Traversing the Depths in new areas tacked onto BOTW's map when carried over into TOTK. As the name implies, they're located deep underground. If the hard-hitting, Gloom-inflicting enemies aren't enough of a deterrent from exploring the area, the expansive, pervasive dark that blankets the entire underground should do the trick. However, the rewards in the Depths more than make up for the difficulty of exploring them, with the handy Autobuild ability and some of the game's best weapons at stake.
TOTK provides a useful resource for players to explore the dark Depths: Brightblooms. These flowers grow in abundance in caves and the underground and produce a cone of bright light when struck. They can be hit where they stand to light up the immediate area, but it's often preferable to throw them or fuse them to arrows for makeshift wall lamps. As an alternative, there are dishes and armor pieces that give Link a glowing effect, but these are harder to come by, and players might prefer combat boosts or Gloom-resistant effects in the Depths. However, it's possible to use a certain Sage ability for a worry-free, renewable light source.
TOTK's Sage Of Lightning Power Lights Up The Dark
The Vow of Riju can provide a constant source of light while exploring caves or the Depths in TOTK and doesn't burn through any resources. On activating it, a small, yellow circle of lightning will appear directly beneath Link, and slowly expand outward. It's not quite as luminous as a Brightbloom, but it does the trick, and can give players enough visibility to map out what's around them and move forward. Using Riju's lightning ability, it's possible to light up the dark without wasting precious arrows or spending hours farming Brightblooms.
Naturally, the Vow of Riju has a cooldown like all the other Sage powers in TOTK. However, that shouldn't interrupt the exploration of the Depths. The cooldown timing of this ability almost perfectly matches the amount of time it takes for the circle of light to disappear, so as long as Link keeps activating the Vow of Riju, it'll always be there. This way, the player can repeatedly chain charges of the Vow of Riju together, creating a constant lighting effect around Link as they explore TOTK's darker areas.
How To Get Vow Of Riju In TOTK
In order to use the Vow of Riju to light up the Depths, or for any other purpose, players will first have to gain this power. All the Sages' Vows come from the "Regional Phenomena" quest, the primary story quest that makes up the bulk of TOTK's main campaign. It comprises four temples and four shorter, NPC-based quests leading up to each one. They're all located adjacent to some of the game's major cities and can be accepted and completed in any order. In order to claim the Vow of Riju, players will need to head for Gerudo Town in the southwest corner of the map, where they can begin the quest "Riju of Gerudo Town."
When Link arrives in Gerudo Town, he finds its people in trouble. Constant harsh sandstorms have forced them underground, but their chief Riju is working on a solution. In order to continue the quest, he must travel to the North Gerudo Ruins - which is, of course, located north of Gerudo Town. There he finds Riju practicing the lightning ability that will eventually become her Vow. The two fight off a horde of Gibdos together before seeking out a series of red columns to create a guiding path through the desert. Finally, they enter TOTK's Lightning Temple, where they have to activate four batteries to power a central elevator, which will take them to the boss fight with Queen Gibdo.
After completing the Lightning Temple, players will be free to use the Vow of Riju as they wish. That's not all, though; the Vow of Riju can also be upgraded. Trading four Sage's Wills to a Goddess Statue will grant Link the Solemn Vow of Riju (or the Solemn Vow of any other Sage), which will upgrade its attack power in combat. Unfortunately, its range and cooldown time remain the same, so this won't have any additional benefits for lighting up dark areas like in the Depths. However, the increased attack power still makes the Vow of Riju useful during Depth exploration, as it can be used to turn the tide of battle against its many monsters.
Other Uses For Riju's Lightning Ability In Tears Of The Kingdom
Of course, the Vow of Riju is primarily a combat ability. As demonstrated during the "Riju of Gerudo Town" quest, firing an arrow while the expanding circle is active will cause a powerful lightning strike at the exact point the projectile strikes. This can deal damage to enemies, but it has an additional effect that's especially handy when fighting some of TOTK's quicker enemies. Lightning attacks stun enemies, and in some cases, even cause them to drop their weapons. This can create a brief opening in their defense, which speedy players will be quick to capitalize on.
Riju's lightning ability has another hidden use. Per TOTK's physics, any living thing located in water is especially weak to lightning elemental attacks. It may not be pretty or humane, but a well-placed lightning strike in the middle of a body of water will instantly cause all the fish inside its area of effect to go belly-up. Players don't have to risk their stamina by endlessly swimming after darting Hyrule Bass; with the Vow of Riju, they can start hauling in their catch by the boatload.
The Vow of Riju is a more useful power than it seems at first glance, but the same can be said of all TOTK's Sage abilities. The Vow of Tulin seems like it's geared at traversal, but it can also be used to stun enemies, or simply fling them off a cliff. The Vow of Yunobo is useful in combat, but its rolling rock can also smash open blocked cave ages. The Vow of Sidon creates a watery shield, but it can also have a cooling effect in hotter regions. It all just goes to show how much The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom focuses on the finer details, providing the player with ample tools for experimentation.
Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube
