| Total | At least 13 portal spots across both eras, plus time pillars in the Zora Seas. No single official count exists, so this list is the portals the walkthrough uses |
|---|---|
| Opened with | Tune of Echoes on the Harp of Ages (dormant portals). The Tune of Currents and Tune of Ages travel without a portal |
| Where | Lynna City, Lynna Village, Deku Forest, Symmetry City, Talus Peaks, Rolling Ridge, East Rolling Ridge, Crescent Island |
| Blocked | Yoll Graveyard, the Sea of No Return, the Black Tower grounds and inside every dungeon |
A time portal is a glowing spot on the ground that carries you between Labrynna’s present and its past, which is 400 years earlier. Most portals start dormant, so you must play the Tune of Echoes on the Harp of Ages while you stand on or in front of them. Once a portal is active, you can step into it from either side and come back through the same spot. The list below covers each portal by region, era and how to open it. Route notes for each one appear in the walkthrough chapters linked from the tables.
How portals work
Opening and returning
Stand on the portal or directly in front of it, equip the Harp of Ages and choose the Tune of Echoes from the item menu. The portal opens, and you step in to arrive on the matching spot in the other era. To return, stand on the pad of the portal you arrived at and play the same tune again. A few portals are plain pads on the ground, and others are pillars or glyphs that you must stand beside. The tune does not need to be repeated for a portal you have already opened, but it is worth checking that you still stand on the pad before you play.
One-way warps
The Tune of Currents only goes from the past to the present, so use it when you do not need to come back by the same spot. Once you have the Tune of Ages, which goes both ways, a portal is no longer the only option. Gale Seeds also warp you to a seed tree you have already visited, which saves a long walk between portals in the same era.
Quick reference
| # | Portal | Era | Region | How to use it | Leads to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forest of Time portal | Present | Forest of Time, Lynna City | Opened by Veran at the start of a Linked Game. Step into it | Lynna Village (past) |
| 2 | Nayru’s House portal | Present | Lynna City, beside Nayru’s House | Play the Tune of Echoes while you stand in front of it | Lynna Village (past) |
| 3 | Stone bridge pad | Past | Lynna Village, beside the stone bridge | Stand on the pad and play the Tune of Echoes | Lynna City (present) |
| 4 | Tree hollow portal | Present | Fields near Lynna City, in a tree hollow | Play the Tune of Echoes while you stand on it | Road above Lynna Village (past) |
| 5 | Secret shop lawn portal | Present | Lynna City, the lawn beside the secret shop | Step onto the pad near the shop’s upper-left corner | Lynna City (past) |
| 6 | Deku Forest portal | Past | Deku Forest, by the Deku Forest tree | Reach it with a Gale Seed, then play the Tune of Echoes | Grassy ledge by a pond (present) |
| 7 | Symmetry City portal | Present | Symmetry City, beside the Gale Seed tree and fountain | Cut the bushes to uncover it, then play the Tune of Echoes | Symmetry Village (past) |
| 8 | Talus Peaks waterfall portal | Past | Talus Peaks, at the waterfall | Play the Tune of Echoes to return to the present | Talus Peaks (present) |
| 9 | Talus Peaks dormant portals | Both | Talus Peaks, scattered across the ground | Play the Tune of Echoes on one to reach the other era, then again to return | Talus Peaks (other era) |
| 10 | Rolling Ridge rock portal | Present | South-east corner of Rolling Ridge, under a lifted rock | Lift the rock, then play the Tune of Echoes on the spot | Rolling Ridge (past) |
| 11 | Rolling Ridge Base portal | Present | Rolling Ridge Base, outside the dungeon entrance | Step onto the portal and play the Tune of Echoes | Rolling Ridge (past) |
| 12 | Blue ridge ledge portal | Present | East Rolling Ridge, ledge with two boulders beside a time pillar | Play the Harp of Ages on the ledge | East Rolling Ridge (past) |
| 13 | Cucco Hut glyph | Both | Crescent Island, outside the Cucco Hut | Play the Tune of Echoes on the glyph beside the hut | Crescent Island (other era) |
Present and past portals by region
Lynna City and Lynna Village
Lynna City has the first portal you use. Stand in front of Nayru’s House and play the Tune of Echoes to reach Lynna Village in the past. Once there, walk to the portal pad beside the stone bridge to return to Lynna City next to the Time Portal shrine. A second pad sits on the lawn beside the secret shop; use it to move between the secret shop lawn in the present and the past version of Lynna City. The Linked Game opening also has a portal in the Forest of Time, which Veran leaves behind. See The Harp of Ages and Fairies’ Woods for the first trip.
The tree hollow in the present fields is a portal that takes you to the road above Lynna Village in the past. From there, a signpost leads you down into the village. See Tingle’s Chart and Crescent Island for the route.
Deku Forest and Symmetry City
In the past, the Deku Forest holds a portal near its tree. Reach it with a Gale Seed, then play the Tune of Echoes to travel to the present. You arrive on a grassy ledge beside a pond, where soft soil can take a Gasha Seed. See Deku Forest and the Mystery Seeds for the route through the forest.
Symmetry City is the present-day portal in the middle of the map. Cut the bushes beside the Gale Seed tree to uncover the dormant portal, stand on it and play the Tune of Echoes. You arrive 400 years earlier in Symmetry Village. Return through the same portal by playing the tune again, or use a Gale Seed to warp back to the Symmetry City tree. See Symmetry City and Talus Peaks.
Talus Peaks
Talus Peaks is crossed by hopping between eras. Several dormant portals sit on the ground across the peaks, and the Tune of Echoes opens each one. Use one to reach the present, then another to return to the past. A portal at the waterfall also takes you back to the past from the present side. Once you have the Tune of Currents, you can skip most of these trips, since it moves you from the past to the present anywhere. See Symmetry City and Talus Peaks for each stop.
Rolling Ridge and East Rolling Ridge
On Rolling Ridge, the south-east corner of the present ridge has a rock that you can lift with the Power Bracelet. Under it is a time portal, and a nearby cave holds a Great Fairy who can heal you. Play the Tune of Echoes on the spot to travel to the past. The Rolling Ridge Base portal sits outside the dungeon entrance and takes you to the past. See West Rolling Ridge and the Great Moblin for the rock and the Goron caves.
On East Rolling Ridge, find the blue ridge ledge that has two boulders next to a time pillar. Play the Harp of Ages there to open the portal, then step onto the ledge. The ledge holds a Piece of Heart. See East Rolling Ridge and the Mermaid Keys for the full route.
Crescent Island and the Zora Seas
On Crescent Island, the glyph beside the Cucco Hut is a portal. Stand on the glyph and play the Tune of Echoes to travel between eras. The Tokay trader sits inside the hut, and you return through the glyph when you have finished your trades. See Tingle’s Chart and Crescent Island.
The Zora Seas have no portals. Instead, time pillars rise from the water when you play the Tune of Ages. One pillar appears at the west end of the first islet, another stands on a sand island in the present sea, and a white pillar stands outside King Zora’s palace. Play the Tune of Ages from the spot where you want to travel, or the Harp of Ages from a pillar to return. See Zora Seas and the Fairy Powder.
Where portals do not work
You cannot change eras inside a dungeon, so leave the dungeon before you play a tune. Three outdoor areas also block time travel: Yoll Graveyard, the Sea of No Return and the grounds around the Black Tower. Playing a tune in any of them sends you back with a message that a strange force has pushed you away. Plan the trip so that you arrive at the next dungeon in the era you need.
