| Starting time | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| Boss sand | 2 minutes from each of five bosses (10 minutes) |
| Sunken chests | 5 chests, 1 minute each |
| Maximum | 25 minutes |
| Requirement | Salvage Arm for the chests |
The Phantom Hourglass starts with 10 minutes of Sand of Hours, and you can raise that to a maximum of 25 minutes. Five of the bosses after the first add two minutes each, and five sunken treasure chests at sea add one minute each. The Cubus Sisters of the Ghost Ship are the only boss that gives no sand. This page covers where every minute comes from and how the time drains and recovers.
Table of Contents
How the time works
The sand only runs while you are inside the Temple of the Ocean King. Step outside into the sunlight and it refills at once. Safe Zones inside the temple do not use any up. If a Phantom hits you, you lose 30 seconds of sand, and a Wizzrobe steals 15 seconds. Level 1 of the Spirit of Wisdom cuts a Phantom hit to 15 seconds and Level 2 cuts it to 5. Yellow jars in the temple refill up to 30 seconds, but they never raise your total.
Starting time
When you take the Phantom Hourglass from the pedestal on your second trip into the Temple of the Ocean King, it already holds 10 minutes. That figure includes the sand dropped by Blaaz, the boss of the Temple of Fire.
Boss sand
| # | Boss | Region | Time added |
|---|---|---|---|
 1 | Cyclok | Isle of Gust | +2 minutes |
 2 | Crayk | Molida Island | +2 minutes |
 3 | Dongorongo | Goron Island | +2 minutes |
 4 | Gleeok | Isle of Frost | +2 minutes |
 5 | Eox | Isle of Ruins | +2 minutes |
Defeating each of these bosses leaves sand that you collect, and a message confirms that two minutes have been added. They are in the Temple of Wind, Temple of Courage, Goron Temple, Temple of Ice and Mutoh’s Temple. Together they bring you from 10 to 20 minutes.
Sunken Sand of Hours chests
Five of the sunken chests you can salvage with the Salvage Arm hold Sand of Hours worth one minute each. You need a treasure map for each; the full map list is on the treasure maps page. These five bring you from 20 to the 25-minute maximum.
| # | Treasure map | Sea location | Where to find the map |
|---|---|---|---|
 1 | Map 2 | Northeast of Mercay Island | Chest in the Old Wayfarer’s second hideout, reached from Molida Island |
| 2 | Map 4 | Southeast of Bannan Island | Dug up in the grass northeast of the Temple of Fire entrance |
| 3 | Map 9 | West of Cannon Island | Bought for 50 Rupees from Ojibe on Mercay Island’s dock |
| 4 | Map 11 | North of Isle of Gust | Chest in the Temple of the Ocean King, floor B6 |
| 5 | Map 23 | Northeast part of the Southeastern Sea, northwest of Isle of Frost | Chest in the Temple of the Ocean King, floor B5 |
Northeast of Mercay Island
Mark the four stone tablets of the Old Wayfarer’s hint on your map, then dig under the palm tree on Molida Island where the lines meet. You fall into his second hideaway, where a chest holds the map. Sail northeast of Mercay Island and salvage the chest.
Southeast of Bannan Island
Dig in the grass patch northeast of the Temple of Fire entrance on the Isle of Ember to find the map. The chest lies in the northeast corner of the Northwestern Sea, southeast of Bannan Island, in waters you can only reach by sailing in from the Northeastern Sea.
West of Cannon Island
Once you have learned where the Sun Key lies on your third trip into the Temple of the Ocean King and own the Salvage Arm, talk to Ojibe on the Mercay Island dock and pay 50 Rupees for his map. The chest lies west of Cannon Island.
North of Isle of Gust
On floor B6 of the Temple of the Ocean King, shoot the eye switch with an arrow. A chest opens briefly, so run to it before it closes. The sunken chest is north of the Isle of Gust.
Northwest of Isle of Frost
On floor B4, use a Bombchu on the shock switch to open the alternate way northwest, which leads to the northwest corner of B5. Dig there, hit the switch and open the chest, then salvage the chest in the northeast part of the Southeastern Sea, northwest of the Isle of Frost. This route is only possible after the Goron Temple, when you own Bombchus.
Phantom Sword
Late in the story, once Zauz has forged the blade from the Pure Metals, Oshus infuses it with Sand of Hours to create the Phantom Sword. This takes no sand from the hourglass, so your 25-minute total is unaffected. See the Phantom Sword chapter.
