You’ve Found the Ring Ruins, Now What?
You’re standing in Kakariko Village, staring up at the mysterious, circular structures embedded in the cliffside. The quest log says “Secret of the Ring Ruins,” but talking to everyone just yields cryptic hints. This is a classic Tears of the Kingdom moment—the game points you toward a major mystery but doesn’t hand you the starting coordinates.
Many players hit this exact wall. The quest is essential, deeply tied to the game’s lore and a key ability, yet its initiation is deliberately obscure. If you’re running in circles between Kakariko and the nearby ruins, you’re not doing anything wrong. You just need the specific trigger, which involves a person, a place, and a time of day.
This guide will walk you through the exact steps to unlock the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest, what you need to have done first, and how to proceed once the investigation truly begins.
Prerequisites: What You Need Before Starting
You cannot simply walk up and start this quest. The game gates it behind two major story milestones. Trying to force it early will only lead to frustration.
First, you must have completed the “Crisis at Hyrule Castle” quest. This is the initial main story quest that sends you to Lookout Landing after the opening sky island tutorial. Completing it involves a brief foray to the castle, a cutscene, and receiving your next main objective.
Second, and most crucially, you must have found and completed at least one of the four Regional Phenomena dungeons. This could be the Wind Temple, the Fire Temple, the Water Temple, or the Lightning Temple. Finishing one of these proves your progress to the game’s world and unlocks the next layer of the main narrative.
Once you have one Regional Phenomena cleared, return to Lookout Landing. You should experience a cutscene where Purah updates you on the situation and formally gives you the “Find the Fifth Sage” main quest. This is your green light. The path to the Ring Ruins secret is now open.
The Key to Starting: Finding the Right Scholar
With the prerequisites met, fast travel to Kakariko Village. Your target is not a ruin, but a person: Cado. He is one of Impa’s fellow Sheikah researchers and is specifically studying the Ring Ruins.
Do not look for him during the day. Cado conducts his research in the evening and at night. If you arrive in the morning or afternoon, you will not find him at his usual post. The easiest method is to head to the village, find a fire or cooking pot, and sit until “Evening.”
Once evening falls, make your way to the highest level of Kakariko Village, near the goddess statue and the entrance to the chief’s house. You will find Cado standing near the railing, intently observing the largest Ring Ruin across the chasm. Approach and speak to him.
Your conversation with Cado will reveal his theory about the ruins and his frustration at being unable to get a closer look. This dialogue is the official trigger. After speaking with him, your Adventure Log will update with the “Secret of the Ring Ruins” quest.
What If Cado Isn’t There?
If you’ve waited until evening and Cado is still absent, double-check your main quest progress. The most common issue is not having the “Find the Fifth Sage” quest active. Return to Lookout Landing and speak with Purah to advance the story.
Also, ensure you have spoken with everyone in Kakariko earlier. Sometimes, initial dialogues with villagers like Claree or Lasli can subtly nudge the quest state forward. Talking to the village chief, Tauro, can also provide context, though he is not the direct trigger.
Beginning the Investigation: The First Clue
With the quest now active in your log, Cado will point you toward the first tangible clue. He mentions that the ancient Zonai text on the ruins might be the key, and suggests you seek out another researcher who specializes in this area.
This leads you to Tauro, the enthusiastic Zonai researcher you may have met earlier. He is typically found at the “Foot of the Ruins,” a small camp set up directly beneath the central Ring Ruin. You can glide down to this camp from Kakariko Village.
Speak with Tauro at his camp. He will be excited about the prospect of investigating the ruins and will explain that the secret likely involves aligning a perspective or using a specific ability to decipher the markings. This conversation shifts the quest from “how to start” to “how to solve.”
The Core Solution: Using Recall on the Past
Here is the pivotal mechanic. The secret of the ruins is not about climbing them in the present. It’s about witnessing their past. Tauro will hint at this, noting that the Zonai text seems to reference a moment in time.
Stand in the center of the camp, near Tauro, and look up at the massive stone ring above you. You need to use your Recall ability on the ruin itself. Target the main Ring Ruin fragment hanging overhead and activate Recall.
Recall will rewind the stone’s movement through time. You will see it ascend backward, up through the chasm and into the sky. This reveals its original position: it was once a complete, circular structure floating high in the air. The rewind creates a ghostly, green-chronological path.
Your goal is to ride this rewinding path back in time. As soon as you activate Recall on the ruin, quickly step onto the fragment or the green trail. Link will be lifted upward as the stone reverses its ancient fall. Ride it all the way to the top, into the sky above Kakariko.
Navigating the Ascension
The ride can be tricky. Stay centered on the stone fragment. If you fall off, you’ll plummet back to the ground. Don’t worry—just use Recall on the ruin again from the camp and retry. It may take a couple of attempts to get the positioning right.
As you ascend, you’ll pass through a thick layer of cloud. Once you emerge above the clouds, the rewind will stop. You’ll find yourself standing on a stable, floating fragment of the ruin, high in the sky. This is the “Past” version of the location.
Exploring the Sky Ruin and Claiming Your Reward
Look around this sky island. It is a broken, circular platform—the original Ring Ruin. Your objective here is straightforward: find the Zonai stone slab with the glowing inscription.
Navigate the floating chunks. You may need to use Ultrahand to move a block or create a bridge, or simply jump across gaps. The island is small. Head toward the center or the most intact-looking section.
There, you will find the inscribed slab. Interact with it. Link will decipher the Zonai text, which reveals a profound piece of the game’s history concerning the Imprisoning War and the origins of the Secret Stones.
More importantly, this act grants you a permanent upgrade: a new Sage’s Will. This key item is used to enhance the capabilities of your Sage companions, making them more powerful in battle. Collecting it completes this stage of the investigation.
Troubleshooting Common Stumbling Blocks
Even with the right steps, a few things can go wrong. Here’s how to handle them.
– Recall Doesn’t Activate: You must target the specific, largest fragment of the Ring Ruin directly above Tauro’s camp. If the ability icon doesn’t appear, reposition yourself. Try standing directly under it. The target is finicky.
– Can’t Ride the Rewind: Timing is key. Activate Recall, then immediately move Link onto the stone or the green trail. If you’re too slow, the stone will rewind without you. Practice the button sequence: aim, hold L, select Recall, release, then immediately move forward.
– No Sage’s Will Appears: Did you actually interact with the stone slab? Simply reaching the sky island isn’t enough. Find the slab with glowing green text and press A. The quest log should update upon collection.
– Quest Log Stuck: Sometimes, the log doesn’t refresh immediately. After collecting the Sage’s Will, drop back down to Tauro (you can dive off the island) and speak to him. Reporting your find will often finalize the quest step.
What Comes After the First Secret
Completing this first investigation is just the beginning. “Secret of the Ring Ruins” is a multi-part quest. Kakariko is surrounded by multiple ruins, each holding a piece of the puzzle.
Your next step is to repeat the process for the other Ring Ruins around the village. Each one requires you to find its corresponding researcher’s camp on the ground, use Recall on the ruin fragment, ride it to a unique sky island, and decipher another Zonai slab.
Each slab reveals more lore and rewards you with another Sage’s Will. There are four in total to discover around Kakariko. Completing them all provides a comprehensive historical record and maximizes the potential of your Sage avatars.
Finding the Other Camps
The other researchers are stationed at similar camps at the base of the other ruins. Use your Purah Pad sensor to track other researchers if needed, or simply explore the cliffs and forests surrounding Kakariko. Look for smoke from campfires.
The process is identical: speak to the researcher at night if needed, use Recall on the overhead ruin, and ride it up. The puzzles on the subsequent sky islands may be slightly more complex, involving simple Zonai device manipulation.
Your Actionable Path Forward
If you’re still stuck at the starting line, follow this exact sequence. First, open your Adventure Log and confirm you have the “Find the Fifth Sage” main quest. If not, go complete a Regional Phenomena dungeon.
Then, fast travel to Kakariko Village. Sit at a fire until nightfall. Find Cado near the chief’s house and speak to him. Your quest log will update.
Glide down to Tauro’s camp at the Foot of the Ruins. Look directly up, target the giant stone ring with Recall, and ride the time reversal up into the sky. Find the inscribed slab, claim your Sage’s Will, and return to Tauro to report.
The Secret of the Ring Ruins is a brilliant piece of environmental storytelling that leverages Tears of the Kingdom’s core time-manipulation mechanic. By starting it correctly, you unlock not just powerful upgrades, but a deeper understanding of the game’s world that changes how you see every ancient structure in Hyrule.
