TotK Sky Islands: Every Archipelago, How to Get Up, What's There
Every sky island in Tears of the Kingdom: the 22 sky archipelagos and the named islands, their shrines and highlights, how to get up there and what the sky holds.
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, dozens of islands float above Hyrule. The map splits the sky into 8 regions holding 22 sky archipelagos and more than a dozen islands with names of their own: the Great Sky Island where the game starts, the three islands of the dive ceremony, the islands on the way to the Wind and Water Temples and more. This page covers how to get up there, what the sky holds in total and, island by island, which shrine is there and why it is worth the trip, each with a link to its spot on the map.
How is the sky divided?
The sky map has 8 regions named after the land below: Central Hyrule Sky, Hebra Sky, Gerudo Sky, Faron Sky, Necluda Sky, Lanayru Sky, Eldin Sky and Akkala Sky. The island groups in them are called sky archipelagos, such as the South Hyrule Sky Archipelago or the East Hebra Sky Archipelago; special islands have names of their own, such as Bravery Island or Starview Island.
Like the surface map, the sky map is filled in by Skyview Towers: activating a tower reveals both the surface map of its region and the sky map above it. Over regions whose tower you have not activated, the sky map stays blank.
How do you get to the sky islands?
| Method | How | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Skyview Tower | Once activated, step inside and the tower launches Link high into the sky; open the paraglider and glide over | Your first trip to the islands of a region |
| Recall | Find rubble that fell from an island, stand on it and use Recall on it; it rises back to the island along the path it fell | An island right overhead with fallen rubble nearby |
| Zonai devices | Use Ultrahand to build a flying machine from Balloons, Wings, Rockets and other devices; many islands have ready-made launchers and spare devices for the next hop | Moving between islands, or reaching higher ones |
| Fast travel | A shrine on a sky island becomes a travel point once activated; so does the Room of Awakening on the Great Sky Island | Islands you have already visited |
| Main quests | The Wind Temple, the Water Temple and the Thunderhead Isles each have their own way up, and the main quests take you there | The main story |
Some islands are freezing, especially the archipelagos over Hebra, Tabantha and North Gerudo. Eat cold-resistant food or wear warm armor before you go; see temperature and weather.
What is in the sky?
The counts below come from the game’s placement data. Each linked page has the full map for that item.
| Item | In the sky | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Shrines | 32 (of 152), four on the Great Sky Island | Shrine map |
| Sage’s Wills | All 20 are on sky islands: 12 in ordinary chests, 5 on Flux Constructs and 3 that appear once nearby enemies are beaten | Sage’s Wills |
| Old Maps | All 31 are in chests on sky islands, 6 of those chests on Flux Constructs | Old Maps |
| Ancient tablets | 12 (one more fell into Lookout Landing) | Ancient tablets |
| Device Dispensers | 25 (of 30 in the game) | Zonai devices |
| Koroks | 59 spots | Korok Seeds |
| Goddess Statues | 2: the Temple of Time and Dragonhead Island | Goddess Statues |
| King Gleeoks | 3: the North Gerudo, South Necluda and West Hebra Sky Archipelagos | Gleeok locations |
| Great Fairies | None; all four are on the surface | Great Fairies |
Where are the named islands, and what is on them?
“Above” uses the game’s place names. The map link marks the island on the sky map.
| Island | Above | Shrine | Highlights | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Sky Island | — | Ukouh, In-isa, Gutanbac, Nachoyah | Where the game starts, with the Temple of Time and the Room of Awakening; see the Great Sky Island walkthrough | Show on map |
| Rising Island Chain | Hebra Mountains Sky | Kahatanaum, Mayaumekis | The route to the Wind Temple in the main quest Tulin of Rito Village; one ancient tablet | Show on map |
| Thunderhead Isles | Faron Grasslands Sky | Joku-usin | Where the main quest Secret of the Ring Ruins leads; see the fifth sage | Show on map |
| Dragonhead Island | Faron Grasslands Sky | Joku-u | Among the Thunderhead Isles; has a Goddess Statue, and touching the Zonai relic behind the great door moves the search for the fifth sage on | Show on map |
| Wellspring Island | Lanayru Great Spring Sky | Igoshon | The big island holding the Water Temple; gravity is low, so you jump higher | Show on map |
| Floating Scales Island | Akkala Highlands Sky | — | A chest in a cave on its side holds the Zora Helm | Show on map |
| Courage Island | Hyrule Ridge Sky | Taunhiy | Dive ceremony; the first pass earns the Glide Shirt | Show on map |
| Bravery Island | Great Hyrule Forest Sky | Simosiwak | Dive ceremony; the first pass earns the Glide Tights | Show on map |
| Valor Island | Lanayru Great Spring Sky | Sihajog | Dive ceremony; the first pass earns the Glide Mask | Show on map |
| Sky Mine | Akkala Sea Sky | Gikaku | Crystal quest; a floating sphere in the air nearby holds the Zonaite Shin Guards | Show on map |
| Lightcast Island | Above the middle of the Tabantha Sky Archipelago | Ga-ahisas (below the island) | Mirror puzzle; a chest holds the Zonaite Helm | Show on map |
| Zonaite Forge Island | East Necluda Sky | Yansamin | A chest holds the Zonaite Waistguard | Show on map |
| Starview Island | Gerudo Highlands Sky | Mayasiar | A hollow sphere with low gravity inside; turn the mirrors to send light to the switches, one opening a room with a Sage’s Will, the other revealing the shrine | Show on map |
| North Lomei Castle Top Floor | Above the North Lomei Labyrinth | Tenbez | The sky part of the North Lomei Labyrinth | Show on map |
| South Lomei Castle Top Floor | Above the South Lomei Labyrinth | Siyamotsus | The sky part of the South Lomei Labyrinth; an ancient tablet nearby | Show on map |
| Lomei Sky Labyrinth | Akkala Sea Sky | Mogisari | The sky part of Lomei Labyrinth Island | Show on map |
On each of the three dive islands a Steward Construct runs the dive ceremony: jump from high up and pass through every ring within the time limit. The island’s shrine is hidden at first and only appears after one trial run. For rewards and rules see minigames and the Glide set; for the Zonaite Helm, Waistguard and Shin Guards see the Zonaite set; for the three Lomei top floors see the labyrinths.
What is on each sky archipelago?
A shrine marked “crystal quest” is sealed at first: carry the nearby green crystal to its entrance to open it. The quests are named “The … Sky Crystal”; see shrine quests. For photographing the tablets, see ancient tablets.
| Archipelago | Shrine | Highlights | Map |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Hyrule Sky Archipelago | — | — | Show on map |
| South Hyrule Sky Archipelago | Jinodok (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| North Hyrule Sky Archipelago | Mayam (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| West Hyrule Sky Archipelago | — | A Sage’s Will in the chest on a Flux Construct | Show on map |
| Eldin Sky Archipelago | — | One Sage’s Will | Show on map |
| South Eldin Sky Archipelago | Kadaunar | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| Lanayru Sky Archipelago | Jirutagumac (inside a floating sphere) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| South Lanayru Sky Archipelago | Mayanas (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| Necluda Sky Archipelago | Kumamayn (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| North Necluda Sky Archipelago | Josiu (crystal quest) | — | Show on map |
| West Necluda Sky Archipelago | Ukoojisi (crystal quest) | — | Show on map |
| South Necluda Sky Archipelago | — | King Gleeok | Show on map |
| Faron Sky Archipelago | — | A Sage’s Will in the chest on a Flux Construct; ancient tablet | Show on map |
| Tabantha Sky Archipelago | Ganos (crystal quest) | Lightcast Island floats above its middle | Show on map |
| North Tabantha Sky Archipelago | — | — | Show on map |
| South Hebra Sky Archipelago | — | — | Show on map |
| West Hebra Sky Archipelago | Ijo-o | King Gleeok | Show on map |
| East Hebra Sky Archipelago | Taninoud (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| North Gerudo Sky Archipelago | — | Wraps around Starview Island; ancient tablet; King Gleeok | Show on map |
| East Gerudo Sky Archipelago | Rakashog | — | Show on map |
| Sokkala Sky Archipelago | Natak (crystal quest) | Ancient tablet | Show on map |
| North Akkala Sky Archipelago | — | Two Old Maps, one of them on a Flux Construct | Show on map |
The tables list shrines and the easy landmarks only. For every Sage’s Will, Old Map and Device Dispenser, use the maps on the pages linked under “What is in the sky?”. A dash means the archipelago has no shrine, or nothing special enough for its own trip.
See also
- Great Sky Island walkthrough: the four shrines and the Temple of Time.
- All 15 Skyview Towers: how to activate each one.
- Interactive map: switch to the sky layer to see every marker on the islands.
- Depths guide: the other end of the map, below the surface.
Video walkthrough
FAQ
How do you get to the sky islands in Tears of the Kingdom?
How many shrines are in the sky?
Are there Great Fairies on the sky islands?
Are all the Sage's Wills and Old Maps in the sky?
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