Bubbul Gem Guide — Tears of the Kingdom

Bubbul Gems are rare collectibles dropped by Bubbulfrogs — glowing, gem-encrusted frogs found in caves, wells, mines, and dungeons throughout Hyrule. They are the currency for Koltin the merchant's unique upgrade shop, offering exclusive armor sets, dyes, and items unavailable anywhere else.

What Is a Bubbulfrog?

Bubbulfrogs are large frogs with glowing gem-covered skin that cling to cave ceilings and walls. They are not hostile — they hop away when approached and disappear if you take too long. Each Bubbulfrog drops one Bubbul Gem when defeated with any weapon. They do NOT respawn after a Blood Moon — each cave has exactly one Bubbulfrog, and it is permanently gone once killed.

How Many Bubbulfrogs Are There?

There are 147 Bubbulfrogs in Tears of the Kingdom — one per cave, well, or underground location. You cannot collect more than 147 total Bubbul Gems in a single playthrough. Plan your Koltin exchanges accordingly.

Finding Bubbulfrogs

Bubbulfrogs appear in:

• Surface Caves — crevices, gorge tunnels, and cliff-face openings throughout Hyrule
• Wells — each village well contains a Bubbulfrog
• Mines — Zora Mines, Goron Mines, and Akkala Ancient Tech Lab tunnels
• Shrines (hidden chambers) — some shrines have bonus cave areas with Bubbulfrogs
• Sky Island grottos — a few Sky Islands have small cave sections with Bubbulfrogs

Detection tip: Bubbulfrogs are visible by their soft green-gold glow in dark cave interiors. Enable the Sensor+ (set to Bubbulfrog) after unlocking the Purah Pad Upgrade at Hateno Village Tech Lab — it pings when you are within range of an unvisited one.

Koltin's Shop — All Rewards

Koltin travels between camps (initially found near Woodland Stable, then moves as you complete purchases). Trade Bubbul Gems to him in exchange for rare items:

| Gems | Reward | |------|--------| | 1 | Bokoblin Mask | | 2 | Moblin Mask | | 3 | Lizalfos Mask | | 4 | Lynel Mask | | 6 | Mystic Robe | | 9 | Mystic Trousers | | 12 | Mystic Headband | | 15 | Hinox Toenail | | 20 | Hinox Horn | | 25 | Hinox Guts | | 30 | Amber | | 35 | Opal | | 40 | Topaz | | 45 | Ruby | | 50 | Sapphire | | 55 | Diamond | | 60 | Phantom Armor Helmet | | 65 | Phantom Armor Chest | | 70 | Phantom Armor Greaves | | 80 | Bubbul Crystal (decorative — completes collection) |

The Mystic Set — Why It Matters

The Mystic Set (Robe, Trousers, Headband) is the primary reason to prioritize Bubbul Gem farming. It is the only armor set in the game that increases rupee drops from enemies when worn:

• Tier 1 (2★): Enemies drop extra rupees on kill
• Tier 2 (3★): Significantly more rupees per kill
• Full set bonus: Major rupee income multiplier — wearing the full set while farming Silver enemies or Lynels generates 3–5x more rupees per session than going without it

The Mystic Set costs 27 Bubbul Gems total (6 + 9 + 12). This is your first priority after the monster masks.

The Phantom Armor Set

The Phantom Armor (60–70 Gems) is a late-game reward providing extremely high base defense (28 per piece, 84 total) without requiring Great Fairy upgrades. It is the best non-upgradeable armor set in terms of raw defense. Useful for players who haven't fully upgraded their Great Fairy-compatible armor yet.

Caveat: The Phantom Armor set cannot be upgraded at Great Fairies — it stays at its base stats. This makes it a good interim set but inferior to a fully upgraded Phantom Ganon or Barbarian set at endgame.

Monster Masks — Combat Applications

| Mask | Effect | |------|--------| | Bokoblin Mask | Bokoblins ignore Link as neutral — no combat unless you attack first | | Moblin Mask | Moblins treat Link as a friendly — walk through camps undetected | | Lizalfos Mask | Lizalfos ignore Link — approach from any angle | | Lynel Mask | Lynels do not immediately attack — brief neutral window for a mounted approach |

Lynel Mask strategy: Equip the Lynel Mask before approaching a Lynel camp. You have a few seconds of neutral standing before the Lynel detects inconsistencies and goes aggressive. Use this window to close distance and attempt a sneak mount attack for free weapon hits.

Efficient Bubbulfrog Farming Routes

Route 1: Eldin Region (8 caves, ~25 min)

Start at Eldin Canyon Skyview Tower and work clockwise through:

1. Cephla Lake Cave
2. Deplian Badlands Cave
3. Tarangar Canyon (mine section)
4. Death Mountain Crater caves
5. Ordorac Quarry wells

Route 2: Necluda / Kakariko (7 caves, ~20 min)

1. Kakariko Village Well
2. Sahasra Slope Caves
3. Lantern Lake Cave
4. Rabella Wetlands Cave
5. Hateno Village Well
6. East Necluda Sea caves

Route 3: Depths Entry Points

All Depths wells have Bubbulfrogs accessible from the surface well entrances — enter, grab the frog, and warp out immediately. Fastest per-gem rate for wells.

Tips

• Complete cave-by-cave rather than targeting specific regions — the overworld cave density means systematic exploration is more efficient than trying to memorize individual locations
• Mark cleared caves with a skull map pin so you never re-check emptied locations
• The Sensor+ is essential — set it to Bubbulfrog and it will ping within 20m, preventing missed frogs in large cave systems
• Don't kill Bubbulfrogs with bomb flowers or fire — the instant-kill explosion sometimes prevents the gem drop. Use melee or arrows for reliable loot
• 147 is the cap — once you have 147 gems, you've cleared all caves. Trade everything to Koltin in a single session to maximize efficiency