Critters are a category of materials in Tears of the Kingdom that are used for making elixirs and armor enhancement. Unlike inanimate materials, critters will flee if too much noise is made, meaning that farming them can get tedious very quickly.
Tears of the Kingdom uses three separate maps: The Surface (Hyrule), Sky Islands, and The Depths. Insects such as butterflies and darners can be found on the Sky Islands and The Surface, but they won't spawn in The Depths. In fact, the only critter that will spawn below Hyrule are the Deep Fireflies. Unlike Sunset Fireflies, these little guys will appear regardless of the in-game time of day.
Deep Firefly Locations
Deep Fireflies are thinner than their Sunset Firefly counterparts, and they give off a pale, almost-lilac glow. This makes them easy to spot in areas that have not yet been illuminated by a Lightroot or Brightbloom Seeds. Deep Fireflies will appear in The Depths, but they prefer wooded areas.
Like the Sunset Fireflies, Deep Fireflies will be scared off if Link makes too much noise. It's better to crouch and then slowly walk over to them. Players can increase their Stealth by taking Sneaky Elixirs or wearing stealth-enhancing armor such as the Yiga Set or the Sheikah Set. Keep an eye on the Noise Meter in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Unlike frogs and lizards, which can be collected after they've been hit with an arrow, shooting or striking a Deep Firefly will destroy it. This also applies to Restless Crickets and other insect-critters. TotK players are going to have to approach the Deep Firefly and press A-button when prompted.
Nisoiji Lightroot
If players have spoken to Josha at Lookout Landing after activating the first Skyview Tower, they can follow her to Robbie. This will then unlock the "Camera Work in The Depths" side quest, which also nets Link the Camera Ability in Tears of the Kingdom. Players will then need to meet up with Robbie in The Depths.
Go to the Hyrule Field Chasm, which is south of Lookout Landing, right next to the Jiosin Shrine (-0240, -0374, 0026). Before diving into the Chasm, make sure Link has Brightbloom Seeds in his inventory. It will be difficult albeit not impossible to navigate The Depths and find Robbie.
Each Shrine of Light on The Surface corresponds to a Lightroot in The Depths. Thus, as soon as players land at the bottom of the Hyrule Field Chasm, they should see the Nisoiji Lightroot nearby. Go to the Lightroot and Activate it to light up the surrounding area.
A little ways north of the Lightroot are some Deep Fireflies at -0242, -0355, -0479.
Grove of Time
Another area that is rich in Deep Fireflies is the Grove of Time (-0367, -1561, -0467). This is west of the Nuzimak Lightroot (-0178, -1559, -0473). Players can reach the Nuzimak Lightroot on foot, or they can dive into the Chasms on the Great Plateau. The Grove of Time and the Nuzimak Lightroot are northeast of the Great Abanadoned Central Mine.
The Grove of Time has gloom-infested Evermeans. Fortunately, all it takes is a few hacks with an axe or sword to get rid of them. Players can also toss Fire Fruit or a Bomb Flower to set it ablaze. However, getting hit by the Evermeans in The Depths will cause Link to permanently lose a heart due to the gloom. While gloom damage can be recovered at Lightroots, it's still not a good idea to let them get too close.
In the Grove of Time, there's a large tree stump (-0375, -1573, -0472) that houses a treasure chest, an Evermean, and a group of Deep Fireflies. Unfortunately, the Evermean will spring to life when Link gets too close. In doing so, it will scare off the Deep Fireflies. The best way to get the fireflies is to stand on top of the tree, and then use the paraglider to glide towards the Fireflies. Mash A-button to collect them as Link gets closer.
Where to Use Deep Fireflies
Cooking a Deep Firefly with a Monster Part will create a Bright Elixir. As its name implies, consuming a Bright Elixir will emanate a glow from Link. This will make it a little easier to see when navigating The Depths or pitch-black caves on The Surface. However, since players Brightbloom Seeds are rather common, and players can get the Miner's Armor Set, it may not be worth cooking Deep Fireflies to get Bright Elixirs. Brightbloom Seeds can be used to light up areas from far away when thrown or shot from an arrow. Each part of the Miner's Set glows, and once it reaches level 2, Link will get its Set Bonus.
Deep Fireflies are also used for armor upgrades. In fact, they're a requirement for the The Depths SEt if players want to enhance it to level 1. Armor upgrading unlocks by doing the following:
- Speak to Traysi at the Lucky Clover Gazette (outside Rito Village) to get the "Potential Princess Sightings!" side adventure.
- Go to Woodland Stable and speak to the Stable Trotters and Penn to start "Serenade to a Great Fairy" side adventure.
- Completing "Serenade to a Great Fairy" unlocks the locations of the remaining three Great Fairies in Hyrule. Link will need to find the missing Stable Trotters member that corresponds to each Great Fairy Fountain. Speaking to Mastro will give players a hint as to where they can be found.
- Each Great Fairy unlocks a "level" for armor upgrades. If players want to raise their armor to level 4/max level, they'll need to "free" all of the Great Fairies.
Here are the armor sets that require Deep Fireflies to upgrade:
Armor Pieces in Set | Level | Defense | Required Materials (per Armor Piece) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Depths Armor Set |
| ★ | 5 |
|
Miner's Armor Set |
| ★★★ | 12 |
|
As mentioned, the Miner's Armor Set receives its Set Bonus at ★★/level-2. So, if players just want its Set Bonus, there's no need to upgrade it further. However, the Depths Armor Set needs one Deep Firefly per piece (i.e, three in total) to get to ★/level-1. After that, players can start farming materials for The Depths Armor Set's ★★/level-2.
The Depths Armor Set is obtained from the giant Poe Statues in The Depths and the one in Lookout Landing. There are seven in total, and if players want all pieces of the armor set, they're going to need to track them down. The Depths Armor gives Link gloom resistance, and its Set Bonus gives Link gloom-attack resistance. Therefore, this may be an armor that's worth upgrading if players intend on spending a lot of time in The Depths or fighting gloom-enhanced monsters.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available for Nintendo Switch.