The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a variety of mechanics that were absent in Breath of the Wild, including the ability to move sand. This doesn’t work on the sand covering the Gerudo Desert, however. There are notable piles of sand dotted around the area, whether on the ground, in caves, or within Shrines that Link can move to discover secrets.
The game hints at removing the piles of sand, but doesn’t outright tell players exactly how to do it. And as is often the case with Tears of the Kingdom, there are a multitude of different ways to do it. Nintendo pushes players in the right direction here and there, and there is a direct way to clear these sand piles.
Where Players Will Encounter Piles Of Sand
The Gerudo Desert is obviously the main place players will find miles of sand in Hyrule, but the piles of sand are found specifically in Shrines and The Lighting Temple. Players will likely first come across heaps of sand in the Soryotanog Shrine, located above Gerudo Town. Here, Link will be confronted with piles of sand and a Zonai Fan sitting in front of one. Other piles of sand in the shrine will include hidden pieces of treasure and other devices to help Link progress through the puzzle.
This theme continues in The Lightning Temple, where piles of sand hide all sorts of things, including chests, items, switches, and even enemies. Sometimes these sand piles will have nothing hiding within them, but it's worth getting rid of all the sand to make sure Link doesn't miss something valuable.
How To Get Rid Of Piles Of Sand
In the Soryotanog Shrine, the Zonai Fan hints towards using that to blow the sand away. But players need to ensure Link is standing quite close to the pile; otherwise, it won’t budge. Any other Guster-type weapon will work in getting rid of sand, like fusing a board to a piece of wood to create a Board Guster.
More piles of sand can be found in the secret passageway between the Gerudo Town Shelter and the northern ruins, known as the Valley Of The Silent Statues. The same methods can be used in The Lightning Temple, but there are more materials lying around for Link to use, including Korok Fronds. If players have already completed the “Tulin of Rito Village” main quest by this point, they can also use Tulin’s sage ability to gust sand away.
The Best Weapons For Clearing Piles Of Sand
If Link has a Korok Frond handy, players can fuse it to a one-handed weapon to create the Korok-Frond Guster. The same can be done with a wooden plank and a one-handed weapon, making a Board Guster that provides the same effect. Players can also fuse a Zonai Fan to a weapon to produce a Fan Guster and merge the device to a shield.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.