Level 5: The Lizard requires navigating a tricky overworld maze known as the Lost Hills, further testing the player’s exploration skills. The dungeon itself introduces new enemy types and a boss that is vulnerable to a specific item.
Getting to the Dungeon
Before entering Level 5, some final preparations in the overworld are recommended. With the Stepladder, go right eight screens and up two screens to obtain Heart Container #9 in the water. Then, go up two screens, left one screen, up one screen, and left eight screens (using the Stepladder across the water). From there, go down one screen, left one screen, up one screen, and left one screen. Touch the top-right Armos statue to reveal the Power Bracelet.
This item allows Link to push certain heavy blocks. Next, go left one screen, down one screen, and left two screens to reach the Graveyard. Defeat the initial Ghini enemy to make all other Ghinis in the area disappear. Push the gravestone that is third from the left in the middle row to find an Old Man who will give you the Magical Sword if you have twelve heart containers. From the grave, go down one screen, right two screens, and up along the left side. Use the Power Bracelet to push the block on the left, revealing a staircase. Take the right path in the cave. You will reappear near the northeast corner of the map. Go left two screens to enter the Lost Hills. To navigate this maze, walk up four times in a row to reach the dungeon entrance.
Room-by-Room Guide
Initial Rooms and Key Items
Go through the door on the right. In this room, you will encounter Pols Voice, rabbit-like enemies that can be defeated with either your sword or arrows. Defeat them to obtain a key. You can bomb the wall above for an optional Old Man room. Otherwise, go left one screen and then up one screen. Light up this room with the Blue Candle. The locked door on the right leads to an Old Man who provides a crucial hint about the boss: “DIGDOGGER HATES CERTAIN KIND OF SOUND”. You can bomb the left wall in this room for a secret passage. Otherwise, defeat the three Gibdo, mummy-like enemies, to get a key and go up.
The next room contains three Dodongos. You can either fight them (which requires six bombs in total) or, if you bombed the left wall in the previous room, you can bypass this encounter. If you choose to fight, use a key and go up after defeating them. In the next room, grab the Dungeon Map and then go back down one screen. If you skipped the Dodongos, go down another screen and through the secret wall on the left. Defeat the five Zol enemies in this room to get a key and then go down one screen. The right wall in this room is bombable. Defeat all the Gibdo enemies to potentially get more bombs. Then, bomb the left wall to reveal a secret passage.
Navigating Further
Defeat the five Blue Darknuts in the next room by attacking them from the side or the back. Push the left block to reveal a staircase and descend. Follow the underground passage, which contains four Keese, to the north end and resurface. Use a key to go left one screen. Defeat the six Blue Darknuts in this room. Push the block to reveal another staircase and go down. In this underground passage, you will find the Whistle. This item will prove crucial in the upcoming boss fight. Go back up the stairs and then right one screen. Use a key on the door below. Defeat the six Keese in this room to obtain a key. You can also bomb the right wall for a secret passage.
In the next room, an Old Man will offer a Bomb Upgrade for 100 rupees, allowing you to carry up to twelve bombs. Go left one screen, up one screen, and through the staircase passage. This will take you back to the room with the Dodongos. Go right two screens and then up one screen to reach that room. From there, go right one screen. Defeat the Zols in this room and go up one screen. Then, defeat the Gibdos and proceed up one screen. In the next room, defeat the three Red Darknuts to obtain the Compass and then go up one screen.
Boss: Digdogger
Grab the key in this room and use it on the locked door to the left. Defeat the five Gibdos in the next room to get another key. Then, defeat the five Pols Voice enemies in the following room (arrows are recommended for this). The north wall in this room can be bombed for an Old Man who provides a hint about the next dungeon’s boss: “SECRET POWER IS SAID TO BE IN THE ARROW”. Finally, go through the locked door on the left to face the boss of Level 5, Digdogger.
Digdogger is a large, cyclops-like creature surrounded by smaller, bouncing entities. Avoid the fireballs shot by the statues in the room. To defeat Digdogger, use the Whistle once. This will shrink Digdogger down to a much smaller size, making it vulnerable to your sword or bombs. After defeating it, grab Heart Container #10. Go up through the door to the next room. Walk to the center and collect the fifth shard of the Triforce of Wisdom.
Level 5: The Lizard tests the player’s ability to navigate complex overworld areas and dungeons. The boss fight requires the specific use of the Whistle, demonstrating the increasing importance of utilizing the right item at the right time.