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Once you've gone through the Tears Of The Kingdom tutorial area, you'll soon be back in the Hyrule mainland. From there, you can see familiar sights as long as some new ones, like the Zonai shrines and the Chasms. As the name implies, Chasms are giant holes in the ground that have opened up across Hyrule.
They can be spotted easily from the sky due to their intense darkness and surrounding reddish corruption –also known as gloom. Though there are related quests, you're free to jump into a Chasm as soon as you can. Just brace yourself for the dark region below called the Depths.
Updated May 15 by Will Quick: Now that you've spent some time in the Depths, you may be feeling eager to get back to sunny Hyrule. While the Depths are dark and intimidating, it is surprisingly easy to quickly exit them and get back to your adventure.
Darkness And Gloom
The two defining characteristics of the Depths are darkness and gloom. The only created light sources you will find in the Depths are small fire sources which are usually around enemy encampments.
This means the first thing you should do before going below is stock up on Brightbloom Seeds and Arrows. Each one provides a sizable permanent area of light which will help you identify collectibles and hazards such as gloom.
Gloom is the name given to the corruptive energy that manifests as a reddish shadowy substance that spreads across the ground. Until Link is better prepared, wandering into this stuff is a death sentence. The gloom will slow Link down significantly as it drains his health.
To fully explore the Depths, you must find ways through the gloom. An effective way to do this is to seek out undead horses roaming around. They behave just like normal horses and are completely immune to the effects of gloom.
How To Get Out Of The Depths
Like a lot of players, you likely jumped into the Depths out of sheer curiosity and with no contingency plan. After trying to safely land in the dark, you'll explore your new surroundings and look for a safe spot to gather your thoughts. Should luck be on your side, this spot will be close to where you landed, and you can start thinking of an escape plan.
Fortunately, there is a very quick and easy way to leave the Depths. Even though it may not seem like it, the Depths are connected to the mainland and skies. Since that's the case, you can just pull out your Purah Pad to Fast Travel to any unlocked point on any map once you're done spelunking.
Corrupted Enemies
Since Chasms have opened up all over Hyrule, it was to be expected that all a manner of creatures would fall in. However, they have quickly adapted to the new environment and have been empowered by the gloom, making them stronger and more resilient. Bokoblin encampments are now far riskier to assault, and Moblins are even more fearsome.
Luckily, their corrupted reddish aura makes them easy to spot at a distance in the dark so that you can prepare accordingly. You can fire Brightbloom Arrows nearby without arousing attention, which will let you get a better lay of the land. You'll also spot useful objects like explosive crates to get the drop on groups.
Lightroots
The Depths are an entirely new map that shares similarities with the Skies and the Mainland. The most important similarity is their version of Lookout Points, which manifests as Lightroots in the darkness.
These special plants are notable for having large orange bulbs which hang close to the ground. Though they don't emit light at first, the orange can be spotted at a fair distance in the dark, so try to find a vantage point to spot them and then tag them with pins.
Make your way to the root, and you'll see a hand symbol underneath it. Interacting with this will light up a huge portion of the map and give you a Fast Travel point. Getting to the Lightroots can be dangerous, but thankfully the surrounding space is often enemy-free.
Collectibles
Aside from the quests, an important reason to explore the Depths is for all the collectibles you find. The most valuable is Zonaite which is used for Zonai-related upgrades and purchases. You can find deposits of it scattered around the area, usually near rocky structures. There are also native creatures to the Depths, such as large Salamanders, which will drop Zonaite when killed.
Two of the most commonly occurring plant types in the Depths are Muddle Buds and Puffshrooms. Both are interesting ingredients for cooking/mixing, but they're even more effective as Fuse items for your arrows. You can find them growing around large column-like plants.
Then there are the types of weapons you can find. Throughout the Depths are ghostly figures that stand motionless, holding a type of weapon. You can approach them safely and collect the weapon as usual.
What makes them special is that they're pristine, meaning they have full Durability. There's also a chance to find weapons with bonus effects, so keep an eye out for these Weapon Phantoms.
Ruins
Alongside Hylian creatures, structures have also fallen into the Depths. Even more interesting is that the region has ruins of its own. Early on, you can get a quest from Josha and Robbie about finding ancient murals in the Depths, essentially starting a photo-based quest. If you decide to explore the area without following this questline, you should investigate any ruins you find.
Statues are large and a good indicator of nearby ruins, so use your pins to track them during visits to the Depths. If you come across any murals or distinctive carvings, take photos with the Purah Pad.