Ancient Ruins Guide — Exploring Hyrule's Oldest Secrets

TotK's ancient ruins span three civilizations: the Zonai (builders of the temples and sky structures), the Hyrulean royal family (Hyrule Castle and surrounding settlements), and the ancient Sheikah (minimal TotK presence vs. BotW). Each ruin type holds unique lore, chests, armor, and secrets. This guide covers the most important sites and what they contain.

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Hyrule Castle Ruins

Location: Central Hyrule, directly north of Lookout Landing

What happened: Hyrule Castle is partially destroyed and floating due to the Upheaval. The structure is unstable, partially airborne, and surrounded by Gloom.

Why visit:

• Multiple high-value chests (Royal weapons, rare materials)
• King Gleeok encounter (top platform — optional but rewarding)
• Significant story lore (Zelda's memory locations)
• Access to secret chambers beneath the castle

Castle Approach Routes

Route 1 — Surface Ascent:

• Approach from the south (Lookout Landing)
• Climb the outer wall from the surface entrance
• Many enemies on the walls (Bokoblins, Lizalfos) — stealth or fight through

Route 2 — Sky Approach:

• Hoverbike to altitude above the castle
• Land on the floating top sections
• Fewer enemies, access to the King Gleeok encounter directly

Route 3 — Underground (Hyrule Castle Town Ruins):

• Drop into the chasm beneath the castle ruins
• Depths approach — reach the underbelly of the castle structure
• Contains unique Depths chests not accessible from above

Castle Chests

Notable chest locations:

• Royal Guard Claymore: Inside the castle armory section (upper floors)
• Royal Guard Bow: Throne room approach corridor
• Hylian Shield: Basement dungeon route — locked behind an encounter
• Various Royal weapons: Scattered through mid-level corridors

Hylian Shield: The best shield in TotK. Found in the castle dungeon section — requires navigating through Gloom-corrupted floors and defeating a challenge room. Worth getting for the shield's 90 guard power and near-indestructible durability.

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Zonai Temple Ruins

Locations: Scattered across Hyrule — often near major shrines or underground

Types:

• Sky Ruins: Remnants of Zonai sky architecture on sky islands (Temple of Time, various platforms)
• Surface Ruins: Ground-level stone foundations, pillars, and gates
• Depths Ruins: Massive underground Zonai structures, often near Lightroots

Temple of Time (Great Sky Island)

The most significant Zonai structure. Originally the site where Link awakens — now the primary source of the four ability shrines.

Post-main-quest significance:

• Multiple Korok seeds hidden in the structure's exterior
• Ruins extend further than the tutorial area shows
• Sky island extension east of the temple has chests

Zonai Ruins (Hyrule Surface)

Stone arch ruins scattered throughout:

• Akkala Zonai Ruins: Several stone arches with chests tucked inside
• Lanayru Zonai Ruins: Near the Lanaryu region center — large ruin cluster
• Faron Zonai Ruins: Hot spring adjacent ruins with rare gear

Common finds: Amber, Opals (embedded in ruin walls), Construct arm materials, Zonai Charge deposits

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Dragon Lore Sites

Naydra (Ice dragon): Circles Mount Lanayru area

• Lanayru Spring: Location of Naydra's origin story
• Shrine beneath the spring (unlocked via the spring blessing)
• Naydra visible from the peak at dawn

Farosh (Lightning dragon): Circles Faron and Necluda regions

• Floria River area: Historical connection, visible daily
• Spring of Courage: Farosh's blessing location

Dinraal (Fire dragon): Circles Eldin

• Akkala Highlands approach: Best Dinraal sighting point
• Spring of Power: Dinraal origin site

Sella (Light dragon): Flies high altitude across all regions

• Highest altitude dragon — only reachable via hoverbike at max altitude
• Unique Dragon Part drops — guaranteed critical hit on any recipe

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Sheikah Ruins

Shrines: Though functional, the shrines are Zonai in TotK (unlike BotW's Sheikah). Limited Sheikah presence.

Kakariko Village ancestral shrines:

• Kakariko is historically Sheikah — the village layout reflects their culture
• Two shrines adjacent to Kakariko contain Sheikah-adjacent lore memories
• Ring Ruins above Kakariko: Central Upheaval mystery location

Ring Ruins (Above Kakariko)

Sky island formation directly above Kakariko Village:

• Site of the dragon's tear memory scene involving Zelda
• Malanya Spring adjacent (Great Fairy of horses)
• Multiple chests in the ring structure

Access: Climb the cliff face east of Kakariko → ascend to the rings → or hoverbike.

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Ancient Armor and Gear

Ruins often contain ancient gear:

| Item | Location | Why Get It | |------|---------|-----------| | Hylian Shield | Hyrule Castle dungeon | 90 guard — best shield | | Royal Guard Claymore | Hyrule Castle armory | High attack, great Fuse base | | Ancient Blade | Various ruin chests | Unique Fuse material — one-shots enemies | | Archaic Tunic | Great Sky Island chest | Historical gear, lightweight |

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Exploration Tips for Ruins

Look up: Ruins always have higher levels. The best chests are on rooftops, upper floors, or in alcoves that require climbing.

Look behind pillars: Chest placement in TotK ruins is frequently behind pillars or in recessed wall sections — not in open areas.

Gloom areas in ruins: Gloom-corrupted ruin floors (Hyrule Castle especially) require either walking through with Sundelion food, using hover-jumping techniques to avoid ground contact, or Ascend from below to bypass them.

Recall rock method for closed areas: If a chest room is sealed by a mechanism you can't see — look for a rolling stone or boulder with recent movement path. Recall it → the path may reveal a switch or open a door.

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Quick Tips

• Hylian Shield is worth the castle run — Hyrule Castle's dungeon route is hazardous (Gloom, strong enemies) but the Hylian Shield is the best shield in TotK. Plan for a dedicated castle run with Sundelion meals and strong weapons.
• Ruins have chests at every level — don't clear ruins on ground level and move on. Climb to every level, check every alcove. The most valuable chest in most ruin clusters is always in the highest or most hidden position.
• King Gleeok = castle summit — the King Gleeok encounter on top of Hyrule Castle is optional but drops King Gleeok Horn (best Gleeok Fuse material). Accessible via hoverbike approach to the summit.
• Akkala Zonai Ruins for materials — the Akkala ruins cluster has abundant Zonai material drops from Constructs and Forge Constructs. Good early-to-mid game materials stop before you farm Depths Zonaite.
• Dragon sites for lore context — if you're following the story, visit the Spring of Power (Dinraal), Spring of Courage (Farosh), and Lanayru Spring (Naydra) in order. Each spring has a memory associated with the dragon and Zelda's story.

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See also: Hyrule Castle Guide | Dragons Guide | Depths Exploration Guide