How to get into the Gerudo Highlands Tower in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower might seem straightforward at first, but you’ll have to go deep underground to gain access to it using an unorthodox but useful method.

Figuring out all of the Skyview Tower locations is merely the first step to unlocking Hyrule’s map in its entirety. Below you’ll find a walkthrough to solve the Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

How to get into and activate the Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower

The Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower is found all the way east from the Hyrule Field at the coordinates (-3960, -1312, 0429), north of the desert. In order to safely make your way here, you’ll need extra resistance to cold — so, both of the status bars displayed when you open your character inventory should be filled. Otherwise, you’ll get a warning about the unbearable cold, and you’ll gradually lose health.

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For cold resistance, I used the Archaic Warm Graves, which you can obtain in the Great Sky Island at the beginning of the game, as well as spicy sautéed peppers, which I cooked over at the Kara Kara Bazaar. If you already have a dish with spicy peppers mixed in, you’re set.

Getting to the tower itself is fairly easy, but there’s a catch. You can’t actually access it from ground level, as the entrance is covered in snow. You’ll find a book inside the nearby tent that hints at some construction work done inside Meadela’s Mantle cave. You’ll find it to the opposite side of the tower and the tent itself.

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Once you’re inside, another book will tell you about what exactly went down there. Short version: You need to head downstream into an old construction site.

I grabbed one of the boards in the construction spot with Ultrahand and just placed it on the water, as the current will push it on its own. Aside from a Bubbulfrog, there aren’t other enemies to worry about.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

After you’ve fallen down the waterfall and onto the lower floor of the cave, the trick here is to use that same board to create a floor of sorts on the water. You’re going to notice a few pillars connected to the ceiling, as well as three standalone ones that are cut in half.

Use Ultrahand to place the board in between those two cut pillars that are close to each other. It doesn’t have to be a perfect placement or anything, so long as the water doesn’t move it, since you’re going to have to stand on top.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

One last tip before you leave: You can take a detour using the left side of the water stream to crouch your way to a chest with a topaz inside.

If you lose the board for any reason, you can throw a white Chuchu jelly at the water to create one. (Worst case, reloading an autosave from when you first entered the cave can help.)

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In order to get to the plate without being dragged by the water, you can stand on the third cut pillar, then quickly jump and immediately glide to get closer. But hey, if your stamina can withstand it anyway, you can always just try going for a swim.

Once you’re standing underneath the square-shaped form on the ceiling (look up!), use Ascend to get through it. This will take you inside the tower.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

From there, you know what to do. There isn’t a traditional exit here, but you can lift yourself out of the tower after activating it. That’s all for the Gerudo Highlands Skyview Tower!