Hidden behind a clever puzzle and a dangerous trap, the Popla Foothills Skyview Tower in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom challenges players to use creativity and courage-here’s how to get it working and reveal the map above Faron.
How to unlock the Popla Foothills Skyview Tower
Jump into the well beside the Popla Foothills Skyview Tower, which lands you in water at the bottom. Clear the rocks blocking the cave ahead by smashing them with a fused weapon, then step on the pressure plate inside to release the trapped mechanic named Elmerson. Return to the tower afterward, speak to him, and activate the terminal to reveal the map.
The Popla Foothills Skyview Tower is located northeast of Lake Hylia at the coordinates (0602, -2119, 0098), southwest of West Necluda. You can access this tower from the get-go, which is already sketchy, and for good reason, since you can’t activate the device yet.
In order to kickstart this tower’s questline, head outside and move toward the well, where you’ll hear someone asking for help. Take to take a trip down below.
After you land on the pool of water, head over to the rock wall and destroy it. Either Bomb Flowers or fusing any of your weapons with the rocks nearby is going to do the trick. If you can’t, use Ascend to escape and return once you have the right tools to destroy the wall.
After the wall is taken care of, you’ll see a path that will lead you to a strange corridor with an NPC named Elmerson on the other side of a cell.
They will point you toward a cave entrance on the other side. Use Ascend to escape (if only Elmerson could do this, too) and move in that direction. If you’re looking at the map, just head south of the tower until you see a pit with a well in the center.
The entrance to the cave is right on the opposite side of that well. This takes you to the Popla Foothills Exploration Site.
Surprisingly, there isn’t much to it. Just hop on the switch that Elmerson mentioned, which is right before the cell, and the trap will be deactivated. Elmerson will then give you 50 rupees, and return to the tower. You should do the same. Using Ascend will save you some time.
If you do want to complete the cave, as you’re standing in the center of that large room, there are two paths on each side.
The one on the left has a chest with topaz inside – you can use Ultrahand to move the chest and use it to provide weight for the switch on the other end of the cell from where you are. The path on the right, which you can climb with ease, leads to the cave’s Bubbulfrog instead.
I have Ascend and bombs ready for this tower
Perfect, then you can do this tower very quickly with minimal hassle.
Fast route with Ascend and bombs
-
Check the tower first
-
Go to Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and try to use the terminal; it will be broken and you’ll hear someone calling for help from below.
-
-
Drop into Popla Foothills North Well
-
In front of or near the tower is Popla Foothills North Well. Jump in and land in the water, then move into the cave.
-
-
Blow up the rock wall
-
Follow the tunnel until you hit a rock barrier. Use a Bomb Flower (fused to an arrow or thrown) or a rock-fused weapon to break the rocks and continue.
-
-
Reach the prisoner, then Ascend
-
Keep going until you reach the barred “prison” where the NPC is trapped. Don’t worry about opening the bars here.
-
Stand roughly under the hill above (center of the corridor facing his cell) and use Ascend to pop back up to the surface near the tower.
-
-
Find the excavation entrance
-
From where you emerge, move around the hill to find the Popla Foothills Excavation Site: a pit/cave entrance leading to the other side of the prison area.
-
-
Step on the floor switch to free him
-
Go inside that excavation cave, follow the corridor to the barred cell, and stand on the floor switch in front of it.
-
That opens the cell and frees the NPC; he’ll thank you and return to fix the tower.
-
-
Return and activate the tower
-
Use Ascend in the cave to get back to the surface if needed, then go back into the tower.
-
The terminal will now work; interact with it to unlock the Popla Foothills region and the launch point.
-
Do you also want a quick route to fly from this tower to your next objective (e.g., a specific shrine or nearby region)?
Exact steps after Eastern Mine fast travel
From Eastern Mine, you’re already in the right general area of the Depths; you just need to climb out via the nearby lightroot route and then head to Popla Foothills on the surface.
Because “exact steps after Eastern Mine fast travel” can mean a few different objectives, here are the two most likely relevant ones for Popla Foothills Tower:
If you want to unlock Popla Foothills Tower
You’re likely using Eastern Mine as a convenient Depths waypoint and now want a precise surface path.
-
Surface return from Eastern Mine
-
Open your map and fast travel to any nearby lightroot that corresponds to a surface shrine near Popla Foothills (for example, a root under the Lake Hylia / West Necluda area).
-
From there, fast travel to the closest surface shrine you’ve unlocked near Popla Foothills (often something near Lake Hylia or the Dueling Peaks stables).
-
-
Run to Popla Foothills Tower
-
From that shrine, place a pin on Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and simply beeline for it on the surface.
-
When you arrive, follow the steps we discussed earlier:
-
Check the broken terminal.
-
Drop into Popla Foothills North Well in front of the tower.
-
Bomb the rock wall in the cave.
-
Reach the jailed NPC, then use Ascend to get back up.
-
Go around to the Popla Foothills Excavation Site, step on the floor switch, free the NPC, then return and activate the tower.
-
-
If you’re using Eastern Mine to reach the Popla Foothills Depths area
If your plan is “Eastern Mine → Depths route → then surface at Popla Foothills”:
-
Head west/southwest in the Depths from Eastern Mine
-
From Eastern Mine’s lightroot, ride or run generally west-southwest, skirting around big chasms and gloom pools.
-
Light any additional lightroots on the way to keep a visible route.
-
-
Find the chasm that leads up near Popla Foothills
-
Look for a chasm on your Depths map whose surface counterpart is near the Popla Foothills hills or Lake Hylia.
-
Climb the walls and use Ascend wherever possible to get up toward that chasm’s surface origin.
-
-
Surface and go directly to the tower
-
Once you emerge topside, place a pin on Popla Foothills Skyview Tower and run straight there.
-
Then use the tower-activation steps above.
-
Can you tell me exactly what your next target is after Eastern Mine (e.g., “Popla Foothills Tower,” “a specific shrine,” or “just getting to the tower as fast as possible”)?
