Hyrule is vast, but you don’t have to walk every inch of it. With Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s fast travel mechanic, you can leap between shrines, towers, and secret points in seconds-if you know how to set them up. Here’s how to make every save point a gateway across the skies.
How to unlock fast travel in Tears of the Kingdom
Fast travel activates after completing the Ukouh, In-Isa, and Gutanbac Shrines on Great Sky Island to collect four Lights of Blessing. Return to the Temple of Time, speak with Rauru, receive the Rewind ability, and gain access to Purah Pad shrine selection for teleportation. Simply approach any shrine entrance to mark it as a travel point, then open the map and select blue icons to warp from safe ground spots.
If you’re anything like us, you probably expected Link to be able to fast travel right from the start of Tears of the Kingdom (and then got super confused when you couldn’t).
As you make your way around the Great Sky Island and complete the Shrines of Light for Rauru, you’ll pick up new abilities. After you complete the three shrines on the Great Sky Island – Ukouh Shrine, In-Isa Shrine, and Gutanbac Shrine – you’ll head to the Temple of Time to (try to) push open some doors.
Rauru will appear and explain that Link won’t be able to open the doors without visiting one more shrine. And it’s at that point that Rauru will unlock fast travel for you, allowing you to teleport to any shrine you’ve visited and, later, any Skyview Tower.
Which Shrines unlock fast travel earliest in TOTK
The earliest shrines that unlock the fast travel ability in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are the three trial shrines on the Great Sky Island. While you visit these shrines to gain Link’s core abilities, the teleportation mechanic itself only becomes active after you complete them and return to the Temple of Time.
Mandatory Starting Shrines
To unlock fast travel, you must finish the following three shrines in any order:
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Ukouh Shrine: Located in the northern part of the Great Sky Island; it grants the Ultrahand ability.
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In-Isa Shrine: Found in the southwestern region; it grants the Fuse ability.
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Gutanbac Shrine: Located in the snowy eastern mountains; it grants the Ascend ability.
The Unlocking Process
After completing these three shrines, you must travel to the Temple of Time and attempt to open the main door. A cutscene will trigger where Rauru grants Link the Recall ability and officially enables the fast travel feature on the Purah Pad.
The Fourth “Bonus” Early Shrine
Immediately after unlocking fast travel, Rauru directs you to a fourth shrine on the Great Sky Island:
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Nachoyah Shrine: Located near the Room of Awakening.
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Since you just unlocked the mechanic, this is typically the first shrine you will ever “fast travel” to using the map to avoid backtracking through the island.
Fast Travel Activation
| Location Type | Activation Requirement |
|---|---|
| Shrine of Light | Interact with the glowing green glyph outside . |
| Skyview Tower | Use the terminal inside to register the tower . |
| Lightroot | Touch the glowing center to light up the Depths . |
Which Great Sky Island shrines give Lights of Blessing first
Every shrine you complete in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rewards you with a Light of Blessing at the end of the trial. On the Great Sky Island, you must collect exactly four Lights of Blessing to progress the main story and reach the surface of Hyrule.
Chronological Order of Shrines
While the game allows some flexibility, most players naturally encounter the Great Sky Island shrines in this order to receive their first four Lights of Blessing:
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Ukouh Shrine (1st): Typically the first shrine visited as it is directly visible from the Temple of Time. It grants the Ultrahand ability and your first Light of Blessing.
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In-Isa Shrine (2nd): Usually reached after crossing the lake to the southwest. It provides the Fuse ability and your second Light of Blessing.
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Gutanbac Shrine (3rd): Located in the snowy eastern mountains. It provides the Ascend ability and your third Light of Blessing.
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Nachoyah Shrine (4th): This final tutorial shrine only becomes available after you return to the Temple of Time and unlock the Recall ability. Completing it gives you the fourth Light of Blessing required to exit the tutorial area.
Exchanging Your Rewards
Once you have collected all four Lights of Blessing from these specific shrines, you can return to the Goddess Statue inside the Temple of Time. Trading these four lights will grant you your first extra Heart Container, which provides enough health to open the door leading to the end of the Great Sky Island segment.
