Mah Eliya Shrine Guide: Secret Stairway (BotW)

How do you reveal Mah Eliya Shrine?

In The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, this shrine belongs to EX Champion Mipha’s Song. Complete the four opening DLC shrines, then visit this Champion’s monument to start its trials. The Champions’ Ballad overview covers those prerequisites and the branch order.

Equip the Zora Armor and start at the blue ring by Mikau Lake, east of Zora’s Domain. Follow the rings up the waterfalls towards Lulu Lake and the waterfall above it. Use the armour’s swim-up action when a ring lies on a waterfall, then steer towards the next marker at the top. Completing the timed sequence reveals the shrine.

Detail	Answer
Trial	Secret Stairway
Main mechanic	Prop up sliding metal platforms with a cube and ice
Treasure	1 chest: Royal Shield
Completion reward	Ruta’s Emblem

This is an additional DLC shrine and does not count towards the 120 base-game shrines.

How do you solve Secret Stairway?

1. Reach the loose cube in the left alcove

Face the pair of large metal platforms on vertical rails. Create a Cryonis pillar in the water between them, then climb onto the left platform and reach the ledge on its left. Use Magnesis to take the loose metal cube from the alcove and lower it into the central working area. This cube is the movable support for both large platforms.

2. Raise the left platform and replace its support

Put the loose cube beneath the left platform and raise it with ice from the water below. Leave room behind the cube at the waterfall. Make another ice block project from that waterfall directly under the raised platform. It must hold the platform at its new height when you pull the cube away. Check the support before reusing the cube on the other side.

3. Raise the right platform into the last stair

Move the loose cube beneath the right platform and lift it with Magnesis. While holding the right platform up, slide the cube onto the top of the left platform, near the join, so it supports the right platform higher up. The climb now runs ice → left platform → loose cube → right platform → exit ledge. Climb the mesh faces and check each landing before moving to the next.

4. Look back for the Royal Shield before finishing

At the top, turn around to see the chest on the opposite high ledge. Shoot a Bomb Arrow beside it to knock it from the perch, then descend to open it on the lower floor. Keep the metal-and-ice staircase in place for your return. Once the shield is collected, climb back up and follow the exit to the monk.

Where is the treasure chest?

The single chest contains a Royal Shield on the high ledge opposite the main exit. From the completed staircase, turn around and fire a Bomb Arrow near the chest to knock it down. Glide back to the lower floor, retrieve the fallen chest and then climb your staircase again. Keep the supports intact until both the chest and the exit are reached.

What can go wrong?

• The loose cube seems missing: first climb the left platform to reach its storage alcove.
• The left platform drops when you remove the cube: create a waterfall ice support underneath it before moving the cube away.
• The last step is too high: use the cube as an intermediate step on the left platform while it props up the right platform.
• You reach the monk but miss the chest: turn around at the top and inspect the opposite wall before completing the shrine.

What do you receive, and where do you go next?

Speak to the monk for Ruta’s Emblem. The other shrines in this branch are Kee Dafunia Shrine and Sato Koda Shrine. Collect all three emblems from this branch, then return to Divine Beast Vah Ruta for the memory rematch. This shrine awards an emblem rather than a Spirit Orb; the main walkthrough explains the next fight.