You probably remember the Seven Heroines from Breath of the Wild. They stood in that circular formation in the Gerudo Desert, looking all stoic and mysterious. But then there’s the odd one out. The outcast. The Eighth Heroine. In Tears of the Kingdom, Nintendo didn't just leave that lore sitting in the sand; they actually gave us a way to solve the mystery and, honestly, it’s one of the best side quests in the game.
The eighth totk heroine isn't just a statue anymore. She's part of a massive, multi-layered puzzle that ties the history of the Gerudo to the modern-day plight of Link and Zelda. If you’ve spent any time wandering the Gerudo Highlands, you’ve seen her—huge, lonely, and missing her hands. But there is way more to this story than just a giant hunk of carved stone.
Finding the Eighth Heroine in the Highlands
Most players stumble upon the Eighth Heroine by accident while trying to map out the snowy peaks of the Gerudo Highlands. She’s located at the northern edge of the range. You can’t miss her once you’re in the right spot, but getting there is a pain because of the constant snowstorms and the sheer verticality of the terrain.
Why is she up there?
Lore-wise, the Gerudo stories say she was cast out. While the seven other statues were celebrated in the desert, this one was exiled to the frozen heights. In Tears of the Kingdom, this isn't just flavor text. It’s a gameplay mechanic. You actually have to interact with her to unlock the "The Mysterious Eighth" side quest, which is arguably the "true" ending to the Heroine lore. To start this whole mess, you need to head back to Gerudo Town—specifically the shelter where everyone is hiding from the Gibdo.
Look for a character named Rotana. She’s an archaeologist, and she’s obsessed. She’s found a secret room in the shelter that mentions the eighth heroine, but she needs "orbs" to unlock the full story. This is where the game turns into a massive scavenger hunt across the town and the desert.
The Quest for the Seven Orbs
Before you can really deal with the eighth totk heroine's secret, you have to find the orbs for the other seven. It’s tedious. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. You’ll be running around Gerudo Town looking for these metal spheres, each marked with a specific symbol that matches the statues.
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- One is just sitting in the shelter.
- Another is up on a roof near the canteen.
- You’ll have to solve a side quest involving a lost kid to get one.
- There's one buried in the sand near the North Gerudo Ruins.
It feels like busy work until you get all seven back to the statues in the underground room. Once you slot them in, a secret door opens. Behind that door? A giant stone tablet that finally explains who the Eighth Heroine actually was.
Spoiler: She wasn't a woman.
The "heroine" was actually a man. A Hylian man who helped the Gerudo during a massive crisis centuries ago. Because Gerudo law is incredibly strict about men entering their city, they couldn't officially honor him as a hero. So, they carved a statue, called him a "heroine," and hoped no one would notice. Eventually, the truth caused a rift, and the statue was dragged up into the mountains to be forgotten.
Bringing the Orbs to the Statue
Once you’ve read the tablet, you get a new map marker. It points you toward the North Gerudo Ruins, specifically a hidden chamber. This is where the eighth totk questline peaks. You aren't just looking at the statue in the highlands anymore; you’re looking for her "soul" or her "treasure," depending on how you want to interpret the translation.
You need to take a massive mechanical orb—much bigger than the previous ones—out into the desert.
Use Ultrahand. Use a sled. Use a Wing with some fans. Whatever you do, don't lose that orb in a sandstorm. If it rolls down a dune, you're going to spend ten minutes climbing back down to get it. I learned that the hard way. When you finally reach the destination in the ruins, you drop the orb into a slot in the floor.
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The ground opens up.
What’s Inside the Heroines' Secret Room?
Inside the final chamber, you find the "true" history. It’s a room filled with Gerudo weapons and a massive pile of gems. But the real prize is the lore. You find out that the Hylian hero was actually a sage-like figure who worked alongside the Gerudo to repel an ancient evil (likely a precursor to the Calamity or Ganondorf's rise).
The rewards are decent:
- A massive amount of Gold Rupee values.
- High-tier Gerudo shields and Scimitars.
- Completion of the "The Mysterious Eighth" quest entry.
More importantly, it completes the world-building. For years, fans speculated that the Eighth Heroine was some kind of forgotten goddess or even a representation of a player character from a past game. Seeing Nintendo confirm it was a Hylian man who simply wanted to help—and was erased from history because of gender politics—is a surprisingly grounded bit of storytelling for a Zelda game.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
If you're struggling with the eighth totk quest, you're probably missing a specific trigger.
First, the quest won't even show up if you haven't cleared the Lightning Temple. You need Riju back in the city and the Gibdo cleared out so the NPCs return to their normal routines. If Rotana isn't talking to you about the "Seven Orbs," you haven't progressed the main story far enough.
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Second, the orbs in Gerudo Town look identical to regular boulders if you aren't paying attention. Use your "Sensor +" if you’ve unlocked it at the Hateno Lab. Set it to look for "Treasure Chests" or specifically look for the glow of the symbols on the spheres.
Third, the weather in the Highlands is "unbearable cold." If you don't have the Snowquill armor set from Rito Village, or at least two levels of cold resistance from food (peppers and sunshrooms), Link will lose health faster than you can eat apples. Don't try to wing it with just a torch. It's a long walk.
Practical Steps for Success
- Finish the Lightning Temple first. The city needs to be functional before you can hunt for orbs.
- Talk to Rotana in the shelter. She’s the gatekeeper for this entire lore thread.
- Search the rooftops. Two of the orbs are hidden high up in Gerudo Town where you’d never think to look.
- Bring a Fan/Sled assembly. Moving the final giant orb across the desert without a vehicle is a nightmare. Use a Zonai capsule.
- Equip the Sand Boots. You get these from a separate quest in the town, but they make the final trek to the ruins significantly faster.
The mystery of the eighth heroine is one of those rare moments where the developers listened to the fan theories and gave us a concrete answer. It turns a weird landmark from the first game into a deeply human story about sacrifice and the complexity of historical record. It's well worth the hours of orb-tossing.
Actionable Next Steps
To finish this quest effectively, start by teleporting to the Soryotanog Shrine in Gerudo Town. Drop down into the main plaza and look for the classroom where the Gerudo are learning "Voe 101." The entrance to the underground shelter is right nearby. If you haven't found the eighth totk statue in the highlands yet, look for the massive indentation on the map at the very top of the Gerudo Highlands—it’s a literal giant person-shaped icon on the topography. Grab your warmest gear and head north from the Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower.