Must

Let's visit some caves to find worthy loot in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!

A network of caves spans beneath the surface of Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, with over 140 caves hidden behind boulders, on hillsides, and underwater. To locate these caves, you should offer a piece of fruit to a Satori cherry blossom tree, or follow Blupees on the road that can point you in the right direction.

Related: Best Armor Sets In The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Ranked

Caves are a source of materials, armor pieces, and Bubbul gems, which you can exchange for items at Koltin’s shop. Since might be busy completing all the shrines and rounding up the Koroks instead of exploring underground, here are the ten caves you won’t want to miss.

Located in Faron, the Pagos Woods Excavation Site is the ideal place to stock up on charges to power your Zonai Devices. Deep inside the cave, you will find a laser puzzle where you can use Ultrahand to pick up the miscellaneous items on the shelves and place those items to obstruct each laser's path.

Once you do this for all three lasers, the door will open to a chest with a Large Zonai Charge. The neighboring cave, the Finra Woods Excavation Site, contains another Large Zonai Charge, so you can hit both sites at the same time.

South of Talonto Peak in the Hebra Mountains, this cave is perfect for farming Chillshrooms to cook into dishes that keep you warm. Verla, one of the Rito, stands outside and requests ten Chillshrooms, which you can find inside the cave, for the side quest Crossing the Cool Pool.

Along with Chillshrooms, inside there are gems, Brightbloom seeds, Ice Fruits, Brightcaps, and of course, a Bubbulfrog, so you just have to cross a frozen river if you want to collect all the materials.

A large hole lies in the middle of the Calora Lakefront Cave in the east of Faron. Before you drop down, destroy the nearby wall with the bomb barrels in front of it. Behind, there is a Bubbulfrog and a couple of mining spots.

The Eldest Hinox Brother sleeps at the bottom of the cave. Defeat it with arrows to the eye and bomb barrels for a handsome reward in the form of meat, Hinox drops, and Knight’s weapons. You can also find bomb flowers, brightcaps, giant brightbloom seeds, and cave fish.

East Biron Snowshelf Cave in the Hebra Mountains has two entrances: one east and one west of the snowshelf, and regardless of how you enter, you will find a Bubbulfrog here. After you clear the Wind Temple, you can complete the side quest The Duchess Who Disappeared.

Related: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - How To Complete The Duchess Who Disappeared

In the middle of the cave, the shield-surfer Selmie will be waiting, and when you speak to her, she will return to the cabin Selmie’s Spot. When you next visit her lodge, she will reward you with a Strong Zonaite Shield.

There are three caves here: Popla Foothills Exploration Cave, Sahasra Slope Cave, and Meadela’s Mantle Cave. Each one grants access to one of the Popla Foothills Skyview Tower, where there is a well with the NPC Elmerson trapped at the bottom. To rescue Elmerson and activate the tower, circle the well to find boulders blocking the entrance to the Exploration Cave.

You can break them with a bomb flower or rock-fused weapon, and once you're inside, there is a chest on the left that you can reach by moving it with Ultrahand onto the switch on the other side of the cell bars. Take the path on the right to find the Bubbulfrog and defeat it for a Bubbul gem.

The Climbing Gear can be found in the North Hyrule Plain Cave, which is located southwest of North Hyrule Plain. When you come across the NPC Meeshy in a mushroom dress or other travelers in clothes designed by Cece, they will either mark or hint at Misko’s Treasure locations, or caves with powerful armor pieces.

Related: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Best Dressed Characters

On your way north to New Serenne Stable, turn right before arriving at the stable to find the cave on a hill. To complete the set, you will have to journey to the Upland Zorana Byroad cave for the Climbing Boots and the Ploymus Mountain Cave for the Climber’s Bandana.

You need to pass through certain caves to reach the shrine there. For example, in Eldin, the Isle of Rabac Gallery leads you to the Jiotak Shrine, and to get there, you will need to take a fan-fused minecart.

Making your way to the end of the cave additionally requires flameproof gear, defeating Fire Keese, and riding along the rails over the lava. Thankfully, by the time you reach the shrine, you need only to walk right in to obtain a Magic Staff and a Light of Blessing.

The Tamio River Downstream Cave is located at the end of the Tamio River, and if you are coming from upstream, you will see a Blupee across the water on a strip of land that leads to a cave. Two Horriblins obstruct the entrance of the cave but will drown if they land in the water below, so take them out with arrows.

In the next room, the chest with the Phantom Armor is on your right. It is possible to defeat the Gloom Hands below with bomb flowers or weapons from higher ground, but the easier option is to glide down and take the path on the right up to the chest.

At the southeast corner of the map is the beautiful island of Eventide. To access the Marari-in Shrine, you should complete the Seeking the Pirate Hideout side quest that you can trigger by talking to Sesami, who asks you to take out the Bokoblins at the pirate hideouts on the island.

After, you can reach the cave’s entrance via the pirate ship and either defeat the enemies aboard or sneak past them with the Bokoblin Mask equipped. Then, build a bridge with Ultrahand to traverse deeper into the cave, and the Marari-in Shrine rewards you with a Light of Blessing.

The final cave is home to one Stone Talus, valuable materials, and the Barbarian Amor. East of Hyrule Castle to the right of the Boneyard Bridge, this cave is accessible early on and can be mined for flint and luminous stones. Inside the cave, a Stone Talus will emerge from the ground, and it'll drop stones, gems, and a Talus Heart that you can fuse to your weapon of choice.

The Crenel Hills Cave chest yields the Barbarian Amor. Meanwhile, the Barbarian Leg Wraps can be found in the Walnot Mountain Cave, and the Barbarian Helm in the Robred Dropoff, so visit all three caves to complete the Barbarian Armor set, and Link will look fierce, covered in war paint.

Next: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Most Interesting Wells

Victoria is a List Writer at TheGamer. Since she picked up Harvest Moon: Island of Happiness in 2007, she has been a fan of RPGs. Her palate has expanded to favor FPS and action-adventure games, and her favorite video game franchises are Final Fantasy and The Legend of Zelda.