Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — How to Open the Temple of Time Door in TotK

Figuring out how to open the Temple of Time door is the main objective of the second quest in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Called The Closed Door quest, it requires you to get enough power to enter the Temple of Time and progress beyond the Sky Islands. In many ways, this mission acts as the game’s tutorial. Be prepared because it can take a few hours to complete. Here’s the TL;DR of what you need to know.

How to Complete The Closed Door Quest to Open the Temple of Time Door

You’ll reach the Temple of Time in TotK after you pick up the Purah Pad from the Steward Construct in the Sky Islands. The objective marker on your map will lead you there.

When you interact with the Temple of Time door, the green seal will turn red with bands covering the entrance. Rauru will appear and tell you that the Temple of Time door will only open for those with sufficient power, and that your arm lacks the power to unlock it. You need to find a place filled with sacred light. He points you to a nearby Ukough Shrine, starting The Closed Door quest in earnest.

Completing the Three Sky Islands Shrines

From here, you’ll need to complete the following Shrines spread across the Sky Islands. You can complete these in any order. For example, I completed the Gutanbac Shrine before the In-Isa Shrine. However, I don’t recommend doing them in that order since it’s easier to reach the Gutanbac Shrine from the In-Isa Shrine.

• Ukough Shrine
• In-Isa Shrine
• Gutanbac Shrine

Beginning these Shrines gives you three different abilities: Ultrahand, Fuse, and Ascend. Solving the puzzles within them gives you 3 Lights of Blessing.

Temple of Time Puzzle Solution: Recall Mechanisms

After you’ve completed the Shrines, return to the Temple of Time to unlock the first door. Interact with the altar at the back of the room to trigger a short cutscene. After, you’ll receive a new ability: Recall. Solve the rotating mechanism puzzle to reach a new area of the temple.

There are three rotating devices with platforms on them behind the altar. You can start with either the left or right one, but the goal is to get to the pillar between them. Wait for the platforms to be level with you (or close to level), and use Recall to change the device’s direction. Hop on the platform and then over to the pillar. Do the same for the next device to reach the next area.

There, interact with the door in the back, the second Temple of Time door. This door drains your health, and Rauru will appear, stating that you need to complete one more Shrine in the Sky Islands. You receive the ability to fast travel, which you can use to reach the Nachoyah Shrine in the southern part of the map.

Complete this Shrine, and return to the Temple of Time. Interact with the second door again to open it, complete the Tears of the Kingdom tutorial, and access Hyrule.

And that’s how to open the Temple of Time door and complete The Closed Door quest in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For more on Link’s latest adventure, head over to our TotK guides page.