‘Secret of the Ring Ruins’ quest walkthrough in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In order to find the fifth Sage in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you’ll need to complete the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest.

This is the first part of the “Find the Fifth Sage” quest that you get from Purah. But after getting said quest, Purah won’t give you much to go on. Instead, you just get some vague hints of where to go. Purah notes that it’d be a good idea to head to “the ruins from the age of legends,” which means the Ring Ruins in Kakariko Village,

Note that if you want to, you can skip the entire “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest in Kakariko Village and head straight for the sky island to complete the next two parts of the “Find the Fifth Sage” quest. But if you love lore and story, you won’t want to. The sky island is also significantly harder to navigate if you don’t do the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest first.

Here’s how to start and complete the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest — and get the Charged Armor set in the process.

How to start ‘Secret of the Ring Ruins’ quest

First head to Kakariko Village, near the Sahasra Slope Skyview Tower. If you’re reading this guide because you’ve arrived there but don’t know how to get past Calip — who is yelling at you for getting close to the Ring Ruins — that means you are trying to investigate the ruins too early. Come back after you’ve completed all four “Regional Phenomena“ locations and and found Zelda in “Crisis at Hyrule Castle.”

You will also need the camera function added to your Purah Pad before you can do the quest. If you don’t have the camera already, you can get it by completing the “Camera Work in the Depths” quest. If you have come across the Ring Ruins early and want to do something here, then we recommend doing the “A Trip Through History” quest, which ties into the ruins.

When you’re ready to start “Secret of the Ring Ruins,” you’ll need to talk to Tauro and Paya, who are standing and gawking at the ruins in the village, under the large floating Ring Ruin in the sky.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

[Ed. note: The rest of this guide contains spoilers for a late game quest in Tears of the Kingdom.]

‘Secret of the Ring Ruins’ walkthrough

After chatting with Tauro and Paya, climb up the scaffolding in front of them and Ascend into the ring ruin they’re talking about. Take a picture of the stone slab inside, Ascend out, and show them your photo. They’ll be shook, noting the new discovery made thanks to your excellent photo.

The survey group will scurry off to Popla Foothills Skyview Tower, where Calip will note that Tauro already ran off to the nearby ruins. You can find Tauro in here:

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Tauro talks about more ruins, codes, and puzzles. Open the Zonai chest directly above him to get the Charged Shirt. Put it on and talk to Tauro again. He’ll note that there are probably more pieces of the Charged Armor set around the dragon, but he doesn’t really know what’s going on.

Tauro is not talking about actual dragons, though. The dragon he’s referring to is Dracozu Lake and Dracozu River, which form the shape of a serpent.

Follow the river, taking out the Lizalfos along the way. Make a stop in here for the Charged Trousers. You’ll need to break open some rocks with a hammer or with bombs.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

And make another stop in here for the Charged Headdress. You’ll need to burn away some vines with fire.

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Put the whole fit on and head into these ruins at the end of the river:

Graphic: Julia Lee/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Drop a Zonai charge in the altar with the outfit on and a cutscene will play, clearing the cloudy skies that covered the sky islands above. This completes the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest and will clear the storm over the sky islands in the south.

Use Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and your paraglider to get to the newly revealed sky islands for the next part. If you haven’t invested your Lights of Blessings into stamina at all, you may need some stamina food or elixirs to help you reach the Thunderhead Isles.

Once you get to the sky island, you’ll be able to continue on your quest from Purah. Our “Find the Fifth Sage” guide will walk you through what to do after completing “Secret of the Ring Ruins” and get you ready for the final part of the quest, “Guidance from the Ages Past.”