Getting Started in Holodrum and the Hero’s Cave Walkthrough

Oracle of Seasons 100% Completion Walkthrough26 chapters

Walkthrough overview

• Getting Started in Holodrum and the Hero’s CaveImpa’s request, Mayor Ruul’s Gasha Seed, Vasu’s Ring Box, the Hero’s Cave ledge chest, shop Bombs and the Gnarled Key.
• Gnarled Root Dungeon (Dungeon 1)Keys, map, compass, Seed Satchel, Boss Key, Aquamentus and the Essence of Fertile Soil.
• Subrosia, the Tower of Winter and the Rod of SeasonsGasha Nuts, Boomerang, Ore Chunks, the Rod and the Ghastly Doll.
• Woods of Winter and the ShovelPay the old man, bomb the 30 Rupee cave, get the Shovel from Holly, find the Mystery Seed tree.
• Snake’s Remains (Dungeon 2)Compass, rupee room, Power Bracelet, Dungeon Map, bomb merchant, Facade, Dodongo boss, Heart Container and Gift of Time.
• Farore’s Secrets and Princess Zelda’s RescueThree Pieces of Heart, a Gasha Nut, Vasu’s rings, the L-2 Ring Box, Zelda and the Blue Joy Ring.
• Spool Swamp and the Floodgate KeyRicky’s Gloves, the Iron Pot trade, Pegasus Seeds, the Floodgate Key and freeing Dimitri for his flute.
• The Tower of Summer and Rosa’s RibbonStar-Shaped Ore, Rosa’s Ribbon, Subrosian Market buys (Heart Piece, Bomb Bag), the Spirit of Summer.
• Poison Moth’s Lair (Dungeon 3)Both Small Keys, Roc’s Feather, Compass, Map, Gasha Seed, Omuai, Boss Key, Mothula and the Bright Sun Essence.
• Natzu, Sunken City and Zora’s FlippersDimitri’s swim, Gale Seeds, Master’s Plaque, Master Diver and the Pyramid Jewel in Oracle of Seasons.
• The Hall of Secrets and the Noble SwordFarore’s secrets, Bombchu, the Noble Sword, Advance Shop rings, Vasu’s appraisals and a first Hero’s Cave visit.
• Great Moblin’s Keep and Goron MountainBomb-catching boss fight, Heart Piece, Tokay secret, bigger Ring Box, 300 Rupees and a Gasha Seed spot.
• The Strange Brothers, the Tower of Spring and Mt. CuccoWin back Roc’s Feather from the Strange Brothers, Spring power, Moosh, Heart Piece, Dragon Key and Dungeon 4.
• Dancing Dragon Dungeon (Dungeon 4)All five Small Keys, Map, Compass, Agunima, Slingshot, Boss Key, Gohma and the Essence of Soothing Rain.
• The Tower of Autumn and Eyeglass LakeGasha Seeds, ring appraisals, Seed Satchel, Treasure Map, Bomb Flower and Power of Autumn.
• Unicorn’s Cave (Dungeon 5)Compass, five Small Keys, Magnetic Gloves, Syger and Digdogger, Heart Container and Nurturing Warmth Essence.
• The Four Jewels, Tarm Ruins and the Lost WoodsRed Ore, Iron Shield, Round Jewel, Vasu’s rings, the Lost Woods seasons and the Master Sword.
• Ancient Ruins (Dungeon 6)Dungeon Map, Compass, three Small Keys, Magical Boomerang, Vire, Manhandla, Heart Container and Blowing Wind.
• Samasa Desert and the Pirate’s BellThe desert ring chest, the polished Rusty Bell and the way to Explorer’s Crypt.
• Explorer’s Crypt (Dungeon 7)Beat the Poe Sisters, get Roc’s Cape and the Boss Key, defeat Gleeok and claim the Seed of Life essence.
• Temple Remains and the Volcano EruptionMaku Tree secrets, Vasu ring appraisals, the Subrosian volcano eruption and the last Piece of Heart in the temple.
• Sword & Shield Maze (Dungeon 8)Compass, Dungeon Map, Hyper Slingshot, Frypolar, Medusa Head and the Changing Seasons essence.
• The Huge Maku Seed, the Last Trades and the Hero’s CaveThe Goron Vase to Phonograph trade chain, Gasha Seed planting, and the linked Hero’s Cave chest trial.
• Side Quests and Collectibles Before Onox’s CastleGasha Nuts, Vasu’s rings, the Mirror Shield, the chest game, Maple and Biggoron’s Sword.
• Onox’s Castle and the Final BattleClear the castle rooms, beat Facade, buy the Mirror Shield, then defeat General Onox and free Din.
• The Linked Game FinaleBeat Twinrova and Ganon in the Room of Rites, then finish at the Maku Tree and find the Hero’s Secret.

This chapter takes you from the destruction of the Temple of Seasons to the moment you hold the Gnarled Key. You walk south to Horon Village, collect a Gasha Seed and a Ring Box, take a free 20 Rupees from a chest above the Hero’s Cave, spend your money in the village shop, wake the Maku Tree and plant a second Gasha Seed on the way to the first dungeon. This guide follows a linked game with Oracle of Ages, so you begin with four hearts and the sword in hand, and your animal companion for the quest will be Dimitri, who you meet later.

Din’s troupe and Impa’s request

Meet Din and watch the Temple fall

Link starts the story beside a travelling troupe’s wagon. Talk to the performers, then join Din when she dances on the tree stump. Onox appears in a dark whirlwind, snatches Din away and drops the Temple of Seasons into the ground. You have nothing to do here except advance the text.

Wake up in winter

You come to in a snow-covered field where Impa is waiting. She asks you to find the Maku Tree in Horon Village, because the guardian of Holodrum may know how to help Din. In a linked game the Wooden Sword is already assigned to the A button, so you do not need the cave to find it. A fresh game would have to fetch the sword from the Hero’s Cave first.

Walk south to Horon Village

Follow the lake bank south, cutting snow grass for Rupees and chopping the red Octoroks you meet. You cross a bridge to a small island with a bare stump and a keystone, which is where the Gnarled Key goes later. A patch of soft soil in the snow beside the water is a Gasha Seed spot, so remember it. Keep heading south and the snow gives way to the green of Horon Village.

Horon Village: Mayor Ruul’s Gasha Seed

Get the free Gasha Seed

Horon Village’s season can be different each time you arrive, so green grass, autumn leaves and snow can all appear on the way. A villager at the entrance tells you the Maku Tree lies to the east, but your first stop is the house marked Mayor Ruul’s Residence. Go inside and talk to the mayor. He explains Gasha Seeds and gives you one as a welcome present.

Plant it outside the house

Step out of the door, stand on the patch of soft soil just in front of the red-roofed house and press A. Choose Plant when the game asks. A Gasha tree sprouts after you have beaten enough enemies, and it pays out one Gasha Nut with a random reward, which you can cut down on a later visit. The Gasha Seed locations page rates every soft-soil spot.

Vasu Jewelers: Ring Box and Ring Secret

Take the Ring Box

Vasu Jewelers is a short walk from the mayor’s house. The shopkeeper notices you have no Ring Box and hands you an L-1 Ring Box, which can hold one ring at a time. A fresh game would add a free Friendship Ring here, but a linked start does not.

Type in the Ring Secret

Talk to the red snake beside Vasu to use the Ring Secret. Pick the option to say a secret, then type the 15-character code you were given by the red snake in Vasu’s shop in Oracle of Ages. After the snake accepts it, it tells you the rings from Labrynna have arrived and that you should ask Vasu to check your list. If you skip this step now, you can do it any time later, but it is the quickest way to bring your Ages ring collection over. Read the linked game secrets page for the rest of the passwords.

Look over the list, then move on

Speak to Vasu and open his menu, which offers Appraise, List and Quit. The List shows every ring with its effect, such as the Armor Ring, the Pegasus Ring and the Gold Joy Ring. Appraising an unknown ring costs 20 Rupees, and you only have about eleven, so just browse and leave. Come back after the first dungeon, when you will have chest and Gasha rings waiting to be identified. The magic rings page lists them all.

Hero’s Cave entrance and the 20 Rupee chest

Walk to the cave and the fairy fountain

Leave Horon Village by its western edge into the snowy field, following the signpost that points back to the village, and then work your way down onto the rocky ground toward the beach. A small cave in the rock, a screen from the Hero’s Cave, holds a fairy fountain. Step in and the fairy restores your hearts whenever your quest has made you weary, so remember it as a free heal. Beat the red Octoroks outside on the way to the beach.

Look inside the Hero’s Cave

The Hero’s Cave entrance sits at the foot of a ledge above the beach. Go in and walk through the entrance room with its eye tiles and on into the block rooms, where Keese swoop at you and a recovery heart drops. The big blocks and pits block the way on, and the chest in the corner of the block room sits behind a wall that you cannot get around from the corridor. A linked game keeps the full Hero’s Cave for late in the adventure, so there is nothing more to do here yet. The Hero’s Cave page covers the whole bonus dungeon.

Drop into the chest room from above

Back outside, climb the ledge above the cave entrance and cut the bush that blocks a gap in the cliff edge. Hop down through the gap. You land beside a chest in the cave’s block room, and opening it gives you 20 Rupees. Walk back out and return to Horon Village.

Horon Village: signs, the Advance Shop and the shop

Read the Know-It Birds sign and peek into the Advance Shop

When you return to Horon Village, read the sign outside the Know-It Birds’ house, which comments on how the year’s seasons have fallen into chaos. Then walk into the Advance Shop, where the owner jokes about how everything costs 100 Rupees. His three goods are priced at 100 each, so you cannot buy anything now, and that shop is a Game Boy Advance feature anyway.

Buy Bombs and a Gasha Seed

The shop with the blue roof sells ten Bombs for 20 Rupees, a Gasha Seed for 30 Rupees and a Recovery Heart for 10 Rupees. Buy the Bombs first, then spend what is left on the Gasha Seed. The shopkeeper also hints at a secret back room that needs a Member’s Card, which you cannot afford yet. With 54 Rupees you can pay for both purchases and finish with only four Rupees.

Maku Tree: how to get the Gnarled Key

Open the Maku Tree gate

Follow the signs to the Maku Tree’s residence, past the mayor’s house, and stop at the gate. The sign asks you to show courage, so swing your sword in front of the lattice. The gate opens and you can walk into the Maku Tree’s glade.

Wake the tree and take the key

The Maku Tree is asleep, with a sap bubble swelling at its nose. Slash the bubble to wake him. He senses evil on the Northern Peak, explains that the eight Essences of Nature have scattered and asks you to recover them, so say Yes when he asks if you will help. Pick up the Gnarled Key that drops in front of him; it opens the giant root near the lake to the north. See the Essences of Nature page for what you are collecting.

Fountain woman: the fairy secret

Hear the secret to happiness

Once the Maku Tree has spoken to you, a woman with red hair appears beside the fountain in the middle of the village. She says she saw the statue in Lynna and wanted to meet you, and she offers to teach you a secret for the fairies in Labrynna’s Fairies’ Woods. Answer Yes and write down the password she shows you. In Oracle of Ages, give it to the blue fairy in the northwest corner of the Fairies’ Woods for an extra Heart Container; the password you get back is used later in Holodrum.

Plant the second Gasha Seed by the lake

Use the soft soil on the winter lake bank

Go back north into the snowy field and stand on the soft soil beside the lake that you noticed earlier. Plant the Gasha Seed you bought. Then walk east over the bridge to the island with the stump and press against the keystone with the Gnarled Key, so the Gnarled Root Dungeon can rise out of the lake. That entrance starts the next chapter.

Chapter checklist