The Depths Guide — Full Underground Exploration

The Depths is TotK's underground layer — a mirror of the surface world covered in Gloom. With 1,000 km² of underground terrain and 120 Lightroots to find, it's the game's largest single zone and its most dangerous. This guide covers navigation, Gloom management, Zonaite farming, and the Depths' best rewards.

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Getting Into the Depths

Entry points: Every Chasm on the surface leads to the Depths.

• Chasms appear as dark holes in the ground, usually with Gloom seeping upward
• The first Chasm: Central Hyrule, near Hyrule Castle (tutorial-accessible)
• 120 Chasms total (one per Lightroot on the Depths floor below)

Landing: Use Paraglider when falling into a Chasm — chasms have significant depth. Without a Paraglider, you take massive fall damage. Glide to a safe rock or Lightroot platform on the way down.

Quick-return to surface: Open Map → Fast Travel to any surface location. The Depths has its own fast-travel grid via Lightroots.

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The Mirror Map System

The Depths is a geometric mirror of the surface:

• Every Surface location has a corresponding Depths position directly below
• Landmarks above = Depths hazards/terrain directly below
• Mountains above = elevated plateaus in the Depths below
• Rivers/lakes above = Gloom rivers in the Depths below

Practical navigation: If you need to find a specific Depths area, look at your surface map first. The Depths coordinates mirror surface coordinates exactly. Want to reach the Depths below Zora's Domain? Drop into the Chasm nearest Zora's Domain on the surface.

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Lightroots — Fast Travel Network

120 Lightroots are located directly below the 120 Shrines on the surface. Each Lightroot:

1. Activates a fast travel point in the Depths
2. Lights up a ring of terrain around itself (counteracts Gloom darkness)
3. Adds a dot to your Depths map section

Finding Lightroots:

• Surface shrine locations = Depths Lightroot directly below
• If you've activated all surface shrines, you know exactly where all 120 Lightroots are
• Depths map shows activated Lightroots as bright spots — dark areas = unexplored

Lightroot naming: Each Lightroot's name is the same letters as its mirror Shrine, but reversed (e.g., "Mayachideg Shrine" ↔ "Gedihcayam Lightroot").

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Gloom — Management & Healing

How Gloom Works

Gloom is the red-black substance covering the Depths floor. Contact:

• Removes Link's hearts permanently until healed (they go dark/red)
• Does NOT kill Link instantly — but Gloomed hearts can't be recovered by normal food
• If ALL hearts are Gloomed, the next hit is lethal

Gloom damage sources:

• Walking on Gloom-covered ground
• Gloom Hand attacks (the large spidery creatures)
• Gloom-infused weapon hits
• Phantom Ganon encounters

Healing Gloom Hearts

Sundelions — the only food item that restores Gloomed hearts:

• Found on Sky Islands (surface, not Depths) — yellow fluffy flowers
• Cook Sundelion-containing meals to restore Gloomed hearts
• Recipe: Sundelion + any hearty ingredient = Sunny Hearty meal (restores Gloomed + max hearts)

Lightroot proximity — Standing near an activated Lightroot does NOT heal Gloom hearts (common misconception). It only prevents new Gloom contact from the ground nearby.

Best Gloom management:

1. Cook 10+ Sundelion meals before a deep Depths run
2. Eat one immediately after taking Gloom damage — don't let dark hearts accumulate
3. Carry Sundelion Elixirs for emergencies (faster to use than meals mid-combat)

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Gloom Hands & Phantom Ganon

Gloom Hands appear in specific Depths locations — 5 large red hands that burst from the Gloom floor and attack as a unit.

Strategy:

• Fire Fruit arrows or Fire weapons deal bonus damage
• Distance fighting: Bomb Flower arrows from range before they close
• DO NOT let them grab Link (instant Gloom damage + stagger)
• After all 5 hands are defeated: Phantom Ganon spawns immediately

Phantom Ganon:

• Drops Phantom Ganon Armor, Sword, and Skull — set pieces
• Use Flurry Rush or Lynel-style dodge-counter strategy
• Weak to Light Dragon attacks (if you have dragon part weapons)
• Defeat Phantom Ganon for one of the game's better armor sets

Phantom Ganon Set bonus: Sneakstrike+ and increased stealth — useful for non-combat Gloom Hand bypass.

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Zonaite Farming

Zonaite is the Depths' primary resource — used for:

• Battery upgrades (100 Zonaite per Energy Well)
• Autobuild material (spawning saved builds)
• Traded for Crystallized Charges (which upgrade Energy Cell count)

Zonaite node types:

• Small green ore deposits — yield 1–3 Zonaite each
• Large glowing ore formations — yield 5–10 Zonaite
• Boss Constructs (Soldier/Captain/Commander) — drop 3–10 Zonaite + Zonai Devices

Best Zonaite farming approach:

1. Start at Central Depths Lightroot (nearest to Hyrule Castle)
2. Circle outward, mining every green glow on walls/floor
3. Kill any Construct enemies in path
4. Return to surface when inventory is full, then repeat

30-min circuit yield: ~150–250 Zonaite (depending on luck with node clusters)

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Construct Enemies

The Depths is populated primarily by Zonai Constructs — mechanical enemies built by ancient Zonai:

| Construct Type | Danger Level | Drops | |---------------|-------------|-------| | Soldier Construct I | Low | Zonaite, Zonai parts | | Soldier Construct II | Medium | More Zonaite, better parts | | Soldier Construct III | High | Large Zonaite, rare devices | | Captain Construct I–IV | Medium–High | Zonai Devices + Zonaite | | Commander Construct | Very High | Large Zonaite, Gold Tier drops | | Flux Construct I–III | Boss | Zonai Devices, Construct Cores |

Flux Constructs are the Depths mini-bosses. Each is a cube made of smaller blocks:

• Identify the glowing orange cube in its body — that's the weak point
• Use Ultrahand to grab and throw the glowing cube out of the formation
• Hit the exposed core repeatedly
• Each Flux Construct tier drops rare Zonai materials

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Hidden Depths Rewards

Autobuild Schematic Locations

Several rare Autobuild schematics are found only in the Depths:

• Instant Hoverbike blueprint buried near Great Abandoned Central Mine (must defeat the Flux Construct guarding it)
• Hoverbike II (improved) schematic in northern Depths near Eldin area

Bargainer Statue Network

Bargainer Statues in the Depths trade Poes for:

• Depths exclusive armor (Dark Tunic Set — increases Gloom resistance)
• Dark Hood, Dark Cloak, Dark Trousers (full set)
• Majora's Mask (Poe-exclusive cosmetic — reduces enemy aggro)
• Mystic Armor pieces (best Rupee-saving armor in game)

Poe farming: Poes appear as small glowing orbs near Gloom areas in the Depths. Collect them as you explore — don't need a special circuit, just pick them up while doing other Depths activities.

Underground Mines

Several named mine locations have massive Zonaite deposits + unique chests:

• Great Abandoned Central Mine — largest single mine; central navigation hub
• Abandoned Eldin Mine — north Depths, volcanic terrain below Death Mountain
• Abandoned Gerudo Mine — southwest Depths, accessible from Gerudo Chasms
• Each mine has a unique Autobuild schematic in a nearby chest

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Navigating Without Light

The Depths is dark beyond Lightroot zones. Light sources:

• Brightbloom Seeds — throw them to instantly light up a 10m radius. Best single item for Depths.
• Lantern (if available) — passive light
• Luminous Stone weapons — low glow but helps in tight spaces
• Activated Lightroots — natural light zones

Brightbloom Seed farming: Found in dark caves on the surface (glowing blue flowers on cave walls). Sky Islands have clusters. Stock 30+ before any serious Depths run.

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Depths Navigation Tips

• Follow the mirror map — surface landmarks directly above give you a mental map of what's below
• Lightroot → surface shrine: If you need a specific surface area fast, find its corresponding Lightroot in the Depths and teleport there, then rise to surface
• Gloom paths vs. non-Gloom paths: Most Depths floors are Gloom-covered but raised stone formations (ruins, pillars, mine floors) are Gloom-free. Stay on the stone
• Bring spare food: Depths runs go long; run out of healing and Gloom hearts stack up fast
• Don't underestimate Construct III enemies: They use Zonai weapons with fire/ice/shock effects — treat them like elite mini-bosses

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See also: Depths Survival Guide | Lightroots Guide | Gloom Guide