Tears of the Kingdom Shrines Guide

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Samantha Valencia

Sam is a huge Zelda fan, from the retro top-down dungeon crawling days to the modern open-world adventures of today. She jumps at any new opportunity to visit Hyrule, and this love for all things Zelda makes her a great person to have around here at LoZ

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• Tears of the Kingdom Shrines Guide - June 9, 2023
• Tears of the Kingdom Lurelin Village Guide - June 3, 2023

One of the main aspects of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the many shrines incorporated throughout Hyrule. One does not simply play this game without completing at least a few dozen shrines. This gameplay staple carried over from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

These key locations are one of the most helpful aspects of the game. It also provides a fun activity once the main story has been completed. I spent numerous hours in the previous game going to various shrines. My time with Tears of the Kingdom has been – and will be – no different in this regard.

Exploring Hyrule by wandering around is one of my favorite activities when I play this game – and its predecessor.

After completing the story, sometimes I turn it on just to do random goals. This could be collecting a few Korok seeds, completing a few shrines, or even doing both for a map section to mark it as almost completely explored.

I like to refer to my style of gameplay as videogame tourism. I love taking my time, looking at the location designs (taking in the sights), and seeing what there is to explore and enjoy beyond the surface. While some games are limited for that kind of experience, the latest additions to The Legend of Zelda franchise have been perfect!

It makes me feel like an old-time explorer, wandering around and discovering new things. It is like being on an expedition because there is so much to discover and do in each map area. Not to mention the task of charting the map via Skyview Towers, to begin with!

Shrines are one of the best ways to continue the fun since their puzzles can be rather challenging and require some innovation on the player’s part.

Bottom Line Up Front

• Total Number of Shrines: 152
• Shrines on Hyrule’s surface: 120
• Shrines in Hyrule’s sky: 32

There are 152 shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. This is a slight increase from the number of shrines in The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, which had 120. The surface shrines have maintained the same count but are not in the same locations. It doesn’t matter how well you know the map of the previous game.

Nintendo has made it so players have to go hunting across the Kingdom of Hyrule all over again. Additionally, Link’s abilities to complete the various puzzles and challenges are different. This means players must find new ways to solve the newest game’s puzzles.

Why Are Shrines Important in the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

• Abilities
• Heart & Stamina Increases
• Fast Travel

Abilities

The first four shrines in this game are mandatory, giving Link four abilities to traverse Hyrule and save the kingdom again.

They are necessary for opening the door to the Temple of Time and kickstarting the broader story. The Temple and first four shrines are located on the Great Sky Island.

After completing three, the ghost of the first king of Hyrule, Rauru, will explain that a fourth is needed. These four shrines provide Link with the following abilities:

1. Ukouh Shrine – Ultrahand ability
2. In-isa Shrine – Fuse ability
3. Gutanbac Shrine – Ascension ability
4. Nachoyah Shrine – Recall ability

Lights of Blessing & Goddess Statues

Once this portion is complete, shrines are still very helpful. Completing each one rewards Link with a Light of Blessing.

Four Lights of Blessing can be presented to a Goddess Statue in exchange for a heart container or a stamina vessel (1/5 of a stamina wheel). There are thirteen Goddess Statues where Lights of Blessing can be exchanged:

1. The Temple of Time at Great Sky Island
2. The Emergency Shelter at Lookout Landing
3. Korok Forest
4. Rito Village
5. Gerudo Town
6. Goron City
7. Zora’s Domain
8. Lurelin Village
9. Tarrey Town
10. Tarrey Town #2 (after building Link’s house)
11. East Akkala Stable Well
12. Hateno Village
13. Kakariko Village

Fast Travel

Shrines are similar to Skyview Towers in that they are very handy for fast traveling around Hyrule. It is much easier to jump into different areas for quests and resources when shrines have been activated.

The best part for players at the beginning of the game is that shrines do not have to be completed to travel to. It is just necessary to activate them.

This means difficult shrines won’t impede your ability to effectively move from place to place. Using shrines to travel is particularly helpful when it comes to revisiting stables and when you have low stamina. Falling and gliding from Skyview Towers can only get you so far with an unenhanced stamina wheel.

How to Find New Shrines in the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

It can be difficult to find new shrines when first starting The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. These are some of my favorite methods thus far:

• Scope Scanning – When at higher vantage points, the glow of shrines can often be seen. I frequently use scopes on top of cliffs and sky islands to locate areas I haven’t been to yet. I mark them with a pin and then navigate to them once I get a chance or happen to be in that map area.
• Shrine Sensor – Once you’re further into the game and have done some of Josha’s quests in the Depths, Robbie will update the Purah Pad to activate a Shrine Sensor at the lab at Hateno Village. This lets players know when they’re near a shine. This can be very helpful when wandering around or going towards other objectives. I love when my sensor locates something I didn’t even know to look for close by.
• Shrine Quests – Some shrines are not visible. They have to be uncovered with a variety of puzzles and challenges. These quests are usually activated by interacting with various inhabitants across Hyrule.
• Cross-Referencing with the Depths – This is one of my favorite sneaky additions to the game. Exploring in the Depths reveals the ability to activate Lightroots. They provide light within the dark, Gloom-infested areas below Hyrule. However, they are also connected to the shrines. Each Lightroot is directly underneath a shrine. This means that if you find a shrine, you can find a Lightroot right where it would be in the Depths. The reverse is true: a Lightroot will be right under a Shrine. Cross-referencing the triple-layer map with the Surface and Depths portions will reveal these locations. This is not true of the shrines in the sky. The matching locations became exceptionally funny to me when I realized that each Lightroot has the name of a shrine, just spelled backward! For example, the Utsushok shrine in the Faron region corresponds with the Kohsustu Lightroot in the Depths.

Types of Shrines

With so many shrines to find, there are numerous puzzles and challenges to complete. However, there are only three major types of shrines:

1. Puzzle Shrines – These shrines present a challenge that has to be solved using Link’s abilities, items in the area, and players’ innovative thinking. Some puzzles are inside the shrine, and others must be completed outside to unveil the shrine!
2. Construct Shrines – These shrines feature Constructs that Link has to defeat. A few are tutorials for combat, but the end goal is the same: defeat the Construct(s).
3. Challenging Location Shrines – These shrines feature a “free” reward once activated and entered. This is because the challenge for them was GETTING to them in the first place. These include Shrine Quests and often Shrines labeled with Rauru’s Blessing.

How to Solve Puzzle Shrines

Puzzle shrines can often be tackled using one of the four primary abilities Link gained at the beginning of the game. Sometimes you have to fuse items together, and sometimes you have to reverse them in time. Other times you have to do a combination of these skills to move from one place to another.

The best part about this game – and the shrines especially – is that there are several ways to approach them. While you can’t pull out Zonai devices from your pockets to help, there are still often a lot of fun tricks that can be used.

There usually isn’t just one solution! I’ve gone through shrines using one technique, then watched my sister or boyfriend go through the same shrine at a later time completely differently.

Because we all think differently and have different gaming styles, this game has a lot of versatility for gamers of all ages. It’s possible to run straight through a puzzle shrine to get the Light of Blessing. It is also possible to linger and try to get every additional chest in the area.

From launching mine carts with rockets to charging batteries, there are literally hundreds of fun puzzles to address in a myriad of ways. Additionally, having no set order for shrines outside of the first four adds to our experiences since we have different tricks up our sleeves during our journey in Hyrule.

Rauru’s Blessing Shrines

These shrines are the ones in which getting to them or activating them in of themselves is the main challenge.

As a result, there will be no puzzle inside and instead it will say you have Rauru’s Blessing. These are some of my favorites for no real logical reason other than it feels good sometimes to just REACH a shrine and be rewarded for the journey.

Out of the total 152 shrines, 44 are Rauru’s Blessing. Some are Shrine Quests, they have been bolded in the list below:

Shrine Quests

Shrine Quests are specific challenges of differing types. Some of them require you to move a crystal to unlock the shrine.

For others, the challenge is in finding them – often thanks to NPC-provided clues. There are 31 total Shrine Quests. These don’t have additional puzzles to complete inside, as finding and activating them IS the challenge. Shrines that involve Shrine Quests have been italicized in the list below.

Labyrinth Shrines

There are only 3 Labyrinth shrines. These can only be reached by going into or completing the three labyrinths layered one atop the other on the world map (Surface, Sky, and Depths). While the Surface and Sky labyrinths aren’t difficult, the Depths labyrinth includes a Flux Construct fight that can be quite challenging.

Watching my younger sister engage in the battle during one of our many Zelda gaming sessions, I did not envy her. I’ll be hunting for other shrines before tackling that one, as I’m currently rather Flux Construct averse. By name, they are:

1. Mogisari
2. Tenbez
3. Siyamotsus

Shrines in Each Region of Hyrule

In organizing this list, I have begun with the first shrines encountered, which are mandatory. These are followed up by the rest of the Great Sky Islands’ shrines. The rest of the regions are listed alphabetically. Each shrine list is organized alphabetically, not by any regional location basis.

Great Sky Island (Beginning 4)

• In-isa Shrine
• Gutanbac Shrine
• Nachoyah Shrine
• Ukouh Shrine

Great Sky Island Shrines (28)

• Ga-ahisas Shrine
• Ganos Shrine
• Gikaku Shrine
• Igoshon Shrine
• Ijo-o Shrine
• Jinodok Shrine
• Jirutagumac Shrine
• Joku-u Shrine
• Joku-usin Shrine
• Josiu Shrine
• Kadaunar Shrine
• Kahatanaum Shrine
• Kumamayn Shrine
• Mayam Shrine
• Mayanas Shrine
• Mayasiar Shrine
• Mayaumekis Shrine
• Mogisari Shrine
• Natak Shrine
• Rakashog Shrine
• Sihajog Shrine
• Simosiwak Shrine
• Siyamotsus Shrine
• Taninoud Shrine
• Taunhuy Shrine
• Tenbez Shrine
• Ukoojisi Shrine
• Yansamin Shrine

Akkala Highlands (5)

• Domizuin Shrine
• Gitanisis Shrine
• Jochi-ihiga Shrine
• Mayachideg Shrine
• Rasitakiwak Shrine

Deep Akkala (7)

• Gemimik Shrine
• Igashuk Shrine
• Jochi-iu Shrine
• Kamatukis Shrine
• Kimayat Shrine
• Rasiwak Shrine
• Sinatanika Shrine

Eldin Mountain (4)

• Jiotak Shrine
• Mayak Shrine
• Minetak Shrine
• Sibajitak Shrine

Eldin Canyon (7)

• Isisim Shrine
• Kisinona Shrine
• Marakuguc Shrine
• Momosik Shrine
• Moshapin Shrine
• Sitsum Shrine
• Timawak Shrine

Faron Grasslands (3)

• Ishokin Shrine
• Joju-u-u Shrine
• Utsushok Shrine

Gerudo Canyon (2)

• Motsusis Shrine
• Turakamik Shrine

Gerudo Desert (9)

• Chichim Shrine
• Irasak Shrine
• Karahatag Shrine
• Kudanisar Shrine
• Mayatat Shrine
• Miryotanog Shrine
• Motusis Shrine
• Siwakama Shrine
• Soryotanog Shrine

Gerudo Highlands (7)

• Kitawak Shrine
• Mayamats Shrine
• Otutsum Shrine
• Rakakudaj Shrine
• Rotsumamu Shrine
• Suariwak Shrine
• Turakmik Shrine

Great Hyrule Forest (7)

• Kikakin Shrine
• Kiuyoyou Shrine
• Musanokir Shrine
• Ninjis Shrine
• Pupunke Shrine
• Sakunbomar Shrine
• Sikukuu Shrine

Hebra Mountains (10)

• Eutoum Shrine
• Mayaotaki Shrine
• Orochium Shrine
• Oshozan-u Shrine
• Otak Shrine
• Rutafu-um Shrine
• Sahirow Shrine
• Sisuran Shrine
• Tauyosipan Shrine
• Wao-os Shrine

Hyrule Field (18)

• Ishodag Shrine
• Jiosin Shrine
• Jojon Shrine
• Kamizun Shrine
• Kyokugon Shrine
• Kyononis Shrine
• Mayachin Shrine
• Ren-iz Shrine
• Riogok Shrine
• Sepapa Shrine
• Serutabomac Shrine
• Sinakawak Shrine
• Susuyai Shrine
• Tadarok Shrine
• Tajikats Shrine
• Teniten Shrine
• Tenmaten Shrine
• Tsutsu-um Shrine
• Yamiyo Shrine

Hyrule Ridge (7)

• Gasas Shrine
• Makurukis Shrine
• Runakit Shrine
• Sonapan Shrine
• Taki-ihaban Shrine
• Turakawak Shrine
• Usazum Shrine

Lanayru Great Spring (5)

• Apogek Shrine
• Ihen-a Shrine
• Joniu Shrine
• Mogawak Shrine
• Yomizuk Shrine

Lanayru Wetlands (4)

• Jonsau Shrine
• Kurakat Shrine
• Maoikes Shrine
• Tukarok Shrine

Mount Lanayru (3)

• Jikais Shrine
• Jogou Shrine
• Zakusu Shrine

Necluda

East Necluda (7)

• Adenamimik Shrine
• Bamitok Shrine
• Mararu-in Shrine
• Mayahisik Shrine
• Sifumim Shrine
• Tokiy Shrine
• Zanmik Shrine

West Necluda (9)

• En-oma Shrine
• Eshos Shrine
• Jiukoum Shrine
• Jochisiu Shrine
• Makasura Shrine
• Morok Shrine
• O-ogim Shrine
• Susub Shrine
• Utojis Shrine

Tabantha Frontier (6)

• Gatakis Shrine
• Ikatak Shrine
• Iun-orok Shrine
• Mayausiy Shrine
• Nouda Shrine
• Oromuwak Shrine

FAQs

Tears of the Kingdom Shrines Guide: Conclusion

Undertaking the task of activating and completing all of the shrines in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a major quest. It takes several hours, but filling up the map with each one has always felt fulfilling. I love experiencing and solving each puzzle. I also love being able to fast travel all around Hyrule with ease.

Like Pokémon, there are many to find – so go collect all 152! I find it one of the best ways to enjoy the Kingdom of Hyrule long after completing the story.

At least they’re bigger than Korok seeds! They’re a great way to stock up on weapons, increase hearts and stamina, and spend time away from the dangerous enemies wandering around Hyrule.