The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Temple of Time

Only a true hero can discover the secret of the Temple of Time. The Light Temple is the ultimate destination for the solver of the puzzle.

When you leave the Zora's River, Navi will tell you that she feels that something is happening at Hyrule Castle. She isn't the only one feeling something wrong. Play Saria's Song, and Saria will say she senses something bad is happening at the castle as well. As you near the market, the drawbridge is up, and a storm is starting to brew. Something very terrible has happened...

The Ocarina of Time and Ganondorf

Link learns the "Song of Time".

As you approach the drawbridge outside of Hyrule Castle, a cutscene will occur. Looks familiar? It's the dream Link had at the start of the game. Zelda and Impa are fleeing from Hyrule Castle on a white horse! In the scene, Zelda will throw a mysterious object into the moat. You will then encounter none other that Ganondorf himself, who is sitting on a black stallion. He demands you tell him where the white horse went, but you refuse. Ganondorf shows you his wrath for doing that; by blasting you with a ball of magic. Then he rides off, chasing after Zelda and Impa. After the cutscene ends, look for an object in the moat. Dive down and get it, and you will find that it is the Ocarina of Time. Navi says it has a mysterious glow. Another cutscene will occur; you will learn the Song of Time, and Zelda will tell you to play it at the Temple of Time.

Song of Time

Nintendo 64: C-right, A, C-down, C-right, A, C-down
Nintendo GameCube: X, A, Z, X, A, Z
Wii Classic Controller: X, A, ZR, X, A, ZR
Nintendo 3DS: Y, L, R, Y, L, R

The Temple of Time

As you enter the market, the people will be stirred up about the sudden turn of events. If you explore the alley, you'll find a soldier is slumped over. When you speak to him, he will try to tell you that he attempted to stop Ganondorf, and that Zelda requested you go to the Temple of Time. Sadly, his wounds are fatal, and after speaking to you, he perishes.

The majestic Temple of Time.

The Door of Time opens for the hero.

The Temple of Time is the large, church-like building off Hyrule Market, which you can reach by a path on the right side of the market (when facing the castle). When you enter the temple, go straight to the stone plaque in front of the big stone door, which is the Door of Time. Stand on the mat and play the Song of Time, and you'll reveal their secret. The Spiritual Stones will spin around and place themselves into the stone in front of you, the Triforce emblem above will activate and turn gold, and the Door of Time will open. This will reveal the second part of the Temple of Time. Venture in, and Navi will discover the most sacred weapon ever created...

Young Link lifts the sword from its pedastal.

The sacred evil-destroying blade: the Master Sword.

Inside is the mythical Master Sword. Go and take the Master Sword from the pedestal with the A button.

The path to the Sacred Realm opens...

Ganondorf is now free to take the Triforce!

This will cause a bright blue light to light up everything on the pedestal and around you and a cutscene to take place.

Ganondorf will reveal that you have let him into the Sacred Realm. He knew that even without the stones, he could enter through the sealed passageway of the golden gates through Zelda's plan. This is not good. This means Ganondorf will get the Triforce! Or will he fail?

Geh heh heh! Excellent work! As I thought, you held the keys to the Door of Time! You have led me to the gates of the Sacred Realm... Yes, I owe it all to you, kid! <laughs>
—Ganondorf

All Grown Up!

After pulling the Master Sword, everything will change. Instead of finding yourself before the Triforce, a voice calls out to you. You will find yourself in a strange room: the Chamber of the Sages. You will be spoken to by Rauru, the Sage of Light. Rauru is an ancient guardian of the Triforce, but has a terrible revelation. Time has passed on while you have been locked away in the Sacred Realm. He tells you to take a look at yourself, and that you have changed as well.

Link's grown up!

You will discover that you have aged by seven years because the Master Sword is only worthy of a Hero of Time, a mature adult. Because Link was a child, the sword locked him away until he grew into one. However, this has allowed a terrible thing to happen.

Ganondorf has gained the power of the Triforce and has taken over the land. The door you opened in the Temple of Time allowed Ganondorf to enter the Sacred Realm and find the great Temple of Light, the resting place of the Triforce. The Chamber of Sages is actually part of this temple. Even though you've entered the Temple of Light and the Sacred Realm, there is no longer a treasure to claim. Fortunately, Link is the chosen Hero of Time!

Rauru will tell you something of great importance, so listen well. He is one of the Six Sages who protect the Sacred Realm and Hyrule from siege. Rauru is in dire need of help, because he is the only sage that exists. The others are yet to awaken. He asks you to find them and awaken them, and gives you the Light Medallion, which holds his power. You need five more medallions to boost your power and the power of the sages.

Rauru reminds you of your new duty as Hero of Time as you leave the Temple of Light.

Sheik of the Sheikah

You will be teleported back to the Temple of Time. Navi will soon notice a disadvantage to growing up: You've outgrown some of your equipment you could use as a child and can't use it anymore. However, before leaving the temple, you'll find another person has appeared like magic, and wishes to talk...

Sheik, survivor of the Sheikahs.

You will be spoken to by a young Sheikah called Sheik, who will tell you that the remaining sages exist within five temples. Sheik also knows you need another item to find the first Sage, a forest girl you know, and that it can be found inside of Kakariko Village.

Make sure you return to the Temple of Time and talk to Sheik again after awhile. She will soon show you the Prelude of Light, to teleport you to the Temple of Time later on in your quest. Right now, though, you have great changes in the world to deal with ahead of you. A lot happens in seven years time in Hyrule!

The Adult World

Quite a lot is different in the Adult World. The most important of these changes is that you can use almost none of your child items, and almost all of the world has changed. You can also gain Epona the horse from the Lon Lon ranch, which you should do as soon as possible, after which you should probably go and get the Biggoron Sword (this will make enemies much easier to defeat and thus reduce the amount of time to complete the game), and there are many other minigames, items, Gold Skulltula, and Pieces of Heart that can now be gained.

Getting Epona

When you leave the Temple, you will see that Hyrule Town has been burnt to the ground and it is full of ReDeads. Play the Sun's Song to paralyze them and leave to Hyrule Field, and then head to Lon Lon Ranch. As you approach it, you will notice a gloomy cloud hovering above.

Enter Lon Lon Ranch during the day. If it is night time, before entering the ranch play the Sun Song. When you enter Lon Lon Ranch, who should you find in charge but Ingo. He tells you that he overthrew the Ranch after Ganondorf got in power and he kicked Talon out of the ranch. Poor Malon is still at the ranch, but more or less being used as a hired hand- an overworked one to boot. You can't let this greedy punk get away with this! You need to outsmart him at his own game!

First off, Ingo likes to make profit off showboating the ranch's prized horses. He'll let you in the corral to ride the horses for ten Rupees. After you pay him you have one minute to ride whatever horse you dare to find. Ingo will tell you the basics to riding a horse upon request. Take a look around the ranch for any horse you like. However, one of those horses... has a fair white mane! It's Epona! Play Epona's Song to get her to come to you with gusto. When she does, mount her, then ride Epona around for a while to catch Ingo's attention. When time runs out pay 10 rupees to come in again. Before time runs out, ride over to him and speak to him. Ingo has taken a liking to your skills and he will challenge you to a race. One lap around the ranch, and the winner take all.

The Races

The first race, Ingo will bet 50 Rupees. He will keep his horse up to a decent pace as he dashes down the ranch. Try to get Epona galloping at a fair pace, and speed up whenever you come to the fences on the track. Slowing down will make Epona buck and come to a halt. As long as you don't let Ingo gain the upper hand, you can smoke him in the first race. However, he's not ready to call it quits with you.

After you win the first Race, Ingo will freak out at the sight of Epona, realizing you just beat him with his finest horse. Feeling humiliated, he will ask for a re-match. This time he'll bet Epona. However, Ingo's going to charge his horse up as fast as he can manage, so you will be forced to keep Epona from slowing down at any point in the race. One mistake could cost you first place. Do your best to stay in front of Ingo, and hopefully, Epona and you will win.

Needless to say, Ingo is flabbergasted. It turns out he was going to present Epona to Ganondorf for sale! Suddenly, a wicked smile crosses his face. He's going to keep his promise and give you Epona... but you'll never get to leave the ranch! With a smirk, he locks the gates of the ranch shut!

Well, Ingo's got you backed into a corner, but he forgot you have a horse that can leap over fences with Herculean strength!

Ways to Escape

HARD WAY- Ride Epona and get her into a speedy gallop. Charge straight toward the locked gate Ingo is at. With luck, she'll hop over in one bound! [You have to be perfectly lined up with the fence, or else you'll just run into Ingo!]

EASY WAYS- on the left and right sides of the ranch there are fences low enough for Epona to leap over. Heading from the entrance towards a wall, run at an angle. It doesn't have to be perfect, the horse can jump over it either way.

After outsmarting Ingo, you'll get a satisfying cut scene of Link and Epona making a daring escape from Lon Lon Ranch (there are three different cut scenes, one for each escape route in the ranch).

Impressive work, hero! You've got Epona at your beck and call from here on out! Whenever you want, just play Epona's Song and she'll come to you ready to gallop. Epona may only be used in Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, Lon Lon Ranch, Gerudo Valley and Gerudo's Fortress.

How to control Epona

Move the joystick in the direction that you want to go. Press the A button to feed Epona for a burst of speed. Now you have Epona and you'll go across the Hyrule Fields much faster than on foot. If you go back to Lon Lon Ranch, Malon is now the owner and awaits her father's return. If you talk to her, she'll remember you and will tell you she owes you one. Poor Ingo has returned to his old job but can't even remember running the ranch, and stranger still, he seems more humbled than usual. What, did two witches bewitch him or something...?

With Epona now your trusty steed, you've found yourself an important friend for your travels. She may not look like much, but that horse is a titan that can help you jump over the biggest canyons you find blocking your path ahead, and deliver precious goods in record time. However, she won't go where places are cramped, confusing, or dangerous. Treat her with excellent care, just like Malon wants.

Epona is an optional but vital part of the game, though getting her right this moment wasn't top priority. You need to set your sights on Kakariko Village, where a strange device awaits your fingertips...

Getting the Hookshot

Head to Kakariko Village and enter the Graveyard. Sadly, old Dampe is now dead as a doornail, and the Graveyard is overrun by devious Poes. If you read his diary, he mentions a strange gadget he buried a while back. That secret was apparently taken with him to his grave. Hey, wait... if it's taken to his grave, why not pay a visit... on second thought, is it really a good idea to disturb the man's tombstone? There's not much other choice.

Go to the left-hand side of the graves, up past the stairs where a patch of soil stands out. You'll notice one gravestone has flowers decorating the sides. Pull back the gravestone all the way backward, minding the massive Poe infestation! A hole will appear- jump down it to meet Dampe's Ghost, who will challenge you to a race. You don't have to win it, just to follow him to the end of his treacherous path. Be careful; Dampe drops flames from his burning lantern as he moves along. If you can't keep up, a door may shut at a place Dampe went through, sending you back to the start of the race with one heart of damage done to your health, and should you explore the wrong area of the tombs, you will indeed bump into Re-Dead, but only if you stray from the path- the sounds of moaning should be a strident warning not to go down certain corridors. If you reach the end of the grave, Dampe will commend you for finishing and tell you to come back sometime for another race. When he leaves, he'll tell you be careful on your way out, just to make sure you get out safely. After he departs, he makes a treasure chest appear before you. Open the chest that appears to obtain the Hookshot. It's a tool that extends from a short chain to reach things, pulling you to them, or pulling them to you. In a bind, it can act as a makeshift weapon, spearing monsters with the harpoon-shaped tip at the end of its metal chain. This fancy contraption is what Sheik was alluding to!

(Note: If you go decide to go to the Forest Temple and skip getting the Hookshot, expect harrowing disappointment for ignoring Sheik's advice. You'll realize that you don't have any items to help you reach the entrance on the tree ledge! At least you'll get the warping melody to return in a flash.)

The Mysterious Time Block

Two Heart Pieces

As soon as you make it to the windmill from Dampé's grave, go onto the platform rotating above and jump over onto the platform for the Heart piece.

If you race Dampé again and manage to finish the race in under one minute, you'll also be rewarded a Heart Piece. If you don't manage it you will get rupees or other things.

After Dampé leaves, go into the room nearby; you'll be locked in, with a big stone blocking your way forward - you're boxed in! Fortunately, Navi comments that the carving on the block is the same design found on the Door of Time. That's a good clue - play the Song of Time and the block will disappear! Now run down the tunnel out of the grave, and you'll come out on a ledge in the windmill. Before precipitously jumping down, make sure you get the Heart Piece located on the right upper ledge (see sidebar). Afterwards, jump down and talk to Guru-Guru the organ-grinder - he'll whine about a certain boy he met seven years ago. When he finishes complaining, pull out your ocarina and he'll teach you the Song of Storms, a melody that creates a storm where you play it. Nearby secrets are revealed by it if you know where they are, but not all secrets appear this way - make sure you have the Stone of Agony for secret hunting!

Note: Remember the "Song of Storms" far later in your quest. You will need it for the "Bottom of the Well" dungeon and many side quests that requires that song to make it work.

Heading to the Forest Temple

Now if you return to the Temple of Time and talk to Sheik, she will say it looks like you have the skills to enter the temple and that the forest girl awaits. But beware: the Kokiri Forest has taken a drastic turn in seven years time. As you head for the forest, Hyrule Field is now rid of Peahats and Stalchildren, but you must watch out for Angry Poes. These Poes are more skilled and will use their lanterns to drop flames, so watch out if one attacks. You'll soon find that Hyrule is truly a land of monsters now...

Special note: If you're keen more on preparations than just following the guide, you can also get the red and blue tunics, more warp music, go through the Ice Cavern with the hookshot and getting Epona across the broken bridge to save the carpenters after you acquire the Biggoron Sword. You shouldn't worry too much if you prefer to do those first before entering Forest Temple. Lastly, you're going to need the Scarecrow's Song in Lake Hylia to make hookshotting a lot easier.