Key takeaways
- Rito Village is the region’s main settlement and story hub, but the Frontier also includes important independent sites such as the Lucky Clover Gazette and Rito Stable.
- The regional story begins in Rito Village and leads to the Wind Temple Cold resistance, reliable food and a way to reach high elevations are useful before travelling deep into Hebra.
- The Lucky Clover Gazette starts Potential Princess Sightings!, a major side adventure that sends Link to stables throughout Hyrule and eventually awards the Froggy armour set.
- Nine Surface Shrines are commonly associated with the Tabantha Frontier map grouping, including Gatakis Shrine at Rito Village, Mayausiy Shrine near the Forgotten Temple and the crystal or blessing shrines at Gisa Crater and elsewhere.
- Tanagar Canyon is both a boundary and a route, containing bridges, caves, chasms, enemies and vertical paths between Hyrule Ridge and Hebra.
- Do not treat every place with “Tabantha” in its name as part of this region Tabantha Hills, Tabantha Great Bridge and Tabantha Village Ruins are associated with the Frontier, while Tabantha Tundra and Tabantha Snowfields are neighbouring Hebra areas.
About this guide
Scope: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, base game, with the Surface region called Tabantha Frontier as the main subject. The Tabantha Frontier Sky and Tabantha Frontier Depths are treated separately rather than silently folded into the surface region. Spoiler warning: This guide discusses the Rito main quest, shrine quests, the Lucky Clover Gazette questline, caves, major rewards and late-game exploration.
Overview
Tabantha Frontier is the broad western part of Hebra surrounding Rito Village, Tanagar Canyon and the roads leading into the north-west of Hyrule. It is not simply another name for Rito Village. The region includes the Rito settlement, the Lucky Clover Gazette, Tabantha Great Bridge, Tabantha Hills, Gisa Crater, Ancient Columns, several lakes and rivers, a large group of caves, and the deep canyon systems that connect western Hyrule with Hebra.
In Tears of the Kingdom, the area is one of the game’s most useful early destinations. It combines a major regional storyline with a dense collection of caves, shrine quests, Skyview access, stable services, sky-diving challenges and high-value exploration rewards. It is also a region where the game’s vertical design is particularly noticeable. The Surface contains Rito Village and the Gazette headquarters, while the skies above provide access to islands and the Wind Temple route, and the Depths below contain chasms, Lightroots and gloom-covered ruins.
The region’s boundaries can be confusing because several nearby areas belong to the wider Hebra province but are not the same named location. Tabantha Tundra, the Hebra Mountains, Pikida Stonegrove, North Tabantha Snowfield and South Tabantha Snowfield should not automatically be counted as part of the Tabantha Frontier. Likewise, Tabantha Frontier Sky and Tabantha Frontier Depths are separate map regions and should be explored as their own areas. The surface region’s southern limit is strongly marked by Tanagar Canyon, while its northern landscape transitions towards Hebra’s colder mountain and tundra areas.
What belongs to the Tabantha Frontier
The following named places are consistently associated with the Surface Tabantha Frontier grouping:
The regional directory also includes Surface shrines such as Gasas, Iun-orok, Wao-os, Oromuwak, Ikatak, Turakawak, Mayausiy, Gatakis and Nouda. Some sources organise these locations differently because the game’s map labels and guide-region groupings do not always use the same boundary logic.
What belongs to the Tabantha Frontier
Neighbouring places that should remain separate
These locations are close to the Frontier or linked to it by roads, rivers or story routes, but should not be silently merged into the surface region:
The distinction matters for map completion, route planning and collectible checklists. A guide that calls the entire north-west “Tabantha Frontier” will usually absorb locations that the game labels as Hebra or Tabantha Tundra instead.
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Neighbouring places that should remain separate
Rito Village and Lake Totori
Rito Village is built around a huge central wooden structure standing in Lake Totori. It is the principal settlement of the Frontier and the starting point for the region’s main story. The village contains shops, beds, cooking facilities, a general social hub and several quest characters.
Gatakis Shrine is located at the base of the village and is one of the most convenient fast-travel points in western Hebra. The village’s height makes it a useful launch point for gliding towards the lake, nearby cliffs and the surrounding roads.
The village changes as the Rito story progresses. The storm affecting the region makes travel and visibility more difficult during the early stages, and later story progress restores a more normal village atmosphere. The settlement also becomes the base for follow-up character quests after the Wind Temple.
Named entries
Lucky Clover Gazette
The Lucky Clover Gazette occupies a former stable-like building near the road into the Frontier. It is run by Traysi and Penn, and it functions as both a newspaper office and the starting point for Potential Princess Sightings!
The building is not merely decorative. Speak to Traysi to begin the side adventure, then follow Penn’s reports to investigate alleged Zelda sightings at stables across Hyrule. The quest is designed as a travelling investigation rather than a single Frontier mission.
Completing the Gazette investigation is the main route to the Froggy armour set, which improves climbing in wet conditions. This makes the reward especially useful in Tabantha, where rain, waterfalls and cliff routes frequently complicate movement.
Named entries
Tabantha Great Bridge and Tanagar Canyon
Tabantha Great Bridge is the main eastern approach to the Frontier. It crosses the enormous Tanagar Canyon, linking the western road network with Hyrule Ridge and the central-western parts of Hyrule.
Tanagar Canyon is not just a scenic boundary. Its walls contain caves, mineral deposits, enemy camps, bridges, chasms and vertical routes. Look beneath bridges and overhangs rather than following the road at ground level. Several collectibles and cave entrances are hidden below the obvious route.
Gisa Crater and the western hills
Gisa Crater is one of the Frontier’s most useful early exploration sites. The crater contains a shrine quest involving a large green crystal and a shrine hidden below the surface. Its open shape makes it easy to spot from the air, but the quest is more straightforward if the player first activates the nearby shrine or approaches from the surrounding road.
The hills around the crater contain enemy encounters, Korok puzzles, ore deposits and cave entrances. Gisa Crater is also a good place to practise launching objects with Zonai devices because the open terrain leaves room for experimentation.
Named entries
Ancient Columns and the Forgotten Temple
The Ancient Columns are a prominent ruined structure south-west of the main road. They contain a shrine-related puzzle and are also connected with Misko’s Treasure of Awakening II. Explore the area vertically. Important clues and entrances are not necessarily at ground level.
The Forgotten Temple lies farther south and is one of the Frontier’s most important story-linked landmarks. It is associated with the Dragon’s Tears investigation and the geoglyph storyline. The building extends deeply into a canyon and is much larger internally than its entrance suggests.
The Temple is accessible before completing the full regional story, although some of its importance is easier to understand after following the main quest and the Dragon’s Tears sequence.
Named entries
Brightcap Cave and the cave network
The Frontier has a particularly dense group of caves. Brightcap Cave is one of the better-known examples, but it should be explored as part of a broader circuit rather than as an isolated destination.
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Useful cave habits include
- 01Mark every discovered cave entrance on the map until its Bubbul Gem is collected.
- 02Use Brightbloom Seeds before committing to a deep route.
- 03Check ceilings and side chambers for Bubbulfrogs.
- 04Break ore deposits even when the route appears to be a shrine path.
- 05Look for water-level changes and destructible walls.
- 06Revisit caves after acquiring the paraglider, Ascend and improved cold-weather equipment.
From Lookout Landing and central Hyrule
The most natural first approach is to travel west from Lookout Landing through Hyrule Ridge. Players can cross Tabantha Great Bridge or approach from the roads around New Serenne and the Gazette.
Lindor’s Brow is not inside the Tabantha Frontier, but it is an excellent approach point because it reveals much of the western map and provides a launch platform towards the Gazette, Tabantha Hills and Rito Village.
A practical early route is
- 01Leave Lookout Landing and travel west towards Hyrule Ridge.
- 02Activate Lindor’s Brow Skyview Tower if it has not already been completed.
- 03Glide towards the Tabantha Great Bridge or the Lucky Clover Gazette.
- 04Speak to Traysi at the Gazette.
- 05Continue north-west to Rito Village.
- 06Activate Gatakis Shrine.
- 07Begin the Rito regional story.
- 08Return to the Frontier’s caves and shrines after the story changes the local weather.
From the Depths
The Rito Village Chasm provides access to the underground layer beneath the settlement. The Depths are a separate area with gloom, darkness, hostile encounters and Lightroots. Surface landmarks can help with orientation, but the underground map should not be assumed to mirror the surface exactly.
Bring Brightbloom Seeds, healing food and gloom-recovery options. If the objective is simply to activate a Lightroot, avoid unnecessary fights and use elevated routes where possible.
From the sky
Sky islands above western Hebra are useful for reaching the Wind Temple route and for descending into the Frontier at otherwise difficult locations. Sky access is particularly valuable before the player has fully opened the surface map.
Do not confuse the sky region with the surface Frontier. Sky island shrines, treasure and Zonai devices should be logged under the sky layer.
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The Rito regional story
The main Frontier storyline begins in Rito Village. The settlement is suffering from an unnatural blizzard, and the investigation leads Link to Tulin, the rising Rito archer. The story then moves through the sky towards the Wind Temple.
The Wind Temple is not physically located on the Surface Tabantha Frontier. It belongs to the sky layer, but the Rito Village storyline is the Frontier’s defining regional quest and cannot sensibly be discussed without it.
The important progression sequence is
- 01Reach Rito Village and speak with the village’s key residents.
- 02Investigate the storm and locate Tulin.
- 03Travel with Tulin through the elevated Hebra route.
- 04Reach the floating ship and Wind Temple area.
- 05Activate the temple’s mechanisms.
- 06Defeat the Wind Temple boss.
- 07Return to Rito Village and complete the immediate aftermath.
The White Bird’s Guidance
The White Bird’s Guidance is a shrine quest associated with Rito Village. It begins after the relevant Rito story progression and points Link towards a bird-shaped clue and a hidden shrine route.
The quest is easy to overlook because it does not require a long journey away from the village. Search the settlement’s upper structures and speak to Laissa when the quest is available.
Named entries
The Gisa Crater Crystal
The Gisa Crater Crystal is a shrine quest involving a crystal and a shrine hidden in or below the crater. The reliable method is to locate the crystal, then transport or guide it back to the shrine entrance.
A flying or wheeled vehicle can make the return journey easier, but ordinary climbing and gliding are also sufficient. If the crystal appears to vanish, check the crater floor, cave entrance and ledges below the initial discovery point.
Named entries
Potential Princess Sightings!
Speak to Traysi at the Lucky Clover Gazette to begin the Gazette side adventure. Penn then appears at various stables, where he reports possible sightings of Zelda. The questline is deliberately distributed across Hyrule and should not be mistaken for a short local mission.
The quest rewards consistent exploration and is one of the best reasons to visit ordinary stables rather than relying only on fast travel.
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The following Surface shrines are associated with the Tabantha Frontier grouping in commonly used regional guides. Coordinates are included only where supported by the consulted regional listing. The titles are useful for identifying the shrine’s puzzle or reward structure.
The regional shrine listing gives the following coordinates for several of these Surface shrines: Gatakis Shrine at approximately -3652, 1806, 0168, Mayausiy Shrine at -1169, 2602, -0083, Ikatak Shrine at -3950, 1138, 0112, Oromuwak Shrine at -3079, 1617, 0243, Nouda Shrine at -2318, 2201, 0173, Wao-os Shrine at -4059, 1990, 0183, Iun-orok Shrine at -3538, 0850, -0133, Turakawak Shrine at -3496, -0197, 0066 and Gasas Shrine at -4152, 0098, 0040.
Shrine quests and cave entrances are often more important than the shrine itself. If a shrine is not visible on the surface, check for a crystal, a cave, a chasm or a nearby NPC before assuming that the location is missing.
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For a smooth completion
- 01Start the quest at the Gazette.
- 02Visit the stables marked by Penn’s reports.
- 03Complete the investigation at each stable.
- 04Return to the Gazette when prompted.
- 05Continue until the quest concludes and the Froggy armour set is awarded.
Potential Princess Sightings!
| Shrine | Trial or status | General location |
|---|---|---|
| Gatakis Shrine | Ride the Winds | Rito Village |
| Mayausiy Shrine | Building Blocks | Forgotten Temple area |
| Ikatak Shrine | Rauru’s Blessing | Gisa Crater |
| Oromuwak Shrine | A Launching Device | Tabantha approach |
| Nouda Shrine | Proving Grounds: Intermediate | Cave or wilderness route |
| Wao-os Shrine | Lever Power | Rito-related shrine quest |
| Iun-orok Shrine | The Right Roll | Western Frontier |
| Turakawak Shrine | Stacking a Path | Lower Frontier route |
| Gasas Shrine | Well-Timed Cuts | Tanagar Canyon area |
Rito Village residents and story characters
Rito Village contains the greatest concentration of named characters in the region. The most important story figures include:
Some characters are permanent residents, while others are visitors or quest participants. Penn belongs to the Gazette and travels extensively, so he should not be treated as a permanent Rito resident.
Rito Village residents and story characters
Lucky Clover Gazette staff
The Gazette offers quest progression rather than a conventional shop service. Do not infer ordinary merchandise or lodging from the building’s stable-like appearance.
Lucky Clover Gazette staff
Rito Stable
Rito Stable is a separate service location from Rito Village. It provides standard stable functions, including horse registration and lodging-related services, and acts as a useful travel point for the regional road network.
Other local services
Depending on progression and location, the Frontier includes:
The exact inventory of a shop should be checked in-game rather than inferred from its building name. Shop stock can change after story progress, and not every visible stall is a functional shop.
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Tabantha Frontier is dangerous less because of one universal enemy type and more because its terrain repeatedly creates bad combat positions.
Common hazards
The most important preparation is flexibility. A player who brings only cold resistance may still struggle with aerial battles, wet climbing and cave darkness.
Enemy types and encounters
Enemy placements can vary by progression and blood moon respawn. A monster encounter should not be treated as a permanent one-time reward unless the game clearly ties it to a quest or fixed treasure.
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Korok Seeds
Tabantha Frontier contains numerous Korok puzzles distributed across bridges, cliffs, forests, rock formations and road edges. Common puzzle forms include:
The best approach is to combine Korok hunting with a cave or shrine route rather than sweeping the whole region randomly. Check the underside of Tabantha Great Bridge and smaller bridges, because bridge-level exploration often leaves the lower cliff faces unseen.
Bubbul Gems
Every cave should be treated as a Bubbul Gem location until checked. Bubbulfrogs frequently occupy side rooms or high ceilings rather than the obvious central chamber. Listen for their distinctive sounds and use bright lighting to identify faint patterns on cave walls.
Brightbloom Cave and the other named Frontier caves are especially useful early sources of Bubbul Gems, ore and monster parts.
Materials
The exact distribution of wildlife and forage is not completely fixed. Weather, time, Blood Moons and story progression can affect what is currently visible.
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Route 1: First visit
- 01Reach Lindor’s Brow or the western Hyrule road.
- 02Visit the Lucky Clover Gazette.
- 03Start Potential Princess Sightings!
- 04Travel to Rito Village.
- 05Activate Gatakis Shrine.
- 06Purchase or prepare cold resistance.
- 07Begin the Rito regional story.
- 08Return later for Gisa Crater, Ancient Columns and the caves.
Route 2: Shrine and cave circuit
- 01Start at Gatakis Shrine.
- 02Search Lake Totori’s southern shores.
- 03Check Rito Village Chasm if prepared for the Depths.
- 04Travel towards Tabantha Hills and Brightcap Cave.
- 05Continue to Gisa Crater.
- 06Complete the Gisa Crater Crystal quest.
- 07Explore Tanagar Canyon and its west cave.
- 08Finish at Tabantha Great Bridge.
Route 3: Gazette and stable circuit
- 01Begin Potential Princess Sightings! at the Gazette.
- 02Visit Rito Stable.
- 03Follow Penn’s next report.
- 04Use nearby stables as fast-travel and resupply points.
- 05Return to the Gazette whenever the quest updates.
- 06Complete the full investigation before concentrating on regional completion.
Route 4: Completion sweep
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Tabantha Frontier appears in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. In Breath of the Wild, it is associated with Tabantha Tower, Rito Village, Divine Beast Vah Medoh, the Great Fairy Fountain and a large collection of Hebra shrines. In Tears of the Kingdom, the Sheikah tower system has been replaced by Skyview Towers, the Frontier’s story focus shifts to Tulin and the Wind Temple, and the region gains caves, chasms, sky islands and Depths content.
The name “Tabantha” has a longer history in the series. It was used in earlier regional naming, including The Minish Cap, although the geography and continuity are not identical to the modern Hebra setting.
The region’s identity is therefore a mixture of old and new:
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Collectibles
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Is Rito Village the whole Tabantha Frontier?
No. Rito Village is the principal settlement, but the Frontier also includes the Gazette, Rito Stable, Tanagar Canyon, Tabantha Great Bridge, Gisa Crater, Ancient Columns, Forgotten Temple, Tabantha Hills, numerous caves and several bodies of water.
Is Tabantha Tundra part of the Tabantha Frontier?
Not as a simple one-to-one map designation. Tabantha Tundra and the Tabantha Snowfields are neighbouring Hebra areas and should be tracked separately for a careful regional guide.
Is the Wind Temple inside Tabantha Frontier?
The Wind Temple is in the sky above the Hebra region. It is reached through the Tabantha Frontier’s Rito storyline, but it is not a Surface location.
Where should I start the region?
Visit the Lucky Clover Gazette first if you want to begin Potential Princess Sightings!, then travel to Rito Village for the regional story. If you are poorly equipped, visit the stable and prepare cold-resistant food before climbing into the northern routes.
What is the most useful reward in the region?
The Froggy armour set from Potential Princess Sightings! is one of the most useful long-term rewards because it improves climbing in wet conditions. The Rito storyline’s companion ability is also valuable for aerial travel.
Do I need to complete the Rito story before exploring?
No. Most of the Surface Frontier can be explored immediately, although weather, NPC availability and some quest states change after the regional story. Some areas are easier to navigate after the blizzard is resolved.
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Research and boundary note
This guide follows the Surface Tabantha Frontier grouping used by regional location lists and cross-checks it against broader Hebra and Tabantha references. The available sources do not present one universally agreed exhaustive boundary for every map-label edge, particularly around the Frontier’s eastern approach, the Forgotten Temple and the transition into the Hebra Mountains. For that reason, neighbouring tundra, snowfield, sky and Depths areas have been identified separately rather than being claimed as part of the Surface Frontier. The named directory above is comprehensive for the verified entries located in the consulted regional listings, but it should not be treated as a guarantee that every minor decorative object, random enemy spawn or procedural treasure placement has been catalogued.