How to get through the Lost Woods in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Korok Forest is a vital location in Hyrule: it’s home to the Deku Tree, who’ll give you a very important quest. However, to get there, you must travel through the a disorienting obstacle in the Lost Woods. Heading to the Korok Forest in Breath of the Wild was a confusing journey where you had to make your way through a labyrinth of smoke in the Lost Woods, but in Tears of the Kingdom, it is slightly easier to see the Deku Tree, Hestu, and the Koroks all in one place.

If you arrive to the Lost Woods through conventional means, you’ll be met with a stone gate and a fog-covered forest. Every direction you take ends up with the fog consuming you and spitting you back out at the entrance.

You’ll exhaust every option you can think of, but there is one direction that was newly added to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: arriving from below, thanks to the Ascend ability.

Continue reading to find out how to make it through the Lost Woods and get to the Korok Forest.

How to get through the Lost Woods to reach Korok Forest in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

When you first arrive to the Lost Woods, you’ll see the forest covered in smoke and a ruined stone entrance. If you try to wander through the maze, the fog will surround you and teleport you back to the beginning. Rather than trying to go through the maze, you’ll need to skip the Lost Woods entirely and traverse through the Depths.

Before heading into the Depths, we recommend that you gather some Brightbloom seeds to light up the way.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

Travel to the Minshi Woods chasm located on the path to the Lost Woods at the coordinates (1063, 1655, 0167). Before diving into the chasm, place a pin on the center of the Korok Forest to help guide you in the Depths. Dive into the chasm and start heading in the northwest direction towards the center of the Korok Forest. Remember to use your Brightbloom seeds to lighten up your surroundings and avoid the gloom, the oil-like substance, on the floor.

Graphic: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo

As you get closer to the pin, you’ll begin to see the ogre trees — trees with faces on them — similar to the trees found in the Lost Woods. Climb to the top of the ogre tree to find a large poe, a ghastly tear drop, on top of the tree. Follow the direction of the large poes as they’ll guide you from treetop to treetop toward a lightroot in the distance.

Photo illustration: Johnny Yu/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Jump off of the ogre tree and glide to the non-gloom infested land in the distance. Continue towards the pin to find a path that heads to the Rikonasum Lightroot at the coordinates (0410, 2131, -0592) and a large stone platform beside it. Stand on top of the mound on the stone platform, and use Ascend to rise up into the Korok Forest.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The next task — ridding the Korok Forest of gloom, which involves encounters with Gloom Hands and Phantom Ganon. Good luck!