks, looking out over a Hyrule that feels impossibly big. Far in the distance, a faint orange glow flickers. That’s it. That’s a shrine. If you’re trying to track down all the shrines in Breath of the Wild, you already know the scale of the task ahead of you. It’s not just a checklist. It’s a 100-hour commitment to poking every corner of a world that really doesn't want to be solved easily.
Most players think they can just follow the Sheikah Sensor. They’re wrong.
The sensor is great for the obvious ones sitting in the middle of a field in Central Hyrule. But it won't help you when a shrine is buried behind a destructible wall at the bottom of a canyon or tucked away in a cave that only opens during a blood moon. There are 120 base-game shrines, and if you have the Champions' Ballad DLC, that number jumps to 136. Honestly, getting them all is probably the most rewarding grind in modern gaming, even if some of those "Major Test of Strength" encounters make you want to throw your Switch across the room.
The math of the 120
Let’s talk numbers. You need four Spirit Orbs for one upgrade. Basic math tells us 120 shrines equals 30 upgrades. You can choose between Heart Containers or Stamina Vessels. If you want the Master Sword, you need 13 hearts. This makes those early-game shrines in West Necluda and the Great Plateau absolutely non-negotiable.
But here’s the thing: Nintendo didn't distribute these evenly.
Some regions are absolutely packed. Others, like the Gerudo Highlands, feel like a barren wasteland until you realize half the shrines are hidden under piles of snow or require you to carry a block of ice across a desert without it melting. It’s a test of patience as much as it is a test of combat skill.
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Why some shrines are basically invisible
The Sheikah Sensor is your best friend, but it has a massive weakness. It only detects the shrine itself, not the entrance to the puzzle. Take the Hia Miu Shrine in the far reaches of the Hebra Mountains. You can hear the beep. You see the icon on your map. But you’re standing on a cliff 500 feet above it with no way down.
That’s where Shrine Quests come in.
There are 42 specific quests that trigger shrines. Some are legendary, like the "Eventide Island" challenge (Korgu Chideh Shrine). You get stripped of all your gear. No weapons. No armor. Just your wits and whatever food you can forage. It’s a microcosm of the entire game’s philosophy. You don't just "find" these; you earn them. Others, like the "Sign of the Shadow" at the Gerudo Tower, require you to stand in a specific spot at a specific time of day. If you miss the window by a few seconds? Too bad. Wait until tomorrow.
The frustration of "Blessing" shrines
You’ve spent twenty minutes climbing a frozen mountain. You’ve fought three Ice Lizalfos. You finally blow up the rocks covering the entrance. You walk inside, expecting a complex puzzle with gears and electricity.
Instead, it’s a chest and an altar.
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These are "Rauru's Blessing" shrines. The game decides that the journey to the shrine was the puzzle itself. While it's a relief for your resources, it can feel a bit hollow if you were looking for a mental workout. But hey, a free Spirit Orb is a free Spirit Orb.
The DLC factor and the "One-Hit Obliterator"
If you’ve picked up the Expansion Pass, the hunt for all the shrines in Breath of the Wild gets even weirder. The Champions' Ballad introduces 16 more shrines. The first four are part of the Great Plateau challenge where you have a weapon that kills anything in one hit, but you also die if a bee stings you.
It changes the rhythm of the game entirely. You stop being a hero and start being a ninja.
The remaining 12 DLC shrines are tied to the four Divine Beasts. These are actually some of the best-designed puzzles in the entire Zelda franchise. They use the elemental mechanics—wind, water, fire, and electricity—in ways the base game only hinted at. If you’re stopping at 120, you’re honestly missing out on the "true" ending of the shrine experience.
Hidden gems you probably missed
Even people who claim to have found everything often miss the same few spots. Hyrule is dense.
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- The Forgotten Temple: Located at the end of Tanagar Canyon. It houses the Rona Kachta Shrine. There are about a dozen Guardians inside aiming lasers at your head simultaneously. It’s terrifying, but the reward at the end (the Tunic of the Wild) only triggers once you've finished all 120.
- Thyphlo Ruins: North of the Lost Woods. It’s pitch black. You have to navigate using torches and the glowing eyes of statues to find the Ketoh Wawai Shrine.
- The Thundra Plateau: A permanent thunderstorm where you have to move colored orbs onto pedestals while dodging lightning bolts.
The sheer variety is why people are still talking about this game years later. It’s not just "go here, kill that." It’s "how do I use the fact that metal conducts electricity to solve this door?"
The final reward and the "Wild" set
So, what happens when you actually get all 120? You get a quest called "A Gift from the Monks." You head to the Forgotten Temple, and there are three chests waiting for you. Inside is the Set of the Wild.
It’s the classic green tunic.
Is it the best armor in the game? Not necessarily. The Ancient Armor or the Barbarian Set might have better utility for high-level combat. But wearing that green cap while standing on the ruins of Hyrule Castle feels right. It’s the ultimate badge of honor. It says you’ve seen every corner of this world. You’ve solved every riddle.
Actionable steps for the completionist
If you're currently stuck at 118 or 119 shrines, don't give up. The last few are always the hardest because they don't trigger the sensor until you've done something specific in the world.
- Check your quest log. Look for "Shrine Quests" that are started but not finished. Often, the shrine is already visible, but you haven't "completed" it in the game's eyes.
- Look for the "Hero's Path." If you have the DLC, turn on the Hero’s Path mode on your map. Look for large gaps where you haven't walked. If there's a huge blank spot in the Hebra or Gerudo regions, there's a 90% chance a shrine is hiding there.
- Talk to Kass. The accordion-playing Rito is the key to many hidden locations. If you see him in the wild, his songs are literally riddles explaining how to reveal a shrine.
- Cross-reference the map by region. Instead of looking at the whole map, break it down by the 15 Sheikah Tower regions. Count how many you have in "Akkala" versus a completed map online. It makes the hunt much less overwhelming.
- Don't forget the Dueling Peaks. There are actually three shrines on that mountain—two are "Twin" shrines (Ree Dahee and Shee Vaneer) where the solution to one is literally the floor pattern of the other.
Finding every shrine is a grind, but it’s the best kind of grind. It forces you to appreciate the verticality and the environmental storytelling that makes Hyrule feel alive. Once you hit 120, the game changes. You aren't just a survivor anymore; you're the master of the map.
Key Takeaways for Completionists:
- Total Base Shrines: 120
- Total DLC Shrines: 16
- Total Spirit Orbs: 120 (Base)
- Final Reward: Tunic of the Wild Set
- Required for Master Sword: 13 Hearts (Approx. 40 Shrines)