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Locationmajor

Pupunke Shrine

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, base game

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Pupunke Shrine is east of Korok Forest in the Great Hyrule Forest.
  • Its shrine trial is Rauru’s Blessing, so there is no internal puzzle once the shrine has been opened.
  • You must complete A Pretty Stone and Five Golden Apples, given by the Korok Damia.
  • The quest requires five Golden Apples, either from your existing inventory or from the route through Mido Swamp.
  • The shrine chest contains a Mighty Zonaite Sword.
  • The shrine corresponds to Eknupup Lightroot in the Depths, although the Lightroot is a separate location and is not needed to complete the shrine.

Overview

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, base game

Pupunke Shrine is a small Shrine of Light in the Lost Woods, within the Great Hyrule Forest. Unlike a conventional puzzle shrine, its challenge is reaching the shrine crystal and completing the related Shrine Quest, A Pretty Stone and Five Golden Apples. Once the entrance is activated, Pupunke Shrine is a short Rauru’s Blessing trial containing one chest and a Light of Blessing.

This guide treats Pupunke Shrine itself, its immediate entrance, and the route and quest area required to unlock it as one practical location. It does not treat the whole Great Hyrule Forest, Korok Forest, or the Depths as part of the shrine. Those neighbouring areas are mentioned only where they affect access or progression.

Location and boundaries

Pupunke Shrine stands in the eastern part of the Lost Woods, within the Great Hyrule Forest. The entrance is reached from the Korok Forest side of the woods, but the shrine is not inside the central Great Deku Tree area.

For practical purposes, the Pupunke Shrine location consists of:

The wider Great Hyrule Forest contains many other shrines, including Musanokir, Ninjis and Sakunbomar. They are separate locations and quests, not subareas of Pupunke Shrine.

Named entries within the Pupunke Shrine quest area

Sonapan Shrine is relevant as an optional nearby travel point. It is not part of Pupunke Shrine, and it does not replace the shrine quest.

Location and boundaries: steps

  1. 01
    The shrine structure and its immediate exterior.
  2. 02
    Damia’s position in the eastern part of Korok Forest.
  3. 03
    The Mido Swamp route used to obtain the required Golden Apples.
  4. 04
    The short crystal-carrying route leading back to the shrine.

Named entries within the Pupunke Shrine quest area

Requirements and progression

Pupunke Shrine is not normally available as an immediately accessible shrine marker. You must first reach Korok Forest and restore the forest’s condition by dealing with the Great Deku Tree’s problem. Guides describe this as completing the Great Deku Tree-related progression, sometimes phrased as completing the trail leading to the Master Sword. Once the forest has returned to normal, Damia can be spoken to in eastern Korok Forest.

How to reach Korok Forest

The Lost Woods cannot be crossed reliably from the surface by simply walking through the fog. The practical route is to enter the Depths and use the roots beneath the forest to reach Korok Forest from below. After reaching the appropriate area, use Ascend through the large root structure beneath the forest.

Once in Korok Forest, speak to the Great Deku Tree if you have not already dealt with the forest’s crisis. After the relevant progression is complete, Koroks become available for conversation and Damia can be found on the eastern side of the forest.

Recommended approach

  1. 01
    Enter the Depths beneath the Great Hyrule Forest.
  2. 02
    Travel towards the area below Korok Forest.
  3. 03
    Ascend through the large roots to emerge in the forest.
  4. 04
    Complete the Great Deku Tree-related objective if the forest remains affected.
  5. 05
    Leave the central Deku Tree area by the eastern path.
  6. 06
    Find Damia and begin A Pretty Stone and Five Golden Apples.

Shrine Quest: A Pretty Stone and Five Golden Apples

Damia is the quest giver. She has a shrine crystal, described as a pretty stone, but will not allow Link to take it until she receives five Golden Apples. The quest therefore has two possible opening states.

If you already have five Golden Apples

Speak to Damia and hand over the five apples when prompted. The quest then allows you to take the crystal. Carry it along the route indicated by its green beam and return it to the shrine pedestal.

If you need to collect the apples

Follow the route towards Mido Swamp. The path passes through a hollow log and uses glowing plants to guide you through the forested swamp area. Golden Apples can be found towards the end of this route, near a group of trees. Collect five and return to Damia.

Mido Swamp hazards

The route can contain several hostile encounters. Reported enemies include:

Not every player will necessarily experience the route identically, since enemy positions and encounters can be affected by progression and normal game conditions. Treat these as reported hazards rather than a guaranteed fixed sequence.

The swamp itself can also make direct movement awkward. Ultrahand-built bridges using logs and planks are useful for crossing wet or boggy sections without repeatedly becoming stuck.

Returning the crystal

You do not need to solve a separate mechanical puzzle at the shrine entrance. The main challenge is route-finding through the forest while transporting the crystal.

Returning the crystal: After Damia accepts the apples

  1. 01
    Take the green shrine crystal.
  2. 02
    Follow the green beam or the marker shown by the crystal.
  3. 03
    Move through the hollow-log route towards the shrine.
  4. 04
    Use Ultrahand to carry or reposition the crystal as necessary.
  5. 05
    Place it on the shrine pedestal.
  6. 06
    Enter Pupunke Shrine.

Pupunke Shrine walkthrough

Pupunke Shrine is a Rauru’s Blessing shrine. This means the exploration and puzzle work occur outside the shrine, during the crystal quest.

There are no enemies, switches, construction puzzles or boss encounters inside the shrine.

Inventory

The Golden Apples are a quest requirement, while the Mighty Zonaite Sword and Light of Blessing are fixed shrine rewards. Enemy drops encountered in Mido Swamp are separate and should not be confused with the shrine’s guaranteed inventory.

Once inside

  1. 01
    Walk forward along the central path.
  2. 02
    Open the stone treasure chest.
  3. 03
    Collect the Mighty Zonaite Sword.
  4. 04
    Continue to the altar.
  5. 05
    Examine the altar to receive the Light of Blessing.

Inventory

ItemLocationNotes
Five Golden ApplesMido Swamp route or existing inventoryRequired to satisfy Damia unless already carrying enough
Shrine crystalWith Damia in Korok ForestCarry it to the shrine after the apple requirement is met
Mighty Zonaite SwordChest inside Pupunke ShrineFixed chest reward
Light of BlessingShrine altarAwarded for completing the shrine

Nearby connections

Korok Forest

Korok Forest is the main staging area for the quest. It contains the Great Deku Tree, Damia and several other activities. The forest is a neighbouring settlement and quest hub, not a room or subarea inside Pupunke Shrine.

Mido Swamp

Mido Swamp is the collection route for players who need Golden Apples. Its hollow-log entrance and swamp crossings form the most dangerous part of the Pupunke Shrine quest.

Sonapan Shrine

Sonapan Shrine can serve as a useful nearby travel point for the wider Great Hyrule Forest. It is an independent shrine and is not required for Pupunke Shrine, although some guides mention it as an optional route or navigation reference.

Eknupup Lightroot

Eknupup Lightroot is the Depths counterpart associated with Pupunke Shrine. Surface shrines and Depths Lightroots correspond geographically, but activating the Lightroot does not complete the Pupunke Shrine quest and entering the Depths is not a substitute for reaching the shrine entrance.

Suggested exploration route

For a first visit, the least confusing order is:

If you are exploring for completion rather than simply clearing the shrine, mark the Mido Swamp apple route separately. The apples are part of the quest solution, while the shrine chest and altar rewards are inside the shrine.

Suggested exploration route: steps

  1. 01
    Reach Korok Forest through the Depths.
  2. 02
    Resolve the Great Deku Tree’s problem.
  3. 03
    Activate nearby fast-travel points while in the forest.
  4. 04
    Speak to Damia east of the central forest.
  5. 05
    Check your inventory for five Golden Apples.
  6. 06
    If necessary, follow the Mido Swamp route and collect them.
  7. 07
    Return to Damia and take the crystal.
  8. 08
    Follow the green beam through the hollow log.
  9. 09
    Activate Pupunke Shrine.
  10. 10
    Collect the Mighty Zonaite Sword before claiming the Light of Blessing.

Practical checklist

Before leaving the area, confirm that you have:

Sources