Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

Solve the Lightning Temple puzzles in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

By Jason Rodriguez on May 12, 2023 at 9:08AM PDT

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Lightning Temple Puzzle will challenge you once you reach it. This vast structure is part of the main regional quest that takes you to Gerudo, where you'll make use of Riju's capabilities. Here's our guide to help you with the Lightning Temple Puzzle in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

The Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Lightning Temple Puzzle takes place in the interior of the structure. Prior to this, you'll fight the Queen Gibdo and her minions, and get past various traps in mostly linear sections. At the end, you'll reach the Room of Ascension, which is the main puzzle area.

As you can see in the image above, there are four altars that you need to charge using Riju's Lightning Strike skill. The first one is rather simple, as you just need to move the blocks off to the side of the main level.

The rest of the altars required for the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Lightning Temple Puzzle all emphasize the beams of sunlight and mirror reflection mechanics. As such, you'll need to move the block on the ground so you can ride the updraft to 5F. There, you'll see a small gap in the wall where you'll find the Room of Natural Light.

This small chamber has a few Mirror devices that you can use to reflect sunlight. For now, just make sure that the beam heads out of the room and hits the nearest statue. All of the statues on this floor have their own Mirrors, too.

While facing the first statue, look to your right. Make sure that the initial beam can hit a point near the right side statue. You can reposition it, too. Once you do that, the beam should hit a plate on the opposite side.

Enter the chamber and take out the Constructs. Destroy the bulb as well so you can eliminate the Gibdo enemies. Once you're done, use fires to make the hot air balloon rise, and make sure that you bring a Mirror with you (there are a few behind the pillars). Cast the beam on the plate to remove the barricade. This will let you use the Lightning Strike on the altar.

Next, with the same light array positioning as before, reenter the Room of Natural Light and pick up a Mirror. Bring it to the right side statue. Rotate it so that hits the statue on the opposite side (i.e. left side if you're coming from the Room of Natural Light). The beam will hit a plate that's higher up. You can reach it by using the updraft, so pop Ascend on the ceiling portion that's close to the plate.

There, you'll see a pit with flame-spewing traps. Navigate your way through this section, then blast the altar with Riju's ability.

Finally, return to the Room of Natural Light and grab another Mirror. With the previous light array in mind, you'll want to do the following:

After powering up all the altars, you'll complete the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Lightning Temple Puzzle. All that's left is to interact with the device, which will send you all the way to the top. There, you'll put an end to the Queen Gibdo boss.

There are numerous mechanics and facets to learn in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For more information, you can visit our guides hub.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]