You’re staring at a map that looks like a neon orange pin cushion, yet you’re still missing that last one. It’s infuriating. We have all been there, hovering Link over a suspicious-looking cliffside in the Hebra Mountains, praying the Sheikah Sensor finally starts chirping. Finding zelda breath of wild all shrine locations isn't just a checklist; it’s a massive, 120-part puzzle that defines the entire experience of exploring Hyrule. Honestly, the game doesn't make it easy, and that’s exactly why people are still obsessing over it years after release.
The scale is just stupidly big. You have the Great Plateau, which acts as a gentle handshake, and then the game basically throws you into a 360-degree abyss of "figure it out yourself."
The sheer math of the 120
Let’s get the numbers out of the way because they actually matter for your sanity. There are 120 base-game shrines. If you bought the DLC, the Champions’ Ballad adds another 16, but those don't count toward the classic "120" monk-check. Most players hit about 80 and start to struggle. Why? Because Nintendo hid about a third of them behind "Shrine Quests" or environmental puzzles that don't trigger your sensor.
If you are just running around waiting for a beep, you're going to miss the Kakariko Village heirloom quest or the various "Blood Moon" challenges. Those require specific NPC interactions or timing that a GPS simply can't help with.
Why the sensor isn't enough
The Sheikah Sensor + is a godsend, but it has a massive flaw: verticality. Breath of the Wild’s map is deeply layered. You might be standing directly on top of a shrine icon, but the entrance is actually 400 feet below you in a sea cave or tucked behind a destructible rock wall halfway down a gorge.
Take the Rona Kachta Shrine. It’s sitting right there in the Forgotten Temple at the end of Tanagar Canyon. You can see the icon on most maps, but getting there involves dodging a literal army of Decayed Guardians. Then you have shrines like Dunba Taag, hidden in a crevice where you’d never think to look unless you were specifically hunting for Korok seeds.
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Regional breakdown: Where people usually get stuck
Most players breeze through the Central Tower and Dueling Peaks. Those are the "tutorial" zones in spirit. The real headaches start in the corners of the map.
The Hebra Snowfield is arguably the worst. It’s a white-out blizzard half the time, and the shrines there, like Goma Asaagh, are often buried under ice blocks that require fire arrows or a lit torch to melt. It’s tedious. You’re managing cold resistance, stamina, and visibility all at once. If you’re hunting for zelda breath of wild all shrine locations, give yourself a solid two hours just for Hebra. It’s a vertical nightmare.
Then there’s the Gerudo Desert. It’s the opposite problem—flat, but shimmering with heat. Many shrines here are buried under sand. You have to finish quests like "The Desert Labyrinth" (Lomei Landscape) or use a Sand Seal to navigate to the outskirts where the Misae Suma Shrine sits, blocked by a thirsty Gerudo woman who needs a drink called a Noble Pursuit. It’s these weird, specific triggers that make the "all locations" hunt so difficult without a guide or extreme patience.
The "Hidden" Shrines (Shrine Quests)
There are 42 shrines tied directly to quests. If you don't talk to the right Rito child or read the right ancient book, the shrine literally won't exist in the world. It won't even be underground; it just hasn't emerged yet.
- Under a Red Moon: You have to stand on a pedestal with no clothes on during a Blood Moon. It’s weird, highly specific, and easy to miss if you aren't paying attention to Kass (the accordion-playing bird).
- The Spring of Power: You need a scale from the dragon Dinraal. If you haven't figured out dragon farming yet, this shrine stays locked.
- The Thundereadr: This is in the Ridgeland area. You have to get struck by lightning while standing on a mound. It feels counter-intuitive to everything the game taught you about staying alive.
The rewards (Beyond the Orbs)
Obviously, you want the Spirit Orbs to max out your Hearts and Stamina. But the real "flex" is the Of the Wild armor set. Once you clear all 120, you get a side quest called "A Gift from the Monks" which sends you to the Forgotten Temple.
It’s the only way to get Link’s classic green tunic in the base game without using an Amiibo. For purists, this is the true end-game. It’s a badge of honor that says you’ve seen every corner of the map, from the top of Mount Lanayru to the depths of the Faron jungles.
The technical reality of 2026
Looking back at the game now, the way these shrines are distributed is a masterclass in "distraction-based" design. Nintendo didn't want you to find them all at once. They wanted you to be on your way to fight Ganon, see a weird bird circling a mountain, and get sidetracked for three hours.
If you are using an interactive map—which, let's be honest, almost everyone does eventually—the best strategy is to filter by region. Don't try to look at all 120 icons at once. It’s overwhelming and makes the game feel like a chore. Focus on the Akkala region, then move to Eldin. Breaking it down by the Sheikah Tower jurisdictions makes the hunt manageable.
Practical steps for your final sweep
If you are at 115, 118, or 119 shrines and you’re about to throw your Switch, check these three things immediately.
First, look at the Twin Peaks. There are actually three shrines there, and it’s very common to miss one because they overlap on the map zoom levels. Specifically, Ree Dahee is often overlooked because it's tucked into the river gorge rather than being on the mountain itself.
Second, check the islands on the far east coast. People often forget the isolated spots like Eventide Island (Korgu Chideh) or the tiny specks of land in the Lanayru Sea. Eventide is its own beast—it strips your gear and forces a "survival mode" challenge that can take a good thirty minutes to clear.
Third, go back to the Lost Woods. There are four shrines hidden in the fog. Three of them are part of the "Trials of Korok" and involve following ghosts or not breaking wooden shields. If you only got the one next to the Master Sword (Keo Ruug), you have work to do.
Acknowledging the "Impossible" ones
Some shrines are just mean. The Mirro Shaz shrine involves a "stasis golf" mechanic that has broken many controllers. Then there's the Ketoh Wawai shrine in the Thyphlo Ruins, where the entire world is pitch black and you have to navigate by torchlight. These aren't just "locations"; they are tests of mechanical skill.
Don't feel bad about looking up a specific puzzle solution. The developers clearly intended for some of these to be community-solved puzzles. The "Recital at Warbler's Nest" quest is a perfect example—you have to find five different Rito children scattered across a village, and it's remarkably easy to lose track of one.
Making the final push
To finish your collection of zelda breath of wild all shrine locations, start by opening your in-game quest log. Look at the "Shrine Quests" tab. If there are any blacked-out entries or quests you haven't finished, that's your missing link. If that's clear, cross-reference your map with a completed version and look for the "Orange" centers.
A shrine icon with an orange center means you’ve found it and activated the fast travel, but you haven't actually completed the trial inside. If the icon is blue, you’re golden. If it’s missing entirely, check the cave systems. Hyrule is full of them, especially in the canyon regions of the west.
Once you hit 120, head to the Forgotten Temple in the canyon between Hebra and Aldurn. Your reward is waiting behind the massive Mother Goddess Statue. It’s a long walk, but after 120 puzzles, it’s the victory lap you deserve.
To speed things up, make sure you've upgraded your Sheikah Sensor at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab using three Ancient Screws. Without the "Sensor +" upgrade, you can't target shrines specifically, and you'll be stuck hunting blindly. Once upgraded, open your map, hit the Y button, and ensure it's set to track Shrines. This will save you hours of wandering in the wrong direction.