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Aug 28, 2023

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Help Link find the trapped statue is this puzzle guide for Tears of the Kingdom. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is filled with a vast amount of shrines and puzzles for Link to work his way

Help Link find the trapped statue is this puzzle guide for Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is filled with a vast amount of shrines and puzzles for Link to work his way through. While most of these encounters prove to be no match for Link, there are some puzzles that prove to be a little trickier than most. One encounter in particular, which tasks Link with locating a trapped statue on the Great Plateau, has the unique ability of making both the Hero and the player scratch their heads in confusion.

This puzzle, which Link can find fairly early in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, can be initiated in more than one way. Regardless of which path Link takes, a statue will recite the same cryptic message: "I am trapped under the water behind the stone gate on the Great Plateau." This guide will explain exactly what that message means and how to solve the puzzle it begins.

Related: Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - How To Fix Gerudo Canyon Skyview Tower

There are two places that Link is likely to hear the cryptic message: the Goddess Statue at the Temple of Time ruins and the massive Bargainer's statue in the Great Abandoned Central Mine. Both of these places are connected to the Great Plateau, with the Temple of Time being found on the Surface and the mine being found in the Depths, directly below the temple.

If Link is trying to reach the Great Plateau for the first time in Tears of the Kingdom, the easiest route will be to use the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower to glide in. He could also jump down from the Great Sky Island.

The Goddess statue that Link will need to locate is found in the heart of the Temple of Time, sitting at -0822, -2027, 0119. Speaking with the statue will result in the message regarding the trapped statue.

To reach the mine, Link can technically enter the Depths from any chasm. However, the quickest method - and the one that makes the most sense given the location of this puzzle - is to head down into the Great Plateau North Chasm (-0661, -1521, 0067). The chasm sits right on the edge of the plateau, sitting roughly in between the Forest of Time and the Forest of Spirits on the map of Hyrule. Use Link's paraglider to safely reach the bottom, then look just south to find the Nogukoyk Lightroot.

From the Nogukoyk Lightroot (-0708, -1551, -0517), the mine is just a short walk to the south. Link will want to head around to the southern side of the mine to find the correct entrance. Head to coordinates -0855, -1965, -0543 to reach the correct spot. From this entrance, the massive Bargainer Statue can be seen. Head in and speak to it, and remember this location, as it will be important to the quest that this puzzle will later initiate.

As the riddle clearly suggests, the body of water that Link will need to find is somewhere on the Great Plateau. The problem most players will likely face, however, is that there is no obvious stone gate to be found. In this case, the stone gate the statue is referencing is the large stone wall that encircles the entire plateau.

With that information, the only body of water that rests against the wall is found just southeast of the Great Plateau North Chasm. Look for the coordinates -0604, -1591, 0667.

The riddle states that something is trapped underwater, so Link must find a way to empty this small pond before moving to the next step. To do this, Link must head to the very bottom of the wall, exactly at the point where it is damming the water.

At the bottom (Coordinates -0561, -1506, 0018), Link will see a small section of the wall plugged up with rocks. Use a bomb flower, or some form of Tears of the Kingdom's fused rock hammer, to remove the rocks. This will initiate a brief cutscene in which all the water leaves the pond.

Once the channel is clear, Link will find a small statue in the shape of a pointed head. If Link received the message from the large statue in the mine, it will look instantly familiar. Speaking to the head will lead Link back to the Goddess Statue, initiating the "A Call From the Depths" side adventure.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.

Christopher is a writer and musician who spends as much time as possible playing video games and watching anime. He is often found repeatedly dying at the hands of random From Software bosses, though he still swears they are his favorite developer. Christopher prefers single-player experiences and devotes equal time to all three major consoles. His most anticipated 2023 releases are The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Armored Core 6.