Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: All Sky Shrines RANKED!
With 32 shrines in the vast sky of Tears of the Kingdom, not all of them were destined for greatness. While some of the Shrines in the sky are absolute bangers and stand up to the fun of traditional Zelda dungeons, some of them? Not so much. Of course, it is hard to make 32 amazing shrines, and to celebrate all the work put into these shrines, I just had to rank them in today's article... Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: All Sky Shrines RANKED!
32. Kahatanaum Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This shrine is a blessing shrine. However, all you need to do to get to it is just do the quest for the Wind Temple. This is quite literally just used a checkpoint on the way up to the Wind Temple. That's great and all, but I would've loved to have some sort of wind-themed puzzle shrine instead of just a chest. This shrine could've been so much better... F Tier.
31. Taunhiy Shrine - Combat Training: Archery
This shrine isn't the worst. It teaches you how to do the "bullet time" strategy, which is fun, but most people who play Tears of the Kingdom already played Breath of the Wild and know how to do this... and it is something that should be discovered by the player if not. Sure, this shrine does its job, but I don't like its job. D Tier.
30. Natak Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This is just about as basic as a Sky Crystal quest can get. I got sick of these after a while, and this unoriginal obtaining of the crystal was not very fun. However, I mean, Zonai Devices and stuff are always fun, even if repetitive, so this isn't like bottom of the barrel or anything. It is just averagely average, and for that, it deserves its spot in the C Tier.
29. Josiu Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
There is a fun little gyroscope puzzle thing here, and that is cool. But even though it looks cool, it is so incredibly basic to solve this puzzle it may as well not have existed and it would've been just as difficult. I liked it from a visual standpoint, but from a gameplay perspective, it is just average and easy. C Tier.
28. Jinodak Shrine - Rauru's Blesing
Yet another basic gyroscope puzzle thing, this one is a bit more difficult, but still, easy and not way too interesting. I enjoyed this a little more than the last one, but not enough more to get anything but another C Tier. It is good for what it is but nothing more.
27. Mayam Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
All you need to do to get this shrine is Ultrahand a Sky Crystal off of a Flux Construct and unlock the shrine. Or you can beat it, which is much more fun. Sure, I love fighting Flux Constructs, but too many shrines rely on using them or other bosses to unlock a shrine, and that just gets unoriginal really quickly. Yet another average C Tier shrine.
26. Ganos Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
As I was just saying, too many "oh, fight this boss and that's it" to unlock this shrine. What happened to the interesting boss fight shrine quests in Breath of the Wild? The three brothers? The pitch-black Hinox fight? The Eventide Island fights? This is just not the most fun shrine ever. Sure, it is my favorite of the oh-so original "kill that boss!" shrines, but it still is an average and oversaturated shrine. C Tier.
25. Kadaunar Shrine - Water Makes A Way
This shrine is pretty good since it introduces the player to the idea of hydrants and how they can be used to create bridges over lava. While I personally prefer the Against the Flow shrine, this one still does a good job of utilizing its main idea. However, I mean, its main idea doesn't speak to me that much... so I have to give this shrine a B Tier.
24. Sihajog Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
I really liked the diving course used to get into this shrine! However, the other two islands with diving courses still got puzzles... and this one got a blessing shrine. Unfortunately I just can't rank it that high because those shrines get a diving course and puzzles... B Tier for this shrine.
23. Igoshon Shrine - Orbs of Water
Honestly? I kind of hated these water orbs a little bit. The only reason I put this in the B Tier was because that last puzzle was quite fun. Going in that orb and shooting up at a 45 degree angle was kind of sick and cool to watch. However, the rest of this shrine was pretty average, and I'm not really loving these orbs too much. B Tier.
22. Kumamayan Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This is another boss fighting crystal quest, but this time, there's this really cool spring contraction to shoot the crystal over to the island. Sure, I know it's weird to put this shrine in B Tier for one spring contraption, but you know what, I'm doing it anyway. B Tier.
21. Ukoojisi Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This shrine is fun, as you have to carefully fly a Sky Crystal from one island to another using a Wing and Fan contraption, and this is a fun little test of how well you can fly. However, honestly, other shrines that are focused around using wings such as Wings on Wind, A Flying Device, and even Courage to Fall do more interesting things with these Zonai Devices, so I can't rank this shrine too high. B Tier.
20. Taninoud Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This shrine is just a little better than the last one, because this time, we get to use these huge hover stone things to fly instead of the more basic wings! However, in practice, it functions very similar to the last shrine on this list, and because of that, it isn't that groundbreaking... B Tier.
19. Gikaku Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This shrine is yet another Sky Crystal shrine, but this one is actually pretty awesome. The Sky Crystal is hidden amongst luminous stone, and you have to throw the crystal down to the original island and all that jazz. It still is just a B Tier shrine, but it is still quite fun and an above average Sky Crystal quest.
18. Mayanas Shrine - The Ice Guides You
This shrine relied on creating ice and using them to hit targets by sliding them down spikes. It was pretty fun! But it was really easy and could be cheesed. Also, the Fire and Ice shrine utilizes spikes and ice better than this shrine does and in a much more interesting and innovative way. Overall, this shrine was fun and had a good idea, but like again, another cool shrine executed weaker than it could've been.
17. Simosiwak Shrine - Proving Grounds: Light Out
I love the Lights Out vibe but it is just way too easy. I wish we got a more horror-like, difficult proving grounds shrine from this one. Again, another shrine with fun ideas but could've been more interesting. Having constructs ready to snipe you and a maze like dungeon could've made this atmospheric shrine a lot more unique and horror-like, something that would've been a simple idea done so well, but this is just a simple idea done simply. B Tier for this shrine.
16. Joku-usin Shrine - Proving Grounds: Short Circuit
Like the last one, the elements of this proving grounds shrine could have been a lot better. Maybe there is a metal platform in the sky and the only way to hurt the constructs is to electrify a circuit to knock them out. Maybe there is a huge pool of water somewhere in the shine, and you have to electrocute it using a hidden thunder weapon to kill the enemies from afar. Yet again, so much more could have been present here, and making some of these proving grounds shrines more like puzzle combat akin to previous Zelda titles instead of backflipping shenanigans could've been a breath of fresh air for the incredibly fun yet repetitive combat systme in Tears of the Kingdom. Overall, it is fun, but could be so much better. B Tier.
15. Jirutagomac Shrine - A Flying Device
As a shrine focused around the wings, this shrine is a fun, flying adventure. With plenty of flying across different gaps, this shrine is honestly quite fun. It isn't anything too special, but I never get tired of the wings, they are just super fun. This shrine is the epitome of a solid B Tier shrine.
14. Ijo-o Shrine - More Than Defense
While discovering what you can fuse with your shield is an awesome and integral part to using the Fuse ability effectively. However, fusing objects to weapons is definitely at the forefront of people's minds, not fusing objects to shields. However, for those who hadn't figured out about awesome things like the Rocket Shield yet, this shrine is an eye-opener for an awesome Tears of the Kingdom mechanic. While shield fusing can be utilized to much greater effect in the overworld and this shrine is very basic if you have already discovered the implications of shield fusing, for those who may be younger and didn't think about shield fusing all that much, this shrine is incredibly innovative and unique. I think this shrine executed what it was going for perfectly, even if it wasn't very challenging or thought-provoking. This shrine lands itself at the bottom of A Tier for me.
13. Gutanbac Shrine - The Ability to Rise
Okay, if this was not the first time you could use Ascend, this would be so much lower, but this magnificently introduces the Ascend ability, and there's nothing quite like using Ascend for the first time. The animation is so cool, and you immediately start to think "how will this change up the core gameplay over what we saw in Breath of the Wild?" Sure, this is so basic, but as one of the first shrines in the game, it does its job very, very well. A Tier for the Gutanbac shrine.
12. Siyamotsus Shrine - Unlit Blessing
Okay, this can potentially be the shortest shrine in the entire Tears of the Kingdom, but the idea of having a puzzle shrine originally formatted as a Rauru's Blessing shrine is just so cool. Sure, all you have to do is shoot some arrows but like, I don't give a crap because I got to see a blessing shrine metamorphosize into something so much cooler. Overall, while this shrine is easy, it was entirely new and different from other blessing shrines in the game. A Tier.
11. Mayasiar Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
Starview Island is one of my favorite sky islands... it just look so cool! Manipulating the light on this island comes together to create a very quick yet intelligent puzzle about light reflection. I really enjoyed this shrine, and solving this was incredibly satisfying. This shrine is definitely deserving of A Tier.
10. Yansamin Shrine - Proving Grounds: Low Gravity
Yet another of my favorite islands in the sky, this forge island is super cool, and diving into the island to get this unique proving grounds shrine is very fun. Fighting in low gravity is just very fun and satisfying, even if it isn't exactly the first time this has been done in a video game. While I would've loved to see a proving grounds shrine where it would switch between low gravity and normal gravity on a whim, this shrine still did its theme justice. While I would've loved to see a gravity switching proving grounds shrine, I wouldn't want that to replace this shrine, but instead one of the boring blessing shrines. Overall, this shrine was a fun experience. A Tier.
9. Ukouh Shrine - The Ability to Create
I loved that this first shrine introduced Ultrahand in an effective, yet not too difficult way to start off. Still, as much as I think this is a near perfect introduction to an amazing ability, there are two nitpicks I have with this shrine that hold it back from greatness. First of all, it is just quite frustrating since the Ultrahand controls are hard to get a grip on (no pun intended), and as the first shrine with Ultrahand, this becomes quite annoying. Second of all, I spent an hour trying to reach the top platforms, thinking there would've been an awesome hidden chest up there. It is literally possible to get up there, but it has no reward. If there would've been a hidden chest behind one of those pillars, I would've adored this shrine for doing something innovative... but yeah, with these two small problems I have in this shrine, I couldn't quite put it in S Tier.
8. Joku-u Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
This shrine can be awesome in two different ways: 1) as a reward for the extensive Fifth Sage quest and as checkpoint just in case you lose Mineru's head or 2) what it was for me—one of the best moments in the game. I just flew to the Thunderhead Isles because they piqued my curiosity, and I just happened to land right on this shrine. And then, all the sudden, I see this huge door... and it was like the Temple of Time. I freaked out. I had no idea what it was, and when I opened it, I got an amazing result: Mineru's head. This was one of the coolest moments in the game, just right next to this checkpoint of a shrine. Sure, this shrine isn't the reason this part is so cool, so it might be stupid to put it this high, but since it is so close to one of my favorite moments in the game, I'm going to be incredibly biased and rank this in the S Tier.
7. Mayaumekis Shrine - Downward Force
My favorite temple in the game was hands down the Wind Temple, and a huge part of that was the fun trek up to it. The bouncy pirate ships were one of my guilty pleasures in this game, and an addition I adored. This shrine just was totally made for someone like me, with both bouncy pirate ships and "bullet time" merging together to capitalize on two ideas I love. Sure it was basic, and it wasn't even that good, but this is like the Taco Bell or McDonald's of shrines for me. It's bad, but it is just too good! Okay, I'm going to stop the cringe, S Tier for this shrine.
6. Ga-ahisas Shrine - Rauru's Blessing
I love this stupid island. Activating the island, blowing up the rubble, and going inside the island to solve some awesome mirror puzzles? This was just so cool. While the light puzzles were more basic then most of the other light shrines or the Lightning Temple, the simplicity worked for me because the aesthetic was so good. Being inside the island was just awesome, and while I wish I could say this was the best light shrine in the game, the mirror puzzle just doesn't do it for me as much as I wish it did. Still loved this though, so for me, it is an S Tier shrine.
5. Nachoyah Shrine - Ability to Rewind
The moment where I realized I could recall things falling off waterfalls and that it would still do the splash was one of the greatest moments in gaming for me. That sounds stupid, but this ability is just so aesthetic. This ability is just so well done, and this introductory shrine was perfect. I couldn't have asked for more from this shrine, and the clock puzzle at the end is to this day my favorite use of Recall in a shrine. I feel so weird putting the fourth shrine in the game so high on this list, but I think it definitely deserves it. S Tier.
4. Tenbez Shrine - Gravity & Velocity
Let's get this out of the way: I absolutely adored this shrine. Let's also get this out of the way: this shrine could've been so much better. The fact that I love it this much and that it could've been so much better makes me sad we couldn't see a bit more put into this shrine, and it also gave me the idea: what if the Water Temple island put this into effect? What if we could alter gravity in the Water Temple and move it between the surface and the sky? Yeah, I know, these shrines inspire me to come up with insane ideas, but seriously, the amount of things that could've been done with this idea is almost overwhelming. While I loved this shrine, if it was done better? It would've been my favorite shrine in the game.
3. Rakashog Shrine - A Reflective Device
This shrine is my favorite Zonai-Device-based shrine in the entire game. It is just that good. The light puzzles here are top-notch, and set a precedent for the awesome Lightning Temple and other awesome shrines like Buried Light. This is an introductory shrine that takes itself seriously and does not wimp out on its main premise. I loved this to the point I've played it multiple times just for fun. That's saying something. S Tier.
2. In-isa Shrine - Ability to Combine
I loved all of the Great Sky Island shrines, but this takes the cake as the best one. This shrine is perfect. It is short, sweet, fun, and to the point. It teaches the player about Fuse, but unlike many other shrines in the game, it doesn't give away all of its secrets. I loved that it kept it limited but opened up the doors for creativity to soar, and it introduced us to one of the greatest abilities in Zelda history. I love Fuse, and this shrine is what kindled that initial love for it, so overall, I believe this to be an S+ Tier shrine.
1. Mogisari Shrine - Courage to Jump
With an awesome obstacle course on a freaking car, this is peak Zelda fun. Sure, it isn't really a puzzle dungeon like some of the other top tier shrines on this list, but it is just so, so fun. You get to ride through all these obstacle courses, crash into enemies and walls, and at the very end, you have to jump off of your car to make it to the end without falling to your death. The idea of having the courage to jump at the end was so cool! This was a masterclass shrine for me, while it wasn't super innovative, it was incredibly fun, and at the end of the day? That's what truly matters in video games. To me, this is an S++ Tier shrine.