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Gerudo Proving Grounds Walkthrough

Ocarina of Time Remake 100% Completion Walkthrough41 chapters
Walkthrough overview
  • Kokiri ForestFind the Kokiri Sword, buy the Deku Shield for 40 rupees and get past Mido to the Great Deku Tree.
  • The Great Deku TreeFairy Slingshot, Dungeon Map, Compass, four Gold Skulltulas, Gohma and the Kokiri Emerald.
  • Leaving Kokiri ForestSay goodbye to Mido and Saria, get the Fairy Ocarina, meet Kaepora Gaebora and cross Hyrule Field.
  • Hyrule Castle TownGold Skulltula, Bazaar, Shooting Gallery seed bag, Potion Shop bottle and the Temple of Time.
  • Hyrule CastleGet the Weird Egg, wake Talon, sneak in, meet Zelda, learn Zelda’s Lullaby and collect Zelda’s Letter.
  • Kakariko VillageCucco Lady’s bottle, House of Skulltula, Adult’s Wallet and the rooftop Heart Piece.
  • GraveyardDampé’s Grave-Diggin’ Tour Heart Piece, Sharp and Flat, the Royal Family’s Tomb and the Sun’s Song.
  • Lon Lon RanchTalon’s cucco game, Lon Lon Milk, Epona’s Song, a Heart Piece and Gold Skulltula.
  • Gerudo ValleyTwo Heart Pieces, Lon Lon milk from Miss Moo with Epona’s Song, and a Gold Skulltula token.
  • Lake HyliaLakeside Laboratory, the scarecrow quest, a Gold Skulltula and the fishing Heart Piece.
  • Lost Woods and Sacred GroveRichard’s Heart Piece, Happy Mask Shop, Skull Kid, Saria’s Song, Gold Skulltulas 16 to 19 and the Business Scrubs.
  • Death Mountain Trail and Goron CityClimb to Goron City, win over Darunia with Saria’s Song and take the Goron Bracelet before Dodongo Cavern.
  • Dodongo CavernDungeon Map, Compass, Bomb Bag, four Gold Skulltulas, King Dodongo and the Goron Ruby.
  • Death Mountain Summit and CraterGoron City Heart Piece and Bigger Bomb Bag, Din’s Fire and magic meter, crater Heart Piece, Echo Gem.
  • Bombchu Bowling and the Great Fairy of PowerWin the Bombchus, Biggest Bomb Bag and Heart Piece, then get the enhanced Spin Attack.
  • Zora River and Zora DomainHeart Pieces, a Gold Skulltula, the Silver Scale, Ruto’s bottle in Lake Hylia and King Zora’s request.
  • Lord Jabu-Jabu’s BellyFarore’s Wind, the Boomerang, Ruto, Barinade, the Heart Container and the Spiritual Stone of Water for child Link.
  • Errands Before the Temple of TimeThe child errands before the Temple of Time in the Ocarina of Time Remake.
  • Temple of TimeFind the Ocarina of Time, open the Door of Time, draw the Master Sword and earn the Light Medallion.
  • Ingo Ranch and EponaIngo’s two horse races, winning Epona and teaching Bonooru the Scarecrow Song.
  • Kakariko Village and the HookshotDampé’s race, the Hookshot, Song of Storms and Heart Pieces #17 to #19.
  • Sacred Grove as an AdultGet past Mido with Saria’s Song, cross the Moblin maze, beat the Great Moblin.
  • Forest TempleSmall keys, Fairy Bow, four Poe Sisters, Phantom Ganon, Heart Container and Forest Medallion.
  • Poes, the Hall of Fallen Foes and Lake HyliaBigger Quiver, Prelude of Light, Big Poes, Golden Scale and three Heart Pieces.
  • Goron City as an AdultHeart Pieces, a Gold Skulltula, the Goron Tunic from the small Goron.
  • Fire TempleFree all nine Gorons, find the Megaton Hammer and Boss Key, beat Volvagia and earn the Fire Medallion.
  • Double Magic and Death MountainCrater Great Fairy Fountain, doubled magic, Gold Skulltulas 60 to 62 and a Business Scrub Seed as adult Link.
  • Ice CavernBlue Fire, Iron Boots, Serenade of Water, the Zora Tunic and two Heart Pieces.
  • The Biggoron Sword RouteBuy the Giant’s Knife, trade from the Pocket Egg to Cojiro, and finish every step up to the Biggoron Sword.
  • Water TempleTriforce doors, small keys, Longshot, Dark Link, Morpha, the Water Medallion and Gold Skulltulas 68 to 73.
  • Kakariko Village and the Nocturne of ShadowLearn the Nocturne of Shadow and find two Gold Skulltulas and two Heart Pieces.
  • Bottom of the WellLenses of Truth, Dungeon Map, Compass, both small keys, Dead Hand and Gold Skulltulas 76 to 78.
  • Treasure Box Shop and the Way to the Shadow TempleWin the Piece of Heart with the Lenses of Truth, then warp to the Shadow Temple via the Nocturne.
  • Shadow TempleFloors B1 to B4, Hover Boots, Bongo Bongo, Heart Container and the Shadow Medallion from Impa.
  • Gerudo FortressRescue all four carpenters, win the Gerudo Pass, find Gold Skulltulas 84 and 85.
  • Mirage Desert and Evil Desert ColossusPhantom Guide, Requiem of Spirit, five Gold Skulltulas, three Heart Pieces, Biggest Quiver, Nayru’s Love.
  • Spirit TempleChild and adult routes, Silver Gauntlets, Mirror Shield, Boss Key, Iron Knuckle Nabooru, Twinrova.
  • Gerudo Proving GroundsPay 30 rupees, solve every room, and claim the Ice Arrow and a Business Scrub Seed.
  • Last Heart Pieces and Gold SkulltulasTokens 96 to 100, Heart Pieces 33 to 35, the Rich Man reward and Light Arrow.
  • Ganondorf’s CastleClear the six barriers, get the Golden Gauntlets and the Great Fairy of Courage’s gift.
  • Ganondorf and GanonTower climb, Boss Key, Ganondorf boss fight, the escape with Zelda and the Ganon boss fight.
CoversGerudo Fortress gate, Gerudo Proving Grounds
LinkAdult
You need30 rupees, Fairy Bow with arrows, Longshot, Megaton Hammer, Bombs, Bombchus, Goron Tunic, Zora Tunic, Ocarina with the Song of Time and your Scarecrow Song, Din’s Fire
RewardsIce Arrow Ice Arrow, Business Scrub Seed Business Scrub Seed, Bomb 5 Bombs, Bombchu 5 Bombchus, arrows, 2 Blue Rupee Blue Rupees, 2 Red Rupees, 1 Purple Rupee; no Heart Pieces or Gold Skulltula tokens

The Gerudo Proving Grounds is a lava-and-sand training course behind the Fortress gate. You pay 30 rupees at the door, fight through a Stalfos arena, work your way through hammer, Longshot, Song of Time and Zora Tunic rooms, collect eight small keys and spend seven of them on a row of chained doors. At the end the Ice Arrow waits in a chest, and a Business Scrub Seed turns up near the start. There is no boss and no Heart Container.

Torch-lit entry hall of the Gerudo Proving Grounds with the lion doorway ahead

Gerudo Fortress gate and the entry fee

Talk to the Proving-Grounds Attendant

Leave the pair of Gerudo guards near the Fortress street and walk on to the wooden gate at the end of it. The Proving-Grounds Attendant stands beside it. She says the captain has given you a task, then explains that this is where the Gerudo sharpen their skills. Pick I want to try! when the choice menu appears. She tries to talk you out of it before agreeing to let a Hylian in.

Proving-Grounds Attendant at the wooden gate asking whether the captain sent Link
Gerudo attendant with arms folded, pushing back on Link's eagerness to enter
Gerudo attendant agreeing to let Link enter the Proving Grounds

Pay the 30 rupee entry fee

Answer Here’s 30 rupees. to hand over the fee, because only the Gerudo train for free. The attendant adds that you may leave at any moment and will resume at the room you reached, but every new visit costs 30 rupees again. Walk through the gate to enter the Gerudo Proving Grounds. A banner with the name fills the screen as the first arena comes into view.

Dialogue choice Here's 30 rupees highlighted as the attendant explains the fee
Link standing at the open gate of the Proving Grounds with the attendant to the side
Attendant telling Link he can leave at any time and resume where he stopped
Attendant warning that each new visit to the Proving Grounds costs an entry fee
Gerudo Proving Grounds name banner over the torch-lit arena as the first arena comes into view

Entry hall and the Stalfos arena

Read the sign and cross the hall

A sign in the torch-lit entry hall promises that those who have overcome every trial shall receive the treasure of the Gerudo. Climb the stairs toward the lion-faced wall at the far end and go through the doorway beneath it. The doorway leads to a sand-floored arena with a purple door at its far side.

Link beside the sign under the lion-faced wall with the Check prompt showing
Link running toward the dark passage beneath the stone lion face
Link facing the glowing purple door at the far side of the sand-floored arena
Stalfos

Stalfos arena

Stepping into the sand arena starts a fight against waves of Stalfos and armored warriors. Keep your shield up, block, and counter after each strike; backing away between swings keeps you out of their reach. Target one enemy at a time. When the last fighter falls, the purple door at the far end opens and a chest rises on a platform in the empty arena.

Link swinging his sword at a Stalfos in the sand arena
Link braced behind his Hylian Shield as a Stalfos swings in the sand arena
Link facing an armored Gerudo warrior with a shield in the sand arena
Empty sand arena with the purple door open at the far end
Small Key

First small key

Open the chest on the far platform to take a Small Key. It only works on doors inside the Gerudo Proving Grounds, and every chained door later needs one, so don’t spend it on anything else. Take the key through the doorway behind the chest.

Link standing at the chest on the far platform beside the lion statue
Link holding the Small Key overhead on the far platform, with the message that it unlocks doors in this area
Link entering the doorway behind the chest with one small key in the HUD

Boulder halls, Wolfos room and plant rooms

Rolling boulder halls

The next corridors are slanted ramps with stone boulders rolling down them. Run along the walls, wait for a boulder to pass, then advance. Equip the Longshot and fire it at the crystal targets on the walls and ceiling to pull yourself past the gated sections. At the end of the last hall, a Longshot target above a barred gate lets you reach the ornate door, which opens with Open and needs no key.

Link running along the wall of a slanted ramp as a stone boulder rolls down
Link beside a boulder ramp with a blue crystal target glinting on the wall
Link on a ledge below a red target set high in the stone wall
Link aiming past the barred gate at the end of the last hall
Wolfos

Wolfos room

Behind the door is a square room with several white Wolfos and one bigger, dark-maned Wolfos. Din’s Fire clears the pack at close range. After that, take them one at a time with your sword and wait for each lunge before you strike. The door on the far wall unlocks once every Wolfos is down.

Link slashing with his sword as several white Wolfos circle him in the square room
Link surrounded by Din's Fire as the Wolfos pack burns around him
Link raising his shield against a lunging white Wolfos
Link striking a Wolfos that bursts into purple smoke in the Wolfos room
Blue Rupee

Blue Rupee chest

A small chest sits on a rug in the next empty room, lit by wall torches. Open it for a Blue Rupee worth five rupees. Then go through the heavy stone door marked with a Gerudo emblem and continue into the corridor behind it.

Link about to open a small chest on a rug in a torch-lit stone room
Link lying beside the open chest with the caption that the Blue Rupee is worth five rupees
Link walking toward the heavy stone door marked with a Gerudo emblem

Shoot the gate switch

A narrow torch-lit corridor ends at a barred gate with a switch on the wall above it. Take out the Fairy Bow, aim at the switch, and shoot an arrow into it. The next ornate door opens with Open. The gate lifts and opens a path into a dim hall lined with clay-colored stone, where the next enemies wait.

Glowing pink switch set in the stone wall above the barred gate
Link with the Fairy Bow drawn toward the gate with the Shoot Arrow prompt showing
Link entering a dim hall lined with clay-colored stone and pots
Bomb

Bombs from the plant room

Snapping plants rise out of pots in this hall and lunge when you pass. Take a Bomb from your bag, hold it overhead, and throw it at a plant from a distance. Your sword works too. A chest on a rug at the end of the hall holds five Bombs.

Link holding a bomb over his head with the Throw prompt showing in the clay-walled hall
A bomb explodes in a fireball against a snapping plant in the hall
Link holding his arms out under a bomb with the five-pack message box complete
Business Scrub Seed

Business Scrub Seed

In the next room another snapping plant guards a chest. Equip the Fairy Bow, shoot the plant from a distance, and finish it with the sword. Open the chest on the rug to get a Business Scrub Seed. The game describes it as something you use to summon a Business Scrub, so keep it for later.

Link with the Fairy Bow in hand facing a snapping plant in the next room
Link walking up to the chest on the rug after the plant is gone
Link holding up the Business Scrub Seed with its description box

A second plant stands in the same chamber once you take the seed. Shoot it with an arrow or cut it down. It leaves nothing behind. When it falls, a chest on a raised stone ledge shows up at the far end of the room, and you can walk on toward it.

Link with his shield up facing the second snapping plant in the chamber
Link at the far end of the chamber, with a chest on a raised stone ledge and a withered plant mound in front

Hammer rooms and the lava rock

Small Key

Megaton Hammer alcove and the second Small Key

In the next alcove a chest sits on a raised ledge. Equip the Megaton Hammer and pound the stone pieces that show the Hit prompt; one smash drops a green rupee. Open the chest on the rug to take a Small Key, which brings your key count to two.

Link swinging the Megaton Hammer at a stone piece as dust bursts out of the alcove
Link standing on a raised stone ledge with the Hit prompt beside a stone piece
Link holding up a Small Key with the key count reading two

Red Rupee chest

Follow the passage beyond the alcove to a lone chest on a platform covered with a rug. It holds a Red Rupee worth twenty rupees. Then continue to the door at the end of the passage, which opens when you press A.

Link leaning over a small chest on a rug in a stone passage
Link holding up a Red Rupee in a stone passage, with the message that he got a red rupee
Link walking down the stone passage toward the door at its end

Goron Tunic and the Scarecrow Song

Open the menu and equip the Goron Tunic before you enter the lava rooms; without it the heat drains your hearts. At the circular ledge, open the Ocarina, choose the Scarecrow Song from the song wheel, and play your own melody. A scarecrow rises from the straw on the far side of the room, and you will need it in a moment.

Caption reading You played your Scarecrow Song as Link plays the Ocarina
A straw scarecrow standing in the room after the song, saying Come on
Small Key

Lava rock and the third Small Key

A heavy rock with a red eye sits in a ring of lava in the center of the next room. Aim the Fairy Bow at the eye and keep shooting; each arrow melts away more of the rock, and a few shots later the ring drains into a metal grate. Walk onto the grate and take the Small Key that appears. That makes three keys in hand.

Link shooting the Fairy Bow at the red-eyed rock in the ring of lava
The lava ring draining into a metal grate in the center of the room
Link holding up the Small Key over the grate with the key counter reading three
Small Key

Longshot to the scarecrow and the fourth Small Key

Equip the Longshot, lock onto the scarecrow standing on the opposite ledge, and fire. You are pulled across the lava onto the ledge. Open the door there, then walk through the cage-lined corridor to a chest on a platform. Open it to take a fourth Small Key before leaving the room.

Link aiming the Longshot toward the scarecrow across the room with the Fire prompt showing
Chest on a platform in a cage-lined corridor beside Link
Link holding up a Small Key with the caption that it unlocks doors in this area
Link walking past the barred window of the caged corridor with the key counter at four
Small Key

Hammer and eye switches, fifth Small Key

A stone room holds a lit brazier, heavy statues and several wall switches. Equip the Megaton Hammer and smash the statue blocks that carry the Hit prompt, then shoot the eye switches on the walls with the Fairy Bow. A chest rises on a hexagon pedestal in the middle of the floor. Open it for the fifth Small Key. A second chest on a rug against the wall holds a bundle of arrows. Then take the next door.

Link smashing a statue block with the Megaton Hammer, rubble scattered on the floor
Link aiming the Fairy Bow at an eye switch on the wall beside a lit brazier
A chest rising on a hexagon pedestal in the middle of the stone floor
Link holding up a Small Key over the hexagon pedestal, with the message that it unlocks doors in this area

Song of Time blocks and the Zora Tunic pool

Song of Time blocks over the lava

The door opens onto a lava chamber with a small ledge and a stone plinth bearing the Song of Time emblem. Stand on the ledge, open the Ocarina, choose the Song of Time from the wheel and play it. Blue Time Blocks appear over the lava and give you a stepping stone to the next stone platform. Use the Longshot on the crystals between the blocks to keep going.

Link playing the Ocarina with the caption that he played the Song of Time
Link on a lava-side ledge facing a stone plinth carved with a sigil
Link standing on a stone platform in the lava with Time Blocks beside him

Keep calling Time Blocks as you head toward the exit, jumping between them and the stone platforms. Use the Longshot on the crystal targets to cross wider gaps. The Goron Tunic keeps the heat damage in check, but do not linger on any block. A fall into the lava costs hearts. A stone door at the end of this chamber opens into a tiled room with a square hole in its floor.

Link beside two Time Blocks against a stone wall above the lava
Link on a stone ledge above the lava with a blue tiled pad at his feet
Small Key

Zora Tunic pool and the sixth Small Key

A Time Block fills the square hole in the tile room. Open the menu and equip the Zora Tunic, then play the Song of Time again beside the hole. The block vanishes and clear water shows beneath it. Dive in and swim through the underwater passage; you come back up beside the pool and the key counter on your screen now reads six. Change back to the Goron Tunic before leaving the room.

Link playing the Song of Time on his ocarina beside the tiled floor
Clear water with glowing particles shows where the block sank into the tiled floor
Link beside a stone wall with his Small Key count at six
Small Key

Seventh Small Key and the cage chests

Back in the lava chamber, cross the last blocks with the Longshot and Time Blocks and open the door ahead. In the long corridor behind it, a chest on a rug holds the seventh Small Key. A caged chest in a side room holds five Bombchus, and the next chest holds three arrows.

Link stepping through a stone doorway as it opens onto a long corridor
Link holding up a Small Key with the message You found a small key on screen
Link holding up a Bombchu pack above a caged chest with the five Bombchus message
Link with arms raised as three arrows float above him in a caged room

Lizalfos fire arena

Lizalfos

Lizalfos fight

The stone door at the end of the corridor opens onto a room ringed by a wall of fire. Several green Lizalfos jump in as soon as you enter. Block their sword strikes and counter with slashes, taking them one at a time. When the last Lizalfos falls, a chest appears on the square platform in the center of the arena. It holds the eighth Small Key.

Green Lizalfos entering the fire-ringed arena as Link stands ready with his sword
Link slashing at a green Lizalfos on the arena floor with the fire wall behind
Link alone in the arena after the last Lizalfos falls, flames along the left wall
Link holding up the eighth Small Key over the square platform with its unlock message shown

Chained doors and the Ice Arrow

Chained doors and cage chests

Follow the lava corridors to a barred passage lined with chained doors. Each door takes one Small Key and shows the remaining count; spend them one at a time. Behind the doors are caged rooms with a chest on a rug in each: a Purple Rupee worth fifty rupees, a Red Rupee worth twenty, and three arrows. The doors use seven keys in all, so one key is left over when you reach the Ice Arrow.

Link at a chained stone door in the barred passage with the Open prompt and eight Small Keys
Link holding up a Purple Rupee above a caged chest with the fifty rupees message
Link holding up a Red Rupee in a caged room with the message that it is worth twenty rupees
Link holding up three arrows in a caged room with the Fairy Bow message
Ice Arrow

Ice Arrow

The last chained door leads to a caged room with a large chest on a patterned carpet. Open it to take the Ice Arrow, which freezes targets solid when you imbue an arrow with its power. Navi mentions the Gerudo treasure as you stand over the empty chest.

Link at the last chained door with one Small Key left and a fairy beside him
Link beside the open treasure chest as the Ice Arrow message appears on screen

Leaving the Gerudo Proving Grounds

Blue Rupee

Exit route and the Blue Rupee chest

Retrace your steps through the barred passages to the hall with the red curtains. Shoot the switch above the dark doorway with an arrow to open it. In the room beyond, a sign stands next to a chest that holds a Blue Rupee. Climb the stairs behind it to leave the course and step out into the desert.

Link walking toward a stone doorway beneath the red curtains of the hall
A wooden sign beside a closed chest in the room past the dark doorway
Link beside an open chest as a Blue Rupee is collected
Link climbing the stone stairs toward the bright exit of the Proving Grounds

Outside, the attendant is impressed: only a few Gerudo have ever earned the treasure, and now a Hylian has too. From now on you may use the grounds as you please and enter at any time.

Proving Grounds attendant tells Link You actually did it outside the grounds
Attendant tells Link that only a select few Gerudo have ever obtained the ice arrows
Attendant tells Link he may now use the grounds as he pleases and enter at any time

Chapter checklist

CollectibleTypeWhere
Ice Arrow Ice ArrowMain itemLarge chest in the caged room behind the last chained door
Business Scrub Seed Business Scrub SeedItemChest in the room after the first plant fights
Bomb Bombs (5)ChestChest at the end of the plant hall
Bombchu Bombchus (5)ChestCaged chest in the corridor beyond the Time Block rooms
Arrows (3)ChestNext chest in the same corridor
Bundle of Arrows Arrows (3)ChestCaged room among the chained doors
Small Key Small Keys (8)ChestStalfos arena, hammer alcove, lava rock, caged corridor, hexagon pedestal, Zora Tunic pool, long corridor, fire arena
Blue Rupee Blue Rupee (2)RupeeChest after the Wolfos room; chest in the room before the exit
Red Rupee (2)RupeeChest after the hammer alcove; caged room among the chained doors
Purple RupeeRupeeCaged room among the chained doors

With the Ice Arrow in hand and the Proving Grounds cleared, warp back to Lake Hylia and start the last sweep for Gold Skulltula tokens and Heart Pieces in the next chapter, Last Heart Pieces and Gold Skulltulas.

Link standing on the golden warp pad with the Lake Hylia name shown in the corner
Link on the warp pad looking across to the wooden bridge and cliffs of Lake Hylia

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