The Sludge-Covered Statue

Key takeaways

Use the following points to resolve the quest without searching the wider Zora's Domain area.

• Find Yona Speak with Yona after arriving at Zora's Domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline to receive the request.
• Use Splash Fruit Attach a Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire at the statue, or throw a Splash Fruit directly at the sludge.
• Clean the statue The objective is complete when the sludge has been washed from the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon.
• Continue the storyline The cleaned statue marks hope for the Zora people and opens Sidon of the Zora and Restoring the Zora Armor.

The Sludge-Covered Statue overview

The Sludge-Covered Statue is a short Main Quest in Zora's Domain that uses Splash Fruit to clean a statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon.

The quest begins when Link arrives at Zora's Domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline and speaks with Yona. The Zora settlement is affected by sludge, and the statue at the center of this task has been covered by the same grime. Yona's request turns a small environmental problem into a visible way for Link to help the people of the domain.

The solution is deliberately simple, but the game allows two approaches. Link can attach a Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire the resulting water-based shot at the statue, or he can throw a Splash Fruit directly at it. Either method washes away the sludge and reveals the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon.

Cleaning the statue represents hope for the Zora people and lets the Regional Phenomena storyline continue. Completing the quest unlocks the subsequent Main Quests Sidon of the Zora and Restoring the Zora Armor, making this brief interaction an important progression point despite its lack of a conventional combat encounter.

Where this sits

Requirements

The quest requires access to Zora's Domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline and a Splash Fruit for the cleaning action.

• RequiredReach Zora's DomainArrive at the domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline before attempting to begin the quest.
• RequiredSpeak with YonaYona is the quest giver and provides the request involving the statue.
• RequiredHave a Splash FruitA Splash Fruit is needed for either the arrow attachment method or the direct-throw method.

Objectives

1. Receive the request from YonaSpeak with Yona after arriving at Zora's Domain during Regional Phenomena.
2. Wash the sludge from the statueUse a Splash Fruit attached to an arrow or throw a Splash Fruit directly at the statue.
3. Advance the Zora storylineFinish the cleaning task to unlock the next Main Quests.

Walkthrough

1. 01

   Reach the domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline.

   Arrive at Zora's Domain during Regional Phenomena

   Enter Zora's Domain while following the Regional Phenomena storyline. The quest is tied to this arrival context, so searching for the statue before reaching this point will not replace the conversation that starts the task.

   Location: Zora's Domain

   TipKeep the storyline context in mind: this is a progression quest rather than a freely discovered cleaning activity.

2. 02

   Accept the request from Yona.

   Speak with Yona

   Find Yona in Zora's Domain and talk to her to receive The Sludge-Covered Statue. Her conversation explains that the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon needs to be cleaned, establishing the task that advances the local story.

   Location: Zora's Domain

   Watch outIf the quest does not appear, confirm that Link has reached the relevant Regional Phenomena portion of the Zora's Domain storyline.

   Checkpoint
3. 03

   Select Splash Fruit for the cleaning action.

   Prepare a Splash Fruit

   Open the item selection while preparing an attack and choose Splash Fruit. The source-supported methods are to attach it to an arrow or keep it available for a direct throw; no special weapon or combat setup is required.

   Location: Near the sludge-covered statue

   TipThe arrow method gives Link a ranged way to reach the statue, while the direct-throw method avoids spending an arrow.

4. 04

   Fire a Splash Fruit-tipped arrow at the statue.

   Wash the statue with an attached Splash Fruit

   Attach Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire at the sludge-covered statue. Aim for the grime covering the depiction of Link and Prince Sidon; the cleaning action succeeds when the water removes the sludge from the statue.

   Location: The statue in Zora's Domain

   Watch outDo not treat nearby scenery as the objective: the quest is resolved by washing the named statue.

5. 05

   Throw Splash Fruit directly at the statue.

   Use the direct-throw alternative if preferred

   Instead of attaching the fruit to an arrow, throw a Splash Fruit directly at the statue. This is an equivalent solution, so players who want to conserve arrows can use the direct interaction method described for the quest.

   Location: The statue in Zora's Domain

   TipOnly one of the two Splash Fruit methods is needed; the alternatives are not separate objectives.

6. 06

   Complete The Sludge-Covered Statue and continue to the unlocked Main Quests.

   Confirm the clean statue and continue

   Once the sludge has been removed, the statue is clean and the task is complete. Its restored appearance serves as a sign of hope for the Zora people, and the story unlocks Sidon of the Zora and Restoring the Zora Armor.

   Location: Zora's Domain

   Checkpoint

Mission mechanics

The central mechanic is the use of Splash Fruit as a cleansing tool rather than as a combat requirement. Link can attach Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire it at the statue, which is useful when he wants a ranged solution. The quest also recognizes a direct throw, allowing the same item to be used without an arrow.

The task is focused on a single named object: the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon in Zora's Domain. Players do not need to interpret a larger puzzle chain from the supplied quest facts. The practical check is straightforward: apply Splash Fruit to the sludge-covered statue until the grime has been washed away.

Because the quest's purpose is symbolic as well as mechanical, the cleaned statue matters to the Zora community. Its restoration is presented as a sign of hope, and the resulting story progression is the meaningful payoff rather than a combat reward or numerical upgrade.

What works and what does not

Choices and consequences

• Attach Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire it at the statue.

  The sludge is washed away and the quest can be completed.

• Throw Splash Fruit directly at the statue.

  The same cleaning objective is fulfilled without using the arrow-attachment method.

Completion checklist

• Arrive at Zora's Domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline.
• Speak with Yona and receive the request.
• Locate the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon.
• Have Splash Fruit ready for use.
• Attach Splash Fruit to an arrow and fire at the statue, or throw Splash Fruit directly.
• Verify that the sludge has been washed away.
• Check for the unlocked Main Quests Sidon of the Zora and Restoring the Zora Armor.

Failure conditions

• The statue is not hit by the cleaning effectIf the Splash Fruit does not contact the sludge-covered statue, the grime remains and the objective is not complete.
• The wrong object is targetedThe documented objective is the statue depicting Link and Prince Sidon in Zora's Domain, not an unrelated sludge-covered surface.
• The quest context has not been triggeredPlayers who have not reached Zora's Domain during the Regional Phenomena storyline may not yet have Yona's request available.

Rewards and progression

• Regional Phenomena progression
  Cleaning the statue allows the story to progress in the Zora's Domain portion of the Regional Phenomena storyline.
• Sidon of the Zora
  This subsequent Main Quest is unlocked after The Sludge-Covered Statue is finished.
• Restoring the Zora Armor
  This subsequent Main Quest is also unlocked after the statue-cleaning task is completed.
• Hope for the Zora people
  The restored statue functions as a sign of hope for the Zora people.

Characters in this mission

• YonaGives Link The Sludge-Covered Statue after he arrives at Zora's Domain.
• LinkPerforms the cleaning action.

Aftermath

Trivia

• The statue depicts Link and Prince Sidon together.
• Splash Fruit has two documented uses in this quest: it can be attached to an arrow or thrown directly.
• The quest's completion has a symbolic purpose for the Zora people as well as a progression function.
• The quest is classified as a Main Quest even though its central task is a brief cleaning interaction.

Sources

• The Sludge-Covered Statue quest reference — shacknews.com
• The Sludge-Covered Statue guide reference — fextralife.com
• Zelda quest reference — zeldawiki.wiki

Relationships