Lantern Caves Guide — Finding Every Secret Underground

Hyrule's caves are hidden beneath cliffs, behind waterfalls, and under ground entrances across every region. They contain Bubbulfrogs (tracked by Koltin), rare ore deposits, armor chests, Brightbloom mushrooms, and Korok seeds not found on the surface. This guide covers how to find caves, navigate them efficiently, and claim every reward.

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What Caves Contain

Bubbulfrogs: The main reason to clear caves. Each cave has one or more Bubbulfrogs — glowing blue frogs that drop Bubbul Gems when defeated. Koltin (at his balloon camp) exchanges Bubbul Gems for rare items including armor.

Chest rewards: Most caves have 1–3 chests with weapons, armor, rupees, or unique materials.

Ore deposits: Amber, Opals, Rubies, Sapphires, and Topaz clusters on cave walls. Higher-rarity gems appear more often in deeper or harder caves.

Brightbloom mushrooms: Wall mushrooms that glow. Harvest for Brightbloom Seeds (essential Depths lighting).

Koroks: Some Korok puzzles are cave-exclusive — require entering the cave to trigger.

Enemy camps: Some caves have small enemy groups — Keese clusters, Horriblins, Like Likes. Clear before looting.

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How to Find Caves

Visual indicators:

• Dark openings in cliff faces — climb to investigate
• Waterfalls — caves frequently hide behind waterfalls
• Ground cracks with downward slope — enter from above
• Blue glowing light from inside — often a Bubbulfrog nearby

Sensor+ (Sheikah Camera upgrade): After upgrading Sensor+ in the Purah Pad, set it to scan for a specific item (Bubbulfrog or rare ore). The sensor pings when a cave with that item is nearby. Most reliable cave-finder in the game.

Completion tracking: The Hyrule Map shows cave locations you've discovered (marked with a cave icon). Uncovered caves appear as open icons; cleared caves (Bubbulfrog defeated) update to a different state.

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Bubbulfrogs

What they are: Large glowing blue frogs found in each cave. Fight or stun → they drop Bubbul Gems.

Combat:

• Bubbulfrogs cling to cave walls and ceilings
• Jump off the wall toward Link periodically
• Arrow hit staggers them — they fall from wall
• Melee while on ground → quick kill
• Some Bubbulfrogs are accompanied by a Horriblin — deal with the Horriblin first

Bubbul Gem uses (Koltin exchange):

• Koltin appears at various balloon camps across Hyrule
• Exchange Bubbul Gems for armor pieces, rare materials
• Notable reward: Mystic Armor set (reduces Poe cost for Bargainer Statue purchases)

Tracking completion: Collect all Bubbul Gems → full armor set from Koltin + final reward. Total caves with Bubbulfrogs: 50–60 across all regions.

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Cave Hazards

Keese Clusters

Basic enemies in most caves. Group attacks can stagger Link repeatedly. Strategy: Arrow to one → fire/ice splash hits others.

Horriblins

Wall-crawling lizard enemies in mid-to-late game caves:

• They cling to ceilings — difficult to hit with melee
• Arrow hit → knock them off ceiling → melee on ground
• Groups of 3–4 are common — clear methodically

Like Likes

Round blob enemies that swallow shields:

• Avoid standing still — they extend and grab
• Arrow hit to the face → stagger → melee combo
• Critical: If a Like Like swallows your shield, kill it immediately to recover the shield

Cave Darkness

Deep caves go completely dark. Pre-equip:

• Brightbloom Seeds (throw to illuminate)
• Zonai Lantern (fused to shield or helmet) for continuous light
• Giant Brightbloom Seeds for larger coverage

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Region Cave Highlights

Eldin Region Caves

Eldin caves are often near lava — bring Flamebreaker Armor. Rewards include:

• Ruby and Topaz deposits (most common in volcano-adjacent caves)
• Fire-resistant gear chests
• Bubbulfrogs in lava-adjacent cave systems

Faron Caves

Faron rainforest caves contain:

• High-tier gem clusters (rare Opals near waterfalls)
• Bubbulfrogs in waterfall-hidden caves
• Korok puzzle caves (solve shape matching in the cave)

Lanayru Mountain Caves

High-altitude Lanayru caves:

• Sapphire deposits (ice caves)
• Cold resistance required (Snowquill Armor or cold-resist food)
• Lynel-adjacent caves sometimes have Lynel Horn drops in chests

Depths-Adjacent Caves

Caves near chasm entrances often contain:

• Gloom-resistant items in chests
• Brightcap mushrooms (Gloom elixir ingredient)
• Poe-adjacent Bargainer Statue inside some cave systems

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Efficient Cave Clearing Protocol

1. Enter → Brightbloom Seed to illuminate if dark
2. Identify Bubbulfrog → it glows blue, usually on ceiling or far wall
3. Clear enemy group → Horriblins or Keese first
4. Defeat Bubbulfrog → arrow to stagger, melee to finish → collect Bubbul Gem
5. Harvest Brightblooms → collect from walls for Depths supply
6. Open chests → all of them
7. Mine ore deposits → break with any weapon
8. Exit → fast travel out or climb back out

Average cave clear: 3–5 minutes for most medium caves.

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Quick Tips

• Behind every waterfall — this is literal. A significant percentage of caves are hidden behind waterfalls. When you see a waterfall, always swim or paraglide behind it to check.
• Sensor+ for Bubbulfrogs — set your Sensor+ to Bubbulfrog after photographing your first one. The sensor will alert when you're near a cave containing one.
• Horriblins: ceiling first — when entering a cave with Horriblins on the ceiling, shoot arrows up immediately before they can group attack. Knocking them all to the floor lets you melee them efficiently.
• Carry 10+ Brightbloom Seeds — deep caves go pitch black. Running through blind = walking into Like Likes or falling off ledges. Pre-stock from previous cave harvests.
• Bubbul Gems don't expire — collect at your own pace. Koltin doesn't disappear. There's no pressure to exchange immediately.

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See also: Bubbulfrog Guide | Cave Guide | Brightbloom Guide