How to get the Awakening Armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

By James On May 24, 2023

The Awakening Armor contains a mysterious piece of acceleration The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Not only does it completely change Link’s art style, but it’s also linked to a strange bandit who explored Hyrule long ago, hiding their treasure and leaving riddles for people to solve long into the future.

If you want to pay homage to an earlier era of Zelda in Tears of the Kingdom, this guide will walk you through the puzzles Misko left behind so you can turn Link into a happy, big-headed cartoon. It’s quite involved and there are some tough battles along the way, so prepare in advance with plenty of food and maybe some armor upgrades.

You can find these pieces without picking up the corresponding quests and riddles left by Misko; if you prefer to skip the busy work, you can skip the first part of this guide. But where’s the fun in that?

Misko’s ‘Treasure of Awakening’ quest

The first thing to do is to go Goronbi River Cave. However, keep in mind that this cave has extremely high levels of unbearable heat. Ideally you have the Flamebreaker armor enter. We were able to avoid damage with the Flamebreaker chest piece, the Desert Voe headband and a heat resistant meal.

Goronbi River Cave is located in the Eldin region, in a valley southwest of Death Mountain. The coordinates are (1423, 2100, 0286).

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Defeat the Horriblin at the entrance. Enter, jump over the lava in front of you and open the chest for one Ruby. Then turn around and jump towards the lava waterfall. (Don’t touch it, of course!) There are two ore deposits here on the left that you can break.

Keep following the path to the left past the broken waterfall with a fire like behind it. Wait for or move a platform with Ultrahand/Recall so you can cross over to the Fire Like. You can also make one with a splash of fruit.

Link stands next to a lava waterfall (a lava fall?) in the Goronbi River Cave in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Beat the Fire Like and ride one of the platforms on the right. Get out where the ground slopes down to the lava on the right and look up to see the entrance to a cave (there’s a pale piece of rubble in front of it that might be easier to see).

Link is at the entrance to the Goronbi River Cave in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Inside you will find a chest with a Ember shirt, which increases Link’s attack in hot weather. After opening the chest, the wall on the left will open. Go through it.

Examine the carved stone here to hear a riddle from the person who first discovered the Tunic of Awakening.

“At the Tabantha border, where Rayne, Piper, and Tanagar meet, ruined pillars stand together. One of those mighty pillars opens the way to my treasure. Solve my riddle, find my treasure and earn my respect.”

The riddle is signed “The Great Bandit Misko.” This will begin the search”Misko’s treasure of awakening.”

Awakening Armor chest piece location

A map shows the location of the Awakening Armor shirt in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

You’ll find the area “where Rayne, Piper, and Tanagar meet” in the west of the map – specifically, the Rayne Highlands and Piper Ridge are above Tanagar Canyon.

Go to the top of the ridge found on it (-3484. 0426, 0278).

As you approach from the west, along the ridge, you’ll have to fight one Flame Gleeok. Like other Gleeoks, this is a challenging fight. Use water-based attacks (Fuse with splash fruit or Chuchu Jelly arrows) to hit his heads, then attack him when he’s stunned.

You can also avoid this fight by climbing the rock face on the other side of the ridge instead, if you have the stamina.

Climb the pillar on the southwest side of the ridge. There is a mossy bud on top; stepping on it will trigger a cutscene of the nearby ground vent.

Link stands atop a grassy pillar while searching for the Awakening Armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Drop into this new hole for the Ancient Columns Cave. The Tunic of awakeningwhich has +3 defense and no special effect is right in front of you, in the chest surrounded by an old abandoned building.

The carved stone here also gives you your next clue:

“In the ruins of Hyrule Field, where warriors once tested themselves in battle, offer your soldier’s claymore to the two sculpted soldiers. The sword will show the way to my treasures.”

This will begin the sidequest “Misko’s Treasure of Awakening II.”

Awakening Armor legs piece location

A map shows the location of the Awakening Armor leg piece in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

To the southwest of Hyrule Field, a point is visible on the map as a great circle. This is the Colosseum Ruins, just east of the Edge Stable.

Go there, to the coordinates (-1147, -1261, 0046). In this place you have to fight against one Thunder Gleeok.

Link battles a thunderbolt while searching for the Awakening Armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Bring plenty of arrows, and preferably several non-metal weapons, as there are frequent thunderstorms in this area. This is a tough fight and you will need upgraded armor and ideally at least three extra segments in your stamina wheel. It’s also worth bringing some form of shock resistance, whether that’s the rubber armor or food.

Use the arena’s multiple levels to take cover from the Thunder Gleeok’s electric attacks, and Ascend to use the arc delay time to hit its heads more easily. Our guide to beating Gleeoks can help you if you’re struggling.

After defeating the beast, you can complete the puzzle Misko left behind. Head south of the Colosseum where you’ll find two statues. The one on the left is holding one Soldier’s Claymore. Find another one to the right of the two statues and use Ultra convenient to bring it close to the unarmed statue. It clicks into place and a hole opens in the floor.

Link tries to solve a puzzle while looking for the Awakening Armor pants in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Jump down to the Colosseum ruins cave. You can see the chest in front of you, as well as some weapons, but you can also break the boxes on the right to reveal a crawl space leading to the Bubblefrog and lots of ore.

Link enters a crawlspace in search of the Awakening Armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

Once you open the chest in the main room and the Waking pants — which have no special effect but give +3 defense — examine the carved stone.

The riddle here reads: “On Hyrule Ridge, in the land of Ludfo, ruins sleep beneath the towering mushroom trees. Connect the afternoon shadow of the southern column to the northern one. In the midst of the shadows the way to my treasure will open.

This is how it starts”Misko’s Treasure of Awakening III.”

Awakening Armor kingpin location

A map shows the location of the Awakening Armor head piece in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

For the last piece of the Awakening Armor, go to the Thundra Plateau on Hyrule Ridge, in the northwestern part of the map. The coordinates are -2272, 0866, 0111.

Chop down some of the mushroom trees to make four logs. Attach these together at the ends so that they become one long trunk. Lean the long tree trunk against the south column. It must be noon for the next part, so wait or make a fire and sit there until noon.

Climb up the south column and use Ultra convenient to lift the block. If you try to place it on top, it will fall, but you can steady it just in front of the column to extend the shadow. When the shadow hits the column opposite you, the hole in the ground will open.

Link uses Ultrahand to create a very large log while searching for the Awakening Armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.

You have discovered the The cave of the Thundra plateau. Open the chest for your final reward, the Mask of awakening. Now you can seem totally out of place with the rest of Tears of the Kingdom‘s art style, while rocking no special effects and gaining +3 defense. You can also see a final congratulations from Misko here.