You’re standing on top of a Sheikah Tower, looking out over a horizon that feels endless. You see a faint orange glow in the distance. Is it a shrine? Maybe. Or maybe it’s just a campfire. Honestly, the scale of Hyrule is exhausting. There are 120 shrines in the base game, and if you have the DLC, that number jumps to 136. Tracking them all down without a solid map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild is basically a recipe for madness.
Most people start off strong. They find the easy ones right next to the roads. But then you hit that wall where your sensor is beeping like crazy, yet you’re staring at a flat rock wall with no entrance in sight. It’s frustrating. It makes you want to chuck your Switch across the room. We've all been there, circling a mountain for twenty minutes only to realize the entrance was inside a cave half a mile away.
Why Your Shrines Map Probably Feels Incomplete
It’s not just you. The game is designed to hide things in plain sight. You’ve got shrines buried under "destructible" rock walls that look exactly like regular rock walls. You’ve got shrines that only appear if you shoot an arrow through a hole during a blood moon. Some are tucked behind waterfalls. Others require you to strip naked and stand on a pedestal during a specific time of day (looking at you, Kass).
A standard map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild usually shows you the icons, but it doesn’t tell you the verticality. Hyrule isn't a flat board; it's a 3D nightmare of peaks and valleys. If you’re looking at a 2D map, you might think you’re standing right on top of a shrine, but it’s actually 300 feet below you in a forgotten tunnel. The Hebra region is the absolute worst for this. It’s a white-out blizzard half the time, and the shrines are often tucked into ice caves that require you to find a very specific, small opening on the side of a cliff.
The Problem With the In-Game Sensor
The Sheikah Sensor is a blessing and a curse. It tells you a shrine is nearby, but it doesn't tell you the altitude. You'll be climbing a peak in the Gerudo Highlands, the sensor is screaming, and you reach the summit only to find... nothing. Just a Korok under a rock. The shrine was actually at the base of the mountain, inside a cavern you walked past ten minutes ago.
This is why looking at a high-resolution, external map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild is almost mandatory if you want that sweet, sweet Ancient Hero's Aspect or the classic Wild Set. You need to see the clusters. You need to see the relationship between the shrines and the geography.
The Tricky Regions That Ruin Your Completion Rate
If you’re stuck at 118 or 119 shrines, I can almost guarantee where the missing ones are.
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First off, check the Ridgeland region. There are several shrines there that are tied to "Shrine Quests." These won't show up on your sensor because they haven't physically manifested in the world yet. You have to talk to specific NPCs or find stone tablets to trigger them. The "Under a Red Moon" quest is a classic run-ender. You have to wait for a Blood Moon—which happens randomly based on how many enemies you've killed—and stand on a pedestal without any clothes or armor on. If you miss that window, you're waiting another three hours of real-time play.
Then there’s the Hebra Mountains. This place is a topographical disaster. There’s a shrine hidden inside a cave that you can only enter by rolling a snowball down a hill to smash open a door. If you don't know that specific mechanic, you’ll never find it. You’ll just keep walking over the top of it.
- The Forgotten Temple: Way up in the north of Tanagar Canyon. It looks like a dead end on the map, but it houses the Rona Kachta Shrine.
- Eventide Island: This is a combat trial, but it’s also a shrine. If you haven't sailed out to the bottom right corner of the map, you're missing a big one.
- The Labyrinths: There are three. North Lomei, Lomei Island, and South Lomei. They are giant squares on your map. If you haven't completed the mazes, you're missing three shrines and some of the best armor in the game.
Understanding the Map Icons
When you look at your map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild, the icons change color based on your progress. It sounds simple, but I've seen people get confused by this constantly.
A solid blue icon means you’ve found the shrine and finished it. You got the Spirit Orb. You're good.
An icon with an orange center means you’ve activated the fast travel point, but you haven't actually beaten the trial inside.
A solid orange icon (though rare to see for long) is one you've detected but haven't touched yet.
If you’re hunting for the final few, scan your map for any icons that have that tiny bit of orange in the middle. It’s easy to miss when you’re zoomed out.
The Hidden Cave Entrances
Many shrines are behind "bombable" walls. But some aren't. In the Tabantha Frontier, there's a shrine hidden behind a massive stone door that requires you to use Stasis on a boulder and launch it like a kinetic missile to break the entrance open. This isn't telegraphed well.
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The Dueling Peaks also hide a pair of shrines that are linked. Shee Vaneer and Shee Venath. You have to memorize the pattern of the orbs in one shrine to solve the puzzle in the other. If you’re just looking at a map and going to the dots, you might solve one and be completely baffled by why the other won't open. They are literally "twin" shrines on opposite peaks.
Is the DLC Worth It for Shrine Hunters?
Honestly? Yeah. The Champions' Ballad DLC adds 16 more shrines. They are significantly harder than the base game ones. Some of them involve navigating spikes in pitch-black rooms or using Magnesis to swing giant flaming pendulums.
But the real prize for finding all the shrines on the map—including the DLC—is the Master Cycle Zero. It’s a literal motorcycle powered by ancient Sheikah tech. It makes exploring the rest of Hyrule much faster, though by the time you get it, you’ve basically seen everything. It’s more of a trophy than a tool at that point, but man, it feels good to ride through Hyrule Field on a bike.
Real Talk: The "Test of Strength" Grind
As you fill out your map, you're going to encounter a lot of shrines labeled "A Minor Test of Strength," "A Modest Test of Strength," or "A Major Test of Strength."
These aren't puzzles. They are combat arenas against Guardian Scouts. Early in the game, these are terrifying. By the time you’re hunting the last 20 shrines, they’re just chores. Pro tip: Just use an ice arrow to freeze them, then hit them with a heavy weapon. Or use Ancient Arrows if you're feeling lazy and have resources to burn. Don't let these shrines burn you out. They are repetitive, but the loot (Guardian axes and shields) is worth the three minutes of fighting.
The Quest Shrines You’re Likely Missing
Check your Quest Log. If you have "Shrine Quests" that aren't marked as complete, that’s your missing link.
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- The Serpent’s Jaws: In the Faron region. You have to find a dragon scale.
- The Spring of Wisdom: On top of Mount Lanayru. You have to free a corrupted dragon. This is one of the coolest moments in the game, so don't skip it.
- The Silent Swordswomen: In the Gerudo Desert. You follow statues through a sandstorm. If you lose the trail, you get reset. It’s annoying, but the shrine at the end is a "Rauru’s Blessing," meaning the reward is just sitting there waiting for you.
How to Effectively Use a Map to 100% the Game
Don't just look at a completed map and try to find the one you're missing. That’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Instead, break Hyrule down by Tower Regions.
Open your in-game map. Count the shrines in the Great Plateau. There are 4. Check them off. Move to the Dueling Peaks region. There are 9. By isolating the search to one specific province at a time, you reduce the mental load. It makes the map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild feel manageable instead of overwhelming.
Also, pay attention to the names. Every shrine is named after a developer or a variation of a Japanese name. If you're searching online for a specific one, the names like "Kaya Wan" or "Dah Hesho" are unique.
Final Checklist for the Completionist
Before you give up on finding that 120th shrine, do a final sweep of these areas. These are the "black holes" where shrines hide:
- The canyon floor of the Tanagar Canyon (it’s long and easy to miss things in the shadows).
- The very edges of the map. Nintendo loved putting shrines right on the border where the "You cannot go further" message pops up.
- Underneath the bridges. Several shrines, especially in the Central Hyrule region, are tucked directly under the masonry of major bridges.
- Behind the waterfall in the Lanayru region near the Zora's Domain. It's a cliché for a reason.
Once you’ve got them all, head to the Forgotten Temple. Behind the Rona Kachta shrine, there are three chests waiting for you. They contain the Tunic, Trousers, and Cap of the Wild. It’s the classic green Link outfit. It’s the ultimate badge of honor for anyone who has spent sixty hours staring at a map.
Actionable Next Steps for Shrine Hunting
- Upgrade your Sheikah Sensor. Go to the Hateno Tech Lab and give Purah some Ancient Materials. The "Sensor+" allows you to track things other than shrines, but more importantly, it seems to have a slightly better response rate when you're hunting for those hidden entrances.
- Focus on the Shrine Quests first. Open your quest log. If you have any unfinished "Shrine Quests," do those immediately. They account for some of the hardest-to-find locations on the map.
- Clear the Labyrinths. If you see a giant square structure on your map, go there. They are self-contained challenges that always result in a shrine and high-level loot.
- Mark your map. Use the in-game stamps. If you hear the sensor beep but can't find the entrance, put a "star" or "skull" icon on that exact spot. You can come back later with a guide or a better perspective.
- Look for Kass. That accordion-playing bird is a walking shrine locator. If you hear music, follow it. He will almost always give you a riddle that reveals a hidden shrine nearby.
By methodically clearing one region at a time and cross-referencing with your quest log, you’ll fill out that map of shrines Zelda Breath of the Wild without losing your mind. Get those Spirit Orbs, max out your stamina, and go show Ganon why he shouldn't have waited 100 years for you to wake up.