What Are Poes For in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Poes are a common collectible in The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom (Totk). They are blue, teardrop-shaped wisps that can be found scattered throughout the Depths, the underground area of Hyrule. While they are easy to find, the game doesn't explain what they are used for. If you haven't talked to certain NPCs in Lookout Landing, you might be wondering what you can do with these glowing wisps.
What To Do With Poes In Zelda: TOTK
You can trade Poes with merchant NPCs called Bargainer Statues throughout Hyrule for a variety of rewards. Bargainer Statues are large, half-sunken carvings of humanoid creatures with four eyes, two noses, and a mouth. They appear to be wearing conical caps that resemble the Gloom-resistant armor set they sell.
To shop at Bargainer Statues, you must first unlock them. This involves gaining access to the Depths, which requires talking to Purah at Lookout Landing and claiming the Paraglider. Once you've entered the Depths, find a Poe (they are easy to find) and talk to the Bargainer Statue in Josha's workshop. Give the statue a Poe, and you can start buying from its shop.
Poe Rewards In Zelda: TOTK
You can exchange Poes for many useful items at Bargainer Statues, most of which will help Link against the challenges he faces exploring the Depths. Each time Link finds a new Bargainer Statue, an item is added to the vendors' inventories, and all Bargainer Statues will offer the item. Link can also pay the Bargainer Statue at Lookout Landing 100 Poes to mark one of its brethren's locations in the Depths, which makes finding the remaining six much easier.
Here is a complete list of the Bargainer Statues' inventory once all items are unlocked:
- Dark Clump - 10 Poes
- Muddle Bud - 16 Poes
- Puffshroom - 16 Poes
- Bomb Flower - 16 Poes
- Dark Hood - 300 Poes
- Dark Tunic - 150 Poes
- Dark Trousers - 200 Poes
- Hood of the Depths - 300 Poes
- Tunic of the Depths - 150 Poes
- Gaiters of the Depths - 200 Poes
- Tunic of Memories - 200 Poes
The cheaper, consumable items can also be found throughout Hyrule, mostly in the Depths, but all seven armor pieces sold by Bargainer Statues are unique to those merchants.
The most worthwhile rewards are the three pieces that make up the Depths armor set: the Hood, the Tunic, and the Gaiters. Wearing even one piece of this set increases Link's resistance to Gloom. The Depths armor set can be upgraded with the Great Fairies, and wearing the full, upgraded set confers an additional bonus against Gloom elemental attacks.
The Dark Armor set gives Link a cool, edgy look, but provides a less practical movement speed boost at night. The Tunic of Memories is a callback to Breath of the Wild, being identical to that game's Champion's Tunic, but it's not the most practical piece of armor.
Dark Clumps also confer a Gloom-resistant effect when cooked into food, so they can be useful while you save up for the more expensive Depths armor set. Muddle Buds can confuse enemies when thrown at them or attached to weapons, but they also grow naturally throughout Totk's Depths, so spending Poes on them is a waste. The same goes for Puffshrooms, which blind enemies, and Bomb Flowers, which explode on impact and are the most common of the consumables offered by the Bargainer Statues.
Zelda: TOTK Bargainer Statue Locations
The first Bargainer Statue most TOTK players will find is conveniently located in Lookout Landing, at the back of Josha's research headquarters near the double doors. This is the Bargainer Statue that is easiest to visit regularly; it's mere steps away from a fast travel point.
The other six bargainer statues are all located in the Depths. The easiest way to find them is by paying the one at Lookout Landing 100 Poes to reveal each one's location. Here are the locations:
- Lookout Landing (-0252, 0152, 0020)
- Stakijat Lightroot (0457, -0803, -0472)
- Usukaz Lightroot (3805, -1328, -0858)
- Akinatanis Lightroot (3708, 2598, -0414)
- Muokuij Lightroot (0882, -2401, -0393)
- Yisuayam Lightroot (-1032, 2690, -0273)
- Great Abandoned Central Mine (-0782, -1905, -0564) - You must complete the quest "A Call from the Depths" to unlock the Great Abandoned Central Mine Bargainer Statue.
Every Lightroot in the Depths is located directly beneath a Shrine of Light on the Surface, and the Lightroot's name is the same as the Shrine's spelled backwards.
Where To Find Poes In Zelda: TOTK
Thanks to their natural glow, Poes are easy to find, even in the Depths. They usually gather in large groups, so you can scoop up a bunch of them quickly. To find them even more easily, know where to look.
- Groups of Poes often congregate near landmarks in the Depths.
- Enemy outposts are usually reliable places to find Poes.
- Poes can be found behind rock formations that shield them from monsters' view.
- Larger landmarks, like mines, the Construct Factory, and the Ancient Observatory, tend to spawn large numbers of Poes as well.
Look out for Poes that appear larger than others, or ones that glow pink. These are called Large Poes and Grand Poes, and are worth five and 20 Poes respectively. These are usually found off the beaten path.
The easiest way to find Poes of any type, however, is to gain some elevation by climbing, building a flying machine, or throwing a Hylian Pine Cone into a fire, and looking out for their wispy glow. A handful of Large Poes also spawn reliably near each mine in the Depths.
Regular Poes respawn every time the Blood Moon rises. Grand Poes respawn every four in-game hours and remain totally unaffected by the Blood Moon. You can farm Poes quickly and smoothly by visiting known Grand Poe locations and waiting at a campfire in between.
Gathering all the Bargainer Statues' rewards is no easy task; not only will you have to track the seven statues down, but you'll also have to gather 1,500 Poes to afford all of their items. This makes Poes the most plentiful collectible in TOTK, beating even the numerous Korok Seeds. However, unlike other collectibles, Poes respawn and gather in groups, and their visual effects make them easier to find. They also have some of the most worthwhile rewards in The Legend of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, so gathering Poes is far from a waste of time.
