12.1 Graveyard

~ Entering The Shadow Temple ~

To get to the Shadow Temple, you’ll need the Nocturne of Shadow and the Lens of Truth. Become an adult again if you aren’t already and when you’re ready, teleport to the Graveyard using the Nocturne of Shadow, then go on down. Here, you have to stand on the circle platform and use Din’s Fire to light all the torches. This is the only part in the game where it’s actually required.

After lighting all the torches, the door will open. Yippee!

12.2 Shadow Temple

~ Getting The Hover Boots ~

Entry Room – As you enter, you’ll immediately be confronted by a pit. Longshot across it and walk towards the fake wall. A voice will proclaim that you need the “eye of truth” to progress through the temple. If you don’t yet have the Lens of Truth from the Well in Kakariko Village, refer to the previous chapter.

Go on through the fake wall and we’ll encounter a little puzzle… We’ll get to it in a bit though. For now, turn to your left and use the Lens of Truth to see through one of those skull plates in the wall where a hidden corridor with a door resides. Go on through.

Taunting Rooms of Illusion – The following two rooms are filled with voices that speak of hatred and death… So much fun. Just ignore them and keep walking. Follow the right wall and you’ll find a door.

Dungeon Map Room – In this room, quickly play the Sun’s Song to stun the ReDead and then defeat him. There are also two keese flying up and you’ll need to defeat both of them. Once all the enemies have been defeat, open the treasure chest that appears to get the Dungeon Map. Collect the goodies in the jars if you’d like, then exit.

Taunting Rooms of Illusion – Follow the right wall again and enter the hidden corridor between the two jars. The voices will proclaim more oddities.

In this second half of the room, there are some floating jars on the left side… Follow the right wall again, which leads to the next area.

Hover Boots Room – This should look familiar. We have to face another Dead Hand, but there’s a little twist now. You can use the Lens of Truth to see where he’s burrowed, so do so then go away from where he’ll pop up, let the hands grab you, then confront him. He should be easily defeated since you do more damage now, especially if you use the Biggoron’s Sword.

Once he’s dead, open the chest that appears to get the Hover Boots. With them in hand, backtrack several room to get back near the entrance.

~ Leap of Faith ~

Entry Room – Now that we’re finally back in this room, approach the bird statue. It tells you to point its beak in the right direction. If you use the Lens of Truth, you’ll see that the skull torches are all fake, except for one of them, which has a real skull on it. You have to use your Lens of Truth to find the real one as the real skull can be in one of three places and it differs from game to game. Push or pull the statue to point towards it, then step away. If you chose correctly, the gate will open across the way.

Equip your new found Hover Boots and run across. You should just barely make it, grabbing onto the tongue. Go down the hallway.

~ Compass And Small Key ~

Beamos Corridor – This small room splits into four directions, including the one you just came from. You can kill the Beamos in the middle, but it’ll keep coming back when you re-enter the room. However, if you do kill it, play the Song of Storms while facing the middle to make a fairy appear. Regardless, the wall on the left and right are fake. Take the pathway on the right side.

Compass Room – This leads to a small room with two Gibdos. Play the Sun’s Song to stun them, then kill them from behind. Open the chest to find the Compass.

Return to the previous room with the Beamos and run across the hallway to the other door that is hidden behind the fake wall.

Scythe Shortcut Room – This room has a giant two grim reaper statue thing that has spinning scythes. Basically the exact same as the ice blade you encountered in the Ice Cavern. Maneuver around the room, using the R button to duck, or just roll, to avoid the blades. Collect all five Silver Rupees. There are two in the middle. Two in alcoves on either side of the room, and one atop a stack of logs that you have to Longshot onto, then jump off to snag.

Collecting them all will open the grating on a nearby cell, which holds a chest containing a Small Key. There’s nothing else we can do in this room for now, so go on back to the previous room.

~ Invisible Platform Secret ~

Beamos Corridor – Two walls were fake, so this seems awfully suspicious, no? Bomb the remaining wall to reveal a hidden locked door. The shape of this room on your map should give it away too. Use your only Small Key to go through.

Guillotine Cavern – Go slowly down this ramped, “S” shaped hallway. There are three Skulltulas that pop out of the ceiling, just waiting for you to run into them. Use your Longshot to kill them quickly. At the end, jump down and run through the first guillotine, kill the Skulltula, then run through the second guillotine.

Round the corner and Navi will warn you about the Wallmaster. It’s only in this corner, so kill it if you like, or just run right past…

Next, you’ll find a series of guillotines on floating platforms. I know it seems like you’re supposed to use the Hover Boots here, but they actually make it harder because your momentum can cause you to slip into the next slicing blade. Also, the third one has a Red Bubble that pops out of nowhere. Use your shield to deflect him (he should jump off on his own afterwards), then jump to the final platform.

A Stalfos will appear. You can use this small space to your advantage by stabbing him repeatedly so he backs himself into the bottomless pit. Again, you can play the Song of Storms to make a Fairy appear.

Before you jump on down to the next area, turn left and use your Lens of Truth to see invisible platforms. Jump/hover along them, following the outer wall until you come to a door.

Invisible Scythe Room – This next small room is very simple. Within the round design on the floor is another spinning grim reaper statue, but this time it’s invisible. Use your lens to avoid the blades and work your way around the room, killing the Keese on the walls and the Like Like on the other side. When all enemies have been defeated, the grating will open.

Inside, you’ll find two chests, although one of them is invisible and you’ll have to use the Lens of Truth to see them. You’ll find some Arrows and a Shield, if yours was eaten by the Like-Like. Otherwise it is just a blue rupees. Kill the Skulltula and snag the token. Return to the previous room.

Optional: Gold Skulltula #82

After going down the pathway with the guillotines and reaching the lone Stalfos, take the path on the left, using the Lens of Truth. Defeat the Like-Like and all the Keese to unlock the gate and collect the token.

~ The Stone Umbrella ~

Guillotine Cavern – Jump back across the invisible platforms and return to where the Stalfos will appear yet again. After you kill him, look on the other side to find a platform that rises and falls. You want to wait for the platform nearby to fall down really low, then jump onto it. For this part, you can use the Hover Boots, but the slipperiness might cause you to fall down into the abyss. Once on the platform, wait until its at its highest point and jump down to the lower area on the right side.

Follow the skinny bridge to a Beamos and two circling Blade Traps. There are five Silver Rupees here we need to collect. There’s one near the ledge, one against the wall, two between the Blade Traps, and one underneath the Beamos. Once you’ve collected all five, the door will grating will lift.

Spikey Falling Trap Room – This room can be fairly intimidating at first glance. If you step under one of the spikey platforms that are smashing the ground, you’ll start the room over again. You can’t sprint through them, so you’ll have to find another way.

If you read the sign, it says you need a “stone umbrella.” I sure am glad I packed one of those this morning… Use the Lens of Truth to find a stone block in a hidden cubby. Pull it out and push it under the traps. You want to position it so that it is right between the two spikes so that you can safely navigate the area. There a mark on the floor to make where that exact point is.

In one of the side alcoves there is a treasure chest that contains some arrows and the one on the other side has a Gold Skulltula.

Optional: Gold Skulltula #83

In the room with the spiking falling traps, push the block so that it prevents the falling traps from hitting the ground. Check behind the fence on the left side to find the Gold Skulltula.

Now run to the end of the room and pull the block all the way to the edge. From there, you can jump on top of the block and then on top of the falling spiked platforms. There is a nearby treasure chest behind the gate that you can collect for some rupees. There is also a floor switch on this side, so step on it, causing a treasure chest to appear. Work your way over there using the other spikey platform, then open it to find a Small Key. Return to the big cavern.

~ The First Skull ~

Guillotine Cavern – In the middle of the cavern is a little stretch of land with a single guillotine. It seems to lead to a dead end, but there’s a door across the gap… Use the Lens of Truth to see two invisible platforms, one of which is moving back and forth. Use them to get to the locked door.

Invisible Spike Room – This small room has three sets of invisible spikes as well as two ReDeads. Use the Lens of Truth to avoid the spikes and then use the Sun’s Song to stun the ReDeads. After they’ve been defeated, a chest will appear containing a measly five Rupees.

Next, we must gather all the Silver Rupees. The first is in the middle of the room, the second and third are against the walls, which you can just Longshot to the targets right above.

The last two are in the corner next to one another in mid air. Use the Lens of Truth to see the one is on a little platform. Longshot the invisible target, then user the hover boots to float over to the final Rupee. Go in the door that opens.

First Giant Skull Room – Kill the four Keese that are in this room. Two are directly above you when you enter, touching the nearby blue torches, becoming Fire Keese. I suggest using the Fairy Bow to take them out quickly. Climb up either set of ledges and kill the remaining Keese.

Then toss a Bomb Flower into the giant flaming skull until you get one in. The skull will explode and a small key will pop out. Drop Jump down and collect the Small Key that popped out. Turn around and snag the Gold Skulltula that was hiding behind it. Return to the previous room.

Optional: Gold Skulltula #84

The Skulltula can be found in the room with the giant skull, where you have to toss a bomb into it to find a small key. There is a gold skulltula tucked away behind where the skull stood.

~ Wind ~

Invisible Spike Room – It’s pretty obvious we need to get up to that locked door next. Use your Lens of Truth to see a target on the ceiling for you to Longshot to and then head through the door.

Fan Corridor – This next hallway is filled with Spike Traps and fans that turn on and off. The trick is to run when the fans aren’t blowing, or simply just wear the Iron Boots. Round the first corner, then inch forward to make the Skulltula appear. Kill it with your Longshot.

At the next corner to find yourself confronted by a pit. Either wait for the fan to stop and use the Hover Boots to run across, or more easily, just equip the Iron Boots and Longshot to the beam across the way.

Wind Room – You’ll drop down into a large open room with a bridge in the middle and fans against opposing walls trying to blow you off. Use your Iron Boots to walk past them.

Against the other wall is a trick Eye Switch above the door that shoots flames out at you which can be deflected with your shield. You can just ignore it, or aim at it with your bow and shoot it as soon as it opens its eye. Enter the next door if you wish, it’s completely optional.

Inside there are two ReDeads, so get rid of them. The picture on the wall will give a secret hint about the previous room. Nevertheless, there is a treasure chest, so use your Lens of Truth to get some arrows. Lastly, if you play the Sun’s Song in the center of the room, you’ll get a fairy to restore your health.

Use your Lens of Truth to see a fake wall on one side of the room, in the lane closest to the door. Wait for the fan to stop blowing, then stand in front of it and equip the Hover Boots. Resist it a little until it’s going full force, then run with it to get to the other side safely. Enter the door.

~ Making A Shortcut ~

Gibdo Room – As you enter this dark room, play the Sun’s Song to stun the Gibdos and get rid of them right away. A small chest appears containing Bombs. Foreshadowing!

If you look at your map, it indicates another chest is in the corner. Blow up the funny looking dirt pile with the red crack in it to reveal…! Nothing… Suspicious? Use the Lens of Truth to find an invisible chest withholding a Small Key. Enter the locked door.

The “Boat Room” – In this next, large room, turn left and pull back the giant stone block. Now push and pull it along the path and click it into the slot next to the ladder. Now we can proceed to the next area, but you’ve also opened a shortcut to this room from much earlier in the dungeon. If at any point you die, you can return here from a secrete passage in the first spinning grim reaper-scythe room. Nifty.

Now, climb up the ladder and get onto the boat. Before we go on, look to your left, above the shortcut area you just opened up. There’s a Gold Skulltula atop that ledge, and from here, Navi will fly up there and turn green. To get up there, play the Scarecrow’s Song and Longshot from here (atop the boat) to get there. Collect the token and jump down.

Optional: Gold Skulltula #85

Once you arrive on top of the large moving boat, look back to where the shortcut is, which is where the block originally was. Navi will fly up and turn green. Play the Scarecrow’s Song and Longshot over to this ledge where you will find the Skulltula.

~ The Shadow Ferry ~

The “Boat Room” – When you’re ready, jump onto the ominous boat, stand on the Triforce symbol and play Zelda’s Lullaby. You’ll witness a short clip in which the boat begins to move, then be confronted by two Stalfos in a row. If you have one targeting, the other will leave you alone for the most part. Kill them both quickly if you can.

An effective strategy is to get right in their face and prepare to stab forward repeatedly. They tend to let their guard down when you do this… Alternatively, you can just keep your shield up and play defense as you really don’t need to defeat them at all.

Before too long, the boat will reach the end of it’s path and hit the wall. Shortly after, it’ll will fall into the abyss. Jump off onto the platform on the left side before that happens. In this new area, we can go to the other side, but first, enter the door on your right.

~ The Three Rooms ~

Invisible Maze – This room is filled with invisible walls and a door in each corner. The two Floormasters in the middle of the room can be pretty annoying, especially since they reappear when you enter the room again.

Use the Lens of Truth to see the invisible walls if you wish, then work your way clockwise around the room, starting with the south door.

Invisible Floormaster Room – As soon as you enter, whip out your Lens of Truth. There’s an invisible Floormaster in here. The unfortunate thing about this is you can’t use the Spin Attack and the Lens at the same time. I suggest killing the big hand, then targeting and stabbing the smaller ones. After you’ve defeated them all, open the small chest that appears for a Small Key.

Return to the previous room and then go clockwise into the west door.

Second Skull Room – This room has three spinning skulls this time. You can blow them up if you want to, but it’s just some random goodies such as magic jars, hearts, arrows, and some Rupees. The only thing of importance in this room is just the final Gold Skulltula of the dungeon, hiding behind the skulls.

Optional: Gold Skulltula #86

In the room with the invisible walls, just before acquiring the Boss Key, head to the room to the west where you will find three spinning skulls. The Skulltula is hidden just behind them.

Again, go back to the maze and enter the last door, to the north.

Boss Key Room – This room has two wooden spike traps that slowly try to crush you. Use Din’s Fire to burn them as the Fire Arrows don’t work for whatever reason. You’ll then find a ReDead on either side of the room. Kill them both and open the colorful chest to get the Boss Key.

Return to the large open room, where you jumped off boat.

~ Final Stretch ~

The “Boat Room” – At long last, we’re ready to tackle the boss. You should have exactly one Small Key at this point. In the area where you got off the boat, you’ll see stuff on the other side of the abyss, but no way across.

On the other side of the abyss, you’ll see some bomb flowers next to a large pillar. Use your bow to fire an arrow at the bomb flower. This will blow up the base of the statue, making it fall over. “Tiiiiimmmbeeeeeerrr!”

Go across the other side. You can get the recovery hearts on the right by playing the Song of Time at the base of the broken pillar. While standing there, you can also play the Scarecrow’s Song to get on top of the really high platform where there are some more recovery hearts. Once you are ready, enter the locked door.

Invisible Platform Room – This final room has several invisible odd-shaped pillars that are far apart. Use the Lens of Truth to see them, and the Hover Boots to make your way across. Either the left or right side is fine, just get a running start and you should be able to make it easily. When you’re ready, enter the boss door.

Boss Room – Nothing left to do but fall down the pit.

Phantom Shadow Beast, Bongo Bongo

Bongo Bongo can be one of the hardest bosses in the game. Even though he can be killed quickly if you know what to do. He’s all about timing and reacting quickly, which can be hard, especially the first time you face him. His attacks do quite a bit of damage, so it’s not hard to quickly lose all your life. A couple fairies are recommended for this battle.

Ironically enough, the entire battle is on a giant bongo drum, with two hands hitting it. It may seem as though you should use the Hover Boots, but they actually make it harder. The drum is floating in a sea of poison, so you’ll have to jump back on as quick as possible should you be cast off.

This boss attacks by using two hands with generic, predictable punching. His fastest attack is the swiping move, which is hard to avoid sometimes. The best way is to simply hold R to duck when you’re not targeting. The other moves are generally easily avoided by simply rolling.

The object of the battle is to stun both hands, to make Bongo Bongo vulnerable. You can do this with a number of weapons, but by far, the Bow and Arrow is the way to go.

Method 1: Stand far back so you can see both hands. Target and shoot one hand with an arrow. Dodge the other when it attacks, and if it’s next to you for a second, such as after slamming the ground, stab it with your sword. Otherwise, target that one, and shoot it with an arrow when it goes back to its starting position before it attacks again.

Method 2: Wait for one hand to attack. Run straight for the other hand that’s not moving. Smack it. Quickly turn and move to where the opposing hand will return to: left or right. Smack it as soon as it comes back to its original position.

Both of those tricks work very well and if you run out of arrows, I highly recommend the second method. However you end up doing it, once you stun both hands, use the Lens of Truth to see Bongo Bongo. He’ll now open his eyes and rush towards you, with hands on either sides. Hit his open eye to stun him. It’s easiest to use the Bow, but you can also use the Sword or Longshot. Once he’s knocked down, go to down on him with your sword.

He can be a pretty intimidating boss, but if you use the tricks I have listed above, and especially if you have the Biggoron’s Sword, this guy can be over within one minute. After he’s been defeated, he’ll boil down into a puddle of shadow goo. Cool. Be sure to snag the Heart Container, then head for the blue portal.

12.3 Sage of Shadow

~ Temple of Light ~

Chamber of Sages – You’ll witness a short scene in the Chamber of Sages with Impa, in which she reminisces about what happened when Ganandorf attacked Hyrule Castle. She goes on to explain that he was really after the Ocarina of Time, which we already knew. She also says that Zelda is safe and that when the time is right, you will at long last meet her.

At long last, she’ll then give you the Shadow Medallion, alike all the other sages. Just one more!