The Isolated Plateau - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Guide - IGN (2024)

Welcome to IGN's Walkthrough for the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This page contains information on the second main quest - The Isolated Plateau.

Breath of the Wild is a very open-ended game, a first for the series. As such, the guide below is just one of many possible ways you can experience the game. We recommend you take time to explore the world at large in-between the main objectives you are given.

The Old Man's Task

Video Guide: The Isolated Plateau (Shrine Oman Au)

Once you have completed the task to Follow the Sheikah Slate, you'll witness a scene from Hyrule Castle, and learn your true goal - to stop Ganon at any cost.

00:01 Climbing down from the Resurrection Tower, you'll spot the Old Man floating down on a neat little contraption. After speaking with him, he'll note that the only way down off the Great Plateau is with the Paraglider he owns. However, he won't just hand it over for nothing. He wants something in return - something that resides in four Shrines that have opened up around the Great Plateau area. Only by seeking out and conquering these shrines can you get 4 Spirit Orbs to trade with him for the Paraglider.

At this point, where you go and how you attempt these shrines is largely up to you. There's a lot to explore here, enemies to fight, treasure chests to open, and much more. This walkthrough will give you the most direct route to each shrine and how to complete them.

Shrine Oman Au

02:10 One of the first shrines you can undertake is pointed out to you by the Old Man. It's located just North of the Resurrection Tower, just across a broken bridge and small pond.

06:50 Entering the Shrine you'll see a large locked gate before you, and several metal tiles on the floor. To the left of the gate is a pedestal you can place your Sheikah Slate on to gain access to the Magnesis Rune. With this rune, you'll be able to manipulate metallic objects found both in the shrine and in the world at large.

07:40 Using the Rune, target the metal plates in the middle of the room to lift them off the floor to reveal a path below the gate. Follow the path along the water to climb stairs to the other room. Here you'll find a large stone wall blocking your path, but checking your Magnesis Rune you'll find one of the blocks is in fact metal. Wrangle it with the rune to push aside the blocks creating a new path.

08:40 On the other side of this path lurks a Mini Guardian. While not as imposing as the larger Guardians, this Mini Guardian can still deal major damage with its timed laser blast. Use the metal block as cover - at which point you can take it out either with your weapon, or by using the Magnesis Rune to send the block crashing into the Mini Guardian, or even shove it off into the water below causing it to explode.

09:05 With the defenses gone, cross the metal slab onto the next platform - though the platform beyond has no bridge. You can use the Magnesis Rune again to drag the plate from behind you to form a new path ahead. If you fall off into the water below - note that the walls are too smooth to climb, so you'll have to create a bridge up using the slab.

09:16 Note: If you look to the left, you can spy a chest high up on a platform. There's no feasible way to get to it - but why not bring the chest to you? Since it's made of metal, you can target it with the Magenesis Rune and bring it down to you, where you can open it for a Traveler's Bow.

09:35 In front of you lurks the last defense - a large metal door. Noting the marks on the floor, pull - don't push - the doors open, and speak with the monk Oman Au to complete the shrine and gain a Spirit Orb.

Shrine Ja Baij

Video Guide: The Isolated Plateau (Shrine Ja Baij)

Shrine Ja Baij is located in the Eastern area of the Great Plateau, just to the South of the Resurrection Tower in the Eastern Abbey ruins. You can make your way there from the previous Shrine by either heading down past the tower into the side of the ruins, or back towards the Temple of Time to spot the abbey below.

It is guarded by a half-functioning Guardian that cannot move but will shoot its laser for an extreme amount of damage. Since the shrine is located in an enclosed area behind it, you can either sneak past the Guardian and climb the walls, or trick the Guardian into blasting the walls apart.

As you enter the Shrine, you'll find a large sealed wall in front of you at the end of a slope. The cracks in the wall imply it can be destroyed - but you need something to do that with. Look for the pedestal on the left and place the Shiekah Slate to gain the ability to use Remote Bombs.

These bombs - that come in both sphere and cube form - can be placed and detonated at any time, although there is a small delay between detonation and being able to place a new bomb. Spherical bombs are great for throwing or rolling down slopes, while cubic bombs are better suited to precise locations where you need the bomb to stay. Place one at the end of the ramp to break the wall leading to a hallway.

Note: From the hallway, take a right first to find another small sealed and cracked wall. Detonate a bomb here to find a hidden alcove where a chest lies that holds a Traveler's Sword.

Look for two large cracked stones on the left and detonate a bomb next to them to reveal a ladder going back up. Up in the next room you'll find a moving platform that crosses a small gap over to a sheer wall with cracked stones. Since you can't place a bomb at the foot of the wall, you'll need to place a Cube Bomb at the end of the moving platform and wait back on the other side until the bomb is in place to blow it up.

The next area is large and may look a little confusing. Small ramps lead to funnels that end up on slanted platforms with blocks that will burst out forcefully. Head up onto the platform on the right next to the first funnel, and place a Sphere Bomb into the funnel, which will place it on a ramp that gets shotput over to the other side - on top of a cracked stone blocking a ladder you can reveal by detonation.

Note: Over on the opposite side are two more giant blocks that extend and retract. Stand on the furthest one to get launched to the other side of the pit where you can find a chest holding a Soldier's Bow.

Now you can jump into the pit and climb the ladder on the far side to reach the monk Ja Baij to get the next Spirit Orb.

Shrine Owa Daim

Video Guide: The Isolated Plateau (Shrine Owa Daim)

One of the next shrines you can go to is located in Southern area of the Great Plateau, up at the top of a steep cliff at the southeastern side of Mount Hylia.

You can either climb up the hills behind the Temple of Time, or climb up from the cliffs near the farm house on the southern tip of the region - You'll have to cross a small ravine by chopping down a tree, then climb up the cliff face on the other side, using the small platforms along the way up to catch your stamina.

Note that if you take the route behind the Temple of Time, you'll be crossing into icy territory, and Link won't be able to survive long on his own. Look for a patch of Spicy Pepper by the archway leading to the frozen tundra, and either eat or cook them to gain temporary cold resistance as you trek to the shrine.

Entering the shrine you'll find it to be almost clockwork in its design - with many moving parts and gears moving platforms in a large hall. In particular the moving platform ahead will move too rapidly for you to cross - so inspect the pedestal to the left with your Sheikah Slate to obtain the Stasis Rune.

Using this rune, you can freeze certain objects - either to stop moving parts from advancing, or to build up momentum on an object when Stasis is released.

Using the Stasis Rune, target the large gear on the left and freeze it when the platform that it's spinning is straight, and run across.

Be wary as you move into this next section, as the hall up ahead is configured to launch giant boulders down a ramp - and will smack into you and likely toss you over the ledge. Instead, wait for one to pass and start moving up, and ready your Stasis Rune to freeze the next boulder that drops further up - letting you run up the path and to the side as the boulder resumes.

Note: As the boulder passes you, freeze it again with the Stasis Rune and continue running up the slope past where the boulder drops to reach a higher platform where a treasure chest awaits.

From the first platform, take a left to find a stationary boulder blocking the path. Nearby, look for a Iron Sledgehammer and equip it. Now, use the Stasis Rune on the boulder and start smacking it with your sledgehammer. You'll note that while in Stasis, the boulder is building momentum signaled by an increasing arrow the more you hit it. When Statis breaks, the boulder will launch into the air, revealing the path.

Cross the bridge and speak to Monk Owa Daim to gain your next Spirit Orb.

Shrine Keh Namut

Video Guide: The Isolated Plateau (Shrine Keh Namut)

The final Shrine located in the Western area of the Great Plateau, up at the top of Mount Hylia, just South of where Hylia River flows into a waterfall leaving the plateau. There's several ways to get up to the shrine from around Hylia River - like using a Deku Leaf to cross on a raft, or hiking up South of the Temple of Time - but you'll either need spicy food like Spicy Pepper or warm clothing to survive the cold.

Be sure to stop by the very top of Mount Hylia, where you should come upon the Old Man, who will give you a Quilted Tunic so you won't have to keep shoving peppers down your mouth.

Entering the Shrine, you'll find the way forward out of reach on a high ledge below a pool of water. Instead, look for a pedestal to the left an use your Sheikah Slate to gain the Cryonis Rune. This rune can be used to create blocks and platforms made of ice from any pool of water.

Now with the rune, use the Cryonis power to create a platform in the pool of water to jump up and onto the ledge.

The gate blocking the player's path in the next section can be raised by creating an ice pillar directly beneath the gate - pushing up the block to open the gate.

On the other side of the gate, a Mini Guardian waits for you. Not as imposing as the larger variants, but the laser blasts can still sting. You can engage it, shoot with arrows, and also create blocks of ice to use as cover.

The final section of the trial can be cleared by placing an ice pillar beneath either side of the raised platform allowing the player to reach the raised level.

Note: After climbing up to the upper platform, look to the right of the stairs to the Monk. There's a chest hiding in an alcove - and you can place an ice platform to jump to to let you cross to the treasure chest.

Cross the bridge up to Monk Keh Namut. There, the player can talk to Ke Numut who gives you a Spirit Orb.

Return to the Old Man

Video Guide: The Isolated Plateau

Once you have completed all four shrines, the Old Man will appear before you again, but before you can claim your reward, he will ask that you find him where the four shrines cross on the map. Looking at your map, all four shrines seem to converge around the area of the Temple of Time - so head over there.

If you haven’t already, be sure to check long the right as you enter the ruined temple to find a chest. At the far end, a large statue is now glowing. Pray before the statue to finally find the use for the Spirit Orbs: You can now trade in four orbs at a time to either gain one Heart Container or Stamina Gauge.

After doing so, the Old Man will call down to you from the roof if you haven’t found him already. Head out the side of the ruined temple to find a long ladder on the side of the building, and climb to the roof. In the tower, you’ll find the Old Man waiting for you - ready to tell you the truth of what happened 100 years ago.

After the truth is revealed, you’ll gain the Paraglider, as well as two new main quests - one that’s pretty intimidating: Defeat Ganon, and one goal that’s a bit easier to obtain: Seek Out Impa.

Be sure to explore the rest of the Great Plateau before heading out on your next quest - there’s plenty of chests to find, Korok Seed puzzles to solve, and interesting things to find.