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Locationmajor

rikonasuM Lightroot

Rikonasum Lightroot is one of the most useful landmarks in the Great Hyrule Forest Depths.

Importancemajor

Key takeaways

  • Rikonasum Lightroot is in the Great Hyrule Forest Depths, directly below the central Lost Woods and Korok Forest area.
  • It corresponds to Musanokir Shrine, whose surface coordinates are approximately 0409, 2132, 0144.
  • The most reliable early route is through Minshi Woods Chasm, followed by a north-westward journey through the Depths.
  • A nearby stone platform provides an Ascend route into Korok Forest.
  • Nearby Lightroots include Eknupup, Ramobnukas and Sijnin, but these are separate locations and are not part of Rikonasum Lightroot itself.
  • There is no evidence of a shop, resident, quest-giver, boss arena or unique treasure being part of the Lightroot structure.

About this guide

Scope: Base game, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Location type: Depths Lightroot Region: Great Hyrule Forest Depths, beneath the Korok Forest area Surface counterpart: Musanokir Shrine Coordinates: Approximately 0406, 2134, -0592. Some map references display the height as -0613, so treat the coordinate as a navigation aid rather than an exact collision point.

Overview

Rikonasum Lightroot is one of the most useful landmarks in the Great Hyrule Forest Depths. It lies beneath the centre of the Lost Woods and Korok Forest, and is the main underground access point for reaching the forest from below in Tears of the Kingdom. Unlike many Lightroots, which are primarily exploration and fast-travel facilities, Rikonasum also serves as a route marker for one of the game’s most important navigation puzzles: bypassing the mist of the Lost Woods by travelling through the Depths.

Activating the Lightroot reveals part of the surrounding Depths map, creates a travel point, illuminates the gloom-filled area around it and restores hearts damaged by gloom while Link is beneath its light. Its surface alignment with Musanokir Shrine also makes it particularly valuable for moving between the forest and the Depths. Nintendo specifically notes that Lightroots are positioned directly beneath Shrines of Light, allowing players to use known shrine locations to locate their underground counterparts.

Boundaries and location hierarchy

Rikonasum Lightroot is a single Depths facility rather than a broad settlement or independently explorable region. Its immediate environment is part of the Great Hyrule Forest Depths, the underground area corresponding broadly to the Great Hyrule Forest on the surface. The Lightroot itself should not be expanded to include the whole forest, Korok Forest, the Lost Woods, the Forest Coliseum or every nearby Depths landmark.

The closest named underground locations commonly associated with it are:

These locations form a useful navigation network, but they remain separate destinations. Published regional lists place Rikonasum among the Lightroots of the Great Hyrule Forest, alongside Eknupup, Ramobnukas, Sijnin, Nikakik, Uihcoke and Uoyoyuik.

Canonical named entries within the immediate scope

The last three surface names are connections rather than subareas of the Lightroot itself.

Canonical named entries within the immediate scope

What Rikonasum Lightroot does

Like other Lightroots, Rikonasum has four practical effects.

1. It illuminates the surrounding Depths

Activating the root produces a wide area of light, making nearby gloom pools, cliffs and routes easier to read. This is particularly helpful here because the approach from Minshi Woods Chasm is dark and contains gloom-covered ground.

2. It reveals nearby map data

The activation fills in a portion of the Depths map. The revealed area is useful for identifying the surrounding terrain and nearby Lightroots, although it does not automatically reveal every collectible, enemy or underground landmark.

3. It becomes a travel point

Once activated, Rikonasum can be selected from the map for fast travel. It therefore acts as a dependable return point for Korok Forest-related exploration, Master Sword progression and trips through the Great Hyrule Forest Depths.

4. It restores gloom-damaged hearts

Standing beneath an activated Lightroot restores hearts lost to gloom. Nintendo’s guidance confirms that reaching a Lightroot or briefly resting beneath one can heal gloom damage. This does not replace ordinary healing for regular damage, and it does not prevent Link from taking further damage when he leaves the illuminated area.

Access and recommended routes

Route 1: From Minshi Woods Chasm

This is the most commonly recommended approach.

This route is described by navigation guides as a progression from Minshi Woods Chasm to Eknupup Lightroot, then south-west across the rocky terrain to Rikonasum.

Route 2: Using the surface map

If Korok Forest is already visible on the surface map, place a marker in the centre of the forest and another at Minshi Woods Chasm. After diving into the Depths, travel towards the forest marker. This is useful because the Lost Woods cannot be navigated conventionally from the surface before its underground route has been resolved.

Shacknews describes Rikonasum as the target beneath the centre of the Lost Woods, with the player using a marker placed over Korok Forest as a directional guide.

Route 3: From another Depths Lightroot

Once the surrounding map has been revealed, Rikonasum can be approached from the neighbouring Lightroot network. The most useful nearby references are Eknupup, Ramobnukas and Sijnin. However, the Great Hyrule Forest Depths contains uneven rock formations, gloom pools and vertical barriers, so a straight line on the map is not always a practical route.

For a first visit, Minshi Woods Chasm is generally simpler than attempting to cross the region from a distant Lightroot.

Route 1: From Minshi Woods Chasm

  1. 01
    Travel to Minshi Woods Chasm, south-east of the Great Hyrule Forest.
  2. 02
    Prepare several Brightbloom Seeds, a few healing meals and, if possible, gloom-resistant or gloom-healing food.
  3. 03
    Dive into the chasm and use the paraglider while watching for gloom pools below.
  4. 04
    Travel generally north-west towards the Great Hyrule Forest Depths.
  5. 05
    Activate Eknupup Lightroot if you encounter it. It provides a useful reference point and illuminates the surrounding area.
  6. 06
    From Eknupup, turn south-west towards the rocky ground leading towards Rikonasum.
  7. 07
    Follow the raised rock surface rather than crossing unnecessary gloom pools.
  8. 08
    Climb or glide towards the higher greenish rock formation.
  9. 09
    Look for a stone platform with steps. Rikonasum Lightroot is nearby, to the north-west of this platform.
  10. 10
    Activate Rikonasum, then use the nearby platform for the Ascend route into Korok Forest.

Surface connection: Musanokir Shrine and Korok Forest

Rikonasum Lightroot corresponds to Musanokir Shrine on the surface. The two locations are not the same facility, but their alignment is part of the game’s consistent shrine-to-Lightroot relationship. Nintendo advises using this relationship in both directions: a surface shrine can suggest the location of a Lightroot below, and a Lightroot can help identify an unexplored shrine above.

After activating Rikonasum, look for the nearby stone platform. Standing beneath the correct section and using Ascend allows Link to pass through the Depths ceiling and emerge in the Korok Forest area. This is one of the most important practical uses of the location, since it provides access to the forest without trying to force a route through the Lost Woods’ surface mist.

The Ascend route may be more reliable after the Lightroot has been activated, because its illumination makes the platform and surrounding rock easier to identify. The platform is a separate environmental landmark rather than a named building or checkpoint.

Nearby connections

Minshi Woods Chasm

Minshi Woods Chasm is the recommended entrance for reaching Rikonasum from the surface. It is not part of the Lightroot, but it is the most important access connection. The chasm lies south-east of the Great Hyrule Forest, near surface routes leading towards the Lost Woods.

Eknupup Lightroot

Eknupup is the most useful intermediate landmark on the Minshi Woods route. It lies north-east of Rikonasum and can serve as a staging point for the final approach. After activating it, the rock formation leading towards Rikonasum is easier to see.

Ramobnukas Lightroot

Ramobnukas is another nearby Lightroot in the Great Hyrule Forest Depths. It is separate from Rikonasum and is associated with the surface shrine Sakunbomar Shrine. It is useful when mapping the forest’s underground network, but it is not required for activating Rikonasum.

Sijnin Lightroot

Sijnin lies in the southern part of the Great Hyrule Forest Depths and is associated with Ninjis Shrine on the surface. It is another regional connection rather than a component of Rikonasum.

Korok Forest and the Lost Woods

These are the principal surface destinations above Rikonasum. The forest is significant for several story and exploration activities, but those activities belong to Korok Forest and the Lost Woods rather than to the Lightroot itself.

Enemies, hazards and equipment

No unique enemy or boss is documented as being permanently attached to Rikonasum Lightroot. The main hazards are environmental:

Brightbloom Seeds are the most useful preparation item. Throwing or attaching them to arrows helps reveal the route, particularly if Eknupup is not immediately visible. A supply of gloom-healing meals made with Sundelions is also useful, although activating the Lightroot itself will restore existing gloom damage once Link is beneath its light.

Walkthrough: activating Rikonasum safely

GamesRadar also identifies Rikonasum as the Lightroot beneath the middle of the Lost Woods and recommends travelling through the Depths rather than attempting to navigate the forest’s surface mist directly.

Walkthrough: activating Rikonasum safely: steps

  1. 01
    Mark Korok Forest on the surface map. This gives you a directional target after entering the Depths.
  2. 02
    Enter through Minshi Woods Chasm. Begin gliding immediately and avoid dropping into large gloom pools.
  3. 03
    Light the route as you go. Use Brightbloom arrows on walls and raised rock surfaces.
  4. 04
    Find Eknupup Lightroot if needed. Its light makes the surrounding terrain easier to interpret.
  5. 05
    Turn south-west from Eknupup. Look for the broad rocky formation described in route guides.
  6. 06
    Follow the raised ground. Do not attempt to cross every gloom pool directly.
  7. 07
    Climb towards the greenish upper rock. From the top, look for the stone platform.
  8. 08
    Glide down towards Rikonasum. The Lightroot is close to the platform, on its north-west side.
  9. 09
    Activate the Lightroot. This reveals the local map, enables fast travel and restores gloom-damaged hearts.
  10. 10
    Use Ascend at the nearby platform. This is the quickest way to reach Korok Forest.
  11. 11
    Activate Musanokir Shrine on the surface. This gives you a second fast-travel point for the same general area.

Activities and progression

Rikonasum has no recorded standalone side quest, shop, resident or mission-only state. Its importance is functional and navigational.

The broader Korok Forest area has story progression and activities that can alter its condition, but those changes belong to Korok Forest and the Great Deku Tree storyline. They should not be treated as changes to Rikonasum Lightroot itself.

Comprehensive directory

Recorded named characters, residents and businesses

No named resident, ordinary NPC, faction, shop, inn, stable, business or law-enforcement facility is verified as belonging to Rikonasum Lightroot itself.

Recorded unique rewards

No unique chest reward, quest reward or boss reward is verified as belonging specifically to Rikonasum Lightroot. Any ordinary materials, enemies or random equipment encountered on the approach should be treated as general Depths content rather than fixed Lightroot rewards.

Facilities

Nearby Depths locations

Access points and surface connections

Secrets and useful observations

The most important “secret” is the Ascend route into Korok Forest. Players who activate the Lightroot but leave without checking the nearby stone platform may miss the location’s main navigational purpose.

Rikonasum also illustrates one of the game’s strongest map-reading rules: surface shrines and Depths Lightroots correspond to one another. The names are usually different, but their positions are aligned. This allows players to search for missing Lightroots by comparing the surface and Depths maps.

Sources