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Moonlit Grotto (Level 3) Walkthrough

Oracle of Ages 100% Completion Walkthrough24 chapters
Walkthrough overview
CoversThe Moonlit Grotto on Crescent Island in the present, from the Dungeon Map to the Essence of Time
DungeonMoonlit Grotto (Level 3): Seed Shooter, mini-boss Subterror, boss Shadow Hag, Essence of Time: Echoing Howl
RewardsDungeon Map, Compass, 4 Small Keys, 30 Rupees, 20 Rupees, Seed Shooter, 2 Gasha Seeds, Boss Key, Heart Container, Echoing Howl. No Heart Pieces, rings or soft soil in this chapter

The Moonlit Grotto is the third dungeon and the home of the Seed Shooter, a slingshot whose seeds bounce off walls. You explore it in the present, on Crescent Island, with the Shovel, Roc’s Feather and Power Bracelet you recovered from the Tokay. Four crystals are scattered through its rooms, and breaking them collapses the central turntable room. Along the way you take the Compass, four Small Keys, the Seed Shooter and two Gasha Seeds, beat the mini-boss Subterror, claim the Boss Key and bounce seeds off the walls to defeat the Shadow Hag.

Link at the left of the first yellow-floored grotto room, beside a column of red blocks with cracked ones
Link swinging his sword at a Mini-Moldorm among the bushes
Link slashing a green caterpillar enemy in a grotto room

Moonlit Grotto first rooms: bombs, the Harp and block puzzles

Dungeon Map and the Harp of Ages

The Dungeon Map sits in a chest in the first stretch of the grotto. Bomb the cracked blocks near the entrance, push the middle block aside and leave by the west side. The Pols Voice here can be killed with a Bomb or by playing the Harp of Ages, and its death makes the chest appear. Keep Bombs equipped for most of this dungeon, because cracked blocks and bomb-only enemies are everywhere. Press SELECT with the Map to see which rooms you have not yet visited.

Link placing a Bomb beside the cracked red blocks near the entrance
A white Pols Voice hops across the yellow grotto room as Link approaches
Link holding a Bomb above his head in the grotto
A closed chest has appeared in the room after the Pols Voice is gone, with a Bomb lying on the floor
Link holding up the Dungeon Map with the message box reading "It's a Dungeon Map!"

Switch rooms and the first crystal

Back near the entrance the yellow floor is dotted with red blocks and green floor panels, and a crystal switch raises or lowers the red blocks whenever you hit it with your sword. Use it to open and close your path. Kill the Mini-Moldorms in the room to unlock the east door; the Iron Masks beyond can only be hurt from behind. Break the first crystal in the next room with your sword. Each time a crystal breaks, a message tells you something far away was knocked loose.

Link killing the Mini-Moldorms with his sword in the room before the switch
Link on green floor panels just above the first crystal, with red blocks on either side and two Iron Masks below
Message box saying something far away is being knocked loose, shown after the crystal breaks

Turntable room, second crystal and Small Key 1

A blue four-armed turntable sits at the centre of the dungeon. Step on it and its arms carry you to whichever room it points at, so you will use it again and again. Take it east, then bomb the block beside the four statues. Throw further Bombs over the low fences to blow up cracked blocks around the second crystal, shift the blocks and smash it.

Link stepping onto the blue four-armed turntable at the grotto's centre
The block room with statues, cracked blocks and the second crystal ringed by red blocks
Link throwing a Bomb over a low fence toward the cracked blocks around the crystal
Message box saying something far away is being knocked loose, shown after the second crystal breaks

With the second crystal gone, push the right-hand block up, then slide the statue east twice, north twice, west once and south once. A Small Key falls into the room. Take it, return to the turntable and go south and west to the locked north door. Spend the key to open it.

Link pushing a statue across the green floor in the block room
The statues moved into place in the block room with the green pad empty
A Small Key lying on the green pad after the statue puzzle is solved
Link walking to the blue turntable with one Small Key in the counter
Link at the locked north door with its keyhole showing and one Small Key in the counter
Link stepping through the unlocked door with the Small Key counter back at zero

Compass and Small Keys 2 and 3

Basement and the third crystal

Beyond the locked door, drop through the hole in the Peahat room to land in the basement. Fight the Tektites and Zols, leave by the south exit, kill the Mini-Moldorm to open the next door and bomb the Pols Voices (or play the Harp) to open the north door. Climb the stairs and break the third crystal at the top.

Link beside the pit with green frames while a Peahat hovers nearby
Link slashing a Zol while blue Tektites hop around the basement room
Link playing the Harp of Ages with blue music notes rising, in a green-railed room with orange hopping enemies nearby
Link hitting the third crystal with his sword on the green floor at the top

Compass

Return to the basement, clear the Mini-Moldorm with a Bomb thrown over the fence and take the south door to a room with a crystal switch behind a fence. Throw a Bomb so it explodes beside the switch, which wakes an Armos statue. Bomb the Armos and open the chest it guarded to take the Compass, which shows where the chests are. Climb back to the ground floor.

Link standing below the fence with a Bomb lit near the Mini-Moldorm
A Bomb exploding at the left of the room next to the red blocks while Link stands by
Link walking toward the closed chest in the room with the Armos
Link holding up the Compass with the You found the Compass message shown

Small Key 2

Go west on the ground floor and push the upper blocks until they match the diamond pattern of the lower ones. A second Small Key drops. Collect it and jump off the ledge to return to the turntable from the west side.

Link cutting grass in the west rooms with two Pols Voices and a chest nearby
The block room with the blue pad and the diamond of blocks not yet complete
Link pushing a block so the diamond pattern forms around the blue pad
A Small Key lying on the blue pad after the diamond is completed

Armos statues and Small Key 3

Ride the turntable while it points south, return to it from the west again and the next ride points north. Like Likes in the room ahead eat your shield, so bomb them from a distance. Step on the switch at the right to wake four Armos statues. A hint reminds you that stone soldiers do not fear swords, so kill them with Bombs or Scent Seeds. When the last one falls, a Small Key appears on the blue pad in the middle of the room. Take it and go back west to open the locked door.

Four Armos statues around the empty blue pad in the stone-soldier room
Link lighting a Bomb in the corner of the Armos room as the statues wake
A Bomb blast catching the last Armos statue in the corner of the room
A Small Key lying on the blue pad after the last Armos is gone

Seed Shooter

Flying tiles and 30 Rupees

Beyond the door, hold your shield against the Flying Tiles and kill the Zols and Gels until every tile is spent and the doors unlock. Follow the passage to a chest holding 30 Rupees.

Red tile floor with Zols and Gels around Link in the locked room
A red Flying Tile floats above the red tile floor while Link waits at the bottom of the room
The passage ending at a closed chest on the left
Link holding up 30 Rupees from the chest with the You got 30 Rupees message

Take the Seed Shooter

Open the next locked door and make your way to the room where a red diamond switch is set in the floor. Step on it and a chest appears on the green pad, or defeat the enemies in the room if it does not. It holds the Seed Shooter, the dungeon item of Level 3. Equip it, pick a seed type, and each seed will ricochet off walls at the angle you aim.

Link with sword raised near the green pad and the red diamond floor switch
Link walking toward the red diamond floor switch while a snake moves above
The chest that appeared on the green pad after the switch was pressed
Link holding up the Seed Shooter with the You got the Seed Shooter message shown

Fire an Ember Seed from the Seed Shooter at the torch in the middle of the torch room to light it and open the south door.

Link at the doorway aiming at the unlit torch in the middle of the dark room
The torch in the middle of the room now burning after the Ember Seed hit

Fourth crystal and two Gasha Seeds

Fourth crystal

Work around to the room with the fourth crystal. From behind the short wall, aim the Seed Shooter diagonally so the seed reaches the crystal, and break it. The turntable room now collapses and the turntable falls to the basement; a chest takes its place.

Link behind the short wall with the fourth crystal on the green floor ahead
The fourth crystal bursting into blue fragments on the green floor
Message box saying something heavy fell down below after the crystal breaks

First Gasha Seed

Open the chest where the turntable stood to receive a Gasha Seed. Plant it in soft soil later; Gasha Seeds explains how to grow Gasha Nuts.

Link stepping through a doorway into the yellow room above the old turntable
Link holding up a Gasha Seed with the You got a Gasha Seed message shown

Second Gasha Seed

Jump down the hole to the basement and go east. The fallen turntable opens new rooms. In the south room, push the three blocks on the east side into the pit, then light two torches with Ember Seeds, standing near the edge and aiming diagonally so they bounce in. A second chest appears with another Gasha Seed.

Link beside the pit with two unlit torches below the row of blocks
One torch now burning after an Ember Seed hit it while the second torch is still unlit
Both torches burning and a new chest appearing in the room
Link holding up the second Gasha Seed with its message box shown

Mini-boss: Subterror

Dig it up and strike

Ride the turntable north to a sand-floored room, where Subterror waits. It hides underground, and your sword does nothing until it surfaces. Equip the Shovel and sword, dig where it moves, and slash it while it is stunned. Each hit makes it faster, so dig quickly or it drills up and bites you. A few hits finish it.

Subterror surfaced in the sand room with its message box fully shown
Link slashing the blue Subterror with his sword near the dug holes
The blue Subterror knocked back with a heart beside it as Link stands nearby
Subterror drilling toward Link beside the dug sand holes

Small Key 4, 20 Rupees and the Boss Key

Small Key 4

Leave west and follow the passage north. Kill the Mini-Moldorms by swinging your sword over the blocks, then push the lower block into line with the others. The fourth Small Key falls.

Link in the block room with a Mini-Moldorm and the green floor panel
Link swinging his sword at a Mini-Moldorm along the top wall of the block room
Link pushing the lower block into line with the others
The fourth Small Key lying on the green panel between the blocks

Bridge room and 20 Rupees

Return to the turntable and take the path to the dark room with the wooden ladder. Hit the crystal ball with a seed to rotate the barrier, then shoot a seed through to the floor switch to extend a bridge. Cross, rotate the barrier again and shoot the switch a second time. The way opens to a chest with 20 Rupees. The grass here regrows, so harvest it for seeds.

Link climbing the wooden ladder in the dark room beside the blue crystal ball, with the floor switch across the gap
Link standing on the yellow platform below the crystal ball as the red barrier piece in the dark gap spins
A long row of planks stretched across the dark room toward the switch
Link standing beside the chest at the end of the bridge
Link holding up 20 Rupees with the You got 20 Rupees message shown

Boss Key

Unlock the door at the top right with your key and repeat the bridge puzzle, then push the lone block aside. Back at the turntable, take the east path, stand on the floor switch and bounce a seed diagonally off the walls so it hits the second switch. The door opens. Go north and open the chest to find the Boss Key.

Link walking east from the blue turntable across the yellow floor
Link beside the round floor switch with red blocks in the east room and a second lever switch at the lower right
Link firing a seed along the red blocks toward the second switch
Link opening the chest on the green floor in the north room
Link holding up the Boss Key with the You found the Boss Key message shown

Path to the boss door

Jump off the ledge, walk west and then north to the boss door. Top up your seeds and hearts, save if you like, and open the door with the Boss Key.

Link walking west along the yellow floor after the ledge jump
Link crossing a narrow yellow strip beside the sand wall
Link slashing grass in the boss-door room to refill his seeds
Link standing at the sealed boss door on the left wall of the room
Link passing through the unlocked boss door as the green boss room scrolls into view, the Boss Key beside him

Boss: Shadow Hag

Bounce a seed off the wall

Equip the Seed Shooter and sword. Shadow Hag splits into four dark shadows that creep toward you across the green floor, so keep away from them. After a while they merge into a single small shadow and release moths. Kill the moths, which can drop hearts and seeds.

Link at the east door of the green boss room as the first dark shadow creeps in
Several dark shadows creeping across the green floor toward Link
Link firing a seed while three red moths flutter over the green floor
Link on the green floor with a moth drifting close after the shadows merge

When the Hag reappears she is behind you, so do not turn around or she vanishes. Face the opposite wall and fire a seed at it so it bounces back and strikes her. Her four shadows form again after each hit. Only one seed can be in flight at a time, so time your shots. A few repeats defeat her.

Shadow Hag reappearing on the left of the room while moths circle Link
Shadow Hag appearing beside Link as a seed bounces off the wall
A bounced seed striking Shadow Hag, who bursts into flame
Link firing the Seed Shooter at the burning Shadow Hag in the final hit

Heart Container and Echoing Howl

Shadow Hag leaves a Heart Container. Take it to extend your life meter, then walk through the red hall past the green statues to the stairs.

The Heart Container glowing on the green floor after Shadow Hag falls
Link holding up the Heart Container with the You got a Heart Container message shown
Link walking along the red hall past the green statues toward the stairs

Climb to the essence room and step up to the pedestal to take the Echoing Howl, the third Essence of Time (see Essences of Time). You are carried out to the entrance of the Moonlit Grotto in the present.

Link climbing the stairs to the Essence of Time pedestal
Link holding up the Echoing Howl with the Essence of Time message shown
Light crystals bursting around Link as the essence carries him out

After the Moonlit Grotto

Outside, you see a vision of the Black Tower nearing completion in the past. A voice warns you to hurry and says that another Essence echoes from the peaks northwest of Lynna City. Head back to Lynna City to continue.

The Black Tower rising above the treetops in the vision of the past
The Black Tower's unfinished top against a purple sky
The voice's message telling Link the tower nears completion in the past
The voice's message about an Essence echoing northwest of Lynna City

Chapter checklist

TypeNameWhere (era)
Dungeon itemDungeon MapChest guarded by a Pols Voice, west of the entrance (present)
Small KeySmall Key 1Statue puzzle after the second crystal (present)
Dungeon itemCompassChest beyond the crystal switch and Armos (present)
Small KeySmall Key 2Block room west of the ground-floor stairs (present)
Small KeySmall Key 3Armos room with the blue pad (present)
Rupees30 RupeesChest after the Flying Tiles (present)
Dungeon itemSeed ShooterChest on the green pad (present)
Gasha SeedFirst Gasha SeedChest where the turntable stood (present)
Gasha SeedSecond Gasha SeedBasement torch room (present)
Mini-bossSubterrorSand room north of the turntable (present)
Small KeySmall Key 4Block room west of the Subterror room (present)
Rupees20 RupeesChest across the bridge room (present)
Dungeon itemBoss KeyChest north of the east switch room (present)
BossShadow HagBoss room (present)
Heart ContainerBoss rewardBoss room (present)
Essence of TimeEchoing HowlEssence room (present)

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