Can’t Activate a Tower in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? Here’s What to Do

Players reexploring Hyrule in Tears of the Kingdom will notice that the map that you had painstakingly spent the first game scanning every corner of, is now blank once again. This is partly due to the fact that there are now 3 maps overlapping each other. And starting a game with everything given to you wouldn’t be that much of an adventure. In Breath of the Wild’s sequel, scanning the map won’t require you to climb to the top of a large tower. Instead, you can normally just walk up to these large tower structures, scan your Purah pad, and you will be shot skyward to scan the land from above. However, when reaching some towers, players have found that not all of them are this simple. Can’t activate a tower in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? Here’s what to do when encountering a tower that is not functioning.

The first few areas of Hyrule you encounter won’t have any challenges or requirements to scan the region. But as you make your way further out into the kingdom, broken parts, climate, and more will hinder your topographical research. While there isn’t a cure-all function for every inoperable tower, there are a few things to keep in mind if you are having trouble activating a tower.

Can’t Activate a Tower in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom? Here’s What to Do

Firstly, scan the exterior of the tower to make sure there are no obstructions. Sometimes, the top where you shoot upward can be blocked by objects you will have to move. This could also take the form of spiky bramble blocking the entrance to a tower. Easily taken care of with a little fire, and if it’s raining, you can always craft an awning. Second, the towers might have a few broken parts that need to get fixed. Normally, the guy sent to fix them gets himself stuck in all manner of situations. So if you see a random well or a deactivated tower that you can enter but not activate, keep an eye out for someone in need of help.

Related: How to Complete The South Lanayru Sky Crystal Shrine in Tears of the Kingdom (TotK)

Finally, there might be a few towers that are located in regions with intense climates. For example, you’ll come across a tower that’s entrance is encased in a massive layer of snow. Other towers might be covered in a strange goo substance. Some of these can be activated simply by using the opposite substance the clear the obstruction (i.e. water for goo, fire for bramble, etc). Others, like the one in snow, might require that you complete certain main objectives in those areas. So get comfortable with seeing areas without a map, cause you’ll run into these shrines before too long.

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