You reach the Depths in Tears of the Kingdom by jumping into a chasm, one of the red-rimmed holes in the surface with gloom seeping out of them. There is no ladder and no gentle route: you dive, open your paraglider on the way down, and land. Getting there is easy. Staying there is the part worth preparing for.
Your First Chasm
The most convenient one to start with is the Hyrule Field Chasm, south of Lookout Landing. It is close to everything, it is unmissable once you are near it, and it drops you into a well-connected part of the Depths.
Chasms are scattered across the whole surface map, and each one lands you under roughly the point you jumped from, so the surface map doubles as a rough guide to where you will come out.
Open the Paraglider
The fall is long enough to kill you if you do nothing. Open the paraglider on the way down and you land safely.
That is the entire technique, but it catches people the first time because the drop is dark and the ground is not visible until late.
Light Is the Real Problem
The Depths are pitch black by default, and you cannot navigate what you cannot see. Three answers, in order of usefulness:
- Lightroots. Activating one permanently lights a wide area and reveals it on your map. They mirror the surface shrines, so the map fills in as you go. This is the actual solution.
- Brightbloom seeds. Throw them to light a small radius. Good for the gap between Lightroots.
- Large brightbloom seeds, which light a much larger area and are worth saving for genuinely dark stretches.
Fusing a brightbloom seed to an arrow and shooting it ahead of you is the efficient version. Our guide on how to fuse weapons covers arrow fusing.
Gloom Will Take Your Hearts
Gloom pools on the ground down there, and it locks hearts rather than draining them. Ordinary food will not bring them back.
Bring Sunny meals made with Sundelions, which are the only cure. Our guide on how to cure gloom damage covers making them and where Sundelions grow, which is the sky islands rather than anywhere near the Depths.
Activating a Lightroot also stops active gloom drain, which is another reason to light them as you go. Our guide on Gloom Hands covers the encounter most likely to end a run.
What Is Actually Down There
Zonaite, in quantity, which is what the whole Zonai economy runs on. Our guide on how to farm Zonaite covers the mines, and how to get more battery covers what it buys.
Also Autobuild, which is found down there rather than on the surface. Our guide on how to get Autobuild covers that trip specifically.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get into the Depths? Jump into a chasm and open your paraglider on the way down.
Which chasm should you use first? The Hyrule Field Chasm, south of Lookout Landing.
How do you see down there? Light Lightroots as you go, and use brightbloom seeds between them.
Why will food not heal me? Gloom locks hearts. Only Sunny dishes made with Sundelions restore them.