You're wandering through the volcanic heat of Eldin, sweating through your Hylian tunic, and you stumble upon a nondescript cave near Goron City. You find a chest, grab some loot, and suddenly a stone slab slides back. Most players just want the shiny stuff and leave, but if you actually read those cryptic engravings, you’ve just stumbled onto one of the weirdest gear sets in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Misko's treasure of awakening is basically a love letter to 1993. Specifically, it's a love letter to Link’s Awakening on the Game Boy. It turns Link into a bobble-headed version of his retro self, complete with a giant, unblinking mask that makes every serious cutscene look hilarious.
But finding it? That’s a whole different story. This isn't just "go to the X on the map." Misko was a jerk. He left riddles that require actual brainpower—or a really good memory of Hyrule’s geography.
Finding the Tunic: Ancient Columns and Fire Breathing Dragons
The hunt officially kicks off in the Goronbi River Cave. After you grab the Ember Shirt from the chest there, the back wall opens up, and you get the first riddle. It talks about "ruined pillars" and "where Rayne, Piper, and Tanager meet."
If you look at your map, those are the names of the highlands and ridges surrounding the Tabantha Frontier. You’re looking for the Ancient Columns. It’s a scenic spot right above the Tabantha Great Bridge.
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The Problem with the Flame Gleeok
There is a massive, three-headed Flame Gleeok squatting right on top of your destination. Honestly, you don’t have to fight it. If you’re fast and have enough stamina, you can sneak around the back.
- Head to the columns on the south side of the plateau.
- Look for one specific pillar that has a large stone pressure plate on top.
- Stand on it.
- Watch the floor open up.
Inside the Ancient Columns Cave, you’ll find the Tunic of Awakening. More importantly, there’s another stone tablet behind the chest. Don't ignore it. That tablet is the only way to officially "start" the next leg of the quest, though you can technically stumble into the locations out of order.
The Trousers: A Duel in the Coliseum
The second riddle is even more vague. It mentions a place where "warriors once tested themselves in battle." That’s the Coliseum Ruins, located just south of the Great Plateau in Hyrule Field.
In Breath of the Wild, the Coliseum was a place to farm elemental weapons. In Tears of the Kingdom, it’s a death trap guarded by a Thunder Gleeok. Again, you can play it stealthy, but it’s a lot harder here because the "puzzle" is right under the Gleeok’s nose.
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How to open the floor
On the ground floor of the Coliseum, against the back wall, you’ll see two statues of soldiers. One is holding a Soldier’s Claymore. The other is empty-handed.
Basically, you just need to make them match. There’s a spare Soldier’s Claymore leaning against the wall nearby (or you might already have one in your inventory). Use Ultrahand to grab the sword and slot it into the empty hands of the statue. It’s a bit finicky—you might need to rotate it a few times—but once it clicks, a trap door opens right between the statues.
Drop down into the Coliseum Ruins Cave for the Trousers of Awakening. And yes, there’s a third tablet down there. One more to go.
The Mask: The Infamous Thundra Plateau Shadow Puzzle
This is the part where everyone gets stuck. The riddle for the Mask of Awakening takes you to the Thundra Plateau in Ludfo's Bog. It’s that weird, flat, circular area surrounded by giant mushroom trees.
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The riddle says: "Connect the southern column's midday shadow to the northern." People usually try to wait for a solar eclipse or something crazy, but the solution is way more "lo-fi" than that. You have to literally build a bridge for the shadow.
Step-by-Step Shadow Alignment
- Chop down the trees. There are plenty of mushroom trees around. You need about four or five logs.
- Stick them together. Use Ultrahand to glue the logs end-to-end to create one massive, ridiculously long pole.
- Wait for Noon. Build a fire and rest until "Noon."
- The Shadow Bridge. Go to the southern pillar. You need to lean your giant log pole against the pillar (or stand on top and hold it up with Ultrahand) so that its shadow stretches across the ground and touches the base of the northern pillar.
If your "shadow bridge" connects the two pillars at exactly 12:00 PM, the center of the plateau will rumble open. The Thundra Plateau Cave is home to the Mask of Awakening.
Is the Awakening Set Actually Good?
Look, it’s not the Ancient Armor or the Barbarian Set. Each piece starts with a base defense of 3. If you upgrade the whole set at a Great Fairy, you get an Attack Up bonus, which is nice, but most people wear this for the "vibe."
It’s hilarious. Seeing a high-definition Link with a giant, cartoonish 2D head during a dramatic boss fight never gets old.
Actionable Next Steps
If you want to finish this hunt tonight, make sure you have:
- At least 2-3 Stamina wheels (for climbing pillars quickly).
- A handful of Keese Eyes (to make fighting those Gleeoks ten times easier).
- A bundle of Wood and Flint (to skip time at Thundra Plateau).
Once you have all three pieces, take them to a Great Fairy. You’ll need Luminous Stones and Soldier’s Construct Horns for the early upgrades. It’s a grind, but having a "Set Bonus: Attack Up" on a bobble-head Link is the kind of chaotic energy every Hyrule playthrough needs.