‘Lost in the Dunes’ side quest steps in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

“Lost in the dunescommands you to find a missing person in the desert of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. After completing the main quest “Riju of Gerudo Town”, new requests will become available in Kara Kara Bazaar.

One of them involves a squad searching for a missing party. Rumor has it he was last seen near a sinkhole west of the bazaar. If you are wondering where to find Ponthos Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom or you’re curious about the reward for this, you can find the quest steps for “Lost in the Dunes” below.

Search steps ‘Lost in the dunes’

There is one main part Lost in the dunes – actually you have to track down Ponthos, a lost backpacker.

How to start the quest ‘Lost in the Dunes’

After you finish the Lightning Temple, new missions become available in Gerudo Town and elsewhere. Go to Kara Kara Bazaar, west of Gerudo Town, and talk to the travelers at the coordinates (-3275, -2580, 0023).

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Benja will tell you about Ponthos, the missing member of the caravan crew. The only clue they have is that Ponthos was running west and he probably fell into a sinkhole.

Where to find the Ponthos location in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

From your current location, you must travel southwest to a sinkhole. The sinkhole is actually marked on the map when you zoom in, right next to a rocky structure, east of the Desert Rift. The exact coordinates are (-3353, -2682, 0026)in case they help.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

I recommend bringing some fruit with you as you will have to sail through unbearable heat to get to your destination. All in all, though, it’s not a long journey. As you approach the spot, you’ll see a large pillar (the rock-shaped thing you can see on the map) and a campfire.

Enter the sinkhole and you’ll end up in the Oasis Source. Look, there’s Ponthos.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Ponthos mentions that he has yet to find an exit. Don’t worry, it’s pretty easy, albeit a little tedious. Follow the water stream to the left of where Ponthos sits and come across a rock wall. Bombflowers are the best tool for the job here, often found in caves. Moreover, it also helps to fuse weapons with nearby stones.

After the first rock face you will come out in a corridor with two more – the one on the left is gray and the one on the right is blue. Break the one on the left.

Graphics: Diego N. Argüello | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

On to a bigger room now with even more walls to break down. There are a few Stone Pebblits here, which are rather annoying but not particularly difficult, so you can dodge them if you don’t want to fight.

The next wall you want to explode is the blue one that is closer to the ground and has a fairly narrow shape. If you use bomb flowers you may need two instead of one. Then go inside and follow that hallway until you see a ladder. Ponthos will say “No way!” and yes, man, gone – we secured one way out.

Go back to Ponthos

Turns out the ladder leads to the Kara Kara Bazaar spring, which is perfect since Ponthos is waiting on the surface. Once you get back to the bazaar, you can chat with him to complete the quest.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Lost in the Dunes Reward

The reward is… a strange orb? It turns out that someone in Gerudo Town is looking for it. The sphere is a stela – it will be of interest to Rotana, a Gerudo woman in the Gerudo Shelter in the city at the coordinates (-3888, -2969, 0033). If this is your first time chatting with her, you’ll gain access to the side quest ‘The Heroines’ Secret’.