You’re standing in the middle of a fish-shaped floating island, staring at a weird green stone, wondering if you're actually overthinking the whole thing. Honestly? You probably are. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is famous for making you feel like a genius one minute and a complete amateur the next. The "Clues to the Sky" main quest is the perfect example of that. It's the bridge between meeting King Dorephan and finally hitting the Water Temple, but the game is notoriously cryptic about where you're supposed to go and what "shooting through the droplet" actually means.
Most people get stuck because they expect a giant waypoint to pop up on the map. It won't. This is a detective mission, not a fetch quest. You’ve gotta talk to the locals, find a hidden throne room, and then play a very specific game of archery with a literal piece of the sky.
Where to Find the Land of the Sky Fish
Let’s be real: finding the actual starting point for the clues to the sky is the hardest part. You’ve already spoken to Sidon at Mipha’s Court, and he’s sent you to find King Dorephan. The King is "hidden," which is Zora code for "behind a waterfall." If you haven't found him yet, head to the Pristine Sanctum. It’s tucked behind the waterfall at Mikau Lake. Once the King hands over five King’s Scales—which look suspiciously like regular fingernails—you’re told to find the "Land of the Sky Fish" and a "Droplet."
Look up. No, seriously. If you open your map and toggle to the Sky view, you’ll see a cluster of islands east of Mipha’s Court. One of them looks exactly like a koi fish. That’s Floating Scales Island. To get there, you can’t just walk. You need to use your Zora Armor to swim up the waterfall falling from that specific island. If you don't have the armor yet, go back to Yona in Zora's Domain and finish the "Restoring the Zora Armor" quest. You literally cannot do this efficiently without it.
The Droplet and the Mark of the King
Once you’re on the "fish," the game expects you to be a bit of a surveyor. You'll notice the ground is covered in that gross green sludge (Marbled Rock Roast leftovers, basically). Clean it up if it bothers you, but your real goal is to stand on the highest point of the island—the "bridge" or the dorsal fin area.
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Look around.
You’re searching for a "droplet." It’s not a physical drop of water. It’s an optical illusion. If you stand in the right spot and look toward the floating debris nearby, the rocks align to form the perfect silhouette of a teardrop. It’s a classic Zelda environmental puzzle. You’ve got those King’s Scales in your inventory, right? Fuse one to an arrow. Draw your bow. Aim right through the center of that rocky teardrop and let it fly.
If you hit it, a beam of light erupts. This is the moment the game finally stops being vague and tells you exactly where to go next: the East Reservoir Lake.
Why Everyone Gets Confused at the Whirlpool
So the light hits the water. A massive whirlpool opens up. You might think you need to build a complex hoverbike or a boat to get out there. Don't. Just paraglide or swim into the center of the vortex. It’ll suck you down into the Ancient Zora Waterworks.
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This area is a bit of a mood shift. It’s dark, damp, and filled with pipes. You’re basically playing plumber Link. You have to clog or unclog pipes to raise the water level so you can reach the central terminal. A lot of players try to use Ultrahand on everything here, but sometimes the simplest solution is just throwing a Splash Fruit at a pile of sediment or using a bomb flower to break a cracked rock.
The Complexity of Zora Architecture
It's worth noting that the Zora quests in Tears of the Kingdom are a massive step up from Breath of the Wild in terms of verticality. The clues to the sky questline forces you to think about the world in three layers: the underground sanctum, the surface level domain, and the sky islands.
If you’re struggling with the jump from the Waterworks to the Wellspring Island (the low-gravity area), make sure you have enough stamina or some stamina-restoring meals. The low-gravity physics are fun, but they can be deceptive. You’ll jump further, but you’ll also move slower through the air, making you an easy target for those pesky Construct archers.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid:
- Running out of King's Scales: If you miss your shot through the droplet, you don't lose the quest, but you do lose the scale. If you run out, go back to King Dorephan. He’ll give you more, but he’ll probably judge you silently for it.
- Ignoring the Zora Armor: You can technically use a hoverbike to get to the Sky Fish, but the waterfall shortcut is how the devs intended it. Plus, you need the armor to climb the final Great Spring later anyway.
- Overlooking the Sludge: Sometimes the "droplet" rocks are covered in sludge. If the shape looks wrong, splash some water on the floating rocks around you to clear the view.
The Technical Reality of Navigating the Sky
The sky islands in this game aren't just floating rocks; they are dynamic objects with their own physics. When you're looking for the clues to the sky, remember that the "Fish" island stays stationary, but the surrounding debris might shift slightly based on your perspective.
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Link’s ability to "Ascend" is often the forgotten solution here. If you find yourself underneath a platform on the Sky Fish and don't want to waste stamina climbing, just look up. There are several spots on that island where Ascend will pop you right where you need to be.
Moving Toward the Water Temple
Once the beam of light is active and you've navigated the Waterworks, you're essentially on the home stretch. You'll meet Sidon at the lake, and he’ll do his fancy water-spinning move to help you get higher. This leads directly into the ascent to the Water Temple.
Prepare for a lot of jumping. The Wellspring Island is a series of bubbles and water-launchers. Pro tip: use Sidon’s power to create a water shield. It doesn't just protect you from hits; when you swing your weapon, it launches a wave of water that clears sludge instantly. This is vital because the boss waiting for you at the end of this journey is basically a giant pile of mud.
Actionable Steps for Completion
To wrap this quest up and move into the mid-game content, follow this specific sequence:
- Talk to the kids in Zora's Domain who are playing near the throne. They give you the hint about the King's location.
- Visit the Pristine Sanctum (behind the waterfall at Mikau Lake) to get the King's Scales.
- Equip the Zora Armor and swim up the waterfall at the eastern edge of the sky map to reach Floating Scales Island.
- Stand at coordinates (4073, 0528, 0603) or roughly the highest point on the "fish" island.
- Look South-West to find the rocks that form the "droplet" shape.
- Fuse and Fire. Don't just shoot a regular arrow. It must have a King's Scale attached.
- Dive into the whirlpool at East Reservoir Lake.
Once you’ve cleared the Ancient Zora Waterworks, you’ll unlock the path to the Wellspring Island. Ensure you have at least two full wheels of stamina or plenty of "Endura" meals, as the low-gravity platforming can be taxing if you’re constantly gliding. Bring a few Zora weapons if you have them; they deal double damage when Link is wet, which is... basically all the time during this quest. You're now ready to face the Mucktorok and clean up the Zora's home once and for all.