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Locationmajor

Kitawak Shrine

Kitawak Shrine is a Shrine of Light built into the top of East Gerudo Mesa in the Gerudo Highlands.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Kitawak Shrine is on East Gerudo Mesa, in the Gerudo Highlands, at approximately -1527, -2927, 0321. Other map sources give nearby values of -1529, -2928, 0321, reflecting ordinary map-coordinate variation.
  • The shrine’s trial is called Upward and Forward.
  • The only treasure chest contains 10 Arrows.
  • The main puzzle uses Ultrahand, hinged slabs, a rotating gear, a seesaw-like slab and a glowing shock switch.
  • The final launch works best when the slab is extended far enough beyond the hinged ramp, allowing the rising platform to throw Link upwards.
  • Kitawak Shrine corresponds to Kawatik Lightroot in the Depths, but the Lightroot is a separate location and is not part of the shrine interior.

About this guide

Base game guide | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Spoiler warning: This guide explains the complete shrine puzzle, treasure location and reward.

Overview

Kitawak Shrine is a Shrine of Light built into the top of East Gerudo Mesa in the Gerudo Highlands. Its trial, “Upward and Forward,” is a compact lesson in using Ultrahand to turn hinged slabs, rotating machinery and a moving platform into bridges, ramps and a launch mechanism. The shrine has no combat encounter and does not require a quest or regional dungeon to be completed first.

The shrine is easy to overlook because it sits high above the surrounding desert and highlands rather than inside a settlement. Its main challenge is not finding a hidden entrance, but understanding how each slab can be reused in a different configuration. One slab first acts as a bridge, then as part of a rotating walkway, and finally as part of the launch ramp near the end.

Overview and boundaries

Kitawak Shrine should be treated as a single shrine location rather than as a name for the surrounding mesa or highlands. The shrine’s physical scope consists of its exterior entrance on East Gerudo Mesa and the enclosed puzzle chamber beyond it. East Gerudo Mesa is the immediate overworld landform, while Gerudo Highlands is the larger regional area. The Gerudo Desert, Gerudo Canyon, nearby skyview towers and the Depths are neighbouring or connected locations, not subareas of Kitawak Shrine.

The shrine’s interior is arranged as a linear series of raised platforms and gaps. The machinery is deliberately placed so that a solution from one section can be dismantled and reused in the next. The sequence is:

At the end is the standard shrine terminal in front of a Rauru and Sonia Statue. Interacting with it awards the Light of Blessing.

Overview and boundaries: steps

  1. 01
    Make a bridge to the first floating platform.
  2. 02
    Convert the bridge slab into a rotating walkway.
  3. 03
    Use another slab to cross the seesaw gap.
  4. 04
    Reuse the earlier slab to extend the final ramp.
  5. 05
    Activate the shock switch and launch Link to the exit.

Location and access

Overworld position

Kitawak Shrine is located on top of East Gerudo Mesa, southeast of Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower. A commonly reported position is -1527, -2927, 0321. Nintendo Life lists the shrine at approximately -1531, -2928, 0321, while other shrine lists use -1529, -2928, 0321. These small differences do not indicate separate entrances or multiple shrines.

The shrine is in the highlands rather than in Gerudo Town or the low desert. From a distance, look for the green shrine glow on the elevated mesa. Reaching the top is generally easier with one of the following:

The exact route depends on which map discoveries and traversal tools are available. No special armour, quest item or dungeon ability is required to enter the shrine.

If the shrine is still undiscovered, a practical route is to travel through the Gerudo Highlands towards East Gerudo Mesa, using the Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower as a navigation reference. The tower is southeast of the shrine, so it is useful for gaining height and checking the mesa’s position. The shrine itself is not inside the tower, canyon, desert settlement or a cave.

A player who has already activated the nearby shrine can return by fast travel. The shrine remains available regardless of the player’s progress through the four regional phenomena.

Named location directory

Locations and connected areas

Status notes: East Gerudo Mesa and Gerudo Highlands are overworld areas. Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower is a nearby navigation landmark, not part of the shrine. Kawatik Lightroot is the shrine’s corresponding Depths location, not an internal shrine subarea.

Shrine-specific named entries

Status notes: Upward and Forward is the trial name. The Rauru and Sonia Statue is the end-of-shrine reward terminal area.

Residents, NPCs and factions

There are no ordinary NPCs, named residents, businesses, faction facilities or law-enforcement posts within Kitawak Shrine. Rauru and Sonia appear as a statue associated with the shrine’s reward, not as active characters present in the chamber.

Locations and connected areas

Shrine mechanics and puzzle components

Kitawak Shrine is a fixed puzzle layout. It does not use randomised rooms, random enemy placements or a procedural challenge structure.

The precise arrangement is documented in the shrine’s puzzle description: the first slab lowers the hinged bridge, the gear turns an attached slab into a rotating walkway, and the shock switch raises a platform beneath the final hinged slab.

The principal components are

ComponentFunction
Hinged slab at the entranceCan be lowered to form the first bridge
Loose stone slabAdds weight and length to the hinged structures
Rotating gearCarries an attached slab sideways to the treasure platform
Seesaw-like hinged slabProvides access to the higher section
Glowing shock switchRaises a platform beneath the final ramp
Rising platformPushes the extended ramp upwards and launches Link

Complete walkthrough

1. Build the first bridge

The bridge does not need to be placed with pixel-perfect accuracy. The important point is that the added slab gives the hinged structure enough weight to lower into a usable position.

2. Reach the optional treasure chest

The chest is on the upper section to the left of the entrance, beyond the rotating gear. It contains 10 Arrows.

If the gear carries the slab in the wrong direction, wait for another rotation or reposition the attachment point. The chest is optional, but it is the shrine’s only treasure and should be collected before progressing if you are pursuing a full shrine clear.

After opening the chest, glide or drop back towards the central platform.

3. Cross the seesaw section

At first, this does not reach the upper ledge. The solution is to reuse the slab from the rotating gear.

4. Extend the ramp to the upper platform

The shrine allows the slabs to be detached and reused, so do not worry about losing progress when dismantling the gear arrangement. The important distinction is between the temporary bridge and the final ramp: the bridge gets Link across the first gap, while the extended ramp must reach the higher area and later serve as the launch surface.

5. Prepare the launch mechanism

At the upper section you will find a glowing switch beside another hinged slab. Striking the switch raises a platform below the slab. The initial arrangement is not enough to launch Link properly, because the ramp is too short or positioned too close to the hinge.

The switch remains active until it is struck again, so activating it while Link is standing on the extended slab is the crucial timing step. The ramp should be long enough that Link is standing on the free end, away from the hinge and rising platform.

6. Claim the Light of Blessing

Glide to the final platform and interact with the shrine terminal in front of the Rauru and Sonia Statue. The reward is one Light of Blessing. There is no boss fight, key item or second treasure chamber after the terminal.

1. Build the first bridge

  1. 01
    Enter the shrine and approach the hinged slab spanning the first gap.
  2. 02
    Use Ultrahand to pick up the loose stone slab on the floor.
  3. 03
    Attach the loose slab to the hinged slab, preferably towards its far end.
  4. 04
    The added weight pulls the hinged slab down, creating a bridge to the floating platform.
  5. 05
    Walk across.

2. Reach the optional treasure chest: To reach it

  1. 01
    Detach the loose slab from the first bridge.
  2. 02
    Carry it to the nearby rotating gear.
  3. 03
    Attach one end of the slab to the gear so that the slab projects outwards.
  4. 04
    Stand on the slab.
  5. 05
    Allow the gear to rotate and carry Link towards the side platform.
  6. 06
    Step off when the slab reaches the treasure platform.
  7. 07
    Open the chest to collect the 10 Arrows.

3. Cross the seesaw section

  1. 01
    Look for the second loose stone slab near the lower part of the next ramp.
  2. 02
    Find the hinged seesaw structure leading towards the higher ledge.
  3. 03
    Attach the stone slab to the end of the seesaw.
  4. 04
    The slab causes the seesaw to fall into a walkable position.
  5. 05
    Cross the lowered structure.

4. Extend the ramp to the upper platform

  1. 01
    Return to the rotating gear.
  2. 02
    Detach the slab you used there.
  3. 03
    Bring it back to the seesaw section.
  4. 04
    Attach it at an angle to the far end of the existing seesaw slab.
  5. 05
    Adjust the angle until the combined structure forms a ramp to the higher ledge.
  6. 06
    Walk up the ramp.

5. Prepare the launch mechanism: Set it up as follows

  1. 01
    Hit the glowing switch once so the moving platform returns downwards.
  2. 02
    Detach the slab used as the walking ramp.
  3. 03
    Attach that slab to the end of the final hinged slab so that it hangs further down and extends the ramp.
  4. 04
    Stand on the extended end of the slab.
  5. 05
    Strike the glowing switch with an arrow or another suitable attack.
  6. 06
    The platform rises beneath the slab and pushes it upwards.
  7. 07
    Link is launched into the air.
  8. 08
    Glide towards the shrine’s final platform.

Rewards and inventory

The 10 Arrows are fixed shrine treasure rather than a random drop. The Light of Blessing is the completion reward and is not missable once the shrine has been solved.

Rewards and inventory

Reward or itemQuantityHow to obtain
Arrow10Open the treasure chest on the upper-left side of the entrance area
Light of Blessing1Complete the shrine and interact with the final terminal

Hazards and common mistakes

Misjudging the bridge

The first hinged slab may appear too short even after attaching the loose slab. Attach the extra slab near the far end rather than directly beside the hinge. The aim is to make the structure drop low enough to form a bridge.

Leaving the slab on the gear

The slab attached to the gear is needed again later. Once the chest has been collected, detach it and carry it back to the seesaw section.

Building a ramp that is too shallow

The second slab must be attached at a useful angle. If the ramp ends below the upper ledge, detach it and rotate the piece before reattaching it. Ultrahand allows repeated adjustment, so there is no need to restart the shrine.

Activating the final switch too early

The rising platform is not intended simply to lift the ramp. It is meant to throw Link upwards. Stand at the extended end of the slab before striking the switch. If Link is standing too close to the hinge, the platform may raise the slab without giving enough launch height.

Missing the chest

The treasure chest is not on the direct route to the exit. It is reached by using the gear with the first loose slab. If you glide away from the central platform without checking the upper-left section, it is easy to finish the shrine while leaving the chest unopened.

Nearby connections and progression

Kitawak Shrine is connected to the wider Gerudo Highlands through its location on East Gerudo Mesa, but it is not a quest hub and has no named resident population. The nearby Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower is the most useful listed navigation reference in the available location guides.

The shrine also has a vertical connection to the Depths through Kawatik Lightroot. This is a map relationship rather than a passage through the shrine itself. Activating the shrine does not automatically activate the Lightroot, and activating the Lightroot does not replace solving the shrine.

The shrine can therefore be completed whenever the player can reach the mesa and use Ultrahand.

Suggested exploration route

For a first visit, the most efficient route is:

For a completion-focused run, check the treasure chest before interacting with the final terminal. Once the terminal has been activated, the shrine is complete, but returning later to collect the chest is still possible.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Approach East Gerudo Mesa from the Gerudo Highlands.
  2. 02
    Activate Kitawak Shrine before entering, creating a fast-travel point.
  3. 03
    Complete the first bridge and immediately collect the 10 Arrows from the gear section.
  4. 04
    Reuse the slab at the seesaw.
  5. 05
    Extend the final ramp and launch to the exit.
  6. 06
    Record the shrine as complete.
  7. 07
    If exploring the wider region, use the shrine as a return point while searching the surrounding highlands or travelling towards the Gerudo Desert.

Lore and trivia

Kitawak Shrine belongs to the Shrine of Light network established in Tears of the Kingdom. Its final chamber follows the standard shrine presentation: a Rauru and Sonia Statue, a terminal and a Light of Blessing. The shrine’s name and trial title are distinct: Kitawak Shrine identifies the location, while Upward and Forward identifies the challenge.

The shrine’s design reflects one of *Tears of the Kingdom*’s central puzzle ideas: a single object can have several purposes depending on how it is attached. Here, the same general type of slab becomes a weighted bridge, a rotating platform attachment, a ramp extension and part of a launch device. The puzzle therefore rewards experimentation more than a single rigid construction.

Sources