Thundra Plateau Cave - Zelda: TotK Cave Guide

Thundra Plateau Cave is sealed until you make a shadow join the plateau’s two pillar structures at noon. Stand a tall Ultrahand pole in the glowing red circle at midday, drop into the pit it opens, grab the Mask of Awakening, then Ascend to the Bubbulfrog.

Region	Hyrule Ridge, Thundra Plateau (Tabantha Frontier)
Entrance location	Hidden under the grass of Thundra Plateau, between its tall stone pillars; a square pit opens only after you solve the shadow puzzle at midday
Bubbul Gem	Yes: a large Bubbulfrog sits in a small chamber above the bandit hideout, reached with Ascend
Chests	Mask of Awakening (in the front of the bandit hideout)
Shrine inside	None
Enemies	Bubbulfrog; red gloom on the cave floor

How to open the cave

Go to Thundra Plateau, the grassy, pillar-studded plateau on Hyrule Ridge, and find the large ring of grass with a glowing red circle on the ground between the pillars. The puzzle only works around noon, so rest at a campfire until the clock reaches 12:00 if it is not already midday. Weather does not matter.

Tall pole being lowered onto the glowing red circle on the plateau grass

Ring of grass on Thundra Plateau with stone pillars around it and a glowing red circle on the ground

Use Ultrahand to join logs or the trunks of the mushroom-capped trees into a tall pole with crossbars. Stand it upright on the red circle, braced with a crosspiece, and rotate it until its shadow stretches from the shadow of the southern pillar to the northern pillar. Join a second crosspiece on top if the shadow looks too thin to reach.

Tall timber pole with a crossbar at its foot standing on the red circle between mushroom trees

Tall pole with a second crosspiece at the top, set over the red circle

When the shadows meet, the ground opens and a square pit appears between the pillars. Glide or jump straight down into the cave.

Square pit opened in the plateau grass between two tall stone pillars

View down the square pit from the plateau, with rain falling on the grass

Route through the cave

Open Misko’s chest

Walk along the mossy cavern floor to a bandit hideout hung with striped banners. A stone marker in front carries a message from Misko, and the chest in the front of the hideout holds the Mask of Awakening, a cosmetic headpiece.

Bandit hideout with striped banners ahead on the mossy cavern floor

Front of the bandit hideout with hanging banners where the chest stands

Ascend to the next chamber

Red gloom covers the ground around the hideout, so keep to the dry edges and pick up the Brightbloom Seeds. Look up at the ceiling above the hideout and use Ascend at the spot where it lights up to rise through the rock.

Red gloom pooling on the ground around the hideout with its roof visible beyond

Ascend prompt and a green target on the cave ceiling above the hideout

Shoot the Bubbulfrog

A big pale Bubbulfrog hangs in the small chamber above. Shoot it with an arrow, then take the Bubbul Gem to Koltin for The Hunt for Bubbul Gems!

Large pale Bubbulfrog hanging in the small chamber above the hideout

Bow raised toward the Bubbulfrog in the upper chamber

Leave the cave

Glide back down to the hideout, find the Ascend spot on the ceiling beside the banner wall and rise through it. You come out on the plateau among the pillars.

Ascend prompt on the ceiling beside the hideout's banner wall

Green Ascend spiral rising through the rock out of the cave

Nearby

Tips

If you miss the noon window, rest at a campfire until midday comes round again and retry.
Bring a bow with a few arrows; the Bubbulfrog is out of melee reach.