Look, let’s be real. Tracking down all 120 breath of the wild shrine locations is less of a casual gaming goal and more of a full-blown obsession. It’s that tiny orange glow on the horizon that keeps you up until 3 a.m. even when you have work the next morning. You think you’ve cleared a region, you check your map, and nope—there’s a massive blank spot where a Spirit Orb should be.
It's frustrating.
Link wakes up in the Shrine of Resurrection with nothing but a rag and some old memories, and suddenly we're tasked with scouring every inch of Hyrule. The scale is honestly terrifying. From the frozen peaks of Hebra to the humid jungles of Faron, the Sheikah Monks didn't make this easy. Some are sitting right in the middle of a field. Others? They’re buried under literal tons of rock or locked behind "Shrine Quests" that require you to wait for a blood moon or shoot an arrow through a specific hole at exactly 4:15 p.m.
If you're stuck at 119 shrines, I feel your pain. I’ve been there.
The High-Density Zones for Breath of the Wild Shrine Locations
Most players naturally gravitate toward the Central Plain because, well, that's where the story points you. But the density of shrines in the Great Plateau is just a tutorial. The real meat of the hunt happens in the Central Tower and Dueling Peaks regions.
Dueling Peaks is a goldmine. You’ve got the twin shrines at the top—Ree Dahee and Shee Venath—which are basically a giant game of "memory" between two mountain peaks. It’s clever game design, honestly. You have to look at the ball patterns in one shrine to solve the other. If you don't realize they're connected, you'll spend an hour moving spheres around like a lunatic.
Then you have the hidden stuff.
Take the Hebra Mountains. This place is a nightmare for completionists. The verticality is insane, and the snowstorms make your Sheikah Sensor practically useless because you can’t see five feet in front of your face. There are shrines tucked inside secret ice caves that you have to melt with fire arrows or a Great Flameblade. Most people miss the Mozo Shenno Shrine because it’s tucked into a cliffside that looks like every other cliffside.
Why Your Sheikah Sensor is Lying to You
We need to talk about the sensor. It’s your best friend until it isn’t.
The Sheikah Sensor + is great for finding breath of the wild shrine locations that are out in the open, but it has a major flaw: it doesn't account for altitude well. You’ll be standing on a mountain peak, the sensor is screaming at you, and you’re spinning in circles like a dog chasing its tail.
Usually, this means the shrine is beneath you.
Hyrule is full of cave systems. In the Gerudo Highlands, there are shrines hidden behind breakable walls that don't look breakable until you hit them with a bomb. The Kema Zoos shrine is a classic example. You follow a trail of statues in a sandstorm, and if you lose the rhythm for one second, you’re lost. The sensor will keep beeping, but it won’t tell you that you’re walking on top of the ceiling.
The Most Overlooked Spots
- The Forgotten Temple: Right at the end of Tanagar Canyon. It’s a long walk past a dozen Decayed Guardians, but the Rona Kachta shrine is sitting right at the back. It’s one of those "Blessing" shrines where the challenge was just getting there.
- Eventide Island: You probably know this one. It’s the "Survival Island" trope where they take all your gear. It’s located in the far southeast of the Necluda Sea. If you haven't done it, bring food that gives you extra hearts before you step on the sand.
- Thundra Plateau: Located in the Ridgeland region. You have to play golf with orbs during a permanent thunderstorm. It’s miserable, but it’s a shrine.
- The Shadow Hamlet: Hidden on the slopes of Death Mountain. Most people miss it because they're too busy trying not to catch on fire.
Dealing With the "Shrine Quest" Gatekeepers
Sometimes, the breath of the wild shrine locations aren't even on the map yet. You have to trigger them.
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Kass, the accordion-playing Rito, is basically the harbinger of these quests. If you hear that jaunty accordion music, stop what you’re doing. He’s going to give you a riddle about "two rings" or "the moon’s blood." These aren't just flavor text. The Under a Red Moon quest is notoriously annoying because you have to be standing on a specific pedestal, naked, during a Blood Moon.
The logic is weird, but that’s Zelda for you.
Another tricky one is the Spring of Power in the Akkala region. You need a scale from the dragon Dinraal. If you don’t know where Dinraal spawns (usually floating through the Eldin Great Skeleton area in the morning), you’ll never get that shrine to rise from the ground. It’s these multi-step processes that make the final ten shrines feel like such a slog.
The Difference Between "Tests of Strength" and Puzzles
You’re going to run into three types of shrines:
- Combat: "A Major Test of Strength." These feature a Guardian Scout IV. If you don't have high-damage weapons or a handle on the "Perfect Dodge" mechanic, these will wreck you.
- Physics Puzzles: Using Magnesis, Stasis, and Cryonis. These are the heart of the game.
- Blessings: You did something hard in the overworld, so the monk just gives you the loot.
The combat shrines are actually a great way to farm "Ancient" materials. Once you've found these breath of the wild shrine locations, they reset every Blood Moon. You can go back, kill the Guardian again, and get those sweet, sweet Ancient Shafts and Springs for your gear upgrades at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab.
Finding the Final Few: A Strategy
If you are staring at a map and you're at 116 or 117 shrines, stop looking at the green areas. Look at the edges of the map.
The developers loved hiding shrines in the "corners" of the world. Check the very top of the North Tabora Tundra. Check the tiny islands off the coast of Hateno. Check the deep pits of the Yiga Clan Hideout—there’s a hole behind the boss arena that leads to a shrine most people completely bypass.
The Satori Mountain area is another weird one. It’s a beautiful spot when the Lord of the Mountain is there (the glowing blue light), but the Mogg Latan shrine is perched on a ridge that is surprisingly easy to glide right over.
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Navigating the Akkala Labyrinth
Lomei Labyrinth Island is a beast. It’s a giant square maze in the top right corner of the map. You can cheese it by climbing to the top and dropping down, but where’s the fun in that? Actually, the fun is in the basement. Once you finish the Tu Ka'loh shrine, there’s a hole in the floor that leads to a room full of Guardians and a very important piece of DLC armor if you have it.
Even without the DLC, it’s one of the most atmospheric breath of the wild shrine locations in the game. It feels ancient and forgotten in a way the rest of Hyrule doesn't always capture.
Practical Next Steps for Your Hunt
You aren't going to find them all by just wandering aimlessly once you hit the triple digits. You need a system.
First, go to your map and toggle the "Hero's Path" mode if you have the expansion pass. Look for the huge gaps where you haven't walked. Usually, if there's a large circular area with no footprints, there’s a shrine hidden there. The developers designed the map to be "dense," meaning you shouldn't be able to walk for more than a couple of minutes without hitting something interesting.
Second, check your "Completed Quests" log. Look at the Shrine Quests section. If there are entries that are greyed out or missing, that's your smoking gun. Not every shrine shows up on the Sheikah Sensor, especially those tied to specific NPC dialogues or environmental triggers.
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Third, use the peaks. Get as high as possible—the top of Ganon’s Castle, the peak of Mt. Lanayru, the Dueling Peaks—and pull out your telescope at night. Shrines glow orange if they haven't been activated. It’s much easier to spot that glow against the dark terrain than it is to find a green-and-blue stone structure during the day.
Once you hit 120, head to the Forgotten Temple. There’s a reward waiting for you there that makes the entire journey worth it, especially if you’re a fan of the classic "Green Tunic" look. It’s a grind, but finishing that map is one of the most satisfying "click" moments in modern gaming.
Start by clearing the Lanayru Wetlands. It's a messy area with lots of water and small islands, and it's where most people miss at least two shrines hidden under destructible rocks. Go there, set your sensor to "Shrine," and start whistling for your horse. You've got work to do.