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The Secret of the Ring Ruins quest starts after you have advanced the Find the Fifth Sage storyline and finished Camera Work in the Depths. It ends when you activate the relic on Dragonhead Island. In between, you photograph a slab in the floating Ring Ruin, solve Tauro’s riddle by wearing the three Charged armor pieces, place a Zonai Charge on an altar at the tail of the Dracozu River, and open the Dragonhead Island gate, which requires 10 hearts.
You need a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Support lists the game in its coverage for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch – OLED Model. Everything else comes from in-game items: the Camera, Ascend, the Charged armor, and a Zonai Charge.
Why can’t I get the Secret of the Ring Ruins quest?
The quest does not appear in your log until the story conditions below are met. Check these in order before you go looking for the researchers.
- Find the Fifth Sage has been started. PowerPyx’s walkthrough (published May 14, 2023) lists starting this branch as a prerequisite. Zelda Dungeon’s wiki places the quest after you have progressed through the first four dungeons.
- Camera Work in the Depths is finished. PowerPyx lists this as a second prerequisite.
- The Ring Ruin is open to you. A false Zelda forbids entry to the floating Ring Ruin. The quest begins only after that prohibition is lifted, and you then speak with Paya and Tauro in Kakariko Village.
If none of this explains the gap, open the Adventure Log. Nintendo’s general tips for Tears of the Kingdom recommend using it to confirm which quests are started or completed. Nintendo also notes that the game allows different exploration paths, so the order you reach things may not match a guide exactly.
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Walkthrough: photographing the Ring Ruin and finding Calip
Photograph the slab inside the Ring Ruin
- In Kakariko Village, speak with Paya and Tauro beneath the floating Ring Ruin.
- Use Ascend from the scaffolding to enter the ring.
- Select the Camera and photograph the stone slab.
- Return and show the image to the researchers.
The photograph points you to Popla Foothills Skyview Tower.
Speak with Calip at Popla Foothills Skyview Tower
Calip directs Link to Tauro and to the Zonai ruins near Dracozu Lake in Faron. If Calip is asleep when you arrive, PowerPyx says to pass time until noon.
Tauro’s riddle, decoded
Tauro’s riddle is game text recorded by the quest reference:
“Wear the electric garb hidden at long-necked dragons along the wide-mouthed forest serpent. Offer a Zonai charge to the altar at the tail.”
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In plain terms, the riddle asks you to find and wear all three Charged armor pieces along the Dracozu River, then offer a Zonai Charge at the altar near the river’s tail. Wearing only some of the pieces is not enough for the altar scene.
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- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
Collecting the Charged Set
| Piece | Where to find it | Access notes |
|---|---|---|
| Charged Shirt | In the same ruins room as Tauro | Collect it while you are with Tauro. |
| Charged Trousers | In a cave along the river | The entrance is behind breakable rocks. |
| Charged Headdress | In a farther cave | The entrance is behind vines. |
Guides describe the exact sides of these entrances differently, so left and right are not a reliable guide. Follow the river south and look for the caves and chests described above. Equip all three pieces before you go to the altar.
Offering the Zonai Charge at the river’s tail
Go to the altar cave near the tail of the Dracozu River. Wear all three Charged pieces and place a Zonai Charge on the altar. This triggers a scene and reveals the sky route to the Thunderhead Isles.
Reaching Dragonhead Island
Return to Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and head toward the Thunderhead Isles. There are two approaches described in the sources:
Island hopping through the Thunderhead Isles
This is the standard route. Glide between the islands and use Ascend to climb through the chain. Expect to spend the most time navigating here, because the storm is in this area.
PowerPyx advises removing metal weapons, bows, and shields before you enter, because lightning strikes metal equipment. Unequip them before you reach the storm.
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Recall shortcut on falling sky debris
Zelda Dungeon describes a possible shortcut that uses Recall on falling sky debris to reach Dragonhead Island more directly. This is more direct but depends on your position in the sky route, so it may not be available to every player at the same point. If it is not available for you, use island hopping.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Opening the gate and reaching the relic
- On Dragonhead Island, activate Joku-u Shrine.
- Cut the vines near the shrine.
- Open the large gate. It requires 10 hearts. PowerPyx says the gate consumes 10 hearts, while Zelda Dungeon says Link needs at least 10 heart containers. Plan for 10 hearts of maximum health. If you cannot open the gate, increase your maximum hearts or bring healing before you try again.
- Interact with the relic beyond the gate.
Interacting with the relic completes the standard quest sequence and begins Guidance from Ages Past. The quest log attributes the relic’s message to an unidentified voice, which reads: “Link… Chosen protector of Zelda… Take this… Follow the light…” The sources do not name the speaker, so do not assume who it is.
Why won’t the Secret of the Ring Ruins quest complete?
If the quest is still open after you have reached the relic, check these points:
- Quest order. Zelda Dungeon notes that Secret of the Ring Ruins is not strictly required to complete Guidance from Ages Past. If you finish Guidance from Ages Past before clearing the thunderhead, Secret of the Ring Ruins completes when the storm is dispelled.
- Charged armor and Zonai Charge. The altar only works when you wear all three Charged pieces and place a Zonai Charge at the river’s tail.
- Gate hearts. If the gate has not opened, confirm your maximum hearts meet the 10-heart requirement.
- Adventure Log. Confirm which quests are started or completed, as Nintendo recommends.
Walkthrough details here come from PowerPyx’s guide (published May 14, 2023), the Zelda Dungeon Wiki entry, and the Kiranico game database. Coordinates and routes are transcribed from those published guides and reflect the game as those sources describe it.
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