Merukaij Shrine — Fire the Cannon

Location: Central Hyrule, south Hyrule Field Coordinates: (-1024, -0812, 0018) Type: Puzzle Shrine Difficulty: Medium

Overview

Merukaij Shrine is a Zonai cannon and trajectory puzzle — Link must construct and aim cannon-based devices to hit distant targets and smash barriers. The shrine introduces the Zonai Cannon as a primary tool: a device that fires stone balls at high velocity, capable of breaking walls, activating switches, and creating pathways. Trajectory calculation is the core skill — adjusting cannon angle and charge time to hit targets at varying distances. A rewarding medium-difficulty shrine for players who enjoy the engineering and aim aspects of TotK's toolkit.

Preparation

• Ultrahand for repositioning and angling cannon devices
• Basic understanding of projectile trajectory — higher angle = longer range
• No weapons or armor special requirements inside the shrine
• Flamebreaker or general combat gear for the Central Hyrule exterior approach
• Bring food for heart restoration — enemy camps between shrines in Central Hyrule are active

Walkthrough

Step 1: Basic Cannon Shot

The first room has a Zonai Cannon on a fixed mount and a destructible stone barrier blocking the far door. Aim the cannon at the barrier by adjusting the mount angle with Ultrahand — rotate the mount to point the cannon barrel directly at the barrier. Interact with the cannon to fire: a stone ball launches and smashes the barrier. Gate opens.

Step 2: Elevated Target

The second room has a target switch on a ledge 4 meters above the cannon's fixed position. Angling upward with the fixed mount isn't sufficient. Use Ultrahand to detach the cannon from the mount entirely and reposition it on an elevated surface (a stone block to the left provides the height). From the elevated position, the cannon's upward angle is achievable, and firing hits the elevated switch. Gate opens.

Step 3: Moving Target Intercept

The third room has a target that moves laterally on a track — it slides left to right across the far wall at steady speed. The cannon must be fired when the target will be at the exact impact point when the ball arrives. With the cannon pre-aimed at the track's center, fire at the moment the target is passing the leftmost third of its path — the ball's travel time places it at center track when the target arrives. The timing window is approximately 0.4 seconds — fast enough to require 1-2 practice shots.

Step 4: Double Barrier

The final section has two stone barriers in sequence, each needing a separate hit. One cannon fires in one direction only. After breaking the first barrier, use Recall on the fired stone ball — it reverses trajectory, flies back through the first barrier's now-open gap, and strikes the second barrier from the opposite side. Both barriers down, gate opens.

Step 5: Altar

The altar is accessible through the final gate. Collect your Light of Blessing. The chest near the altar contains a Cannon Device Capsule — a portable Zonai Cannon for external construction projects.

Tips

• Detaching the cannon from its mount in Step 2 is the key insight — cannons are not always fixed
• Moving target timing in Step 3: fire early to account for travel time; the ball is not instantaneous
• Recall on the stone ball in Step 4 is a precise application — the ball must still be in motion when Recall is triggered
• Cannons can also be used with Autobuild to recreate configurations in the overworld
• Central Hyrule's flat terrain makes cannon-based vehicles (ball-launching combat platforms) particularly effective

Nearby Points of Interest

• Lookout Landing — northeast, main hub for quests and Purah's upgrade services
• Hyrule Field Stable — south, nearest stable with cooking facilities and rest
• Coliseum Ruins — west, major overworld fight arena with Lynel and elite enemies
• Hyrule Ridge — northwest, leads toward Rito Village and Hebra region

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Chest Summary

| # | Contents | Location | |---|----------|----------| | 1 | Cannon Device Capsule | Near the altar in the final chamber after completing all cannon puzzles. |

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Part of the Central Hyrule Shrine Guide — Tears of the Kingdom shrine walkthroughs on Hyrule Archive.