Ganon’s Castle (Master Quest) Walkthrough

Ocarina of Time Master Quest Walkthrough12 chapters

Walkthrough overview

• Inside the Great Deku Tree (Master Quest)Dungeon Map, Slingshot, Compass, Gold Skulltulas, Queen Gohma, Heart Container and Kokiri’s Emerald.
• Dodongo’s Cavern (Master Quest)Every room in order, Dungeon Map, Compass, Bomb Bag, silver rupees, Gold Skulltulas, King Dodongo and the Goron’s Ruby.
• Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Belly (Master Quest)Cow switches, Map, Compass, Boomerang, Big Octo, Barinade, Heart Container and Zora’s Sapphire.
• Forest Temple (Master Quest)Six Small Keys, Boss Key, Fairy Bow, the four Poe Sisters, five Gold Skulltulas and Phantom Ganon.
• Fire Temple (Master Quest)Five Small Keys, Din’s Fire puzzles, Iron Knuckle, Megaton Hammer, Boss Key, five Gold Skulltulas and Volvagia.
• Water Temple (Master Quest)Early Longshot, Map, Compass, both Small Keys, Dark Link, Boss Key and Morpha.
• Shadow Temple (Master Quest)Hover Boots, map, compass, Boss Key, Gold Skulltulas, Bongo Bongo and the Shadow Medallion.
• Spirit Temple (Master Quest)Every chest, 7 Small Keys, Silver Gauntlets, Mirror Shield, Boss Key, Skulltulas and Twinrova.
• Bottom of the Well (Master Quest)Map, Compass, two Small Keys, Dead Hand, the Lens of Truth and all three Gold Skulltulas.
• Ice Cavern (Master Quest)Blue Fire, Song of Time blocks, Stalfos, Iron Boots, Serenade of Water.
• Gerudo Training Ground (Master Quest)The remixed rooms in order, Small Keys, Silver Rupee puzzles and the Ice Arrows.
• Ganon’s Castle (Master Quest)Light Arrows, the rainbow bridge, all six remixed trials, Golden Gauntlets, Double Defense, the tower.

Ganon’s Castle is the last dungeon of Master Quest. You collect the Light Arrows from Zelda, cross the rainbow bridge, break all six barriers by clearing the six remixed trials and shooting each barrier core with a Light Arrow, then climb the tower, take the Boss Key and beat Ganondorf, escape the collapsing tower and finish Ganon among the ruins. Nothing here counts toward the 100% totals, so finish everything else first. The trials below follow an order that always works: Forest, Water, Shadow, Spirit, Fire, Light.

Light Arrows and the rainbow bridge

Light Arrows from Zelda

Take the Prelude of Light to the Temple of Time once the other dungeons are done. Sheik drops her disguise and Zelda gives you the Light Arrows, the one weapon that can break the barriers around Ganon’s Castle. Equip them from the C menu; they cost magic, so spend them only on the six barrier cores, the Ganondorf fight and the best moments against Ganon.

The way to the castle

Ganondorf seals Zelda in a crystal and sends you to his castle. Climb the cracked path above the lava to the ruined castle gate; as you approach, the Sages build a rainbow bridge across the gap. Walk over it and go inside.

Entrance hall and the main hall

Armos, a Slider and an Iron Knuckle

Two Green Bubbles patrol the carpeted stairs just inside, so shoot them as you descend. The anteroom below holds two Armos statues on pedestals (they cannot step down, so ignore them), a Slider racing through the middle and an Iron Knuckle in front of the door. Use ranged attacks to draw the Iron Knuckle toward you and fight it only when it has crossed the Slider’s lane; Bombs from a distance work well. The door opens when every enemy is dead.

Six doors around a barrier

The main hall is a ring of six doors around a pulsing barrier that shocks you if you walk into it. Behind each door is a trial, and each trial ends at a floating barrier core that powers the barrier in the middle. Clockwise from where you enter, the doors are Spirit, Light, Fire, Shadow, Water and Forest. The Light door is hidden behind a heavy black pillar that needs the Golden Gauntlets.

The hidden Business Scrubs

Drop to the lower floor under the entrance and look for a hidden passage with the Lens of Truth. It leads to a small room of fairies and Business Scrubs who sell supplies. Come back between trials to restock; the Hylian Shield blocks the Scrubs’ nut volleys while you shop.

The order of the trials

The Forest Trial hands you a Small Key that the Water Trial spends, the Shadow and Spirit Trials each leave you a key for the two locked doors of the Light Trial, and the Spirit Trial holds the Golden Gauntlets that the Fire and Light Trials need. Clearing Forest, Water, Shadow, Spirit, Fire and Light in that order never leaves you short of anything.

Forest Trial

Two Stalfos

Enter the door to the right of the main hall’s entrance. The first room has no puzzle: two Stalfos attack as soon as you step in. Defeat both and the door ahead unlocks.

The Small Key above the door

A fan spins over the exit door, with a torch ledge on one side and a Small Key on the other. Wait for the fan to stop, Longshot up to the ledge and run to the key before the wind starts again; the Iron Boots hold you in place if the timing slips. Drop down and go through the door.

Fans, Beamos and Armos

The next room is a set of stone platforms over a pit, with a fan in every corner, Beamos on several platforms and an Armos. The eye switches only drop supply chests (arrows, and a chest of Bombs on a platform you can Longshot to), so they are optional; a Fire Arrow thaws the frozen one. Stand in a fan’s airstream with the Hover Boots to be carried to the platform on the right, then kill each Beamos with a Bomb or stun it with an arrow before you step into its line of sight.

Work along the platforms toward the barred door, waiting for the fan beside it to stop before you commit to the last platform. There, put on the Iron Boots so the wind cannot move you and play the Song of Time. A block drops away and an Armos statue appears; play the song again and the block rises while the statue falls onto the switch, opening the door. Take the boots off, jump back across and walk through.

Barrier core and Saria

Smash the jars in the last room for arrows, magic or hearts, then shoot the glowing core with a Light Arrow. Saria dispels the Forest Barrier and sends you back to the main hall.

Water Trial

Freezards and Blue Fire

Two Freezards and a ceiling of ice spikes greet you; the spikes regrow and drop every few seconds, so keep moving. Din’s Fire clears the Freezards in one go. Blue Fire sits in the middle of the room under a jet of water: either spin-attack the crystal switch hidden in the ice pillar beside the Dead Hand’s lone hand to shut the jet off for a moment, or roll into the jet wearing the Hover Boots and scoop the flame with a bottle.

Carry the Blue Fire to the wall of red ice in front of the next door and melt it; you only need to clear two neighbouring blocks to pass. Refill the bottle and take two bottles of Blue Fire with you. The other red ice blocks hide a Recovery Heart, a chest with a Red Rupee, and nothing at all. The door beyond takes the Small Key from the Forest Trial.

Silver Rupee block puzzle

This room holds five Silver Rupees, a few Keese (one of them invisible) and two ice blocks. Shoot the Keese first. The first rupee is in the hole in the middle of the floor, the second across the pit at the back (the Hover Boots make that jump easy), the third in a small alcove next to the blocks, and the fourth on higher ground reached by climbing the blocks.

For the fifth rupee, which is frozen into red ice high in an alcove, push the block farthest from the wall to the small rock, then into the pit. Push the other block forward across the filled pit and left twice into the alcove, climb it and strike the ice (a jump attack shatters it; Blue Fire also works). The fifth rupee lifts the bars from the door.

The door is out of reach from where the blocks ended up, so walk out and back in to reset them. Slide the first block straight toward the door, climb it, and melt the red ice in the doorway with Blue Fire. Shoot the Keese again if they are back. In the last room smash the jars for supplies and shoot the barrier core; Ruto dispels the Water Barrier.

Shadow Trial

Bomb Flower chest and the moving platform

The Shadow Trial is a Silver Rupee course over a bottomless pit, and you need the Lens of Truth, Hover Boots, Longshot and a Fire Arrow or Din’s Fire. Shoot the Green Bubble that floats in front of you, then shoot the Bomb Flower on the small platform to the right. A chest of arrows drops onto the far side; Longshot across to it.

With the Lens on, an invisible platform slides diagonally across the pit. Run onto it with the Hover Boots as it comes toward you and take the first Silver Rupee. Hop to the Bomb Flower platform for the second, then go on to the Beamos platform; the Beamos hides the third rupee, so destroy it first.

Torch, floating platform and Small Key

A torch lies sunk in the floor: light it with a Fire Arrow or Din’s Fire and a translucent platform rises to cross the next pit. A Beamos guards it, so throw a Bomb into its centre. Turn around on the far side and shoot the eye switch, aiming around the see-through block. A chest appears containing a Small Key.

Invisible paths and the guillotine

The Lens shows two hidden paths branching from the platform. The left one ends at a lone Beamos platform; kill the Beamos for the fourth rupee, then come back. The other path leads to the exit but passes a swinging blade, and a hit from it throws you off the edge. Time your jump past the guillotine; the fifth Silver Rupee is on the way and it opens the door.

Break the jars if you need refills, shoot the core with a Light Arrow and Impa dispels the Shadow Barrier.

Spirit Trial: Golden Gauntlets

Iron Knuckle and the rusty switch

Defeat the two Fire Keese and the Torch Slug in the first room, then turn to the silver eye switch above the door you came through and shoot it. An Iron Knuckle drops into the room. Let it smash the stone thrones in the middle before you finish it, because they hide a rusty switch. When it falls, hit the switch with the Megaton Hammer to unlock the next door.

The Bombchu chest and the caged switch

Kill the Green Bubble just inside and open the chest for Bombchus. A crystal switch behind the bars opens the next door; there is a gap along the top of the bars, so stand directly beneath it, face away and drop a Bombchu. It climbs the wall, goes through the gap and circles the room to strike the switch, so line it up carefully. Another Green Bubble waits on the other side.

Gibdo, ReDeads and the cobweb

The passage ahead holds a Gibdo and two ReDeads. Play the Sun’s Song to freeze them, then cross into the room of sun faces and burn them with Din’s Fire. A cobweb on the ceiling blocks the sunlight, so burn it with a Fire Arrow to let the light in.

Sun faces, three chests and the Gauntlets

Reflect the light with the Mirror Shield onto each sun face in turn. The face over the archway you entered by sends a Wallmaster, so skip it. Going clockwise, the faces open chests holding a Recovery Heart, a Small Key and another Recovery Heart (two faces open nothing), and the last one opens the large chest with the Golden Gauntlets. They let you lift the heavy black pillars from here on.

Stand before the locked door and bounce light onto the Spirit symbol above it; a sun face behind the symbol opens the door. Shoot the barrier core with a Light Arrow, and Nabooru dispels the Spirit Barrier.

Fire Trial

Lava platforms and the first rupees

Put on the Goron Tunic and the Hover Boots, then enter the Fire door, next around the ring after the Light door. This is a Silver Rupee puzzle over lava with five rupees, and falling in the lava sends you back to the start. Jump onto the platform that slides back and forth and work your way to the cluster of four platforms on the right; the rear one rises under your feet. Backflip off the top to grab the first rupee, taking care not to fall in.

Black pillars, Torch Slugs and Longshot rides

Black pillars sit on several platforms; lift each one with the Golden Gauntlets and throw it where it helps you, because some hide a rupee and others become stepping stones. One platform has two Torch Slugs, another a Beamos: stun or bomb the Beamos before it can hit you. Longshot targets give you rides across the longer gaps, and sliding platforms carry you to the remaining rupees. Wait for a platform to swing close before you jump, since a mistimed jump drops you into the lava.

Last rupee and the barrier

Collect the fifth rupee on the far side and a Longshot target appears next to the exit door. Walk back across the platforms, Longshot to it and go inside. Shoot the barrier core with a Light Arrow, and Darunia dispels the Fire Barrier.

Light Trial

The black pillar and the first room

Lift the big black pillar in the main hall with the Golden Gauntlets to uncover the Light Trial’s door, and throw it aside. The first room has a Dinolfos and two Torch Slugs; take the Torch Slugs out first, since they ambush you. The door opens once all three are dead.

The Lullaby chest and the first locked door

In the next hall, play Zelda’s Lullaby on the Triforce mark; the chest that appears holds only a Recovery Heart. Open the locked door with a Small Key, the first of the two you will spend here.

Boulder room

The next room has a rolling boulder, flame walls and a Beamos in the middle. Wait until the Beamos faces away and throw a Bomb at it, timing the throw so the blast catches it. A Longshot target on the ceiling becomes visible, so you can cross safely, and two alcoves hold Recovery Hearts. Let the boulder pass, then run to the second locked door and open it with your last key.

False wall and the Light Barrier

The last room looks like a dead end because no barrier core is visible. Slash the torch on the right: a crystal switch is hidden inside it. Switch on the Lens of Truth to see that the far wall is an illusion made of translucent blocks, and walk straight through. A Skullwalltula on the left is a decoy; destroying it changes nothing.

Beyond the false wall is the real barrier room. Smash the jars for supplies and shoot the core with a Light Arrow. Rauru dispels the Light Barrier, and the force field around the tower finally drops.

The last Great Fairy: Double Defense

Before you go up the tower, restock at the Scrubs’ room and refill every bottle with a fairy. The barrier around the tower is gone now, so the main hall is calm, and you can leave the castle by the door you came in. This is the last chance to heal, because there is no safe place beyond.

Cross the rainbow bridge and head left to a large black pillar jammed against the cliff. Lift and throw it with the Golden Gauntlets to uncover a cave. Inside is a Great Fairy Fountain; stand on the Triforce mark and play Zelda’s Lullaby. The Great Fairy of Courage grants Double Defense, which halves all damage and adds a white outline around your hearts. With the Minuet of Forest you can warp to the Sacred Forest Meadow fountain to refill any bottles you still have empty.

Ganon’s Tower

Fire Keese and the Dinolfos

Go back inside and cross the bridge to the tower. The first hall swarms with Fire Keese, so shoot them from a distance and climb the stairs. Two Dinolfos ambush you at the top; fight them one at a time with the shield up and their deaths open the next door.

Two Stalfos and the Boss Key

The next room has a chest ringed by fire. When you approach, two Stalfos rise from the floor. Raise your shield so they lower their guard, then strike; kill them quickly, because one can revive the other if you leave it. The fire fades and the chest yields the Boss Key.

Two Iron Knuckles

Climb on to a room with a white Iron Knuckle and a black one. They wake only when you hit them, so fight one at a time and let the other sleep. The Biggoron‘s Sword and Bombchus make this fight much quicker.

The boss door and the stairs

At the top of the next flight, use the Boss Key on the big door and turn right to the next one. The jars in this room can restock you with magic and hearts. A longer stained-glass staircase leads up, and the organ music grows louder as you climb to the last door.

Escape from the tower

Zelda freed and the three-minute timer

On the roof, Zelda is freed from her crystal and the timer starts at three minutes. Follow her down the path; she opens the barred gates with her magic when you stand before them. If rubble hits you, she waits for you to recover.

Barred gates and rubble

Inside, dodge the falling rubble while she opens the next door, then jump the holes in the walkway back outside. Take the next door in, go around the burning rubble and step out again onto a path that narrows, so watch your footing.

Fire ring and two Stalfos

Halfway down, a ring of fire traps Zelda and two Stalfos attack. Ignore your own safety and kill both quickly, because one revives the other. When she is free she leaves Recovery Hearts behind; take them and follow her downstairs.

The last stairs

Jump the gap outside and follow her through the broken hall. A ReDead stands on the bridge; the Sun’s Song does not work here, so take it out with a jump attack. Dash down the last staircase and outside, and watch the castle collapse behind you.

How Master Quest changes Ganon’s Castle

The structure of the castle is the same as in the original Ganon’s Castle: a main hall with six trials, a hidden Scrub room, a Great Fairy outside and a tower. Every trial is rebuilt, the key economy changes, and the Golden Gauntlets move.

Because the Golden Gauntlets now come from the Spirit Trial, you must clear it before the Fire and Light Trials; the original expected the Shadow Trial first. The Great Fairy still waits behind a pillar that needs the Gauntlets, so Double Defense stays a late reward.

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