The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Spirit Temple

'A place of treasures and worship, the Spirit Temple was built by the Gerudo to honor a great sand goddess. However, the Evil King Ganondorf has converted it into his hideout.'

Crossing the Haunted Wasteland
Now that you are able to enter the Haunted Wastleland, be very careful on how you go about crossing it. A sandstorm always blows about the wasteland, blurring everything. The River of Sand nearby will swallow you up if you even touch it, and you will be forced to an earlier location if you stray from the path. While the path is fixed from game to game, you should use the flags or other visual cues to cross the wasteland.

You will see a half-buried crate in the distance near several flags. Use the longshot to hook onto it and cross the River of Sand. You can also use your hover boots to cross. Now follow the flags. To your left is the path to the Carpet Merchant, who sells 10 Bombchus for 200 Rupees. You need the hover boots in order to reach him. Keep a close eye on the flags, because it is hard to see them in the sandstorm. If you become lost, use the Song of Storms, and look for the flags when the lightning strikes. You can also use the Sun's Song.

Once you reach a strange rock with steps and a plaque, walk up to the plaque and activate the Lens of Truth. a Poe will appear that will guide you to the entrance to Desert Colossus. It won't guide you back, though. Watch its movement carefully and follow it, because it moves frequently in several instances. Eventually a new enemy called a Leever will appear in groups that will attack. They can only travel in one direction which makes them easy to dodge.

When you finally reach multiple flags, you have reached the entrance to Desert Colossus.

Special note: The earliest time to do this is after Water Temple and Bottom of the Well. You can come back to the Shadow Temple after acquiring the warp song for Desert Collosus.

Desert Colossus
The sandstorm will finally subside and you'll be in the desert. if you wander around, you'll see a dried up oasis. Step up onto the rock nearby and play the Song of Storms to refill it. Then you'll find out it isn't an oasis; it's a Fairy Fountain! Collect them and heal from them if you wish. By the two other palm trees there is a crack in the wall, behind which is a Great Fairy, who will give you Nayru's Love. Desert Colossus is filled with Leevers and Guay, so watch your step. You'll see a large temple ahead, an owl perched above. Kaporea Gaebora, perhaps? Enter inside this place, which is more formally known as the Spirit Temple.

As you enter, two bewitched jars will fly at you. Don't get injured by them. You'll see two paths, one a crawlspace, the other blocked by a large grey block presently unmovable, two Armos, and two snake statues with inscriptions on them. The left one says that you must return with the pure heart of a child to enter the left path. The right one says you must acquire the temple's silver treasure to enter the right path. Since you can't do anything at the moment, leave the temple.

The Last Song
As Link walks outside into the desert, Sheik suddenly appears and teaches him the song that he can play to return to the desert as a child, the Requiem of Spirit. This is the last song you will learn in your quest.

The Requiem of Spirit :

Just as soon as appearing, Sheik will disappear into the blowing sand, the strange owl following. Warp to the Temple of Time and return the Master Sword to its pedestal. Now, play the Requiem of Spirit to return to Desert Colossus.

Spirit Temple (Young Link)
Enter the Spirit Temple again and walk up to the stairs. Turn to your left to see a Gerudo woman. She is Nabooru. She will have a small conversation about Ganondorf, then ask for your help (how you get her to talk to you, you'll have to find that out yourself). She overheard Ganondorf wants the Silver Gauntlets of the temple, but she wants to get them before he does, so she asks you to surprise Ganondorf and retrieve the gauntlets. She will move out of the way so that you can go through the crawlspace.

Special note: You can do this between after finishing Water Temple and Bottom of the Well prior to Shadow Temple. Do this now if you want to finish your childhood missions faster so you won't have to travel back and forth anymore.

Entrance to the Past
The first room is swarming with enemies. Two fire Keese will attack you. Kill them, then pass the spike trap. Stay close to the wall and Z-target the next two Keese. Afterwards you'll face an Armos. To kill it, stun it with your boomerang and then slash it with your sword. The Armos will explode after being killed, so be sure to keep your distance. After all the enemies are killed, both doors will open, but enter the door on the left. Enter into the next room.

Bridge the Gap
Here you will encounter a Stalfos for the first time as a child. Killing it will be harder with the weaker weapons Link carries as a kid, so be careful. After the Stalfos is gone, Kill the Green Bubble with the Fairy Slingshot. With both enemies gone, you can now focus on getting over to the other side of the room. There is a switch on the other side of the gap in the floor, but you can't hit it directly because a raised bridge blocks it. There are two ways two activate it. You can aim the slingshot between the grates in the bridge so a Deku Seed hits the switch, or rely on a technique you used in Jabu-Jabu's Belly and equip the boomerang, then throw it so that it goes around the bridge to hit the switch. Another method is to use a Bombchu and drop it into the pit, and if you aim it right will explode next to the switch. Once the switch is activated, the bridge will lower and take you to the next room.

An Extra Deku Shield
There is a small chest on the other side of the gap with an extra Deku Shield if you managed to forget to take it off and the Fire Keese burned it.

The Anubis
This room has an Anubis inside it. The Anubis is a mummy-like creature that floats and shoots fire balls at you when you get close enough. Ironically, fire is its weakness! This strange creature is also obsessed with symmetry. Rather then pursue you, it will float on the exact opposite part of the room as you, symmetrical of you basically. Run across the thin bridge, avoid the spike, and go around the anubis. It will move away from you as you walk away from it. Move to the side of the room opposite of the locked door. The anubis will then move in front of the door. Hit the crystal with you boomerang/slingshot and the anubis will be enveloped with fire! When the Anubis dies, you are free to proceed to the next room. The alternative is to use Din's Fire.

Unlocking Danger
In the next room, several enemies are waiting to greet you, the most dangerous a Wallmaster. Watch out for it and the Keese. Collect the five silver rupees in the room, and a bridge will lower to the other side, but it will also release more Keese and Fire Keese. Light up the two torches and then get the small key from the treasure chest. Go through the door when you're done here.

You will be back in the first room. Crawl through the hole you haven't gone through yet, and unlock the door. In the next room, kill the Skullwaltulas and then climb the wall.

Bombchu Demolition
Two Lizalfos and Skullwaltula await you. Kill them all. Hit the diamond on the nearby ledge to make a chest drop down. Open it to get 10 Bombchu. Look around the room and you will see a boulder on one of the walls. Sunlight is trying to get through. Use a Bombchu to eliminate the boulder. Sun will shine through onto the sun switch in the middle of the room. Exit through the door that opens up.

The Main Room
This is the biggest room of the temple. You will do plenty of things here. There is a statue right in front of you. Push it until it falls and lands on the switch below. This will open a door. Drop down below and run over to the two torches near the spirit statue. Light them to reveal a chest and open it to get the Dungeon Map. Climb back up to where you jumped from and go up the stairs and through the door.

Three Tricky Puzzles
This room has several traps and a few puzzles to solve before you can move on. Get all of the silver rupees in this room to light up one of the torches and open the way back out. Then, use a Deku Stick to light up the rest of them to find a chest with a small key. There are three blocks in this room you can block the spike traps with to make this easier. Now, look around for a moment and you will see that light is shining into the room from a hole in the wall. Push the block with a sun switch on it under the sunlight. This will open another door. Then go through the door that is now shown and use your key to open it.

Mini-Boss: Iron Knuckle
In this room you will find an armored figure sitting on a throne. He appears to be asleep. However, if you attack it you will wake it up. This behemoth is the mini-boss: the Iron Knuckle. It is easy to take him down, but his attacks do massive amounts of damage, so avoid his axe. If you keep your distance you can avoid damage. If you obtained Nayru's Love, this is the perfect time to use it. Be very careful because Iron Knuckles' axe slashes do 8 whole hearts of damage (sometimes when it is on the peak of dying it will do 9 or 10 hearts of damage), which is crippling.

To defeat the Iron Knuckle, use a simple method of hit and run. Move up close to him and the monster will try to hit you with his axe. Back off and then hit him before he can get his axe ready to attack again. After you strike him several times, his chestplate will tumble off. Without it, he is vulnerable to the Slingshot, or you can charge at him and mash the sword button until he's dead. Either way, the added weight of the armor is gone, and the Iron Knuckle is going to charge after you. Do as you did before, and he will go down with a thud. If you're struggling, throw bombs and bombchu's his way, they are just as effective at killing him.

To defeat any Iron Knuckle rather quickly, while it's not attacking, run up to it and slash it with your sword. Backflip out of the way and let it attack, and then hit it once more. Do this repeatedly. During the second stage, where some Iron Knuckles start to slowly charge at you, walk up to it and slash it before it gets near you, back away, let it charge again, and then slash it again. You don't have to wait for it to attack you.
 * Alternate method

The Silver Gauntlets
Go through the door that is now open and head outside. You'll find yourself on the right hand of the spirit statue outside of the temple. As soon as you emerge, you'll be greeted by Kaporea Gaebora for the last time. He commends your efforts of time-traveling and tells you about two witches hiding out in the temple. He then flies off. Over to the left is a chest. Open it to get the Silver Gauntlets. Unfortunately, they're too big, so you can't use them yet. You should go talk to Nabooru but...

Nabooru's Capture
Right after Link gets the gauntlets, he hears a scream from below. As he looks down, he sees Nabooru being subdued by black magic, caused by the two witches of the Spirit Temple. Nabooru warns Link to make his escape, and is captured by the witches, who return to the temple.

Now it is time to tackle the other half of this temple. Play the Prelude of Light to go back to the Temple of Time. Get the Master Sword and play the Requiem of Spirit to go back to the Spirit Temple. Now, you'll enter it as Adult Link.

Entrance to the Future
Now that you have the Silver Gauntlets, you can move bigger objects. Go up the stairs, turn right and move the gray block. Push it until it falls into place. This room is similar to the room you entered as a child. Hit the switch that is in the middle of the ceiling to open one of the doors. Go through the door on the left first. Kill the Wolfos in this room, and then go and stand on the Triforce Symbol on the floor and play Zelda's Lullaby. A chest should appear on the other side. Longshot over to the chest and open it to get the compass. Now head back a room. Enter the door on your right. Avoid the boulders that are rolling around and get the silver rupees in the small alcoves. Use the Hover Boots to get the one in the air.

The next room holds a small key. Kill the Like-Like to get it. Head back to the first room. Enter the locked door in the middle.

Kill the Like-Like and climb the wall nearby. Use the Lens of Truth and you will expose a Floormaster. Kill it. Push the cobra statue until it reflects light onto the third sun switch, which will open the door. The first two will drop treasure chests, one of which is a trap. Beware of the fourth, as it summons a Wallmaster. Go through the door.

Now, you are back in the big main room. Climb up the stairs and use the hover boots to jump to the huge statue's hand where you see a Triforce Symbol. Play Zelda's Lullaby to make a chest appear on the other hand. Longshot to it to get a small key. Go back to where you just entered this room and longshot to the target on the ceiling. Then climb the stairs and open the locked door.

Old Enemy Faces
In this room, kill all of the Anubis and the Beamos to move on. The Anubis can also be killed with the fire arrows or Din's Fire (if you have them). In the room ahead, there are four Armos statues and a switch in the middle that opens up the locked door to your right, but requires weight to do it. This can get tricky. Run over to the locked door and shoot an arrow at the statue in the upper-right corner and it should start moving around. Once it jumps onto the switch and unlocks the door, head into the next room while you have a chance. Alternatively, if you have the Ice Arrows, you can time it so that the frozen Armos stands on the switch, opening the door. Climb up the stairs to the next door. If you need to refill some of your energy, in the corridor there are two boxes containing hearts that can only be seen with the eye of truth, or on the map.

Iron Knuckle #2
This is the second time you'll fight an Iron Knuckle. However, with the stronger adult weapons you have, it should be easier to fight him. After defeating him, go through the passage behind his throne and you should be outside again, this time on the left hand of the giant spirit statue.

The Mirror Shield
A chest will drop onto the hand. Open it and you'll receive the second treasure this temple holds, the Mirror Shield. It has a shiny, glimmering, surface, which can reflect beams of light. It is also much stronger than the Hylian Shield. Equip it, and then go back to the room with the four statues and the switch.

Bending Sunlight
Stand under the light that is shining onto the ground and use the Mirror Shield to reflect it onto the sun switch on the wall. A door should open. Enter through it and defeat the Like-Like to get a small key. Go back to the room where the Anubis were. Straight across from you is a locked door, so use the key you just got and open the door.

The Hard Way...
This room has a booby-trapped wall. First, kill the Beamos with bombs and the Skullwaltula with the Longshot, then aim it as high as you can up the moving wall (if you stand on one of the Platforms where the Beamos were, you can reach the top). Longshot up and then climb the rest of the way. It gets tricky because the walls can knock you off, or lead you to the spikes on the sides. Once you're at the top, avoid the Beamos and move on.

The Boss Key
In this narrow room, there is a locked door. Play Zelda's Lullaby on the Triforce symbol to open the door. Kill all of the Torch Slugs first. The Megaton Hammer comes in handy for this. Upon closer investigation, this room is full of fake doors. The only one you need to destroy is in the upper-left corner in the room, so bomb it. With it gone, it will expose an eye switch. Shoot it with an arrow to make another ice platform appear next to the one near the ceiling. Right above the new ice platform is a Hookshot target. Longshot up there and then jump to the other ice platform, which has a switch on it. Press the switch to make the small fire go away, revealing the chest that has the Boss Key.

Mirror on the Wall
Exit the room and then climb the stairs to the nearby door. Right when you enter in this room, watch out for the flying pots. Look to your left and you will see a switch behind bars. Hit it with your sword by using your spin attack to open a door. You will encounter a Lizalfos. Kill it and head on forward. If you're low on bombs, shine the light in the room on the sun switch above to make a chest containing them appear. As you come to the next room, you will see a cobra statue. However, you will face a new enemy, White Bubbles. You can kill them as soon as they start spinning. Use a bomb to blow up the odd shaped part in the wall. Turn the cobra statue so that it shines its light into the room you just uncovered. This is the room where you just hit the switch but now you are on the other side. There is a cobra statue in here also, and another Lizalfos. Turn the light into the big room. Go back the way you came. Now, the huge mirror is shining light straight down onto the floor. Stand on the spot the where the light shines and use the Mirror Shield to reflect the light onto the sun switch on the wall. The platform will lower into the main room.

The Hidden Door
You are now facing the huge spirit statue's face. Light is still shining from the top, so use the Mirror Shield to reflect light onto the statue's face for a few seconds. Amazingly, doing just that crumbles the face on the statue! Now you can longshot to the head in the little opening. The passage will open, and you can unlock the boss chamber.

The Witches' Spell
You will encounter the two witches that imprisoned Nabooru in here, Kotake and Koume. They have no business with you and leave you with another Iron Knuckle, but this one looks different. Kill it the same way you killed the other ones. However, this Iron Knuckle is much stronger than the first two. Endure through its attacks and you will finally defeat it.

After being attacked frequently, the Iron Knuckle's armor and helmet will tumble off, revealing that it is Nabooru under the armor. She was cursed by the witches and now the curse is broken. However, they capture her for a second time.

Go through the door behind the throne to find the witches' secret hideout.

Boss: Twinrova
Climb up the platform in this room and run to the middle of it. As soon as you do, Kotake and Koume will emerge from two portals, each transforming for battle. They are the dual bosses of the Spirit Temple; Sorceress Sisters: TWINROVA. These witches are masters of dark sorcery, and each is skilled in harnessing a different element! Kotake heralds in ice, while Koume harnesses fire. Defeating them is a little tricky. When Koume throws fire at you, bring out the Mirror Shield and try to deflect the fire so that it strikes Kotake, and vice versa. It's easiest to beat them if you don't Z/L-target while you block their attacks; in this way you can crouch and deflect the attack in the right direction. The best strategy is to stay in the middle where the small circle is, as you'll get a better view in that angle.

After realizing they need to put more effort in their attacks they will combine into Twinrova. Z/L-target the witch. She will throw fire or ice three times in a row. Use the Mirror Shield and it will absorb the blows. After it absorbs three attacks, they will come out in one blast, which you can unleash on Twinrova. She will fall to the ground, giving you a chance to strike her down!

Quickly switch to your hover boots and Biggoron Sword if you have them. Hover over to the island while she's down and swipe her as many times as possible with your sword (it should only take two times if using the Biggoron Sword). After taking excessive damage, Twinrova may mix up the order of her attacks. The Mirror Shield cannot absorb fire and ice all at once, so keep your distance when Twinrova switches her attacks, and be prepared to dodge if she keeps the hand holding the opposite element raised slightly longer. Most importantly, if you're fighting with the Biggoron Sword, put it away after she recovers from taking damage so you can absorb her fire/ice attack again with your mirror shield.

Heavenly Argument
After being struck down repeatedly in battle, Twinrova will split back into Kotake and Koume. The two sisters plan to attack Link once more, but they've unknowingly died at Link's hands. Suddenly, a bright blue light casts itself around the sisters, and a golden halo appears over each of their heads. When they realize they're dead, they get into a comical argument over who lived longer, all while rising up into the heavens. As the light fades, they pledge revenge on Link for killing them.

After listening to the witches' argument, you can make off with the last Heart Container of the game and warp out of the Spirit Temple.

The Sixth Medallion
After returning to the Chamber of Sages, you meet up with the last of the Six Sages, and who should appear but Nabooru. She is pleased that her newly acquired position as a Sage is perfect to get revenge on Ganondorf, but she is also saddened she couldn't repay you for your efforts in the past. In exchange, she hands over the Spirit Medallion  to you.

The Final Showdown
Now that Link's efforts to awaken all of the Six Sages are complete, Rauru comes before Link and tells him that the sages are ready to combat the evil powers of Ganondorf. He also mentions that someone is waiting for him in the Temple of Time...

Gerudo Training Ground: Ice Arrow
The Gerudo Training Ground is located in the southwest section of the fortress. Look for a stationary Gerudo, a gate, and a sign. It will cost you ten rupees to enter. In this pseudo-dungeon, you are searching for the "Gerudos' Hidden Treasure." Instead of using small keys to progress, you will collect as many as you can find and use them all at the end.

Special note: You will need to use any weapons or items that you collected in all dungeons prior to Ganon's Castle, including the Silver Gauntlet to push the block somewhere in the pseudo dungeon. Check your inventory to see if you have all the items you need to complete a room puzzle.

Solve each room dungeon to get the keys for the middle room maze. Including the room in which you do need the Silver Gauntlet to push the block to unlock the next room. The hardest is shooting four statue eyes with your arrows so make sure you practice until you get it right. Same with crossing the lava pits to collect silver rupees with the Hover Boots. If you manage to have all the keys, use it until you get to the chest in the middle to get the Ice Arrow. Sadly, Ganon's Castle doesn't require the use of that weapon at all, but it is a handy, albeit optional, weapon to have during the battle against the Shadow Temple boss.

Magical Spell: Nayru's Love
Near the entrance to the Desert Colossus, you should see two palm trees on the right. Head to that area. You should see a crack in the wall. Bomb it and head inside the chamber that has opened up. It is a Great Fairy Fountain. Stand on the triforce symbol and play Zelda's Lullaby. The Great Fairy will grant you the Magical Spell Nayru's Love (12 MP.) Upon activation, it will protect you from enemies for a limited time. However, no magic can be used while the spell is active.

Quiver Upgrade
In the northern part of Gerudos' Fortress, there is a Horseback Archery minigame. You must score 1500 points or over to receive a quiver upgrade (you must first score 1000 points to obtain the Piece of Heart). To achieve a score of 1500 or greater, shoot the jugs near the start, then hit bullseyes on the West-most target, then do the same when the horse turns around, and finally shoot more bulls-eyes at the end on the East target. After an impressive display of archery skills, the Gerudo woman will commend you for your performance with the Biggest Quiver, which holds a maximum of 50 arrows.

Marathon
Once the bridge in Gerudo Valley is repaired, look for the running man inside the carpenters' tent (If you completed the mask trading sequence as a child, he is the one you gave the Bunny Hood to). He will challenge you to a race from here to the bridge in the Lost Woods. He will give you a head start but he will always beat you by one second. Your best time will be displayed on the "Records" sheet at your house in Kokiri Forest.

One Last Bottle
If you have noticed the various Poes haunting Hyrule, there is a way you can earn a profit off them. As you enter the ruins of Hyrule Market, the guardhouse still remains intact. Once you go inside, instead of being greeted by the guard from the past, a cloaked spirit with a red eye sits on a bed in his place. He runs a Ghost Shop he refers to as the "only one in Hyrule," and collects many a different Poe soul. However, he craves Big Poe Souls more than the rest because of their value. If you can kill a Big Poe and bottle up its spirit, he'll pay 50 Rupees for each one you find (10 for the souls of normal Poes). After he receives ten of these spirits, he feels obliged to reward you for overstocking his shop with them, and gives you the fourth and final Empty Bottle in the game. It may seem like a measly trinket for all that hard work, but this spirit may have few things of value to give as a thank-you. However, having that bottle will be very helpful for your final task...