How to Solve the Thundra Plateau Puzzle in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Thundra Plateau puzzle in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can be confusing if you do not already know what the game is asking you to do.

You might have followed another guide and solved it already, but still wondered how you were supposed to figure it out naturally. This guide will show you exactly how to solve the puzzle, how to deal with the rain, and where to find the clue that explains the solution.

Quick Answer

To solve the Thundra Plateau puzzle, you need to align the shadow from the southern statue with the northern statue. The shadow must line up almost perfectly from south to north. The easiest way to do this is by attaching around four logs together, using them to cast a long shadow, and waiting until noon so the shadow lines up correctly.

What You Need

Before starting the puzzle, prepare the following:

• Around four logs
• A way to light a fire
• Ultrahand
• Patience to wait until noon
• A mushroom-like tree or covered area if it is raining

The most important part of this puzzle is creating a long enough shadow to connect the two statues.

How to Solve the Thundra Plateau Puzzle

To solve the puzzle, find the two statues on Thunder Plateau.

The goal is to align the shadow of the southern statue with the northern statue. The alignment needs to be very accurate. If the shadow is slightly off, the puzzle may not activate.

To create the correct shadow, attach about four logs together using Ultrahand. This gives you a long enough shape to cast a shadow between the statues.

Once the logs are ready, place them near the southern statue and prepare to wait until noon.

How to Deal With the Rain

One of the most annoying parts of this puzzle is the weather. Thunder Plateau is often rainy, which makes it difficult to light a fire and pass time normally.

If it is raining, look for one of the mushroom-like trees in the area. Set up your fire underneath the tree so it is protected from the rain.

Before sitting by the fire, make sure your shadow-casting logs are close enough. If you move too far away or change time without keeping track of them, the logs may disappear.

Once everything is ready, sit by the fire and wait until noon.

Align the Shadow at Noon

When it reaches noon, return to the statues and use the attached logs to cast the shadow from the southern statue toward the northern statue.

The shadow must connect the two statues as closely as possible from south to north.

If nothing happens, adjust the angle slightly and try again. The puzzle is strict, so small positioning changes can make the difference.

Once the shadow is correctly aligned, the puzzle will activate and reveal the treasure.

Bonus: Bubbulfrog Location

There is also a Bubbulfrog in this area, so if you are collecting Bubbul Gems, it is worth checking nearby before leaving.

Using the Sensor Plus can make finding Bubbulfrogs much easier. If you already have it unlocked, set it to track Bubbulfrogs and follow the signal around the area.

How Were You Supposed to Know the Solution?

After solving the Thundra Plateau puzzle, the big question is obvious:

How were players supposed to figure this out?

The clue comes from another related treasure location at the Coliseum Ruins.

To access the treasure there, you first need to deal with the Thunder Gleeok guarding the area. Once it is defeated, head inside the Coliseum and look toward the knights.

The puzzle there involves placing a sword in the knight’s hand. This points you toward the idea that these treasure puzzles are connected to statue positioning, shadows, and environmental clues.

The treasure at the Coliseum Ruins is part of a pair with the Thunder Plateau treasure, which helps explain the logic behind the shadow alignment puzzle.

Another Bubbulfrog at the Coliseum

While you are at the Coliseum Ruins, there is also another Bubbulfrog nearby.

If you are already exploring the area after defeating the Thunder Gleeok, take a moment to search for it before leaving.

Final Verdict

The Thundra Plateau puzzle is one of those Tears of the Kingdom puzzles that makes much more sense once you understand the clue behind it.

The solution itself is simple: create a long shadow using logs and align it from the southern statue to the northern statue at noon.

The difficult part is figuring out the exact alignment and dealing with the rain. Once you know to use a covered area to start a fire and wait until noon, the puzzle becomes much easier.

If you are stuck, focus on three things:

• Use around four logs to create a long shadow
• Wait until noon
• Align the shadow from the southern statue to the northern statue as accurately as possible

Once the alignment is correct, the puzzle will activate and you can claim the treasure.

Watch the Full Video

If you want to see the exact log placement, shadow alignment, Bubbulfrog location, and the clue at the Coliseum Ruins, you can watch my full Tears of the Kingdom Thundra Plateau guide below.