You're wandering through the blistering heat of the Gerudo Desert, your stamina bar is low, and honestly, you’re just trying to find some Sunshrooms. Suddenly, you hit the Gerudo Canyon Stable and talk to a guy named Sesami. He’s panicking. His four friends are gone. They were jumped by monsters near Koukot Plateau, and now he's just... waiting. This is the start of BOTW Missing in Action, a side quest that most players stumble into but few actually appreciate for how well it teaches you to navigate the verticality of Hyrule. It isn't just a "go here, kill that" quest. It’s a test of how well you can spot a wooden platform hanging off a cliff face while a sandstorm is trying to ruin your day.
The stakes feel weirdly high for a side quest because Sesami looks genuinely pathetic standing there alone. Most Zelda quests give you a glowing waypoint or a very obvious trail of breadcrumbs. Not this one. If you want to finish the quest, you have to actually use your eyes. The game expects you to scan the canyon walls, and if you aren't looking up, you'll walk right past them.
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The Frustrating Reality of the Koukot Plateau
The area surrounding the Koukot Plateau is a geographical nightmare. It’s a mess of narrow walkways, sheer drops, and scaffolding that looks like it was built by someone who hated safety regulations. When you’re looking for the four missing friends—Oliff, Flaxel, Canolo, and Palme—you realize they didn't just wander off. They are literally pinned down on wooden walkways by Blue Bokoblins.
Most players make the mistake of staying on the main road. You can't do that. To find the group, you basically have to become a mountain goat. The first guy, Oliff, is usually the easiest to spot because he's somewhat close to the walkway, but the others? They’re tucked away in crevices that make you wonder how they even got there in the first place. It highlights a core philosophy of Breath of the Wild: the world is three-dimensional. If you play it like a 2D top-down Zelda, you’re going to fail.
One of the friends is stuck on a platform so high up that if you don't have enough stamina or a few Stamella Shrooms, you’re going to have a bad time. I remember the first time I did this, I ran out of stamina halfway up and watched Link tumble into the canyon floor. It was humiliating. But that’s the charm. The BOTW Missing in Action quest forces you to manage your resources. You can't just glide from the top of a mountain and hope for the best; you have to tactically approach each platform, clear the monsters, and then figure out where the next person is hiding.
Why Missing in Action is a Masterclass in Environmental Storytelling
Nintendo is great at telling stories without cutscenes. When you find Flaxel or Canolo, they aren't just standing there. They are cowering. They are surrounded. The platforms are littered with monster crates and barrels. It paints a picture of a group of travelers who thought they were safe on the high ground, only to realize the Bokoblins in this region are surprisingly good at climbing.
- Oliff is right there on the path, the "tutorial" find of the bunch.
- Flaxel is further up, tucked onto a wooden scaffold that requires some actual paragliding skill to reach without wasting all your energy.
- Canolo is often the one people miss because the angle of the cliff hides the platform from the main road.
- Palme is way back near the end of the canyon, almost making you think you've gone too far.
There’s no "correct" order, which is the beauty of it. You just hunt. It feels like actual rescue work. In many modern RPGs, you’d have a "detective vision" that highlights the NPCs in red through walls. Here? You just have your scope and your intuition. If you see a campfire or a weirdly placed wooden plank, that's your clue.
Combat on a Tightrope
Fighting Blue Bokoblins on a narrow wooden ledge is a recipe for disaster. If you use a heavy weapon like a Claymore, the knockback might send you flying off the edge along with the monster. This is where the game’s elemental systems shine. A single Fire Arrow can ignite a wooden platform, but that’s a double-edged sword because you might burn the very person you’re trying to save (or at least make it a lot harder to talk to them).
Ice Arrows are the MVP here. Freezing a Bokoblin, then hitting them with a standard arrow to knock them into the abyss, is the most efficient way to clear the BOTW Missing in Action platforms. It saves your weapon durability and keeps you safe from their heavy-hitting clubs. These aren't your standard red Bokoblins from the Great Plateau. They have more health, better AI, and they will absolutely headbutt you into a game-over screen if you get sloppy.
The Rewards and the "Sesami" Problem
Once you save all four, you head back to the stable. Sesami is thrilled. He gives you a Gold Rupee (worth 300). For a mid-game quest, that’s actually a decent chunk of change. It pays for a couple of pieces of the Desert Voe armor set or a whole lot of arrows. But the real reward is the feeling of clearing the map. There’s something deeply satisfying about seeing that "Completed" text pop up after you’ve spent twenty minutes squinting at brown rocks.
Some players find Sesami annoying. He stays at the stable while you do all the legwork. He's the classic "quest giver" trope, but in the context of the Gerudo region—a place where the environment itself is trying to kill you—it makes sense that a regular guy would be too terrified to go out there. It makes Link feel like the legendary hero he's supposed to be, even if he's just acting as a highly glorified bodyguard for a group of tourists.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
If you’re struggling with this quest, stop looking at the ground. Seriously. The number one reason people get stuck on BOTW Missing in Action is that they stay on the paved path.
- Use the Zora Armor: If it's raining (which it rarely does in the canyon, but it happens), climbing is impossible. But more importantly, use Revali’s Gale if you have it. It trivializes the climbing and lets you scout from the air.
- Look for the scaffolding: The wooden structures aren't natural. Anything that looks "built" is a sign that a missing person is nearby.
- Check your map: The quest area is specifically around the Koukot Plateau. If you’ve reached the Gerudo Desert gateway where the guards are, you’ve gone too far. Turn around.
- Listen: The NPCs will often shout for help when you get close. If you play with headphones, you can actually directionalize where their voices are coming from.
The Bigger Picture: Hyrule’s Living World
What BOTW Missing in Action really does is flesh out the world. It shows that the monsters aren't just waiting in camps for Link to arrive; they are actively harassing the population. It bridges the gap between the "Great Calamity" lore and the everyday struggle of the people living in Hyrule. It's one of those quests that makes the world feel inhabited. It's not just a playground for Link; it's a dangerous place where people get lost, get scared, and need a hand.
Honestly, the quest is a great break from the heavy Divine Beast missions. It’s low stakes in the grand scheme of "saving the world," but high stakes for those four NPCs. It’s the kind of content that made Breath of the Wild a landmark game—small, hand-crafted moments that reward players for paying attention to their surroundings rather than just following an arrow on a mini-map.
Step-by-Step Recovery Plan for Missing in Action
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To wrap this up efficiently, here is exactly how you handle this quest without losing your mind. First, warp to the Gerudo Canyon Stable. Talk to Sesami to trigger the quest tracker. Head north toward the Koukot Plateau. Don't stay in the valley; climb the first set of ladders you see.
Scan the cliffsides for wooden walkways. When you spot a platform, use your binoculars to check for Blue Bokoblins. Clear the enemies first from a distance using your bow to avoid getting knocked off the ledge. Talk to the NPC—they won't leave until you actually interact with them. Once you've checked all four names off your list (Oliff, Flaxel, Canolo, and Palme), return to the stable. Grab your 300 Rupees and head into the desert. You've earned it.