| Total | One Harp of Ages and three tunes: Tune of Echoes, Tune of Currents, Tune of Ages |
|---|---|
| Where | The harp is in the cellar of Nayru’s House in Lynna City (present). Tune of Echoes is taught there, Tune of Currents by Tokkey in Talus Peaks, Tune of Ages by Nayru at the Maku Tree |
| Requirement | Equip the Harp of Ages on A or B, then choose a tune in the item menu. Echoes needs a dormant time portal; Currents and Ages work outdoors |
| Reward | Travel between the present and the past of Labrynna, which you need for every dungeon, Essence of Time and Heart Piece in both eras |
The Harp of Ages is the one item that lets you move between Labrynna’s present and its past, which is 400 years earlier. It gives you three tunes, each with its own rules: the Tune of Echoes opens time portals, the Tune of Currents carries you from past to present, and the Tune of Ages carries you either way. This page explains each tune, where you get it and where time travel is blocked.
The Harp of Ages
Harp of Ages (Nayru’s House)
Start in Lynna City in the present. Go to Nayru’s House and speak with Impa, who feels a draft and suspects a hidden room. Push the statue aside to uncover a staircase, walk down to the cellar and step up to the glowing item. Nayru’s voice tells you she hid the harp there for the chosen hero, and she teaches you the Tune of Echoes as you take it. Equip it on the A or B button before you try any tune. This step is part of the walkthrough in The Harp of Ages and Fairies’ Woods.
To play a tune, press the item button, select the Harp of Ages and then choose the tune from the list. The same menu shows all three tunes once you have learned them. Playing any tune also defeats any Pols Voice on the screen.
The three tunes
Tune of Echoes
| # | Tune | Era | Region | How to get it | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tune of Echoes | Present | Nayru’s House, Lynna City | Taught by Nayru when you take the harp from the cellar | Wakes a dormant time portal so you can travel to the other era |
| 2 | Tune of Currents | Past | Talus Peaks, south of Tokkey’s lake | Taught by Tokkey after you play the Tune of Echoes for him | Carries you from the past to the present from almost any open spot |
| 3 | Tune of Ages | Present | Maku Tree chamber, Lynna City | Taught by Nayru after she is rescued from Queen Ambi’s palace | Carries you either way between past and present from almost any open spot |
Tune of Echoes: the portal tune
The Tune of Echoes is the first tune and the only one that needs a portal. Stand on or in front of a dormant time portal, equip the harp and play the tune. The portal swirls open, and you step into it to reach the other era. Once you have used a portal you can return through the same one by playing the tune again while you stand on it. Most of your early trips, including the Lynna Village and Symmetry City visits, use this tune. The portals themselves are listed on the Time Portal Locations page.
Tune of Currents: past to present
Tokkey, the researcher in Talus Peaks, teaches you the Tune of Currents. In the past, he is in the hidden cave under Talus Lake. He is stuck on a riddle about how echoes produce waves, so play the Tune of Echoes for him and he finishes his research. From then on, choose the Tune of Currents on the harp to travel from the past to the present anywhere outdoors, without a portal. The tune works in one direction only, so to return to the past you need the Tune of Echoes at a portal or the Tune of Ages. The walkthrough for this step is in Symmetry City and Talus Peaks.
Tune of Ages: either direction
After Queen Ambi’s palace has been cleared and Nayru is free, go to the Maku Tree chamber in the present. Nayru teaches you the Tune of Ages, the last song of the harp. It moves you either way between the two eras from almost any open outdoor spot, so it replaces the Tune of Currents for most trips. It does not work inside dungeons. The walkthrough for the palace and the tune is in Ambi’s Palace and the Tune of Ages.
How time travel works
Where you can travel
Time travel works in the open overworld. Playing a tune inside any dungeon does nothing, so leave the dungeon first. Three areas block time travel completely and send you back with a message that a strange force pushed you away. These are Yoll Graveyard, the Sea of No Return and the grounds around the Black Tower. Plan your route so that you do not need to change eras inside those areas.
Past and present
The two eras share the same map but differ in terrain and colour. In the present Symmetry City is a scorched plateau with a fountain, while in the past the same square is reddish with a volcano nearby. Water is blue in the present and purple in the past, and some ledges and cliffs exist in only one era, so you may need to hop back and forth to reach a chest. A Gale Seed warp can save you the walk between regions once you have seen the spot in both eras.
Some places need a trip through both eras. A chest on the ledge south of Restoration Wall in the present is reached by playing the Tune of Ages from the screen south of the Restoration Wall sign in the past. The cliffs differ between the two eras, so you may need one extra hop to land on the ledge.
Linked Game notes
In a Linked Game the harp works the same way. The Maku Tree and Farore’s Hall of Secrets sit in the present, so the Tune of Ages is the quickest route back to the Maku Tree once you have it. The Linked Game secrets that upgrade equipment do not change the tunes. See Linked Game Secrets for the rewards.
