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There are plenty of fun new additions to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and one of them came in the form of a pretty innocuous new enemy whose loot drops are valuable – Bubbul Frogs, the giant blue toads hopping around cave walls throughout Hyrule. And despite how specific these items are, don’t worry about trading them in – you already have a buyer in Koltin, a monster part salesman and aspiring Satori.
You’ll need to explore the caves of Hyrule to find Bubbul Frogs to trade with Koltin, so let us walk you through how to find them.
This guide contains some Tears of the Kingdom spoilers.
What Are Bubbul Gems And Bubbulfrogs?
Bubbul Gems are a new form of currency introduced in Tears of the Kingdom, and they're what Link uses in this main series Zelda entry to buy monster masks and parts from Koltin, the traveling monster part salesman.
You'll find Bubbul Gems in only one way - by killing the Bubbul Frogs that lurk within the various caves that have begun to appear around Hyrule after the Upheaval unearthed them.
These Bubbul Frogs will be on cave walls throughout Tears of the Kingdom, typically requiring a few shots from a bow to fall. To try to mess up your shot, though, you'll learn from where these frogs got their name - they fire bubbles at Link to distract you.
You cannot shoot through these bubbles, so meander through the area to get a clear shot of the Bubbul Frog and fire your shot when you're lined up.
A Bubbul Frog's health bar is remarkably low - you'll usually take a Bubbul Frog down in one or two arrows.
After ascending, the Bubbul Frog will drop not only a Bubbul Gem, but a money-giving Blupee as well. These will disappear fairly quickly, but the Bubbul Gem remains until you grab it.
Where To Find Bubbulfrogs
In Tears of the Kingdom, Bubbulfrogs are exclusively cave-dwelling creatures, meaning you'll be doing your share of spelunking to locate them.
When you see a Blupee, the glowing blue rabbit creature, around Hyrule, follow it when it runs off, as it will lead you to the opening of a cave.
Shooting the Blupee will yield a progressively higher number of Rupees each time, but if you kill the Blupee before it leads you to a cave, you'll need to find it without guidance.
However, Blupees only appear near or in caves, so you'll at least know you're in the right area.
Once you've found a cave, it will be marked as a Discovery on your map, with a small icon denoting the cave's entrance. Head inside and begin your search.
You may not find it immediately upon entry, but there is a Bubbulfrog in every cave in Tears of the Kingdom. If you haven't found it yet, keep searching the entire cave system until you do.
Once you've found and taken out the Bubbulfrog, the cave will have a small checkmark when viewed on your map of Hyrule to record that you've handled this Bubbulfrog.
Satori Can Help You Find New Caves
Fans fondly remember the touching tribute to beloved Nintendo CEO, Satoru Iwata, in the form of a serene, glowing mountain animal from Breath of the Wild. Now, the Satori back again in Tears of the Kingdom, with a purpose.
Throughout Hyrule, you'll find cherry blossom trees, and occasionally a Gerudo woman who tells you that Satori love cherry blossom trees and can often be seen near them.
At some of these trees, you'll see a bowl on the ground by the trunk.
Drop a piece of fruit into the bowl, and the Satori will appear to you.
When this happens, nearby caves will be temporarily lit up to help you locate more Bubbulfrogs. Blue columns appear not far from the cherry blossom tree, and following them will lead you to a cave.
"The Hunt For Bubbul Gems" And "The Search For Koltin"
In order to begin trading in your Bubbul Gems, you'll need to find monster part hunters, Kilton and Koltin.
The first place you'll encounter the brothers is just beside Pico Pond. If you've unlocked the Woodland Stable, it's just beside this gathering point, but if not, head Northeast from Lookout Landing.
When you arrive, you'll see an odd balloon on the far side of the pond. Head over, and you'll be introduced to the brothers and their strange quest.
Koltin wants to become a Satori, and he's convinced that the way to do this is by eating a progressively larger amount of Bubbul Gems. This triggers the beginning of the "The Hunt for Bubbul Gems" quest.
If you haven't found and killed a Bubbul Frog yet, there's a Bubbul Frog just inside the cave by which the brothers are standing, allowing you to easily grab your first Bubbul Gem and return it to Koltin while he's just outside.
If you already have a Bubbul Gem, you can give it to Koltin immediately, but it's still wise to grab this cave's Bubbul Gem while you're near.
After downing his first gem, Koltin begins to demand more Bubbul Gems to continue his transformative process. This finishes the "The Hunt For Bubbul Gems" quest, but with Koltin on an exploration, it also immediately begins the "The Search for Koltin" quest as well.
Once he's gotten a taste for Bubbul Gems, Koltin travels around Hyrule in his hot air balloon and will then begin to appear in various places throughout Hyrule.
How To Find Koltin
There are two ways to locate Koltin to turn in further Bubbul Gems: by asking Kilton where his brother may be, or by running into Koltin by accident as you explore.
Koltin begins to appear after 9PM. You'll know he's near when you see his hot air balloon someplace around Hyrule.
However, this isn't a guaranteed way to locate Koltin - after all, Hyrule is huge. Thankfully, Kilton always knows where Koltin will appear next.
You can find Kilton over in Tarrey Town, located in the Akkala Highlands. Simply find him here, and he'll tell you where Koltin will appear. After that, just head to the nearest area to this, and wait for night to fall.
Koltin's Shop Item List (With Bubbul Gem Prices)
Below, we have a full list of items available from Koltin's shop, as well as how many Bubbul Gems they'll each cost you to purchase.
All Items From Koltin's Shop
Item Name | Price | Effect |
|---|---|---|
Moblin Mask | 2 Gems | Wearing this around Moblins makes them slower to notice Link |
Hinox Toenail (3) | 3 Gems | +7 Fuse Attack Power when fused with arrows before shooting |
Mystic Robe | Wearing this robe will cause Link to lose Rupees instead of health when struck | |
Fire Keese Eyeball (8) | Attach these to arrows to set fire to whatever they hit | |
Lizalfos Mask | Wearing this around Lizalfos makes them slower to notice Link | |
Ice-Breath Lizalfos Tail (8) | +10 Fuse Attack Power when Fused to a weapon to offer a whip effect | |
Mystic Trousers | 4 Gems | Wearing these pants will cause Link to lose Rupees instead of health when struck, boosting this monetary defense when paired with the Mystic Robe |
White-Maned Lynel Mace Horn | +40 Fuse Attack Power when Fused with weapons | |
Horriblin Mask | Wearing this mask aroudn Horriblins makes them slower to notice Link | |
Gleeok Wings (2) | Increases the firing range of your arrows by a large amount |
If you're trying to collect everything at Koltin's shop in Tears of the Kingdom, this will require 25 Bubbul Gems in total to do.