You're standing on a rickety wooden pier in Lurelin Village. The sun is beating down on Link’s tunic. You look out at the turquoise water, and there they are—tiny, shimmering glints of gold resting on the sandy floor of the Necluda Sea. This is the Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure experience in a nutshell. It’s quiet. It’s methodical. Honestly, it’s one of the most relaxing ways to spend an hour in Hyrule when you’re tired of being chased by Guardian Stalkers.
Most players sprint past these submerged chests. They’re focused on the next Shrine or the looming silhouette of Ganon’s castle. That’s a mistake. The water in Breath of the Wild isn’t just an obstacle or a place to drown when your stamina wheel runs out. It’s a massive, sprawling storage locker.
The Mechanics of Magnetic Fishing
Magnesis is basically a superpower for hoarders. You pull out the rune, the world turns a grainy pinkish-red, and suddenly the invisible becomes visible. Metal glows like a beacon. You've probably noticed that Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure doesn't just sit in the ocean. It’s in the mud of the Hylia River. It’s tucked under the freezing waterfalls of the Hebra Mountains. It’s even sitting at the bottom of those tiny, nameless ponds in the middle of the woods.
The physics here are actually pretty great. You can't just click "collect." You have to physically grapple the chest, yank it through the resistance of the water, and swing it onto dry land. Sometimes the chest gets stuck under a rock. Sometimes you accidentally drop it back in and have to start over. It’s tactile. It feels like you’re actually doing work.
I remember the first time I realized how deep this went. I was near the Proxim Bridge. I used Magnesis just to see if anything was there, and I saw three distinct metal boxes buried in the silt. Pulling them out felt like finding twenty dollars in an old pair of jeans. It wasn't life-changing loot—mostly amber and maybe a traveler's sword—but the discovery is the hook.
Where the Good Stuff Actually Hides
If you want the high-tier Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure, you have to go to the edges of the map. Lurelin Village is the obvious choice. The bay there is littered with chests. You can find everything from Topaz to purple Rupees just by walking along the coast with your Magnesis active.
But have you checked the Dueling Peaks region? Specifically the river that cuts through the mountains. Because the current is so strong, chests often get wedged behind rocks or under the bridge itself. People miss these all the time. They think the "good" treasure is only in the big, obvious ruins. It's not.
Then there’s the Floria River. The waterfalls in Faron are beautiful, but they’re also hiding spots. If you use the Zora Armor to swim up a fall, try looking down into the plunge pool at the bottom. The developers loved hiding heavy metal chests right where the water hits the surface. It's clever. It rewards you for looking where most people wouldn't bother.
Why the Rewards Matter (Even When They're Just Opals)
Let's be real for a second. You aren't going to find a Master Sword at the bottom of a lake. Most Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure consists of gemstones, arrows, or mid-tier weapons. Some players complain about this. They want every chest to be a legendary artifact.
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I disagree.
The economy in this game is built on selling materials. Those Opals and Ambers you fish out of the Hylia River? They're your ticket to upgrading the Ancient Armor or the Flamebreaker set. You need a lot of Rupees in this game. A lot. If you aren't looting the bottom of the lakes, you're basically leaving money on the table.
Also, there’s the elemental factor. Finding a Great Flameblade in a chest submerged in a freezing pond is a weirdly poetic moment. It's also a mechanical lifesaver if you're exploring the Hebra region and need a passive heat source to keep from freezing to death.
The Hidden Lore of Sunken Objects
There is a narrative weight to finding Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure that people rarely talk about. Think about the Great Plateau. There are rusted chests in the ponds near the Temple of Time. They’ve been there for a hundred years.
When you pull a chest out of the muck, you’re interacting with the "Calamity" in a way that combat doesn't provide. These are the leftovers of a civilization that got wiped out mid-stride. Someone dropped that chest. Maybe they were fleeing. Maybe the bridge collapsed under them. Every piece of sunken loot is a tiny, waterlogged grave marker for the old Hyrule.
I think that's why the game doesn't give you a "Treasure Tracker" for the water until you really look for it. It wants the discovery to feel organic. It wants you to stumble upon a ruined wagon half-buried in a swamp and wonder if there's a chest inside. (Pro tip: there almost always is).
Technical Tips for the Dedicated Hunter
If you're serious about clearing out the Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure, you need a strategy. Don't just wander.
First, get the Sheikah Sensor+ upgrade. You can actually set it to track "Treasure Chests." This is a game-changer. It will start beeping the moment you're near a submerged chest, even if it's buried too deep for Magnesis to highlight it immediately.
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Second, use Cryonis. This is the most underrated tool for treasure hunting. If a chest is in the middle of a deep lake, you can't just drag it to the shore; the Magnesis range isn't long enough. You have to create ice pillars to hop out into the water, then pull the chest onto the ice or towards the next pillar. It's like a puzzle.
Location: Lake Hylia.
Method: Use the bridge as a vantage point, but don't forget the areas under the broken pillars.
Loot: Tons of arrows and Zora shields.
Location: The swampy areas of Lanayru.
Method: Look for bubbles. If you see bubbles rising to the surface, something is down there.
Loot: Mostly Knight's gear and high-value gems.
Third, remember that not all treasure is in chests. There are "sunken" metallic objects like large boulders or planks that you can move to reveal hidden alcoves. The water hides secrets, not just containers.
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The Frustration of the Deep
Not everything is perfect. The physics can be wonky. I’ve had chests clip through the floor of the world more than once. There's also the "Sinking" problem. If you drop a chest in deep water and it goes beyond the Magnesis range, it's basically gone until you reload the area.
And let's talk about the Octoballoons. You can technically use them to lift things out of the water, but it's finicky. Most people stick to Magnesis, and for good reason. It’s reliable.
Moving Toward a Complete Map
If you’re a completionist, the Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure is your final frontier. Most people finish the Shrines and the Divine Beasts and think they're done. They aren't. There are hundreds of chests hidden beneath the waves.
I've spent hours just gliding over the coastline of the Akkala Sea. The water there is deep and dark, and finding a chest in that environment feels more like "salvage" than "looting." It feels like you're an explorer.
One thing to keep in mind: the loot in these chests scales. If you wait until later in the game to go on your treasure hunt, you’re more likely to find Royal Halberds or Top-tier bows instead of the rusty junk you find in the early game. It pays to be a late-game beachcomber.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
Stop fast-traveling everywhere. That’s the first step. If you want to find the real Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure, you have to walk the riverbanks.
- Teleport to the Lake Tower. Paraglide down to the bridge.
- Activate Magnesis. Just keep it active as you walk across. You’ll be shocked at how many chests are tucked into the bridge's foundation.
- Head to the Rasla Lake. It's near the Floria Bridge. There are chests literally stacked on top of each other in the water there.
- Set your Sensor. If you haven't upgraded your Sheikah Sensor yet, do it now. It makes the "ping" sound when a chest is nearby, saving you from having to look through the pink Magnesis lens constantly.
The beauty of this game is that six years later, people are still finding things. They're still discovering a chest tucked under a random rock in the middle of a pond that nobody visits. It’s that sense of scale that makes Zelda Breath of the Wild sunken treasure more than just a checklist item. It’s a reason to keep looking at the world, even the parts that are underwater.
Go to Lurelin Village tonight. Grab a boat or just walk the shore. Turn on your magnet. See what the tide brought in. You might just find enough Sapphire to finally pay for that house in Hateno Village. Or at least enough to buy some more arrows. Either way, it's worth the trip.