The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Symmetry City and Skull Dungeon

The Maku Tree said: "Link! You have the Echoing Howl! But things are not going well. The Black Tower was nearing completion 400 years ago. Terrible things will happen if you do not hurry. I hear an Essence echoing from the peaks northwest of Lynna City. Can you go?"

Before the next quest
After leaving the, you will meet two near , who is washed up on the shore. Talk to the Tokay, let them eat Ember seeds, and they will leave. Dimitri will offer his services for now, and let you ride his back to return to.

If you go east with Dimitri you get to a small Island with a there. It is the best soft soil in the game, the only one that can produce 5th-level rings. Make sure you plant a Gasha seed there.

Return to and leave to the west. Instead of entering the Faeries Woods, go north. Give the Tasty Meat to the hungry trader to receive Doggie Mask. Return to Lynna City and enter the southern house. Give the Doggie Mask to and she will in return give you  Dumbbell.

In the forest of Time, enter the cave at the extreme south. Use the Seed Shooter to hit the Crystal Ball. Climb up the stairs and talk with Tingle again to receive an upgrade for your Seed Satchel, which will now carry 50 Seeds each instead of only 20.

Nuun Highlands
To progress, you will need a Strange Flute. One of three possible flutes can be obtained, and is associated with the animal companion:


 * Go to Nuun Highlands before getting any flute: will be your companion.
 * Purchase a flute from the Lynna City Shop for 150 Rupees: Dimitri will be your companion.
 * Win a flute at the shooting gallery (score at least 50 pts.): will be your companion.

The choice (or lack-thereof) remains the same for the rest of the game, as well as any linked game you start. It also affects the region east of Symmetry City, requiring your companion's assistance to traverse.

Nuun Highlands


To reach (known as  400 years earlier), head north-west of Lynna City. Use the Seed Shooter to burn away the tree, and hit the switch to extend the bridge.

In Nuun Highlands there are two new monsters called and. Buzz Blobs cannot be attacked with the sword and River Zoras spit fireball at you. Proceed north. The way to the builders supervisor will depend on which animal wil join you. Still, your movement ability will be restricted to a specific path (few screens) that invariably leads you to the bridge building site.

Return south, and a fairy will ask for your help to find an animal within their woods. Go to the for the animal. Repeatedly scroll up and down between two screens to find the animal. Once you find him, he will identify the flute as belonging to him ( Dimitri's Flute or Ricky's Flute) or provide you with one ( Moosh's Flute). With the flute, go back to Nuun highlands, summon your animal companion, and search for the three workers east of the bridge.

Return to Mutoh and talk again with him. He asks you to get the three workers back.

In the middle of the Nuun Highlands you can find a cave with the Light Ring L-1 (different location for each animal). On the north edge (identical for all three animals) there is a cave with a healing and a lv.4Gasha spot. Regardless of your animal companion, the three workers are in similar parts of the Highlands:
 * 1) more or less in the center;
 * 2) to the north, near the Great Fairy cave and the Gasha soil;
 * 3) to the south-east, near the cave with the magic ring.

[[File:Zelda Oracles Moosh.png]] Exploring with Moosh

 * 1) Go right and smash the bush. Ride Moosh over the holes north to the first worker. Talk with him and he will return to Mutoh.
 * 2) Go all the way north; check the Great Fairy cave and dig in the west for the Gasha spot. Leave to the east to find the second worker.
 * 3) Navigate to the east, then to the south. The cave on the way holds the aforementioned ring. Continue up the plateau and talk with the third worker.

[[File:Zelda Oracles Dimitri.png]] Exploring with Dimitri
The region is made of three north-south waterways.
 * 1) Go down and right up the waterfall. Talk to the first worker and go back down.
 * 2) If you go up the second waterway you can get to the Great Fairy cave and continue to the gasha soil. Go to the east and up the eastmost waterfall. Talk to the second worker.
 * 3) Go to the south-east corner and talk with the second worker. Go up the waterfall into cave for the aforementioned ring.

[[File:Zelda Oracles Ricky.png]] Exploring with Ricky

 * 1) Go right and down. Jump on the ledge, go up and smash the bushes with Ricky. Talk to the first worker; he will run back to Mutoh.
 * 2) Return to the carpenter and go up all the way to the ledge. Jump on it and dig for the gasha soil. Go right and down to find the second worker.
 * 3) From the second worker, continue all the way east (the Great Fairy cave is visible on the way), the go to all the way south. Jump on the ledge, go up and enter the cave for the aforementioned ring. On the ledge above the cave you can talk to the last worker.

Symmetry City
When the bridge is built, cross and head north to Symmetry City, which is apparently in ruins (it should not be, because it was saved 400 years earlier). Go left and get 18 Gale Seed from the Gale Tree. To dispel this dystopia on the City, cut the grass next to the Gale Tree, and use the time portal to travel to Ambi's age 400 years before.

The girl in the center building tells you their current problem: the was cracked and needs to be repaired. While you're there, you can head downstairs and exchange the dumbbell for a Cheesy Mustache. Leave the house and explore the village. Talk with everybody to receive the Cracked Tuni Nut.

Talus Peaks
Exit the city to the west, and reach the top of the peaks. Swim to the end, dive, and locate. To receive the Tune of Currents, you must play the Harp of Ages in front of him. Return to and go down, left and stand in lower half and play the Tune of Currents. Go right and pick up the Pieces of Heart and return to Ambi's age. Return to the third platform on the peaks, and head to the south-west corner and play the song. In Zelda's age, head south as far as you can, walk east to the stairs and climb them. Destroy the Stone to reveal a Portal. Use the time portal to head to Ambi's age. Enter the cave and climb up the Stairs. Take the right path, and redirect the water flow to the left by moving the Stone left. Return to where you entered Ambi's age, and travel back to Zelda's age. Climb up the left Vines and go left. Throw a Bomb in the Pond and a Fairy will appear. If you want the Golden Bomb, then your Hearts will reduced to one. Choosing the Silber Bomb will result in taking away all your Bombs, so the best course is to choose the regular one. In doing so will the Fairy allow you to carry 30 Bombs instead of 10 Bombs. Not only that she will also refill your Bombs to the maximum. Isn't that nice of her?

In Ambi's age, go down and push the Vine Sprout to the right. Now return to Zelda's age with the Tune of Currents. Climb the vines and swim across the water to reach the next Time Portal. Travel back to Ambi's age, and follow the only path to the bottom. Just as you find the Wall, go down and play the Tune of Currents to find a Gasha Seed in Zelda's age. Climb to find. He will play a repair minigame called Patch's Crazy Cart, where you have to push s into a hole. The only concern is a cart that will smash against the nut, which can be redirected by standing on a switch just before it strikes. When the four beetles are pushed into the hole, the repair is complete and you will get the repaired Tuni Nut. Bring the Tuni Nut back to Symmetry City on the Pedestal. You may now return to Zelda's age, and enter the newly revealed dungeon under the former volcano.

Dungeon, part 1


When you enter the Skull Dungeon, you will first need a Small Key. Head north, and follow the rooms to the west. The first room has two, and a. The second had two and one  which must be killed to open the door. Turn to the north, being careful as you jump across the lava pit. Cross the room to the west exit, keeping watch for the incoming.

When you enter the first south room, push the eastern-most block downward to get the Compass from the chest. In the last room, you can get the first Small Key. After dealing with the monsters, jump over the lava, and push the block onto the designated square, blue facing up. The shortest path is pushing the cube down four times, right, up, left, down, and left twice.

Backtrack to the first lava room (you can also take a shortcut on the right), and continue east. In the room before the locked door, make the series of jumps toward the center. When you jump on the center floor, push a block left to make the jump across the lave safer and jump across. Push the next block to the right, and you can now reach the door. After the first door is a room with four Stalfos, one Spark and an east exit leading to the first minecart. You should first get the map. Hit the switch and enter the minecart to reach the chest containing the Dungeon Map and return. Return the switch to the normal position and ride to the southern end. On the way south hit the Switch to change the Track. To get the key from this room, use the Seed Shooter to hit the switch. When you get the Small Key, enter the cart to stop in the middle room. Unlock the door on the right, and exit to the right.

You will see the first. Move right and quickly reverse to safely spring the trap, then jump over the lava to reach the north exit. Equip the Power Bracelet, and pull the lever until the lava flow stops. Quickly cross the floor to reach the next north exit. Defeat the four Stalfos, then go through the left door. The enemies are best handled by cornering them, and striking them as they land. Defeat or evade the Hardhat Beetles. The Seed Shooter can work, although a quick advance works just as well. To unlock the left door in the next room, jump over the tiles to match the pattern on the right. There are two Green Zols which can also be defeated.

Run past the Blade Traps before they hit, and defeat two Shrouded Stalfos that will hinder you. You now need to get the block into position. First, spring the trap, and circle around the block as they retract. Push the block down two squares. Spring the trap once more, and quickly push the block left before the traps or floor catches you. The gate opens once the block is in position, allowing you to use the minecart.

The minecart stops at the north of the dungeon. Head right. Use the Seed Shooter to hit the switch to reveal the chest - you can do so either on or off the moving platform. Get the Small Key and move two screens left. Use the Small Key on the Key Block, return east, and enter the second minecart. The minecart will enter a room with a long track and three Stalfos at the top. Equip the Seed Shooter, and destroy all three stalfos before you reach the end. This allows you to continue to the left.

Jump across the moving platforms, and go south. Jump onto the colored platforms and match them with the block shown on top, and collect the Small Key that drops. Return north, unlock the Key Block, and board the minecart. When you reach the end of the track, head through the left door.

Miniboss: Armos Warrior
The will boast about his mighty sword and mighty shield. In the first phase, it will control the sword and fling it towards you. Its sword travels in a straight line, and if guided correctly, can be used to hit the Armos Warrior. After three hits, the sword and shield shatter.

The warrior can now be defeated through conventional means, but it is safest to attack after it charges and hits a wall. Exit through the south door after defeating the Armos Warrior.

Dungeon, part 2
There is only one path south of the miniboss, which you will follow until you see a cracked wall. Drop a bomb at the crack, and go through the hole. You enter a room, where you need to change each square from blue to read. With abbreviated directions, one possible route is L, U6, R, D2, R, D2, L, D, R2, D, R5, U2, L2, D, L2, U, R, U, R2, U, R, U2, L2, D2, L, U2, L3, D, R, D, L, D. This reveals the chest, which contains the Switch Hook. Return to the miniboss room. The fastest route is to the left, where you can use the Switch Hook on the Diamond.

From the miniboss room, head right, and climb the stairs to exit north. Use Switch Hook on the Diamond, exit south and east. To avoid problems with the Shrouded Stalfos, you may lay a Scent Seed. Continue by switch-hooking the first Diamond. Walk onto the Button, and use the Switch Hook on the other Diamond. Exit south, and follow the path to the down staircase.

Kill two s and head north and remove three s that are in your way. Switch with the Diamond from the bottom, then switch with the vase. Use the Switch Hook to move the Diamond onto the Button (which will require multiple uses of the Switch Hook). Exit through the newly opened door, then move left. Cross the lava using the Switch Hook on the vases. If you slip, exit and re-enter the room. Exit the room to the south. Jump onto the center tile to make the s visible (and vulnerable). Eliminate them and exit west. Continue west past the lava and blade traps. The next room requires changing all tiles from blue to red. Abbreviated directions: L, D, R, D3, L2, U5, R2, U, L, U, R, U, L2, D, L, U, L9, D2, R, D3, L, D3, R, U2, R, D2, R7, U2, L2, D, L, U, L, D, L, U, L, U, L, U3, R, U, R, D, R2, U, R2, D, R, D, L6, D, R, D, R, U, R4, D, L2. Open the chest for a Small Key and exit north.

Jump across the moving platforms to reach the stairs. You will need to first switch with the Diamond, move onto the second platform, and jump across the lava to reach the stairs. There is also a Hardhat Bettle, which may be a problem, but easily handled. Since you do not yet have the Boss Key, climb the stairs. The stairs lead to a vertical platform-jumping room. It is easiest to switch with the pots, but you can also jump over them. After climbing the stairs, unlock the keyhole-block, and use the Switch Hook on the diamond.

You are now at a series of three lava puzzle rooms. The first requires pulling a lever up as far as you can, and making a run for the other side of the lava. You can barely make it across, as the lava starts when you'r just about to reach the end. The second room requires pulling the lever to turn off the lava. Cross the open area, until you reach the first pot - switch or lift it, and enter that square (the lava won't enter the tiles that originally contained pots). Switch with the remaining pots until you reach the top-left corner, then do a diagonal jump.

In the final room on the left, you will need to plan your approach. If you fail, leave and re-enter the room. Climb the steps, lift the first pot, and push the second pot to the right. Switch with the first pot in the upper-right corner, and push the second pot to the top. Switch with the pot to the left, and push the other pot onto the button. Switch back to the upper-right corner, and open the chest to get the Boss Key. Now jump off the Ledge and return to the stairs.

Boss: Eyesoar
You will face, which will engage without introduction. Eyesoar will defend itself with four orbiting eyes that will block attacks, and resists direct attacks. If the outer eyes are destroyed, they are quickly regenerated.

It is vulnerable to the Switch Hook, but it must connect directly with the large central eye. To reach it, you need to damage the outer eyes to create an opening, or approach it when it moves its eyes further out. When the Switch Hook connects, the outer eyes will scatter chaotically, allowing you to inflict damage with your sword. The eyes will attempt to reform, but won't resume the orbit until all four eyes are in place. When the Eyesoar is destroyed, pick up the Heart Container and head north and collect the  Burning Flame.

"It reignites wavering hearts with a hero's burning passion."

Outside the will contact you and tell of another  north of Nayru's House.