Use this Breath of the Wild shrine guide as the main checklist and route hub for all 120 base-game shrines. The goal is simple: open regions in a clean order, solve shrine categories without bouncing around Hyrule, and keep every future region shrine guide linked from one place.
Quick Overview
| Game | The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild |
|---|---|
| Platform | Nintendo Switch / Wii U |
| Total Shrines | 120 base-game shrines |
| Best Route | Great Plateau first, then tower-by-tower regional cleanup. |
| Reward | Spirit Orbs for hearts or stamina, plus the Wild armor set after completing all 120 base-game shrines. |
| Difficulty | Mixed: simple blessings, combat trials, puzzle shrines and long shrine quests. |
How This Shrine Guide Works
This page is the parent shrine guide for Breath of the Wild. It keeps the whole shrine project manageable: first pick a region, then use the regional checklist to clear nearby shrines, shrine quests and tower routes together. Individual shrine pages can be added later for puzzles that deserve a full step-by-step solution.
The best way to use this page is not to chase every shrine from a random map. Open the tower for a region, mark the shrines you can see from high ground, clear easy travel shrines first, then return for shrine quests and combat trials once you have better gear.
Fast Travel
Jump To Shrine Regions
Use these region groups to plan your cleanup route. As region guides are built, each card should link to a full checklist with screenshots and puzzle notes.
Recommended Shrine Cleanup Order
- Finish the Great Plateau. These first four shrines teach the rune toolkit and unlock the paraglider. Do not leave this phase half-done.
- Open nearby towers before heavy shrine cleanup. Towers make regional routing much easier because you can mark shrines, stables, roads and mountains from a single high point.
- Prioritize travel shrines first. Any shrine that gives you a convenient warp point near a stable, village, mountain, Divine Beast route or fairy fountain is worth grabbing early.
- Save hard combat trials for later. If a shrine is a Major Test of Strength and your weapons are weak, mark it and return after you have stronger gear.
- Do shrine quests in batches. Many shrine quests start at villages, stables or NPC camps. Pick them up while exploring, then solve them when your route naturally passes through the area.
Great Plateau Shrines
The Great Plateau is your tutorial route and should be completed before anything else. Clear the four rune shrines, learn how each rune solves environmental puzzles, then trade your first Spirit Orbs based on how comfortable you are with combat. New players usually benefit from one early heart, while experienced players often rush stamina for climbing and exploration.
Great Plateau Shrine Checklist
Start from the Shrine of Resurrection, then work outward toward the visible shrine markers. Use the tower to scout the snowy area, cook cold-resistance food before climbing into the mountains, and make sure you understand Bombs, Magnesis, Stasis and Cryonis before leaving.
Dueling Peaks and Hateno Shrines
Dueling Peaks and Hateno are the best early expansion areas because the roads, stables and villages naturally teach exploration without sending you into extreme weather too quickly. Use these regions to build stamina, unlock convenient warps and prepare for your first Divine Beast route.
Dueling Peaks Shrine Route
Follow the road from the Great Plateau toward Dueling Peaks Stable, unlock nearby shrine warps, then climb or scout from high ground before moving toward Kakariko Village. This creates a clean path for early quests, fairy fountain access and several useful Spirit Orbs.
Hateno Shrine Route
Hateno is a strong early target because it connects shrine cleanup with the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, village quests and useful road routes. Open the tower, mark visible shrines, then clear the ones near roads and settlements before pushing into more awkward hillsides.
Lanayru and Akkala Shrines
Lanayru and Akkala are excellent mid-game shrine regions. Lanayru ties into Zora’s Domain and Vah Ruta, while Akkala gives you useful late-game routes, enemy practice and access to important services. Clear obvious road shrines first, then return for remote cliffs, islands and shrine quest locations.
- Lanayru: Best handled while moving toward Zora’s Domain and nearby wetlands.
- Akkala: Better once you have more stamina, better weapons and a few reliable warp points.
- Route tip: Mark shrines from towers and high cliffs, then group them by road, water route or mountain route.
Central Hyrule, Woodland and Eldin Shrines
Central Hyrule has dangerous enemies early, so do not force full cleanup too soon. Woodland and Eldin also become smoother once you have the right gear, heat protection and better combat tools. These regions are good examples of why shrine order matters more than raw map distance.
| Region | When To Clear | What To Watch For |
|---|---|---|
| Central Hyrule | After basic armor and weapons | Guardians, open fields and risky travel lines |
| Woodland | Early-mid game | Lost Woods access, forest routes and shrine quests |
| Eldin | Mid game with protection | Heat/fire resistance and volcanic terrain |
Tabantha and Hebra Shrines
Tabantha and Hebra are better with stamina upgrades, cold protection and good map control. Hebra in particular has many routes where visibility, cliffs and snow can make shrine cleanup confusing. Treat this as a dedicated regional project instead of grabbing one shrine at a time from far away.
For Hebra, open the tower, carry cold-resistance gear, and work from stable routes into mountain routes. If the weather or cliffs are slowing you down, place pins from high ground and create a short list before moving.
Gerudo and Wasteland Shrines
Gerudo shrine cleanup mixes desert travel, heat/cold management, sand routes and shrine quests. This region is much easier once you understand how to prepare meals and armor for temperature swings. Clear the obvious town and stable routes first, then handle deeper desert shrines and quest-based discoveries.
Do not ignore time of day in the desert. A route that feels simple in one temperature window can become awkward if you are not prepared for both heat and cold.
Shrine Quests and Puzzle Shrines
Not every shrine begins as a visible orange shrine on the map. Some are hidden behind shrine quests, environmental puzzles, NPC clues, riddles or combat encounters. The cleanest approach is to keep shrine quests in your adventure log and solve them region by region rather than leaving them scattered across Hyrule.
- Blessing shrines often reward exploration or a shrine quest before the shrine itself.
- Test of Strength shrines are best delayed if your weapons are weak.
- Motion and physics puzzles are easier when you slow down and identify the intended rune first.
- Remote shrines usually become easier after you unlock nearby towers, stables or high-ground warp points.
Shrine Rewards and Spirit Orb Planning
Every completed base-game shrine gives a Spirit Orb. Four Spirit Orbs can be exchanged for either a Heart Container or a Stamina Vessel. For exploration-heavy play, stamina is usually the better long-term investment because climbing, gliding and swimming are constant parts of shrine hunting. If combat is giving you trouble, take a few hearts first, then shift toward stamina.
Players aiming for full completion should eventually clear all 120 base-game shrines. After all 120 are complete, you can claim the classic Wild armor reward, making shrines one of the most important long-term completion paths in the game.
Related Breath of the Wild Guides
Image Sources and Credits
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and related visuals are property of Nintendo. The hero image used for this guide is an official Nintendo image already uploaded to The Gaming Guide Archives media library. Shrine names, reward structure and route planning are cross-checked against in-game shrine progression and external shrine reference resources. Future regional child guides should use high-quality gameplay screenshots with subtle source overlays.
Breath of the Wild Shrine FAQ
How many shrines are in Breath of the Wild?
The base game has 120 shrines. DLC adds additional shrine content, but this master guide is focused on the 120 base-game shrines first.
What do you get for completing all 120 shrines?
Completing all 120 base-game shrines lets you claim the Wild armor set, alongside all the Spirit Orbs earned during shrine completion.
Should I choose hearts or stamina first?
For shrine hunting, stamina is usually the better long-term choice because climbing and gliding make exploration faster. If combat feels punishing, take a few hearts first and then focus on stamina.
Are shrine quests required for all shrines?
Some shrines are hidden behind shrine quests, environmental puzzles or NPC clues. If you only clear visible shrines, you will miss part of the full shrine list.
Should I clear every shrine before fighting Ganon?
No. You can fight Calamity Ganon much earlier. Full shrine completion is best treated as a completion route or late-game cleanup project.