Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom: A Rift In The Gerudo Desert Main Quest

In this section of our Echoes of Wisdom walkthrough, we're covering the events of Gerudo Desert, which includes A Rift in The Gerudo Desert Main Quest.

We also cover the Southern Oasis Ruins Rift Main Quest, the Southern Gerudo Desert Rift Main Quest, the Ancestor's Cave of Rest Rift Main Quest, and the Stilled Desert Temple Ruins rift.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom Walkthrough - A Rift In The Gerudo Desert Main Quest

At the end of The Mysterious Rifts Main Quest — that is, after completing the Suthorn Ruins dungeon and beating Seismic Taelus — you've got a choice to make.

You can either head to the Gerudo Desert or Jabul Waters first, then do the other region afterwards. Which region should you visit first? Our guide on recommended region order, specifically for the Searching for Everyone Main Quest, will help you make up your choice, but the game leaves it up to you.

Gerudo Desert is easy to find — it's in the southwest corner of the map. You simply need to head west from Suthorn Forest to get there.

The entrance is marked by a canyon with many crow enemies flying around, so you'll spot it fairly quickly. Activate the Waypoint at the entrance.

Navigating Gerudo Desert

As soon as you enter the desert proper, you want to head directly west. Remember to grab the Aruroda Echo on the way through. You'll eventually reach Oasis, a small little sanctuary.

There are a couple of things of interest here — first of all, you'll notice a little stand next to the palm trees on the west side of the oasis. This is a Smoothie Shop, and this is where you can make your first Smoothie and start the Recipes, Please! Side Quest.

Beside the Waypoint, there's a woman who will give you a Side Quest, The Flying Tile.

Lastly, the tent is the Mango Rush Mini Game, which you'll need to complete later in the game to get a Heart Piece, an Outfit, and an item for the Automatons.

If you want to explore, going North will take you to an area covered by a sandstorm. Going northwest, you'll also find a Stamp by two red pillars.

There are lots of good Echoes tucked away in here, like the Sand Piranha, the Tornando, and the Platboom — the last one, in particular, is a must-get, as it will make platforming much easier. You'll find it in a Cave north of Gerudo Town, but for more specific details on the Echo, check out our guide on the Platboom Echo or have a look at our Best Echoes list.

If you're not interested in Echo hunting right now, from Oasis, head south towards a huge rift on the map. Navigate your way to the quest marker on the map. If you head east from the rift, you can find a Stamp

Close to the rift and the ruins, you'll spot a Gerudo guarding some ruins. They won't let you in, so you need to get permission.

Nearby, you'll hear some screams. Head east and you'll find a Gerudo woman who needs rescuing. Do so, and she'll thank you. Introducing herself as Dohna, she tells you she's looking into the rifts and wants you to come to Gerudo Town. That's northwest of where you are now, so head that way.

Rest in Peace Brave Warriors puzzle

If you head to the far north, you'll find a cave that's been split by a rift. You'll also notice that there are two unlit torches and a coffin on the other side.

While you can make your way over to the other side now — you'll also get the very useful Holmill Echo a little early — you cannot currently solve the puzzle. This is locked behind story progression.

If you want to know how to get through the cave, hop on down to the Ancestor's Cave of Rest Rift Main Quest section.

Gerudo Town

Activate the Waypoint and head inside the town. The shop has the Gerudo Sandal Accessory, which is good for dealing with quicksand, and you'll need them to defeat the secret Lanmola bosses hiding in the desert.

You can also grab the Elusive Tumbleweed Side Quest, which has a simple solution but had us baffled for a while.

Head north to speak to the head of the village, who is doubtful of your abilities to fix the rifts. Dohna leaves for the Oasis, so follow her and talk to her. She'll give you three locations to investigate, which will activate three very short Main Quests.

Southern Oasis Ruins Rift Main Quest

Head south from the Oasis, towards the area you met Dohna. You'll sport guards on the floor and some floating black blobs. All you need to do is defeat them.

These are relatively easy, so use Swordfighter form if you want — you'll get the energy back to restore your power anyway. That's one quest down, then!

Southern Gerudo Desert Rift Main Quest

Warp back to Gerudo Town and head south.

You'll find some guards who have run out of water. Dohna will give you two Chilly Cactus to make a drink with.

Warp back to the Oasis, talk to the Business Scrub, and use two Chilly Cactus to make a Cactus Smoothie.

Head back to the guards and give them the drink to clear the quest.

Ancestor's Cave of Rest Rift Main Quest

This last one is the longest. It's in a cave in the far north of the desert, through the sandstorm. Head through the dusty conditions and enter the cave once you're there. The guard will tell you he can't get to the other side, so you'll have to do it for him.

To the left, use Bind on the rock and move it out of the way. Head through the door and you'll have to defeat some Holmill — grab the Holmill Echo, as you'll need it to get a Heart Piece north of Gerudo Town. Afterwards, Bind the rock and move it to reveal a ladder. Climb down.

Here, you can use the Holmill to navigate the sand. Simply drop the echo where you want it to burrow and it will create a hole for you to fall through. The chest on the left contains a Golden Egg, a rare Smoothie ingredient. There are some rupees lying around for you, too. Otherwise, just dig to the bottom, walk right, and climb up the ladder.

Light the two torches on the other side to finish the quest.

Return to Gerudo Town

Once you've completed all three quests, head back to Gerudo Town and return to speak with Seera.

You haven't really solved anything, so she's still doubtful, but Facette attempts to arrest the pair of you. Seera steps in, but is stopped when news of a rift expanding reaches the town.

You can follow them by warping to the Oasis and heading northeast. Approach the rift, then enter it.

Stilled Desert Temple Ruins Rift

There are five different locations you need to visit to save Tri's friends and fix the rift. Here's where they all are:

1. Follow the path north and cross the tree branch to reach a ladder. Climb down and navigate through the cave of Platbooms — grab a Platboom Echo too if you don't have it, they're vital here. At the end, defeat one Platboom and ride the other up to reach the energy mass.
2. Leave the cave and continue to go up and left. After defeating some echoes, climb up the steep cliff using your echoes, then atop a tree to reach another piece of energy.
3. From the tree, go right and climb up another small cliff by some sand. The next energy is just waiting.
4. Climb up the very top of the desert and head to the right. Use echoes to reach the platform there, then move the boulder to reveal another energy.
5. Back near the beginning, you'll find a tall red stone pillar with energy on top. Either use the birds here to get over, or use other echoes to make a bridge. the Platboom is also good here.

You'll emerge from the rift, and everyone will finally believe you can save the Gerudo Desert. You can enter the sanctum, but you need to release the quicksand first. Head back to Oasis, head south, and speak to the guard to gain entry to the Cryptic Cavern.

Cryptic Cavern

The Cryptic Cavern is a little mini-dungeon that separates you from the next big story dungeon, the Gerudo Sanctum.

There are some good Echoes here, such as the Gibdo Lv. 2 and the Pathblade — the latter of which comes in handy for those side-scrolling sections.

Head on over to our Cryptic Cavern walkthrough if you get stuck here. Otherwise, you'll need to head outside and enter the Sanctum from the desert.

If you need more Rift walkthroughs, dungeon tips, or boss strategies, head on over to our main Echoes of Wisdom hub for all of your adventuring needs.