Ganon's Castle Walkthrough

1. With all six Medallions, play the Prelude of Light to return to the Temple of Time. Sheik is waiting.

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2. Sheik tells how the Triforce split apart when Ganondorf touched it, leaving him only the Triforce of Power, then reveals the Triforce of Wisdom and transforms into Princess Zelda, the seventh sage.

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3. You get

   Zelda gives you the Light Arrows, the only weapon that can pierce the King of Evil's dark power. They cost magic with every shot.

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4. Ganondorf seals Zelda inside a crystal and carries her off to his castle, daring you to come and get her.

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5. Leave the temple and cross the ruins of Hyrule Market. ReDeads roam the square; freeze them with the Sun's Song or give them a wide berth.

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6. Follow the path to where Hyrule Castle once stood. Ganon's Castle now looms over a pit of lava. Walk to the edge, and the six sages combine their power to form a Rainbow Bridge.

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7. Tip

   Stock up first: fill bottles with fairies and potions (a Blue Potion restores both hearts and magic) and carry plenty of arrows. The trials eat magic.

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8. Tip

   You'll need almost everything for the trials: Fire Arrows, Din's Fire, the Hover Boots, Longshot, Megaton Hammer, Lens of Truth, Mirror Shield, Goron Tunic, bombs, Bombchus, empty bottles, Zelda's Lullaby and the Song of Time.

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1. Inside, the path to the central tower is blocked by a six-colored barrier. Each color is powered by a trial room behind a door marked with a Medallion's emblem.

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2. Every trial ends at a floating orb of energy. Shoot it with a Light Arrow, and a sage appears to dispel that part of the barrier.

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3. Watch out

   The Fire and Light trials need the Golden Gauntlets, which are found in the Shadow trial. This guide clears the trials in the order Forest, Water, Shadow, Fire, Spirit, Light.

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4. Tip

   Near the castle's entrance, the Lens of Truth reveals a hidden way down to a room of Business Scrubs who sell supplies.

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5. Forest trial (green emblem): a Wolfos appears in the first room. Wait for it to attack, then strike when it's open. A chest of rupees appears once it falls.

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6. Cast Din's Fire to light the torches on the floor, then shoot a Fire Arrow into the unlit torch above the far door. The door unlocks.

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7. The next room is a series of pits swept by fans. Collect five Silver Rupees, waiting out the gusts and using the Hover Boots for the wide gaps. Bomb the Beamos that guards the area.

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8. For the high rupees, play the Song of Time to raise a Time Block to stand on, and step on the floor switch to raise a pillar with a Longshot target.

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9. With all five collected, the door opens. Shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Saria dispels the Forest barrier.

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1. Water trial (blue emblem): two Freezards guard an icy room. Destroy them quickly before they regenerate, and watch for falling icicles.

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2. Watch out

   Of the two chests, one holds a Recovery Heart and the other is a trap that freezes you.

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3. Scoop Blue Fire into a bottle (break the icicles in the way with your sword) and pour it on the red ice blocking the door. Refill your bottle before you go through.

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4. The next room is an ice-block puzzle with a two-minute timer. Push one block into the hole in the floor, then slide the other until it stops in front of the red ice on the ledge.

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5. Melt the red ice with Blue Fire, climb onto the block and smash the rusted switch with the Megaton Hammer. Get through the door before time runs out.

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6. Tip

   Slide a block the wrong way and you can reset the room by leaving and coming back in.

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7. Shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Ruto dispels the Water barrier.

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1. Shadow trial (purple emblem): a dark chasm stretches ahead. Shoot a Fire Arrow into the unlit torch, and platforms appear for a short time.

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2. Watch out

   A Like Like and a Green Bubble lurk along the route. Don't let either slow you down while the platforms are timed.

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3. Make your way to a floating platform with a switch, using the Hover Boots or relighting the torch as needed. Step on the switch to make a chest appear, then Longshot over to it.

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4. You get

   Open the chest for the Golden Gauntlets, which let you lift the heaviest stone pillars.

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5. Turn on the Lens to reveal an invisible path to a rusted switch. Smash it with the Megaton Hammer, then follow the path to the door.

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6. Shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Impa dispels the Shadow barrier.

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7. Tip

   Optional: head back outside and cross the bridge toward the ruined market. Off to the left, a huge stone pillar blocks a nook; lift it with the Golden Gauntlets, enter and play Zelda's Lullaby. The Great Fairy grants Double Defense, halving the damage you take.

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1. Watch out

   Fire trial (red emblem): put on the Goron Tunic before you go in. The room is a sea of lava.

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2. Collect five Silver Rupees. Start with the one on the right near the entrance, then work across the sinking platforms past the spinning fire statue. Keep moving: the platforms drop into the lava under your weight.

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3. One rupee is pinned beneath a giant stone pillar. Lift it with the Golden Gauntlets.

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4. Tip

   The Hover Boots keep the sinking platforms from dropping, but you can't climb ledges in them, so switch back to your regular boots when you need to climb.

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5. Watch out

   Falling into the lava resets the Silver Rupees.

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6. When all five are collected, the bars open. Longshot to the target by the far door.

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7. Shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Darunia dispels the Fire barrier.

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1. Spirit trial (orange emblem): bomb the Beamos, then collect five Silver Rupees while dodging blade traps that slide back and forth. Push the statues into the blades' paths to stop them, and use the Longshot target to reach the highest rupee.

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2. In the next room, destroy the Torch Slugs. A crystal switch sits behind iron bars.

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3. Send a Bombchu through the gap above the bars to hit the crystal switch and open the way.

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4. Tip

   Out of Bombchus? Spin-attack the switch in front of the bars to make a chest of Bombchus appear.

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5. In the final room, shoot a Fire Arrow at the cobweb on the ceiling to let sunlight in. Catch the light on your Mirror Shield and aim it at the correct sun face, the one to the right of the entrance.

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6. Watch out

   Lighting the wrong sun face summons enemies instead of opening the door.

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7. Go through the door, shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Nabooru dispels the Spirit barrier.

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1. Light trial (yellow emblem): the door is hidden behind a giant stone block in the main hall. Lift it with the Golden Gauntlets.

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2. The first room is ringed with chests and haunted by invisible enemies. Use the Lens to find and kill them; a chest appears in the center with a Small Key.

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3. Watch out

   Most of the surrounding chests hold junk, and some are traps. You don't need them.

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4. Unlock the door. In the next room, stand on the Triforce crest and play Zelda's Lullaby to make a chest appear with a second Small Key. Use it on the next door.

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5. Collect five Silver Rupees while avoiding rolling boulders. The last one sits on a central pillar; reach it via the Longshot target in the ceiling.

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6. The next room looks like a dead end. Turn on the Lens to find the fake wall leading on, and keep moving: a Wallmaster drops from above and will send you back to the main hall if it catches you.

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7. Shoot the orb with a Light Arrow, and Rauru dispels the Light barrier. With all six barriers gone, the way into Ganon's Tower opens.

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8. Tip

   The two Small Keys in the Light trial are the only ones in the castle.

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1. Enter the central tower and climb the long staircase. Fire Keese swoop at you along the way; you can outrun most of them.

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2. First room: two Dinolfos. Block their attacks and counter when they're open, turning to face them whenever they leap over your head. The door opens when both are down.

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3. Second room: two Stalfos. Defeat both close together; if you leave one standing too long, the other gets back up.

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4. You get

   With both Stalfos down, the flames around a chest vanish. Open it for the Boss Key.

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5. Third room: two Iron Knuckles, tougher than the ones in the Spirit Temple. Draw them out one at a time and stick to hit-and-run. The door opens when both fall.

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6. Unlock the boss door with the Boss Key and climb the final staircase. Break the pots in the antechamber for hearts, magic and arrows, but consider saving some for the fight.

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7. Watch out

   The game doesn't let you save after the final battle, so save before you go up the last stairs.

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1. Boss

   Ganondorf floats above the center of a tiled arena with Zelda trapped in a crystal overhead. His main attack is a ball of dark energy.

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2. Boss

   Swing your sword to bat each energy ball back at him. Volley it until it strikes him and leaves him stunned. A swing of an empty bottle reflects it too.

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3. Boss

   While he's stunned, shoot him with a Light Arrow. He sinks down to the floor; rush in and slash him as many times as you can.

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4. Boss

   You can also fire a Light Arrow while he raises his hands to gather energy. Catch him mid-windup and he drops straight away.

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5. Boss

   When he hammers the floor, tiles around the arena crumble. If you fall through, break the pots below for hearts and magic; he won't attack until you climb back up.

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6. Boss

   Later he fires a spread of smaller orbs. Roll aside or dodge them rather than trying to rally them. Repeat the stun-and-slash cycle until he falls.

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7. Zelda breaks free and leads you out as the tower collapses. A three-minute timer starts; stay close behind her.

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8. Zelda opens the barred gates with her magic. Keep moving and steer clear of falling rubble.

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9. Partway down, a ring of fire traps Zelda and two Stalfos appear. Defeat both quickly to free her.

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10. Watch out

    A ReDead waits near the end of the escape route. Freeze it with the Sun's Song or slip past it.

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11. You make it out as the castle crumbles. A noise from the rubble draws you back toward the ruins.

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1. Boss

   Ganondorf rises from the rubble and uses the Triforce of Power to become Ganon. A ring of fire seals the arena, and the first blow knocks the Master Sword out beyond the flames.

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2. Boss

   Switch to Biggoron's Sword or the Megaton Hammer. Hits to Ganon's front do nothing: his weak spot is his tail.

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3. Boss

   Shoot a Light Arrow into his face to stun him, then roll between his legs or circle behind and hammer the tail. He turns quickly, so keep following it.

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4. Boss

   Ganon smashes the rubble as he swings; the debris can drop magic jars, arrows and fairies. Use them to restock.

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5. Boss

   After enough damage, Ganon collapses and the flames die down. Run to Zelda's side, grab the Master Sword and get back into the fight.

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6. Boss

   Keep stunning him and striking the tail. When he falls again, Zelda pins him with her power. Deliver the final blow with the Master Sword.

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7. Watch the ending as the sages seal away the King of Evil, then enjoy the credits.

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Every Gold Skulltula and Piece of Heart you can grab around here as adult Link. Checking one off here also checks it off in the full trackers.

Gold Skulltulas (1)

• Back of the Ruined Archway GS-017

  Where Hyrule Castle used to stand, walk along the right side to the broken stone archway. The Skulltula clings to its back face; Hookshot it to kill it and collect the token.

  Adult LinkHookshot