The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom features numerous Shrine puzzles scattered throughout Hyrule. One of these puzzles is the “Bridging the Sands” puzzle found in the Kudanisar Shrine. This Shrine is located in the northern part of the Gerudo Desert near Karusa Valley. The puzzle features a massive room filled with moving sand. Moving in the sand quickly drains the player’s stamina bar, making it essential to avoid it as much as possible. The main shrine exit is straight ahead from the starting point, in the middle of the leftmost wall. On the opposite side of the room, there is another platform with some Zonai enemies on it and a smaller platform with a single Zonai enemy on it, where the optional chest is located.
How to Solve the Puzzle
The first step in solving the puzzle is to get out of the fenced area in which the player starts. There is a wooden plank standing straight up in the sand at the bottom of the stairs. There are two more planks moving across the sand, respawning whenever they go underneath the wall. Using a combination of Ultrahand and Recall, the player needs to get all three planks and themselves to the stone platform across from the stairs. Once here, connect all three planks end-to-end to create a big bridge, which can be leaned against the fence to exit this section.
After leaving the first area, there is another sandy section with a plank standing vertically in the sand. Behind the plank is an enemy, so the player must be careful. From here, the player needs to cross straight ahead to the ladder to jump down to some Zonai devices that let them drive across the sand. The quickest way across is to use the same bridge already built.
Climb up the ladder to find the locked door to the Shrine exit. There is a spot in the ground for a small ball and a button. Step on the button, which will spawn the ball and launch it to the stone area across the room. The player can now jump down to Zonai vehicles to navigate across the sand.
Once on the vehicle, head to the back left corner of the room, where the second optional chest is located. Here, there is a hanging chest next to a small platform. Stand on the platform, shoot the rope, and use Ultrahand to grab the chest and bring it to the player.
Next, head diagonally across the room, where the first optional chest is located on a small platform with a single enemy. Park the vehicle on the far side of the block, so the flowing sand pushes it towards the block, so the player does not lose their ride. Use one of the nearby planks to create a ramp to reach the chest.
The player can now head to the area where the small ball was shot, which is guarded by two Zonai enemies. To enter this area, park the vehicle on the side of the building, which is underneath a small overhang, which the player can Ascend up through.
Don’t worry about the vehicle, as there are more inside this area. Take down the Zonai and enter the middle area. The ball will be pushed up against a gate, which can be opened by a button. Grab the ball with Ultrahand and fuse it to one of the vehicles and hit the button to open the door.
Drive directly across the sand, back to the Shrine exit door. Park at the small platform where the player originally grabbed the Zonai vehicle. They will need to fuse three wooden planks together, which can be found on the platform, to create a bridge up to the door, so they can walk the ball up there.
Finally, the player should drop the ball into the hole, unlocking the door and completing the Shrine. There are many more guides in the Tears of the Kingdom guides hub, including a map of all Shrine locations and many more individual Shrine puzzle guides.
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