Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: The Hornist’s Dramatic Escape quest guide

Rescue the hornist so you can open up one of the Great Fairy bulbs

Finding the Stable Trotters in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a multi-part side quest that will help you unlock all of the Great Fairy locations. They are hidden across Hyrule and need a hand to return to playing music. The Hornist can be found as part of The Hornist’s Dramatic Escape side quest, and completing it will see him parping once more at stables.

Here’s everything you need to know to rescue the hornist for this side quest.

For more Zelda guides and tips, like how to find and activate all Skyview Towers, or an explanation of all Zonai Devices, make sure to read our full Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

The Hornist’s Dramatic Escape quest location – Zelda TotK

The Stable Trotters’ hornist can be found in Hyrule Ridge, with the map unlocked using the Lindor’s Brow Skyview Tower. He and his wagon are stuck in a hole, just off the main path below Nero Hill. From the Tabantha Bridge Stable, you can cross the Tabantha Great Bridge and follow the main path west to find the hornist.

You can complete this quest at any time, but he will not appear at the stable until you have helped the Violinist at the Woodland Stable. You will also need to visit the Lucky Clover Gazette near the entrance to the Rito Village before starting that quest.

The Hornist’s Dramatic Escape quest solution – Zelda TotK

The hornist will ask you to get him and his wagon out of the hole at the same time. If you just get the wagon out, he’ll accuse you of stealing and make you start all over again. There are likely many solutions to this puzzle but the easiest we found was using the Ultrahand ability. There are a number of helpful components nearby. The solution we found only uses one Zonai Battery Charge, so you don’t need to upgrade it.

Attach the two balloons to the two parts of the wagon that stick straight up. You can then attach the two flamethrowers to the back on the edges. Finally, attach a fan blowing outwards to the handle of the front. Place the wagon in the middle of the hole. You can then ask the hornist to get in, and hit the fan to start all of the devices working. The hornist won’t like the heat, but he’ll be okay.

The Hornist’s Dramatic Escape side quest rewards – Zelda TotK

The hornist will give you three Courser Bee Honey for your help, but more importantly, he can now be found at Snowfield Stable. This will allow you to open up one of the Great Fairy bulbs.