You’re wandering around Kitano Bay. It’s raining. Again. In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, rain is usually the signal to put the controller down or find a cave to scroll through your inventory, but if you’re hunting for BOTW the hero's cache, the weather is just part of the vibe. This isn't some world-ending main quest. It's not a fight against a Blight. Honestly, it’s just a scavenger hunt prompted by a bird playing an accordion.
But for longtime fans, this side quest hits different.
Kass, the Rito bard who seems to have the best job in all of Hyrule, hangs out on a lonely pillar of rock in the Necluda Sea. If you glide over to him, he’ll belt out an ancient song about the Great Hero from 10,000 years ago. The song is a riddle, obviously. Kass loves riddles. It points to a "gold" hidden among the rocks. Most players stumble onto this quest while trying to fill out their map or find the nearby Muwo Jeem Shrine. It’s easy to miss, but finding the treasure is one of those small, satisfying moments that makes Breath of the Wild feel like a living history book rather than just a sandbox game.
Where Exactly Is the Hero's Cache?
Finding the starting point is half the battle. You need to head to the East Necluda region. If you warp to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab and look southeast toward the ocean, you’ll see a cluster of jagged rocks sticking out of the water. That’s your destination.
Kass is perched on one of these stone pillars in Kitano Bay. When you talk to him, he recites the lyrics: "My noble horse sithel, my hero’s cache hidden... at 17, 24, at the point where the sun's shadow points." Wait, no, that’s not it. He actually talks about the "Hero of old" and a "hidden stash" located at the center of the rocks.
The riddle is simpler than it looks. You don’t need to wait for a specific time of day or track the movement of the sun across the sky like you’re in an Indiana Jones movie. The "shadow" mentioned in the lore is more of a geographic hint.
The Magnetic Solution
Once the quest starts, don’t bother climbing every rock. You’ll just slip and fall into the water. Instead, stand on the rock right next to Kass and pull out your Magnesis Rune.
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Switching on Magnesis is like turning on "cheat mode" for the environment. Everything turns grey and blue, but that one metallic object will glow a bright, shimmering pink. Look into the water in the middle of the rock formation. There, submerged in the muck and seaweed, is a metallic treasure chest.
- Stand on the tallest pillar or use Cryonis to create an ice block nearby.
- Aim your Magnesis at the chest.
- Drag it out of the water and drop it onto the stone.
The chest contains a Gold Rupee. That’s 300 rupees. In the early game, that’s a fortune. It’s enough to buy a piece of the Flamebreaker armor or finally afford that Hylian house in Hateno Village. By the late game, 300 rupees is pocket change, but the "Hero's Cache" isn't really about the money. It’s about the lore.
Why This Quest Matters for Zelda Lore
Why is there a chest of gold sitting in a bay?
The game implies this stash belonged to the Hero from the First Great Calamity. This is the era depicted in the tapestry you see at the beginning of the game—the one with the red-haired hero and the mechanical Guardians. It suggests that even 10,000 years ago, Link (or whoever the hero was then) was running around doing side quests and stashing loot just like you are now.
It’s a bit of environmental storytelling that Nintendo does so well. It connects your current journey to a cycle that has been repeating for millennia. Some players speculate that the "Hero" mentioned in the song might actually be a reference to a different Zelda game entirely, but within the context of Breath of the Wild, it reinforces the idea that you are walking in the footsteps of giants.
Common Mistakes People Make
Most people overcomplicate this. They see the word "shadow" and think they have to wait until 12:00 PM for the sun to hit a specific spot. You don't. The chest is there 24/7.
Another issue? Inventory space. Not for the gold, obviously, but if you’re using Cryonis to reach the chest, make sure you don't accidentally shatter your ice block while trying to swing the chest onto land. If the chest falls back into the deep water, you might have to reset the Magnesis grab, which is a pain if the current is moving.
Also, watch out for the water. The Necluda Sea isn't exactly a swimming pool. If your stamina is low, don't try to swim between the pillars. Use the paraglider from the cliffs above or just spam Cryonis blocks. It's slower, but it's safe.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Playthrough
If you haven't finished this yet, or you're starting a Master Mode run, here is how you handle BOTW the hero's cache efficiently:
- Prep for Rain: Wear the Climbing Gear if you have it, but honestly, just use Cryonis. It’s the most reliable way to navigate Kitano Bay without sliding off wet rocks.
- The "Kass" Connection: Completing this quest is actually a prerequisite for seeing Kass's full story arc. If you want him to eventually return to Rito Village and play his "final" song, you have to complete every single one of his musical side quests across Hyrule. This is one of the easiest ones on the list.
- Sell Nothing: If you're early in the game, save that Gold Rupee. Use it specifically for the Great Fairy Fountains. The costs for unlocking the fountains jump from 100 to 500 to 1,000 and finally 10,000 rupees. This cache gets you almost all the way to that second fountain unlock.
- Look Nearby: While you're in the area, look for the nearby Korok seeds. There is often one hiding under a rock or in a "dive" spot around these coastal formations.
The beauty of the Hero's Cache isn't just the gold. It's the moment of quiet reflection with a Rito accordionist while the waves crash against the shore. It reminds you that Hyrule is old. Very, very old. And you’re just the latest person trying to save it.
After you grab the chest, make sure to talk to Kass again to officially "close" the quest in your log. Then, take a look around Kitano Bay. There are several other chests underwater nearby—mostly containing amber or basic arrows—that you can grab with Magnesis while you're already in the zone. You might as well clean out the bay while you're there.