You finally made it to Hateno. You’ve climbed the winding path, dodged a few annoying slimes, and reached that eccentric windmill-topped building perched on the cliff. If you’re playing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you probably think you’re just here for a chat with Robbie. You aren't. Not really.
The Hateno Village Research Lab quest is actually the moment the game stops being a survival simulator and starts letting you be a god.
Honestly, it's easy to get distracted by the side stuff. You might want to go dye your armor or mess around with the mushroom people in town. Don't. Not yet. Until you finish Robbie’s errands, you're playing the game with one hand tied behind your back. Most players don't realize that the Shiekah Sensor and the Travel Medallion—absolute essentials for finding those last 400 shrines—are locked behind this specific questline. It’s the ultimate "work smarter, not harder" moment in Hyrule.
Getting Robbie to Move: The Great Lookout Landing Wait
Before you can even start the Hateno Village Research Lab quest, you have to deal with Josha. This is where people get stuck. You can’t just run to Hateno and expect Robbie to be there. He’s hanging out at Lookout Landing, obsessed with the Depths.
You have to finish the "Camera Work in the Depths" quest first. Then, you need to complete at least one of the four Regional Phenomena (the main temples). I usually recommend the Wind Temple because Tulin’s gust ability is a lifesaver, but any of them will work. Once you fix a region’s problems, come back to Lookout Landing. You'll see Robbie standing near his hot air balloon. Talk to him. He’ll complain about his broken equipment and finally head back to his lab in Hateno.
The Shiekah Sensor: Your New Best Friend
Once you meet Robbie at the lab (it’s way up the hill, you can’t miss it), he’s going to give you the Shrine Sensor. It’s basically the same thing from Breath of the Wild, but it feels more earned here.
👉 See also: Blue Protocol Star Resonance Shield Knight Skill Tree: What Most People Get Wrong
He’ll ask you to walk around the lab to calibrate it. It’s a bit silly. You just walk slowly toward the desk until the beeping gets fast enough to drive you crazy. This "test" is really just a tutorial to show you that the sensor isn't a GPS; it's a hot-and-cold game. If the beep is fast, you're going the right way. If it stops, you've veered off.
After this, he sends you to a cave nearby. This is the real test. You need to find the Mayahisik Shrine inside a cave behind the lab. Look for the breakable rocks down the cliffside. The sensor will go nuts. It’s a "Rauru's Blessing" shrine, so you just walk in, grab the chest, and get out. Easy.
Why the Sensor Upgrades Actually Matter
Now, here is where the Hateno Village Research Lab quest gets interesting. Robbie doesn't just stop at shrines. He offers three massive upgrades if you help him with some data collection:
- Sensor +: This lets you track anything in your Hyrule Compendium. Want to find Hearty Blueshell Snails? Set the sensor. Need more Electric Keese wings for armor upgrades? Set the sensor.
- Hero’s Path Mode: This shows exactly where you’ve walked for the last 256 hours of gameplay. It is the only way to see which corners of the map you’ve accidentally ignored.
- Travel Medallions: These are the crown jewels. You can place a fast-travel point anywhere. Literally anywhere.
To get the Sensor +, you need to take pictures of five different monsters. If you’ve been lazy with your camera, just go hit a nearby forest. Grab a pic of a Red Bokoblin, a Slime, a Keese, maybe a Crow. Bring them back, and Robbie installs the upgrade. This is arguably the most useful tool for completionists.
The Travel Medallion Grind
Getting the Travel Medallion is a bit more of a trek. Robbie sends you all the way to the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. That’s the far northeast corner of the map. It's a long ride, and the lab has been taken over by the Yiga Clan.
✨ Don't miss: Daily Jumble in Color: Why This Retro Puzzle Still Hits Different
Be ready for a fight.
When you get there, you'll have to kick out two Yiga members. They aren't tough, but they're fast. Once they're gone, talk to the tailor they were holding captive (he’ll give you the Yiga Armor, which is a nice bonus). Open the chest in the corner to find the Prototype Medallion. Take that back to Robbie in Hateno.
He can actually give you up to three medallions. The first one is free after the Akkala trip. To get the second, you need to have mapped 10 regions. For the third, you need all 15 Skyview Towers activated. It sounds like a lot of work, and it is. But imagine being able to drop a fast-travel point right in front of a King Gleeok or at the top of a hard-to-reach sky island. It changes the game.
Hero’s Path: The Map Doesn't Lie
Robbie will give you Hero's Path mode once you've completed 15 shrines. By the time you're doing this quest, you probably already have 15. If not, go explore the Hateno backwoods for an hour.
Watching your Hero's Path for the first time is humbling. You’ll see exactly where you got lost, where you died ten times trying to climb a rainy cliff, and—most importantly—the massive gaps where you haven't explored. It’s essential for finding those hidden Korok seeds or the last few caves you missed.
🔗 Read more: Cheapest Pokemon Pack: How to Rip for Under $4 in 2026
Common Mistakes People Make in Hateno
Don't be the person who tries to brute-force the sensor. The sensor detects the location of the shrine, not the entrance. In Tears of the Kingdom, a huge number of shrines are underground. If your sensor is screaming but you're standing on flat grass, look for a hole. Look for a cave entrance 50 yards away.
Also, don't forget that Robbie sells pictures for your Compendium. If you missed a one-time boss photo or just can't find a specific sparrow, you can pay him 100 Rupees for a random photo. It’s a bit of a gamble, but when you’re at 99% completion, it’s worth every penny.
What to Do Next
Once you've finished the Hateno Village Research Lab quest and have your upgrades, the world opens up. Here is how you should actually use these tools:
- Set your Sensor + to Treasure Chests. If you’re exploring a new ruin, this will beep whenever there’s loot nearby. It’s a great way to find rare weapons.
- Drop a Travel Medallion at a Great Fairy Fountain. If you’re constantly upgrading armor, having a "home base" fast-travel point saves you minutes of jogging every single time.
- Check your Hero’s Path for "empty" circles. Go to the middle of those empty spots. There is almost always a Hinox, a Lynel, or a hidden cave waiting for you.
- Talk to the other villagers. Now that the lab is sorted, go help Mayor Reede and Cece with the election. It's one of the best-written side stories in the game and eventually unlocks the ability to lower your Hylian Hood—purely aesthetic, but you know you want it.
The lab isn't just a side quest. It's the moment you stop playing by the world's rules and start making the world play by yours.