How to Conquer the Wind Temple in Tears of the Kingdom

In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, there are four major temples to take on. You can do them in any order, but the game does suggest an ideal path. The first of these is the Wind Temple, which is actually the Stormwind Ark of Rito legend.

The Wind Temple can be challenging, especially for early players, but it’s not that bad if you’re following along with our guide and prepare accordingly. Knowledge is often half the battle, but here it’s more like 90 percent of the battle. So follow along and get Link ready!

How to prepare for the Wind Temple

Following along with the young Rito Tulin, you’re going to be very high up, which means it’s extremely cold. Anything that can give you Cold Resistance is important here. Gear like the Archaic Warm Greaves will come in handy, and you can stack it with warming food. I recommend cooking peppers with meat or fish to provide Cold Resistance and give you some health back. Make sure you’ve got several bows, upgrading your weapon stash if need be. You’ll want to bring at least 40 arrows.

You’ll also want to make sure you have a couple of upgrades in your health and stamina. You don’t need to go nuts here, but you should definitely have at least six hearts and a couple of stamina upgrades, so you don’t fall instantly to any attacks or run out of stamina at an inopportune time.

Once you’re at the Wind Temple, face the gate that you can activate to lower the gears and orient yourself. Directly in front of you will be referred to in this guide as the “front” of the ship, while behind you with be the “back” of the ship. You’ll notice ice blocks all over the Stormwind Ark, and you can thaw these out with campfires to get some rewards like arrows and Construct Bows.

In order to open the massive gate, you’ll need to open the five locks across the ship. These can actually be opened in any order, but I’ve organized them in the order that I solved them.

TotK Wind Temple Lock 1

Use the wind coming up from center to glide towards the front-right of ship. Break the patch of ice and drop down. Thaw the block of ice blocking the lever, then use Ultrahand to open the gate. Get close to the grate and use Tulin’s Wind to activate the large turbine. Use Ascend to get out.

Alternatively, you can open this area up from the ground deck of ship by using Ultrahand to put icicles on a damaged lever, but you won’t get the chest that way. If you want another chest, go directly opposite this turbine on the deck of the ship. Pull the lever with Ultrahand, and defeat a Zonaite Construct to get to chest containing an Opal.

TotK Wind Temple Lock 2

Facing the front, use the wind coming up to form the storm and ride your paraglider until you see a boat high up on the right side of the ship. Bounce on it, and land at the highest point on the front of the ship. Using Ultrahand, open both halves of the giant trapdoor, and then jump down.

You’ll need to angle yourself carefully due to the red lasers (don’t hit them) and the wind coming up from underneath you. Glide before you reach the bottom to find an alcove with a turbine. Use Tulin’s Wind. There’s another, lower alcove with a chest you can also reach before leaving.

TotK Wind Temple Lock 3

Facing the front, jump off the left side of the ship (using the nearby boats to bounce if needed) and make your way inside the ship, avoiding the red targeting laser of the cannon. Destroy the Zonaite Construct and Keese inside. You can duck and jump to avoid the red lasers in the hall and get a Ruby inside a chest. Make a campfire or use Tulin’s Wind to get across the icy hole in the ship, then use Ascend to get to the next floor when you see a hole above you.

Proceed until you’re at the massive gear hanging from the ceiling. You’ll want to attach some nearby blocks to the gear and turn it using Ultrahand. Use Rewind and get through when the gate opens up. Go up the ladder, dispose of the construct, and use Tulin’s Wind to activate the turbine.

TotK Wind Temple Lock 4

Jump off the lower right side of the Ark and glide (bouncing on a nearby boat if you need) until you spot the hole in the side of the ship that’s frozen over. Land there and break the icicles to gain entrance, disposing of some Keese once you get inside.

To your right will be a massive turning gear that is turning toward you. Use Rewind and make it turn the other way, then ride it to the other side. Using your bow, shoot down a large icicle, then attach it to the rotating gear near the door, connecting it to another gear. The door will open, revealing another turbine for you to use Tulin’s Wind on.

TotK Wind Temple Lock 5

Jump off the middle of the Ark to the right and land on one of the oversized sky-oars. Carefully make your way to the edge, and you’ll see a hole allowing you into the lowest deck of the ship from the outside. Float in (you may need to use Tulin’s Wind to get over) and destroy the construct. There’s one last turbine for you to blast with Tulin’s Wind. After that, make your way up to the top deck of the ship (using Ascend makes it easy) and activate the locks.

Colgera Boss Fight Tips

Despite the intimidating appearance, Colgera isn’t too bad to deal with, as long as you know what you’re doing. The creature does move erratically though, and if a hit connects, it hits extremely hard. Glide in close and then shoot the frozen weak spots with arrows. Fierce wind means you need to be extremely close.

Each time you shatter one of these weak spots, you’ll deal a small chunk of damage. You’ll usually need to go underneath Colgera to shoot these weak spots, but the creature will occasionally take aim and blast shards of ice from its mouth. When this happens, it’s risky, but you can also get above the beast and shoot one of the weak on its head or back, which open up while firing off sharp chunks of ice.

After you’ve broken all three weak points, Colgera disappears inside a portal and comes back with the weak spots healed. This is where the fight gets far more dangerous, as Colgera will now begin hurling tornadoes across the sky. If these connect, they’ll send you flying and deal massive damage, so it’s best to avoid them. You’ll need to dive and glide carefully here, using Tulin’s Wind wherever possible. It’s also worth noting that if you’re quick, you can go above the tornadoes. Otherwise, keep attacking the weak points the same way you did in the first phase of the fight.

Once you’ve broken all three weak points, the Wind Temple is complete, you’ve won. Be sure to grab the Heart Container reward, then settle in for some very long cutscenes and conversations that shed a great deal of light on what is going on in the story.

You’ll also unlock the ability to summon the spirit of Tulin, letting you continue to use Tulin’s Wind, making navigation across the skies of Hyrule easier than ever. Before long, you’ll have the remaining three Temples done as well.

“It's dangerous to go alone!” Check out more of Inverse’s Tears of the Kingdom coverage:

• THE INVERSE REVIEW: Tears of the Kingdom Is the Best Nintendo Switch Game Ever Made
• Tears of the Kingdom’s Best New Mechanic Could Change the Series Forever
• Why Zelda Speedrunners Plan to Take It Slow With Tears of the Kingdom
• Tears of the Kingdom Doubles Down on Breath of the Wild’s Best Inspiration