Finding the Sho Dantu Shrine in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a total pain if you don’t know where to look. Most players stumble around the Gerudo Highlands for an hour because the Sheikah Sensor is screaming at them, but there's no orange glow in sight. It's buried. Hidden. Basically, if you aren't paying attention to the terrain, you'll walk right over it.
This shrine is located deep in the Karusa Valley, tucked away in a dead-end canyon leading toward the Yiga Clan Hideout. You'll find it west of the Gerudo Tower. Look for a bunch of Luminous Stone deposits. That's your first clue. Honestly, Nintendo was kinda cheeky with this one because the shrine doesn't just pop up—you have to trigger it with an offering.
Unlocking the Sho Dantu Shrine: The Luminous Stone Trick
Most shrines just require you to walk up and put your Sheikah Slate on the pedestal. Not this one. When you arrive at the map coordinates, you’ll see a circular stone platform on the ground. It looks like a shrine base, but it’s cold and dark.
Right in front of it is a small, wooden sign. It tells you to offer a "shining stone."
If you've been mining your way through the Highlands, you probably have a backpack full of Luminous Stones. Drop one single Luminous Stone onto the center of the platform. You don't need a whole stack. Just one. As soon as the stone touches the metal, the pedestal glows blue and the Sho Dantu Shrine rises from the earth with that classic mechanical grinding sound.
Why Luminous Stones?
The Gerudo Highlands are famous for these glowing rocks. You'll see them everywhere at night, casting a weird teal light against the snow. It makes sense that a shrine hidden in this specific geological pocket would use them as a key. If you ran out of stones, don't panic. There are at least three or four ore deposits literally five feet away from the platform. Smash them with a Cobble Crusher or just use a Remote Bomb if you don't mind chasing the loot across the canyon floor.
Inside the Shrine: Two Bombs are Better Than One
Once you're inside, the trial is titled "Two Bombs."
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It’s a literal name.
The first room is simple. You see a launcher that kicks a sphere back and forth across a gap. There's a switch behind a cage. Basically, you just need to time a Square Remote Bomb so it gets launched over to the switch. Blow it up. The door opens. Easy.
But the second room? That's where people usually get stuck.
You’re faced with two separate launchers and two different crystal switches. They are timed. You can't just spam one type of bomb and hope for the best. This is where the game tests your ability to juggle the cooldowns of your Square and Round bombs.
The Mechanical Rhythm
You have to place a Round Bomb on one launcher and a Square Bomb on the other.
Wait.
Watch the movement.
When the first bomb reaches the apex of its flight near the first switch, detonate it. Immediately switch to your other bomb type. Trigger the second one when it’s in position.
If you mess up the timing, the platforms reset. It’s about rhythm. You've got to be fast with the D-pad to swap bomb types. It feels a bit like a rhythm game disguised as a physics puzzle.
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Finding the Hidden Chest
Don't just run to the Monk after you clear the bombs.
There’s a chest in here. Most people miss it because they're so relieved to be done with the launchers. Look behind the final platform area. You'll find a chest containing a Silver Bow. It's not the best bow in the game—nowhere near a Savage Lynel Bow—but it has decent durability and looks cool. If your inventory is full of Royal Guard gear, you can probably skip it, but for mid-game players, it's a solid pickup.
Why the Karusa Valley is a Deathtrap
While you're navigating to the Sho Dantu Shrine, watch out for the Yiga. Since this shrine is the closest fast-travel point to their hideout, the area is crawling with Travelers who aren't actually travelers.
If you see someone standing perfectly still in the middle of the road with a generic name like "Traveler," they are going to try to kill you. Once you’ve defeated Master Kohga, these encounters get even more annoying because the Yiga Blademasters start spawning. They can one-shot you if you're rocking low-level armor.
Strategy for the Approach
- Wear Stealth Armor: The Sheikah set from Kakariko Village is perfect here. It lets you slip past the scouts.
- Bring Cold Resistance: The Highlands are freezing. If you don't have the Snowquill set from Rito Village, you’ll be chugging spicy pepper seafood skewers every three minutes.
- Farm the Stones: Since you're already at the shrine, mine every Luminous Stone deposit in the canyon. You can trade 10 of them to Ledo in Zora's Domain for a Diamond. It's one of the best ways to get Diamonds for repairing Champion weapons like the Great Eagle Bow or the Lightscale Trident.
Common Mistakes at Sho Dantu
I've seen people try to drop Flint on the pedestal. Doesn't work. I've seen people try to drop Diamond. Also doesn't work (and it's a huge waste of money). It has to be the Luminous Stone.
Another weird thing: sometimes the bomb launchers in the shrine can glitch if you're standing too close to the moving parts. Give the machinery some space. If the bomb isn't flying far enough, make sure you aren't accidentally bumping the launcher as it moves.
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The "Two Bombs" trial is really a tutorial for high-level combat. Later in the game, especially if you tackle the DLC Trial of the Sword, being able to cycle bombs while one is in the air is a life-saving skill. Think of this shrine as a practice range.
Fast Travel and Utility
Once you’ve cleared the Sho Dantu Shrine, keep it on your map as a permanent waypoint. It is the absolute best spot to warp to if you need to farm Mighty Bananas. Just a short walk north into the Yiga territory will net you dozens of bananas, which are essential for cooking Attack Up $\times3$ meals.
It’s also a great jumping-off point for exploring the rest of the Gerudo Highlands. If you head uphill from the shrine entrance, you'll find several Korok seeds and a few rare ore veins tucked into the cliffside.
Actionable Next Steps
Before you head out to find the shrine, make sure you have at least one Luminous Stone in your inventory. If you don't, stop by the cliffs surrounding the Gerudo Tower first; there are plenty of deposits there. Once the shrine is activated, use it as your primary teleport point for raiding the Yiga Clan Hideout's rear entrance, where you can find high-tier loot and more gems without having to trigger the main story cutscenes again.