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Mermaid’s Cave (Level 6) Walkthrough for Oracle of Ages

Oracle of Ages 100% Completion Walkthrough24 chapters
Walkthrough overview
CoversMermaid’s Cave in the past (Ambi’s age) and the present (Zelda’s age), the Big Bang game and the Goron Dance for the two keys, and the clam grotto outside the cave
DungeonMermaid’s Cave (Level 6): Dungeon Map and Compass in each half, Vire (mini-boss, present), Boss Key (present), Octogon (boss, past), Essence of Time (Bereft Peak)
RewardsOld Mermaid Key, Mermaid Key, Mermaid Suit, Boss Key, Heart Container, Essence of Time, 2 Dungeon Maps, 2 Compasses, several Small Keys, a ring from the clam grotto, 30 Rupees from a chest

Mermaid’s Cave is the sixth dungeon of Oracle of Ages, and it exists in both ages. The present entrance is built into the cliff where a waterfall has dried up, and the past entrance sits behind a waterfall at Rolling Ridge Base. You need the Old Mermaid Key for the present door and the Mermaid Key for the past door. The shortest route is to clear the past half, collect the Mermaid Suit and the Boss Key in the present half, then return to the past to swim the flooded rooms and defeat Octogon.

Link at the foot of a purple waterfall beside the cliff, the past-side approach to Mermaid's Cave
Title card reading Level 6 Mermaid's Cave as Link stands at the dungeon entrance
Link on a sandy path below the dark cave doorway in the yellow cliff, the present-day entrance

Mermaid’s Cave keys: Old Mermaid Key and Mermaid Key

Win the Big Bang game for the Old Mermaid Key

In the present, take the Goronade to the tired Goron, then play the Big Bang game in the grey Goron building on the blue ridge of East Rolling Ridge. The Moving Sand Ring and a few Pegasus Seeds make the game easy to win. Your first win gives you the Old Mermaid Key, and later wins only pay 30 Rupees. Take the key to the present entrance before you do anything else in the dungeon.

Link in the Goron bomb-dodge arena, dodging the boulders on the grey floor
Goron host above Link in the bomb-dodge arena, with the box reading Amazing! Take your prize!
Link holding up the Old Mermaid Key, with the box reading You got the Old Mermaid Key!

Win the Goron Dance for the Mermaid Key

The Mermaid Key comes from the Goron Dance in the Goron Dance hall, after you have the Letter of Introduction. Pay the 20 Rupees entry fee and match the Gorons’ steps as they call them out. Keep your timing steady, because a few missed beats end the round. The Mermaid Key unlocks the past door, so you cannot enter the past half without it.

Goron host's prompt to try the dance, with the cursor on No thanks and Rupees at 500
Link in the middle of the Goron Dance arena, copying the Gorons' steps
That was too early! message during the Goron Dance
Too late! You're off tempo! message during the Goron Dance
Link holding up the Mermaid Key in the Goron Dance arena, with the box reading You got the Mermaid Key!

Two entrances: present and past

The present entrance is a cave door in the cliff at Dry Falls, and it takes the Old Mermaid Key. The past entrance sits in the cave beside the waterfall at Rolling Ridge Base, and it takes the Mermaid Key. Each door opens into the same dungeon layout, but the rooms differ: the past half is flooded and has the Octogon boss, while the present half has Vire, the Mermaid Suit and the Boss Key.

Dark cave doorway behind the waterfall at the edge of the sand, with Link on the sand below
Link beside the blue pool at the cave entrance, with the dark doorway above in the cliff

Dungeon: Mermaid’s Cave (Level 6), past half first

Past half: Dungeon Map in the water room

In the past half, cross the room with skull rafts by riding the Roc’s Feather over the skull platforms. A red chest sits on a small island in the middle, and it holds the Dungeon Map. The map marks the rooms you have not visited in darkness, so press Select whenever you want to plan the rest of the dungeon.

Skull rafts drifting across the water room, with the Dungeon Map chest on the small island at left
Link holding up the Dungeon Map on the island, with the message box ending you haven't been to yet

Past half: Compass in the yellow brick room

In the yellow brick room further north, open the chest to get the Compass. The Compass shows the locations of chests and the boss door. You can reach this room from the two-chest rooms near the dungeon entrance, so take the Compass before you move to the lower floors.

Link walking through the yellow brick room toward the chest that holds the Compass
Link holding up the Compass, with the message box reading locate chests and find keys

Past half: Small Keys in the dark-pit rooms

Work through the dark-pit rooms with the Seed Satchel and your sword. A chest in a pit room holds a Small Key. Two more Small Keys come from chests further in, after you clear the statue-tile room. Use the keys on the locked doors and key blocks of this half, and keep at least one for the present half.

Chest on the yellow floor beside the dark pit, where Link goes to open it
Link holding up a Small Key, with the message box ending in block in this dungeon

Dungeon: Mermaid’s Cave (Level 6), present half

Present half: Dungeon Map in the chest corner

In the present half, find the red-block room with the diamond statues and walk to the gold-tiled corner. The chest there holds the second Dungeon Map. Its darkened rooms are the ones you have not visited yet, so use it to plan the push-block room that follows.

Link in the purple room with red blocks and diamond statues, on the way to the gold-tiled corner
Link holding up the second Dungeon Map, with the message box ending you haven't been to yet

Present half: Small Keys from the gold alcove and the push-block room

Climb the stairs in the purple room with the gold-tile alcove and open the chest for a Small Key. In a room with a chest beside red blocks, a second Small Key waits. The push-block room, with blue and red blocks around a ring of pits, takes several attempts. Solve it by moving the blocks until the chest opens, and take the third Small Key from it.

Link beside the chest in the purple room with red blocks, the chest that holds the second Small Key
Link holding up a Small Key by the red-block chest, with the box ending in block in this dungeon
Link under the chest after the push-block puzzle, with the box reading You found a Small Key!
Link at the gold-tiled alcove chest, with a Small Key rising above it
Link holding up a Small Key at the gold-tiled alcove, with the box ending in block in this dungeon

Vire, the mini-boss of the present half

Vire is an underling of Veran, and he waits in the purple room with the stone border. He fires blue fireballs first, so block them with your shield or cut them down with your sword. Hit him three times while he comes close, then wait for him to circle and attack again. After three more hits he splits into two large bats, and you finish them when they fly low. Once he flees, Vire leaves the way open to the next room.

Vire, a red bat-like underling, at the left of the purple stone room while Link stands in the middle
Link thrusting his sword at Vire near the bottom wall of the purple stone room
Vire hovering in the purple stone room while blue fireballs drift across the floor
Two bats left after Vire splits, with Link's sword out in the purple stone room
Vire saying I'm sorry... Goodbye as he retreats across the purple stone room

Mermaid Suit from the pedestal chest

Past the Vire fight, climb the stairs to the pedestal in the purple room with the red block ring. The cracked block near the pedestal breaks with a bomb placed at the right moment. Cross with the Switch Hook to the chest on the far side, which holds the Mermaid Suit. With the suit you can swim in deep water, dive with B, and use items underwater, which you need for the past half’s flooded rooms.

Link on the yellow stairs of the red-block room, climbing toward the pedestal with the chest
Link holding up the Mermaid Suit, with the item box ending B to dive and A to use items

Second Compass on the ledge

In the purple water room with skull pots, walk along the wall to a ledge where a chest sits. Open it for the second Compass. Each half has its own Dungeon Map and Compass, so you collect both sets.

Link on a purple ledge beside a chest above the water in the dungeon
Link holding up the Compass, with the message box reading locate chests and find keys

Present half: Boss Key

The Boss Key comes from a chest in the present half. Its location is random: pull the levers in the room with the chest-and-lever puzzle until a chest appears in place of the rope, then open it. Take the Boss Key back to the entrance with your remaining Small Keys before you go underground.

Between the halves: the clam grotto ring

Clam grotto near Mermaid’s Cave

Leave the cave into the overworld and walk to the grotto with four orange clams and a red chest in the middle. Open the chest for a ring. Take the ring to Vasu to have it appraised. Return to the cave door afterwards.

Clam grotto near Mermaid's Cave with four orange clams and a red chest in the middle
Link beside the red chest in the clam grotto, opening it for the ring
Message box reading Get it appraised later! as Link holds the ring in the clam grotto

Dungeon: Mermaid’s Cave (Level 6), past half again

Small Keys and the 30 Rupees chest

Return through the past door and go through the olive rooms with red blocks. A chest between four statue tiles holds a Small Key. Past the water rooms, a chest in a blue-grey room holds 30 Rupees, and a later chest in a green-diamond room holds another Small Key. Dive in the deep water for the 30 Rupees and carry the Small Keys back to the locked doors on the boss route.

Red chest among four statue tiles in a blue-grey room of Mermaid's Cave
Link holding up a Small Key, with the box reading You found a Small Key!
Link beside the chest in the blue-grey room, with the box reading 30 Rupees! That's nice.
Link holding up a Small Key in the green-diamond room, with the box reading You found a Small Key!

Octogon, the boss of Mermaid’s Cave

Octogon lives in a dark-blue water room with olive platforms. Stand on the central platform and keep your sword and Seed Shooter ready. It rams across the surface and spits rocks, and its only weak spot is its face. When it dives, put on the Mermaid Suit and follow it down, because underwater it always faces you and only fires bubbles. Keep attacking its face with the sword and use the Seed Shooter when it stays under.

Link on the central olive platform in the dark-blue water room, with Octogon below the screen
Octogon at the left edge of the screen while Link stands on the olive platform
Octogon at the top of the screen above the olive platform where Link stands
Octogon rising below the olive platform as Link stands on the central platform

Heart Container after Octogon

When Octogon falls, a Heart Container appears in the boss room. Collect it to raise your maximum health. Your heart total for the whole route is then one step closer to completion, so take it before you leave the room.

Heart pickup appearing on the olive platform in the boss room after Octogon is defeated
Link holding up the Heart Container, with the box reading You got a Heart Container!

Bereft Peak, the Essence of Time

Go to the dark brick chamber with skull tiles at the top of the boss room. The Essence of Time sits on the dais, and you receive it as the Bereft Peak. A spirit speaks to you about it, and the Essence joins the others you collect for the Maku Seed. Leave through the chamber stairs to finish the dungeon.

Link walking up through the orange skull-tile room toward the dais chamber at the top
Link at the bottom of the stairs to the dark brick chamber, with a spirit on the dais above
Link holding up the Bereft Peak essence, with the box reading Bereft Peak, an Essence of Time!
Spirit on the dais in the dark chamber speaking, with the box ending stalwart, even in trying times.

Chapter checklist

TypeNameWhere (era)
Key itemOld Mermaid KeyBig Bang game (bomb-dodge arena), present, East Rolling Ridge blue ridge
Key itemMermaid KeyGoron Dance, after the Letter of Introduction (Goron Dance hall)
Dungeon itemDungeon MapPast half, water room with skull rafts
Dungeon itemCompassPast half, yellow brick room
Dungeon itemDungeon MapPresent half, gold-tiled corner
Dungeon itemCompassLedge chest in the water room (second Compass)
Dungeon itemMermaid SuitPresent half, pedestal chest after Vire
Dungeon itemBoss KeyPresent half, chest opened after the lever puzzle
Small KeyThree in the present halfGold-tile alcove, chest beside red blocks, push-block room
Small KeyThree in the past halfDark-pit chest, statue-tile chest, green-diamond room
RingUnappraised ringClam grotto outside the cave (appraise at Vasu’s)
Rupees30 RupeesPast half, blue-grey room chest
Heart ContainerHeart ContainerOctogon’s room, past half
Essence of TimeBereft PeakOctogon’s chamber, past half

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