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Start with Brightbloom Seeds, then use surface Shrine locations to help plan for nearby Lightroots. The rest is about keeping your next destination clear, managing visibility, and changing course when the terrain or your supplies call for it. These 14 suggestions are flexible—not a required route through the Depths.
Prepare before you descend
1. Stock up on Brightbloom Seeds
Nintendo recommends stocking up on Brightbloom Seeds before heading into the Depths. They are useful for illuminating dark areas as you explore. Nintendo’s advanced tips give this specific preparation advice.
2. Bring equipment and healing items that fit your progress
Choose weapons, armor, and healing items based on what you have unlocked and how you prefer to play. There is no single fixed loadout or quantity that suits every trip.
Plan a route you can follow
3. Use surface Shrines to predict Lightroot locations
Lightroots are directly beneath surface Shrines of Light, according to Nintendo. Check the surface map for a Shrine you have found and use its position to plan toward the corresponding area below. This map relationship helps with planning; it does not mean the terrain between you and a Lightroot will be straightforward. Nintendo’s guide explains the relationship.
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4. Pick one nearby destination
Set a modest next goal, such as a nearby Lightroot or a point you want to investigate. A manageable destination is easier to keep in mind than an open-ended plan to cross a large area.
5. Mark the destination on your map
Place a map marker where you intend to go so you can check your direction as you move. If the terrain forces a detour, the marker still helps you orient yourself toward the original goal.
6. Keep the next landmark in your direction of travel
When choosing between possible routes, consider whether the next landmark lies along a direction you can reasonably follow. A route that repeatedly pulls you away from your planned destination can make it harder to stay oriented.
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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!
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Navigate darkness and difficult terrain
7. Illuminate ahead when visibility is poor
Use light to reveal the area in front of you before moving into uncertain ground. Darkness is a reason to slow down and check where you are going, not to press on without a clear view.
8. Keep spare lighting materials for the gaps
Do not assume one illuminated spot will carry you through an entire stretch. Keep some Brightbloom Seeds available for places where you need more visibility, rather than using every lighting resource at the first opportunity.
9. Recheck your direction at a lit landmark
After reaching a Lightroot or another clearly visible point, pause to look at your map and confirm the next leg. Treat each landmark as a chance to reset your bearings rather than continuing onward automatically.
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10. Stop and reroute when terrain blocks a direct path
If a cliff, obstacle, or other feature makes your planned line impractical, consult the map and choose a workable way around it. The location of a destination does not reveal how easy the route to it will be.
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11. Decide between walking and using a vehicle for this route
Consider the terrain, your supplies, and your comfort with the route before choosing to travel on foot or by vehicle. Neither approach is universally best; choose the one that suits the trip you have planned.
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If you lose track of your position or direction, head back to a landmark you recognize and plan again from there. Continuing while disoriented can make it harder to tell whether you are moving toward your goal.
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13. Mark useful discoveries for later
Use map markers to note places that may matter on a future trip. Recording a useful discovery while it is fresh can make later route planning more deliberate.
Keep the plan flexible
14. Adjust your approach to your own exploration style
Nintendo notes that players’ exploration experiences differ. Treat these tips as tools to adapt: change your destination, pace, or travel method when it better suits the way you want to explore. Nintendo Support’s general tips makes that variability explicit.
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