You know that feeling when you stumble onto a side quest so cozy it feels like a secret handshake between you and the game? That’s exactly what happened to me last week while I was revisiting Hebra in Tears of the Kingdom (hey, it’s 2026 and I’m still finding new corners!). I’m talking about Treasure of the Secret Springs, a quest that spins a simple riddle into a lovely little cave crawl and rewards you with a piece of headgear that’ll make any Rito fan grin.

I’ll be honest—when I first heard the riddle from Tulin, I scribbled it down on a scrap of paper like a real treasure hunter. The quest won’t even trigger if you haven’t cleared the main story beat Tulin of Rito Village. That means you need to have quieted the divine beast, stopped the eternal blizzard, and seen the Wind Temple through to the end. Once that’s done, just chat with Tulin again. He’ll spin a story about three hidden hot springs in the Hebra mountains, and your job is to find the midpoint between them. Simple, right? Well, it would be if the midpoint wasn’t sealed behind a monstrous ice boulder. đŸ”„

Before you even think about trekking into the snow, make sure you have a way to make fire. The game doesn’t hand-hold you here, and I learned the hard way when I arrived at the cave without a single flame source. You can use a weapon fused with a Ruby (my personal favorite because it doubles as a hand warmer), Fire Fruit for your arrows, or even a how-i-solved-the-secret-springs-riddle-for-the-vah-medoh-helm-image-0 if you’re in a Zonai mood. Some folks also bring how-i-solved-the-secret-springs-riddle-for-the-vah-medoh-helm-image-1 for later, but more on that in a bit. The target is North Biron Snowshelf Cave, tucked into a mountainside at roughly coordinates -3962, 3280, 0239. It’s smack in the middle of the three hot springs, and if you’re flying in from the sky, you’ll spot that massive ice plug from a mile away.

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Melt it. That’s the first real test. I stood there for a second just admiring how ridiculous it looked, then whipped out my ruby sword and watched the ice crumble. Inside, the cave is surprisingly vertical. You’ll reach a tall chamber with an updraft swirling right in the center—perfect for the paraglider. If you’re like me, you’ll ride that updraft and spin around feeling like a leaf, but the key is to look for the cracked rock walls dotting the shaft. There are multiple, but only three of them matter. Those three correspond to the directions of the secret hot springs. The riddle says you’re looking for the midpoint, and here’s where you prove you’ve been paying attention: you need to blast open the rocks that align with those springs.

Enter . I always carry a small garden of these things because you never know when a breakable wall will mock you. Toss one at each of those cracked sections, or fuse it to an arrow if your aim is shaky. As soon as I destroyed the correct walls, a chest materialized in the middle of the updraft like magic. I glided over, heart pounding because after so many quests I half-expected a single rupee, and popped it open. Inside? The Vah Medoh Divine Helm. 🩅

This thing is glorious. It’s the helm shaped like the Divine Beast itself, complete with the same patterns and that iconic silhouette perched on your head. Aside from looking absolutely regal in the Hebra snowstorms, it gives you a set bonus when worn with certain armor—especially if you’re into cold resistance. For me, it was worth the trip just for the fashion. The quest completes the second you grab it, and I stood there enjoying the little victory jingle while snowflakes drifted past the cave entrance.

What I love about this side quest is that it’s a perfect microcosm of what makes Tears of the Kingdom so special even three years after launch. It doesn’t mark the cave on your map. It gives you a riddle, trusts you to remember the geography, and then layers on a bit of puzzle-solving with fire and bombs. I ended up revisiting the hot springs afterward just to soak (literally) in the scenery, and I swear the water looked warmer knowing I’d earned that helm.

If you’re playing through again in 2026, or just picking the game up for the first time, don’t sleep on this quest. It’s a quick, satisfying break from whatever world-saving you’re doing. And when a fellow traveler in the Depths stops to stare at your Divine Beast hat, you’ll know it was worth melting that big ol’ ice boulder. đŸ§ŠđŸ”„