Returning to the Great Plateau in Tears of the Kingdom feels weird. If you played Breath of the Wild, you probably expected to find the exact same shrines waiting for you in those iconic spots. But Nintendo decided to mess with us. Most of those old structures are gone, replaced by gloom-infested pits or strange ruins. Honestly, finding every Great Plateau shrine in this sequel requires a bit of unlearning what you already know about this map.
It’s nostalgic and eerie at the same time. The Temple of Time is crumbling even more than before. The cold is still biting up on Mount Hylia. Yet, the way you interact with the land has fundamentally shifted because of the sky islands and the Depths. If you’re hunting for Light of Blessing or just trying to clear the map, you need to look at the Plateau through a different lens.
Where Did the Original Shrines Go?
Basically, they’ve been replaced. In the previous game, the shrines were the focal point of your tutorial. Now, the Plateau is more of a mid-game destination or a place for specific side adventures, like the "A Call from the Depths" quest.
The biggest change is the Kyokugon Shrine. This one is tucked away inside the Great Plateau Foothill Cave. To find it, you have to head toward the northern edge of the plateau, near where the path leads up from the Hyrule Field area. You'll see a lot of breakable rocks. This isn't a "walk up and activate" situation. You’re going to need hammers or plenty of Yunobo’s charge attacks to get through the layers of sediment. Inside, the "Meditation in Alignment" puzzle isn't about combat; it's about looking at the ceiling. Most people miss the pattern because they’re staring at the floor, but the green circles on the roof tell you exactly where to place the spheres.
Then there’s the Tadhokshun Shrine. This one is located near the Forest of Spirits. It’s behind some more breakable rocks—Nintendo really wanted us to work for it this time. It’s technically "behind" the waterfall area. Once you’re inside, you’re dealing with the "Dual Harvest" puzzle. It involves magnets and electricity. It’s a classic Zelda physics test that feels a bit more "Old School" than some of the newer, weirder Zonai puzzles.
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The Mountain Shrines and the Cold Factor
Getting to the top of Mount Hylia is still a pain. You’ve probably got the Glide Suit or some cold-resistant gear by now, but if you don't, you're back to cooking spicy peppers. The Riogok Shrine is situated near the Western edge, close to the Hopper Pond. This one is all about "Force Transfer." You're using Ultrahand to stick logs to gears to create leverage. It’s a simple concept, but the timing on the final gate can be annoying if you don't angle the logs correctly.
Key Locations to Mark on Your Map
- Kyokugon Shrine: Located in the Great Plateau Foothill Cave. Look for the entrance at coordinates (-0840, -1488, 0027).
- Tadhokshun Shrine: Hidden in the East Chasm area, specifically within the Forest of Spirits. It's often obscured by the natural terrain.
- Riogok Shrine: Found at (-1440, -1616, 0089). It's south of the Outskirt Stable, technically on the approach to the Plateau.
- Tsutsu-um Shrine: Right by the Outskirt Stable. While not "on" the plateau surface, it's the primary fast travel point for anyone exploring the northern cliffs.
The most interesting thing about the Great Plateau shrine hunt is how it interacts with the Chasm. Right where the old Shrine of Resurrection used to be, there’s now a hole leading into the Depths. Inside that old cave, you’ll actually find a Yiga Clan hideout and a schema stone. It’s a total subversion of the "sacred" beginning of the first game.
The Mystery of the Fourth Shrine
In Breath of the Wild, there were four. In Tears of the Kingdom, the "fourth" spot is essentially the Temple of Time itself, which serves as a hub for the "A Call from the Depths" quest. This quest mimics the original shrine hunt by making you visit the four stone gate locations to drop eyes into the depths. While these aren't shrines in the traditional sense (they don't give you a Light of Blessing individually), completing the quest gives you a Heart Container or Stamina Vessel, which is basically the same reward as four shrines anyway.
It's a clever bit of game design.
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A lot of players get frustrated because they see a shrine sensor going off near the old Owa Daim or Keh Namut locations, but the signal is actually coming from a cave below them or a sky island above them. The verticality of the game means the Great Plateau is now a multi-layered cake. If you're standing on the snowy peak and your sensor is screaming, look for a ledge you might have missed.
Navigating the Great Plateau Foothill Cave
I want to talk about the Kyokugon Shrine again because it’s the one most people email me about. It’s frustrating. You see the cave entrance, you go in, and it feels like a dead end.
The trick is the "Horriblins." There are several hanging from the ceiling. They aren't just there for flavor; they're guarding the path. Once you clear them, look for the black rocks. Not the brown ones—the black ones are tougher and usually hide the actual shrine entrance. If you’re low on bombs, use a Cannon attached to a Spear. It’s the most efficient way to clear these rooms without wasting your entire inventory.
Once you get inside Kyokugon, don't overthink it. Look up. There are four green circles on the ceiling. Place the orbs in the floor pits that correspond to those circles. If you do it right, a secret room opens up with a chest containing a Hearty Elixir or a high-level bow. Most people grab the orb and just try every hole until one clicks. Don't be that person.
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Practical Tips for Your Exploration
If you are planning to clear the Plateau in one go, start from the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower. Launch yourself up, glide south, and land on the Temple of Time roof. From here, you have the high ground. You can see the smoke from the various enemy camps and the distinct glow of shrine entrances.
- Bring Blunt Weapons: You will be breaking a lot of rocks. Fuse a Horriblin Horn or a simple boulder to a sturdy stick.
- Check the Depths: Every shrine on the surface has a corresponding Lightroot directly beneath it in the Depths. If you’ve found a Lightroot downstairs, mark it on your map, then switch to the surface view. There will be a shrine there.
- The Great Plateau Great Gate: It’s underwater. You need to break the rocks at the base of the plateau (near the Deya Village ruins area) to drain the water. This is essential for the "A Call from the Depths" questline, which is the "true" shrine-equivalent content for this zone.
The Great Plateau is no longer the "safe" zone it was. It’s packed with Gloom Hands (especially near the Eastern Abbey) and high-level Boss Bokoblins. If you're heading there early in your playthrough to find a specific Great Plateau shrine, make sure you have some Sundelion-based meals. Getting your hearts locked while trying to solve a puzzle is a quick way to see the Game Over screen.
Final Actionable Steps
To wrap this up and get your map cleared, follow this sequence:
- Drain the Gate: Go to the base of the Plateau's northern wall, find the breakable rocks behind the water, and blow them up. Talk to the statue that was submerged.
- The Cave Hunt: Navigate to the Kyokugon Shrine in the Foothill Cave first, as it's the easiest fast-travel point to unlock for the rest of the area.
- The Chasm Quest: Complete "A Call from the Depths" by visiting the four points where the original shrines stood. This is the only way to "finish" the Great Plateau's story in this game.
- Sensor Check: If your shrine sensor is still going off after finding Kyokugon and Tadhokshun, check the sky. There are several small sky islands directly above the Plateau that count toward the region's total completion.
The Plateau is a graveyard of memories for the first game, but it’s a goldmine for resources in the second. Take your time, look at the ceiling, and stop expecting the shrines to be where Link woke up six years ago.