Hidden beneath Hyrule’s waters lies a rare treasure: the ancient arowana. This elusive fish plays a key role in powerful upgrades and side quests, but finding it requires sharp eyes and the right bait – here’s where to start your search.
Ancient arowana locations in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Ancient Arowana can be found in several high-altitude and sacred areas across Hyrule. They often inhabit the waters near the Sky Islands above the Great Sky Island region, especially around the Temple of Time Ruins and floating platforms with ponds. These fish also appear in some elevated springs in the Lanayru region and around the ancient ruins near the Rito Village. Using the paraglider to reach these areas and scanning ponds carefully increases the chance of spotting them.
From the start of the game, we recommend two places to find ancient arowana.
The easiest is to head to the ponds on the Great Sky Island (where you started off in the game). We found plenty in the small floating ponds north and east of the Nachoya Shrine.
Alternatively, you can listen to Yona’s instructions, which is to seek out Dento, the blacksmith on the east side of Zora’s Domain, for a lead on where to find one.
He’ll point you to Mipha’s Court near the peak of Ploymus Mountain. You can warp to the Ihen-a Shrine to get close.
From there, climb up the long stairway heading southwest. You’ll find at least one ancient arowana in the pool at the top.
How to catch Ancient Arowana without it escaping
Ancient Arowana behave like other fish in TotK: they bolt as soon as you splash near them or surface too close. To stop them escaping, use methods that don’t start by swimming right next to them.
Low-effort, no-escape methods
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Dive directly onto them from above
Line yourself up on a ledge or small bridge, aim the camera straight down at the fish you want, then jump and press the dive button so Link lands on top of the fish and instantly grabs it before it can move. -
Stun the water with electricity
Throw a Yellow Chuchu Jelly, Shock Fruit arrow, or any other electric item into the pond or pool. The shock will instantly “defeat” the fish so you can calmly pick up the Ancient Arowana from the surface instead of chasing it while it swims away. -
Use arrows from land
Stand on the shore or a rock and shoot the Ancient Arowana with a normal arrow (no elemental needed). The fish will die where it is; then just swim over once and pick up the body. This avoids repeated splashing that makes them keep fleeing.
Small technique tweaks
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Approach slowly: walk to the edge and only enter the water once you know exactly where the fish is.
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Don’t spam swim: each strong stroke splashes; use short taps and adjust the camera to track the fish.
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If they scatter, climb out and wait a few seconds; they’ll often reset to calm patterns, letting you set up another precise dive or shot.
Best gear or abilities to catch Ancient Arowana easily
The easiest “gear” for Ancient Arowana is anything that lets you control the water or approach from above so they never get the chance to flee.
Helpful gear and abilities
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Any electric item (for Shock AoE)
Yellow Chuchu Jelly, Shock Fruit on arrows, or other electric materials will electrify a small area of water, instantly killing and immobilizing all fish there so you can scoop them up safely.
This completely removes the “they keep escaping” problem and works especially well in tiny pools like those at Mipha’s Court or the Sky Island ponds. -
Bow and arrows (from dry land)
A basic bow is enough: stand on the bank or a small ledge and shoot the Ancient Arowana so it dies in place, then swim in once to collect it.
Using a higher-zoom bow (like the construct bows with good range) just makes it easier to line up shots without stepping into the water and spooking them. -
Vertical mobility to dive from above
Any setup that gets you above the fish-Recall on a floating platform, Ascend to a ledge, or just using nearby rocks-lets you jump and dive straight down onto the Arowana and grab it instantly.
They only try to flee when you enter the water near them, so dropping directly on top from a bridge or ledge is effectively “free” capture with no escape chance. -
Zora Armor (for general fish farming)
Once you’ve used your first Ancient Arowana to unlock the Zora Armor chest piece, the increased swim speed makes chasing any remaining fish in small ponds much easier.
This is more of a quality-of-life upgrade than a requirement, but it helps if you prefer swimming after fish rather than using electricity or arrows. -
Sensor+ tracking (optional)
Upgrading your Sheikah Sensor to Sensor+ and registering Ancient Arowana as a target makes it beep when you are near ponds that contain them, reducing the time spent searching.
This does not help with the moment of capture, but it makes repeated farming runs far more efficient, especially on Great Sky Island or sky archipelagos.
