You're standing at the Outskirt Stable, looking at the rain slicking off the wood. You check your quest log. It's not there. If you've spent hundreds of hours scouring Hyrule, you know that nagging feeling that something is just... gone. Most players hunting for Zelda Breath of the Wild Missing in Action are looking for a specific, somewhat buggy side quest that has a habit of vanishing from the map or failing to trigger. It's a classic "wait, where did he go?" moment that defines the more eccentric parts of Nintendo's masterpiece.
It’s frustrating. Truly. You want that 100% completion mark, but the NPC isn't where the wiki says he should be.
The Mystery of the Zelda Breath of the Wild Missing in Action Quest
Basically, this quest is given by a guy named Sesami. You find him at the Gerudo Canyon Stable. The premise is simple enough: his four friends were attacked by monsters near Koukot Plateau, and he—being a bit of a coward—ran away. Now he needs you to find them. But here is where the "missing" part kicks in. If you happen to clear the monsters or find the friends before talking to Sesami, the quest flags can get incredibly messy. Honestly, it’s one of the few times the game’s open-ended logic feels like it might actually break.
People often get confused because they see the "Missing in Action" title and assume it refers to a lost plot point or a deleted scene from the game's development. It isn't. It's an actual objective. You are looking for four specific guys: Oliff, Flaxel, Canolo, and Palme. They are literally "missing in action," perched on wooden platforms above the canyon floor, desperately waiting for a hero who isn't distracted by a nearby Korok seed.
Why does the quest disappear?
The physics and AI in Breath of the Wild are complex. Because the NPCs are "active" entities, they can sometimes fall off their designated platforms due to a physics glitch or a poorly timed explosion from a nearby ChuChu. If an NPC isn't on their platform, the quest marker might point to a patch of empty sand. It’s annoying. You've probably experienced this with other games, but in a world as polished as Hyrule, it feels like a personal betrayal.
Another reason you might think it's gone is the "Active Quest" limit. The game only displays a certain number of markers on the mini-map. If you have "Missing in Action" tracked alongside "Find the Fairy Fountain" and "Destroy Ganon," the icons start to overlap. Check your main menu. Scroll down. It's usually hiding behind a stack of Shrine quests you forgot you started three weeks ago.
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Tracking Down the Four Friends
Let’s get into the weeds of where these guys actually are. They aren't just standing around. They are trapped on those scaffolding-like structures built into the canyon walls.
- Oliff: Usually the first one people find. He's on a platform right near the road leading into the canyon. If you're coming from the Great Plateau, he’s hard to miss, but his AI sometimes freezes if you approach from the air instead of the road.
- Flaxel: She is tucked away on a higher ledge. If you don't look up, you'll walk right under her.
- Canolo and Palme: These two are further up the path toward the desert.
There is a weird quirk here. If you rescue them but don't go back to Sesami immediately, the quest doesn't "complete." It just sits there. You have to physically talk to the quest giver at the stable to clear it from your log. If you teleport away to go fight a Lynel, you might forget where you left off.
Development or "Missing" Content?
Sometimes when people search for Zelda Breath of the Wild Missing in Action, they are actually looking for the "lost" content—the stuff Nintendo cut. We know from the "Creating a Champion" art book that there were entire concepts that never made it. There was a giant mechanical divine beast that looked like a crab. There were rumors of a "Windbound" island that got scrapped.
But for the most part, "Missing in Action" is just a testament to how the game handles multi-part objectives. Unlike a standard "kill X monsters" quest, this one requires the game to track five different NPCs across a vertical environment. It’s a lot of data for the Switch (and especially the Wii U) to juggle. Sometimes the game just gives up and resets their positions to the stable.
How to Fix a Glitched Quest Log
If the quest is truly missing from your log, or if Sesami won't talk to you, there are a few "Nintendo-style" fixes.
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First, sit at a campfire until the next morning. This forces the game to reload the NPC positions. It’s the oldest trick in the book, yet it works about 90% of the time. If that fails, you might need a Blood Moon. The Blood Moon doesn't just respawn enemies; it acts as a global "garbage collection" for the game's memory. It clears out physics objects and resets NPC states.
Honestly, the most common "fix" is just realizing you've already saved two of the friends and the quest name has moved to a different part of your list. It's not a bug; it's just a slightly clunky UI.
The Hidden Difficulty of the Canyon
The Gerudo Canyon is a nightmare for this quest because of the temperature changes. You start the quest at the stable where it’s temperate, but by the time you find Palme, you’re either freezing or burning. Most players get frustrated and leave. Then they come back ten hours later and can't remember why there are three guys standing on a bridge looking at them expectantly.
Expert tip: Use the Stasis+ rune. If you're looking for the missing friends, trigger Stasis. It highlights NPCs and interactable objects in yellow. In the dusty, brown-and-orange haze of the canyon, those yellow silhouettes are a godsend. You can spot a trapped friend from across the ravine.
The Bigger Picture of BotW Completionism
Zelda Breath of the Wild is a game of 76 side quests. "Missing in Action" is often cited as the 75th or 76th quest for completionists because it's so easy to miss the trigger. You have to walk—not ride—into the Gerudo Canyon Stable area to ensure Sesami's dialogue triggers correctly. If you're zooming past on a horse or paragliding in from the cliffs above, the game might not register your presence.
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It’s these little nuances that make the game feel alive, but also incredibly finicky.
If you are looking at your screen right now and the quest is definitely not there, check your "Completed" list. Scroll all the way to the bottom. Sometimes we finish things without realizing it, especially in the chaos of a monster ambush. The reward for this quest isn't even that great—just some food or a low-level mineral—but the peace of mind of a clean quest log is priceless.
Actionable Steps for the "Missing" Quest
If you are stuck right now, follow these steps exactly. Don't skip.
- Teleport to the Kay Noh Shrine right next to the Gerudo Canyon Stable.
- Talk to Sesami. If he isn't there, sit at the cooking pot until noon.
- Run (don't ride) west into the canyon. Use Stasis+ every 50 yards.
- Check the wooden scaffolding. There are usually Bokoblins guarding the friends. You must kill the enemies for the NPC to recognize they are "saved."
- Talk to each friend. They will disappear in a puff of smoke (the classic Zelda "I'm going home now" animation).
- Return to Sesami. This is the part everyone forgets. He won't hunt you down; you have to go to him.
If the quest still isn't appearing, you likely haven't triggered the prerequisite dialogue. Some quests in Breath of the Wild require you to have spoken to certain NPCs in the nearby town—in this case, Gerudo Town—before the world-state allows the quest to spawn. While "Missing in Action" is generally available early, try advancing the main "Divine Beast Vah Naboris" line just a few steps to refresh the area's NPC pool.
The reality of Zelda Breath of the Wild Missing in Action is that it’s a tiny story about cowardice and friendship hidden in a massive, overwhelming world. It’s easy to lose track of, but it’s always there, waiting for you to look up at the canyon walls.