Of the four main groups that make up The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's Hyrule, the Gerudo are by far the most mysterious. Exploring the region that this ancient tribe calls home will take Link from the sweltering desert to frozen plateaus, and in almost every part of it, Link can discover a wide range of intriguing artifacts and hidden locations. Luckily for Link, where past games saw him treated as an outsider when he visited the Gerudo, in Tears of the Kingdom, he is given the unique opportunity to explore these secrets with the Gerudo.
Link's chance to explore the Gerudo's history begins with "The Heroines' Secret." He will partner with Rotana, a Gerudo archeologist exploring the secret history of the Seven Heroines, a mythological group of ancient Gerudo warriors revered by all in the tribe. Together, they will work to uncover a long-lost truth hidden in the ancient stone tablets beneath Gerudo Town.
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How to Start The Heroines' Secret
"The Heroines' Secret' is the first of several quests that take place under Gerudo Town. It is important to remember that while Link can complete this quest before completing "Riju of Gerudo Town," some of the corresponding quests cannot be.
To begin this side quest, Link will have to make his way into the shelter below Gerudo Town. As a rule, the Gerudo do not allow men - known as 'voe' in the Gerudo language - into the town. In the past, Link was not able to make it past the front gates, but now, most of the population has retreated into the shelter beneath the throne room.
The entrance to the Gerudo Town shelter is located beneath the main steps that lead to the throne room. If Link heads straight through the center of town, the steps and entrance are very hard to miss. Unfortunately, because of the previously mentioned rule, Link cannot enter here.
There is an easy way to enter the shelter in Gerudo Town. This method requires Link to head to a small room found in a courtyard to the west of the throne. If Link is walking towards the throne, turn right to enter the courtyard, then make another right to head down the steps that lead directly to the door.
This area was formerly a classroom, and Link can move the block-like desk at the front of the class to reveal a hole in the floor. Fall through the hole to enter the shelter. Link will be accosted by the guards at first, but they will relent when they realize who he is. There is a small child that will also lead Link to this entrance at night, but finding her is not required to use this method.
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In the main chamber, Link will find Rotana (-3886, -2970, 0033), who is looking at something on the shelter's wall, clearly deep in thought. When speaking with her, Link will discover that she is reading what is known as a stela, which is an ancient stone tablet with inscribed text. "The Heroines' Secret" will task Link with photographing four secret stelae and returning the images to Rotana.
While it's unlikely that Link will reach Gerudo Town before getting Tears of the Kingdom's camera upgrade, if he hasn't, he should return to Josha and Robbie at Lookout Landing to complete their quest line, as it is required to complete "The Heroines' Secret."
Where to Find the First Stele
The first stele is easy to find, as Link simply needs to walk past Rotana into the next chamber and turn left. Link will see a pile of what is clearly breakable rock.
Destroy that rock to find the first stele behind it. Take a photo and then either move to the next stele or take the photo to Rotana.
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Where to Find the Second Stele
To find the second stele, head back to Rotana. The path Link will follow begins with the opening on Rotana's left side. Go through the entrance to find a small classroom on the right and another opening on the left.
Stay to the left and head through the second opening. After going through, Link will come to a split in the path. Keep to the left and go through the opening surrounded by several crates.
After going through, look to the left wall to see the second stele. Link will notice a chunk is missing from the tablet and a pile of sand on the floor directly in front of the stele. The missing piece will be found in the pile of sand, so Link must use any type of fun to blow the sand away. If Link does not have a Zonai fan, he can use a Korok Frond attached to any kind of stick or swinging weapon. Korok Fronds can be found by cutting down trees.
Once the sand pile is gone, use Link's Ultrahand ability to insert the broken piece like a puzzle. With the stele repaired, take a photo and return to Rotana.
How to Find Stele Three
To find stele three, Link will have to find a way inside the shelter's small jail cell. While several guards tell Link the only way to get in is to break the rules, they do not know about Link's Ascend ability.
From Rotana, head through the opening that lines up with her right side. Once through, the small jail cell will be visible on the right.
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From that area, head into the small opening in between the jail cell on the right and the hotel on the left. This small door leads to the cantina and will have a red banner with a bottle over the top.
Inside the cantina, make a sharp right turn until Link is facing a wall with six equal-sized shelf. If Link looks closely, he'll notice that the shelf on the bottom left with two white bottles does not have a back. Remove the two bottles and crouch to get through the small opening. Once through, use Ascend to enter the jail cell above.
The third stele can be found on the back wall of the cell. Take a photo and either use the door to exit or use Ascend once again.
How to Find the Fourth Stele
The final stele is found in the classroom that Link passed on his way to the second stele. Link must time this part correctly, as there are several times throughout the day when class is in session. The morning is for children, which Link will not be allowed to join. It's best to wait until class is not in session. The corresponding images were taken at 3:30 PM in Gerudo Town.
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The stele is split across the classroom's entrance, and Link must line up the sections correctly to take a photo.
When the blocks are lined up correctly, the small red and white exclamation mark will appear, letting Link know that the image is for a mission. Snap the photo, and return to Rotana.
Rotana will inform Link that all four of the stelae point towards the existence of an eighth heroine when it was previously believed there were only seven. She rewards Link with a mysterious orb that will connect to the next mission in the chain, "The Mysterious Eighth." With that, "The Heroines' Secret" is complete.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.
