All the caves worth your time in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

If you’re wondering which caves are worth your time in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, don’t worry, we’ve been there. Considering there are nearly 150 caves across both the surface and sky portions of Hyrule, visiting each one of them is going to take a while — specially if you’re hunting down Bubbul gems.

This guide covers every cave that’s relevant to Skyview Towers, armor sets, and shrines. We’ve also highlighted 11 additional caves that don’t but still are totally worth your time. In total, this list comprises over 70 caves — more than enough to get all the rewards from Koltin.

You’re bound to stumble upon caves naturally during your travels. That said, there are a few methods to consider that will make the task a lot easier.

At a glance, here’s how to find caves in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

The Satori cherry blossom trees are by far the best method. When you find one of these trees, you’ll notice a small wooden casket of sorts next to them. Open your inventory and hold any fruit — then, go ahead and drop the fruit. This will serve as a tribute for the Satori, who will highlight cave locations with bright light beams.

Now, bear in mind the cave locations won’t be marked on your map — you’ll need to manually get to them first in order to get the marker. In addition, it’s likely that the Satori will highlight caves that you’ve already discovered.

That being said, this method is still the most useful, as you’ll be able to glance at a distance and visit the ones you missed around the area. I recommend using your scope (pressing the right analog stick) and marking the spots. The light beams won’t stay in place forever, but your markers will. If anything, you can just offer fruit again and repeat the process.

Moving on, blupees are quite useful beings. These creatures, which look like rabbits, will take you to a cave entrance. All you need to do is get close to them, and they’ll start running to the cave. Oh, and if you’re low on rupees, smack the blupees to get some from them.

The other two methods are more situational, but equally helpful. The Sensor+ will track down any nearby objects or enemies that you mark in your catalog. I recommend taking a photo of a keese, as well as any specific mining ore that you’re on the lookout for, and then tracking either. Since they’re usually inside caves, they might give away a spot as you’re out exploring.

Speaking of which, keep an eye out for NPCs traveling the roads, as well as those at stables. Chatting with them usually leads to helpful bits of information, including nearby caves with loot.

Remember that each cave has a Bubbul gem. To get your hands on it, you need to defeat the Bubbulfrog, which is usually roaming around inside a room or behind an obstacle — such as a locked gate or behind a rock, to name a few examples.

After you’ve completed “The Hunt for Bubbul Gems!” side quest, you should locate Koltin’s Shop. Koltin is happy to accept your Bubbul gems in exchange for clothing items and materials, including the Mystic Robe.

In order to get all of Koltin’s shop items, you’ll need 47 Bubbul gems. The lists below gather a total of 70 Bubbul gems, so take your pick! As a last tip for your own records, defeating a Bubbulfrog adds a checkmark to the cave icon on your map. This doesn’t mean that you’ve exhausted everything there is to see in a cave, mind you, but rather notes that you’ve already gotten the Bubbul gem available inside.

Happy spelunking in caves around Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom!

All caves are bound to offer a decent reward for your time, whether it is a weapon, one of the pieces of an armor set, or a clue for a side quest. Depending on what you’re looking for, however, some of them are worth prioritizing over others.

Considering there are 147 caves in the game, what follows isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. That said, if you’re searching for specific materials, enemies to farm monster parts from, or mining ore spots, the following 11 caves will fit the bill.

Each of the 13 Skyview Towers has its own intricacies. Inevitably, some of them are related to caves, which we’re highlighting below.

For more information, make sure to visit our dedicated Skyview Tower locations page.

There are dozens of armor sets to hunt in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Some might require for you to complete a specific challenge, while others take you to multiple caves across Hyrule.

For more information, make sure to visit our dedicated armor set locations page.

If you’ve been procrastinating your search for caves, well, shrines are bound to intersect with it. While not all of them, there are multiple shrines that require for you to first discover them, or activate them, via one or more caves.

For more information, make sure to visit our dedicated shrine map and locations page.