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There are a lot of side quests inThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. We know, we know - understatement of the year. But it’s true. There are more than enough optional things packed into this game to last you for dozens and dozens of hours without ever stumbling upon them, which can be exhilarating. On the other hand, it can also make online guides like this one feel like lifelines.
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‘The Duchess Who Disappeared’ is just one of many quests that players can beat Tears of the Kingdom and never know existed. We’ll point you to it, tell you how to complete it, and leave you on your merry way to whatever’s next on that Hyrule horizon.
How To Start The Duchess Who Disappeared
You’ll need to get throughRito Village’s portion of the massive ‘Regional Phenomena’main quest before you’re able to begin ‘The Duchess Who Disappeared’. This makes sense - after all, the bulk of your reward here isunlocking the shield-surfing min-game, and while a guy like Linkcouldprobably pull off some antics in the middle of a blizzard, we rather doubt the locals would stand outside to show him the ropes.
If Rito Village was the first place you went for ‘Regional Phenomena’, you’ll likely have the ability to call Tulin and only Tulin. For the record, there’s no great need for him at this juncture, but his ability will only make things easier.
One of the more beautifully understated improvements Tears of the Kingdom has over Breath of the Wild, and believe us, as guide-writers we are eternally thankful, is the inclusion ofcoordinates. Thanks to this blessed quality of life improvement, we can tell you precisely where to go to get things started:(-3518, 3102, 0315).
These coordinates will lead you to a spotyour map will designate (when fully zoomed-in) as between the Biron Snowshelf and Hebra Tundra. Here, you should soon stumble upon a fellow namedFin, who wants to know if you’ve seen anyone namedSelmie.
It’s actually possible for you to have seen Selmie already, in which case the quest has already begun. We’re running on the assumption you haven’t, since hey, you get a little more dialogue this way.
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Saving Surfer Selmie
Fin fears the worst for Selmie, as the famous shield-surfer has gone missing.Fin hints that Selmie may be stuck someplace where she can’t see his smoke signal, which isn’t a ton to go on if you overthink it (which we’re equally guilty of doing) - maybe she’s on the other side of a mountain? Perhaps she’s in another region entirely? In fact, it’s the most obvious answer of them all:Selmie is underground inside a cave.
The cave in question is theEast Biron Snowshelf Cave. You’re not exactly miles and miles away from its entrance(s), but we’ll give you the coordinates to the entrance to the nearest entrance, which is more or lessa straight jump down from your current ledge: (-3567, 3089, 0270).
Mere moments into the East Biron Snowshelf Cave, your pathway will be temporarily blocked by the telltale big boulders so common within these places.Use aBomb Floweror powerful enough weapon to break through.
Remember, you hardly need to be thorough in breaking Tears of the Kingdom’s rock obstacles. If you’re using a weapon, don’t wear it down unnecessarily, just carve a hole through to the other side!
The cave will bend downward a bit, and you’ll soon spot Selmieat the center near a fire. She needs Link’s help getting out, but the path we took to get insideis too steep for her, soshe has no dialogue recognizing it as a possible option. This meanswe need to go break the rocks on the opposite side of her. Once that’s done,talk to Selmie again, andshe’ll invite you to her lodge. Neat!
Selmie’s Spot-On Shield-Surfing Mini-Game
Selmie’s lodge is located near coordinates (-2973, 3128, 0570),north of Coldsnap Hollow and northwest of Hebra East Summit. As she notes, there’s a bonfire visible here. Fin, as well as another guy named Russ, will both thank Link. Now,chat with Selmie again to receive aStrong Zonaite Shield.
More importantly,you’re able to now partake in shield surfing. Save somebody, go surfing, it’s just another day for our hero in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
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