How to get to Lost Woods in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

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How to get through the Lost Woods and make it to the Deku Tree in the central Korok Grove with Hestu in TOTK

Lost Woods Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Want to get to the Lost Woods in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? Korok Grove, Hestu and the Great Deku Tree are all at its center, but trying to get through Lost Woods teleports you back to the entrance as fog rolls over you. And yes, it does that no matter what angle you approach the forest from - so how do you solve this puzzle?

The way through is actually underneath, going via the Depths under the fog and Lost Woods to make it to the point where you can Ascend up into the Grove at the middle to find Hestu. It's not the easiest process in the world, but we'll explain it clearly below for those who are determined to get through the Lost Woods in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

How to get to the Lost Woods in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

To reach the Lost Woods in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, the trick is to go under the woods via the Depths and Ascend at the right point. The process goes like this:

  1. Head to the Minshi Woods Chasm, back along the road leading to the entrance of the Lost Woods.

  2. Jump down the Chasm to the Depths. As always, you'll probably want a lot of Brightbloom Seeds when you're down here.

  3. Head Northeast on the path shown above. You'll be able to see a Lightroot in the distance - that's your target. 

  4. Activate the Lightroot. There's a few in the region, but the one you're looking for is Rikonasum Lightroot, under the very middle of Lost Woods.

  5. Go to the Stone Platform next to Rikonasum Lightroot. There's a huge column of stone above the platform going right up to the ceiling.

  6. Use Ascend beneath the column shown below! If you're in the right spot, you'll Ascend through it and up into the Korok Grove at the very middle of the Lost Woods!

Lost Woods Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Deku Tree will be there, and depending on how much you've given him Korok Seeds, this might be the place at which Hestu starts showing up in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

The important thing to do first is to trigger the Musanokir Shrine right next to the Deku Tree, where you pop up the first time. Having this activated will ensure that you can use the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom fast travel feature to come back here at any time, skipping the whole sequence beneath the Depths itself. The Korok Grove is actually the location of a whole range of optional side quests you can do, so speak to the Koroks and the Deku Tree and see what they need! The great Tree himself has a particularly deadly quest for you, for which we highly recommend getting the Master Sword in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom first.

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Joel Franey
Joel Franey
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Joel Franey is a writer, journalist, podcaster and Very Tired Man with a BA from Brunel University, a Masters from Sussex University and a decade working in games journalism, often focused on guides coverage but also in reviews, features and news. His love of games is strongest when it comes to groundbreaking narratives like Disco Elysium, UnderTale and Baldur's Gate 3, as well as innovative or refined gameplay experiences like XCOM, Sifu, Arkham Asylum or Slay the Spire. He is a firm believer that the vast majority of games would be improved by adding a grappling hook, and if they already have one, they should probably add another just to be safe. You can find old work of his at Eurogamer, Gfinity, USgamer, SFX Magazine, RPS, Dicebreaker, VG247, and more.