The Shadow Temple is one of the creepiest dungeons in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and it’s full of tricks designed to catch you off guard. Between invisible platforms, hidden doors, deadly traps, and enemies waiting in the dark, it’s easy to miss something if you rush through.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the entire Shadow Temple, including the Dungeon Map, Compass, Hover Boots, Boss Key, all five Gold Skulltulas, and the final fight against Bongo Bongo. We’ll take things room by room, but I’ll also point out useful shortcuts and items along the way so you don’t have to backtrack more than necessary.
Before heading inside, make sure you have the Lens of Truth, Fairy Bow, bombs, Hookshot or Longshot, and Din’s Fire. You’ll also want some magic-restoring items, since the Lens of Truth and Din’s Fire will come in handy throughout this dungeon.
Ocarina of Time Shadow Temple 100% Walkthrough
After playing the Nocturne of Shadows, you’ll arrive at the Shadow Temple entrance. The first room has a locked stone door and a circle of torches that you can’t see normally.
- Equip the Lens of Truth to reveal the torches.
- Walk into the center of the circle.
- Use Din’s Fire to light all the torches at once.
- Go through the newly unlocked door.
Follow the hallway, turn right, and use the Hookshot to cross the gap. Walk through the fake wall near the golden plaque to reach a room with a large bird statue.
Use the Lens of Truth to inspect the podiums around the statue. Find the one with a skull whose eyes glow purple, then rotate the statue’s beak until it points toward that podium. This opens the next door.
Be careful: Pointing the beak at the wrong podium causes the floor to collapse, dropping you into the abyss.
Get the Dungeon Map
The door you just opened is across a gap, so we’ll need to find another route first.
- Use the Lens of Truth to reveal the fake smiling wall.
- Go through the hidden door behind it.
- In the next room, walk through the wall below the talking skull.
- Use the Lens of Truth again to reveal another hidden door on the right.
The door will lock behind you, and you’ll have to defeat two Keese and a ReDead. Play the Sun’s Song to freeze the ReDead, then take it out before it can grab you.
Once every enemy is defeated, a large chest appears with the Dungeon Map inside.
Get the Hover Boots
The Hover Boots let Link walk over gaps for a short time, and we’ll need them to reach several areas of this dungeon.
From the map room, return to the room with the talking skulls. Use the Lens of Truth to go west through the fake wall. In this room, defeat the Wallmaster and Flying Pots, then look for a hidden passage in the northwest corner.
Follow the hallway to a room with a Dead Hand.
I recommend using Din’s Fire here. Run to the middle of the room and cast it to destroy the hands and force the Dead Hand to appear. Attack its head after it finishes lunging at you. If it summons the hands again, Din’s Fire can clear them quickly.
After defeating the Dead Hand, open the chest to get the Hover Boots. Equip them from the item menu, just as you did with the Iron Boots in the Water Temple.
Get the Compass
Return to the bird statue room and use the Hover Boots to cross the gap to the door you unlocked earlier. You’ll enter a central room with a Beamos.
Defeat the Beamos, then bomb the cracked wall to reveal another locked door. There are also hidden doors on both sides of the room.
Go through the hidden door on the south side first. You’ll face two Gibdos. Use the Sun’s Song to immobilize them, then defeat both enemies to make a chest appear. Open it to get the Compass.
Return to the central room and enter the hidden northern door. You’ll need to collect five silver diamonds to unlock the gate and reach a chest containing your first Small Key.
The main hazard here is a spinning scythe in the middle of the room. Move carefully around the outer edge and collect the diamonds one at a time. The scythe deals a full heart of damage, so don’t try to rush through the middle.
Reach the Ghost Ferry
Use your Small Key on the locked door in the central room. Follow the hallway past the Skulltulas and guillotine traps until you reach a large cavern.
Here’s how I recommend crossing the broken bridge:
- Equip the Hover Boots and run across the first gap.
- Unequip them and walk across the remaining bridge.
- Defeat the Stalfos that appears on the next platform.
- Equip the Hover Boots and activate the Lens of Truth.
- Cross the invisible platform to the east.
A Business Scrub is waiting beside the next door. You can buy supplies here, and a Green Potion is worth considering because we’ll use quite a bit of magic in this dungeon.
In the next room, defeat the Fire Keese with your bow. Use the Lens of Truth to reveal the large spinning scythe in the center, then carefully make your way around it. Kill the Like Like and go through the unlocked door to find two chests containing Red Rupees.
Gold Skulltula 1 — Invisible Scythe Room
After defeating the enemies in the invisible scythe room, go through the unlocked door. Look along the back wall to find the first Gold Skulltula.
Cross the Cavern and Find Another Small Key
Return to the large cavern and move across the rising and lowering platforms toward the Beamos and moving spike traps.
When you approach the Beamos, five silver diamonds appear. Collect them to unlock the next door:
- Ride the rising platform beside the Beamos to the top and jump to the first diamond.
- Climb the scaffolding on the left and use the Hover Boots to reach the next one.
- Bomb the Beamos, then collect the three diamonds around the moving spike traps.
- Use the Lens of Truth to reveal the platform beneath the final diamond near the mouse statues.
Go through the unlocked door to reach a room with two spike crusher traps.
How to Get Through the Spike Crusher Room
The stone block in this room is the key to getting past the crushers. Use the Lens of Truth to reveal a hidden opening in the wall on the right, then pull the block out.
Move the block under the first crusher to create a safe spot. When the second crusher rises, pull the block across and position it underneath that one too. Once you’ve made it to the other side, open the chest for a Red Rupee.
Bring the block to the far end of the room and climb onto it to reach the upper level. Use the tops of the crushers as a bridge to cross and open the chest containing another Small Key.
Gold Skulltula 2 — Spike Crusher Room
Before leaving, look toward the northeast corner of the room. The Gold Skulltula is high up in a small area. Use the tops of the crusher traps to reach the ledge, then use the Longshot to collect its token.
Get Through the ReDead and Fire Keese Rooms
Return to the large cavern and head toward the mouse statues. Use the Lens of Truth to reveal the invisible platform, then cross it with the Hover Boots. Unlock the door with your Small Key.
Inside, you’ll face two ReDeads and several silver diamonds. Use the Sun’s Song to freeze the ReDeads, then defeat them. Keep to the edges of the room because hidden spike traps are scattered across the floor.
Use the Lens of Truth to reveal the grapple points above you. Hookshot or Longshot your way to the floating diamonds to unlock the next door.
In the following room, use your bow to kill the two Fire Keese flying around and the two perched near the top of the stairs. Then throw a bomb into the large Skull Vase to reveal a Small Key.
Take the key back to the previous room and unlock the next door.
The next area has narrow corridors with powerful fans that can blow Link into the abyss. Equip the Iron Boots to keep your footing and move slowly past the spike traps and Skulltula.
When you reach the gap near the end of the hallway, wait for the fan to stop blowing. Equip the Hover Boots and run across, then switch back to the Iron Boots to avoid being pushed off.
Gold Skulltula 3 — Fan Room
After crossing the gap, turn around and look at the wall above the pit. You’ll spot a Gold Skulltula. Use the Longshot to defeat it and collect the token.
Drop down to the lower hallway, where several fans face each other. You can enter the door straight ahead if you want to fight two ReDeads and find a chest with a Business Scrub seed, but it’s optional.
Instead, look north and use the Lens of Truth to reveal a hidden door. Equip the Hover Boots and wait until the fan blows toward the door. Run across the gap while the wind pushes you forward.
Inside, defeat the Gibdos, Flying Pots, and moving spike traps to make a chest appear. It only contains a Green Rupee, but there’s a better reward nearby. Bomb the cracked wall and use the Lens of Truth to reveal a hidden chest containing a Small Key.
Unlock the next door and take the elevator down to the docks. Pull the stone block on the left to open a shortcut back to the invisible scythe room.
Gold Skulltula 4 — Docks
On the dock, look above the spot where you pulled the stone block. You’ll find a Scarecrow spawn point.
Play the Scarecrow’s Song to summon him, then use the Longshot to reach the platform. The Gold Skulltula is just to the left of the Scarecrow.
Ride the Ghost Ferry
Step onto the ship and stand on the Triforce symbol. Play Zelda’s Lullaby to make the ferry move.
Two Stalfos will attack during the journey. Defeat them both, then get off the ship as soon as it reaches the next dock and begins to sink.
Use Din’s Fire or a Fire Arrow to burn away the spider web covering the door.
Get the Boss Key
Inside, you’ll find a maze with two Floormasters. Use the Lens of Truth to see the true layout and follow the path around the room.
Defeat the first Floormaster you encounter. When it splits into smaller hands, use a spin attack to finish them off quickly.
Go through the southern door and use the Lens of Truth to reveal an invisible Floormaster. Defeat it to make a chest appear with a Small Key.
Return to the maze, defeat the second Floormaster, and head through the western door to find an optional Gold Skulltula.
Gold Skulltula 5 — Spinning Skull Vase Room
This room has three large skull vases rotating around in a circle. Climb the stairs and throw bombs into each vase. One contains a Gold Skulltula along with Rupees.
When it appears, run down the stairs and defeat it to collect the final token.
Now return to the maze and unlock the northern door with your Small Key. Quickly use Din’s Fire to burn away the closing spike walls. Then play the Sun’s Song to freeze the ReDeads and defeat them.
Open the chest in the corner to get the Boss Key.
Reach the Boss Room
Return to the docks where the ghost ship crashed. Find the pillar that’s still standing and place a bomb at its base to knock it down, creating a bridge.
If you need a Fairy before the boss, look toward the other fallen pillar and play the Scarecrow’s Song. The Scarecrow will appear on a platform with several pots, including one containing a Fairy.
Go through the next door and use the Lens of Truth to reveal the invisible platforms. Cross them with the Hover Boots and unlock the Boss Room.
How to Defeat Bongo Bongo
Recommended equipment: Lens of Truth, Fairy Bow, Hover Boots, and Biggoron’s Sword.</text>
Bongo Bongo is a shadowy boss that attacks while drumming on the giant platform beneath Link. The Hover Boots are useful for staying on the drum, but their sliding movement can make dodging tricky. I recommend equipping them while Bongo Bongo is drumming and taking them off when you need to dodge or aim carefully.
Phase 1: Stun Both Hands
Bongo Bongo’s hands will take turns attacking you.
- Watch for a hand to stop glowing purple.
- Unequip the Hover Boots and watch the hand’s shadow on the drum.
- Dodge its slam, then shoot it with an arrow to stun it.
- The other hand will try to crush you. Dodge it, then shoot it when it becomes stationary.
Repeat until both hands are stunned.
Phase 2: Attack the Eye
Once both hands are stunned, activate the Lens of Truth to reveal Bongo Bongo’s body.
The boss will charge across the drum. Shoot the glowing red eye with an arrow to interrupt the attack, then rush in and hit the eye with your sword as many times as you can.
Phase 3: Repeat and Finish the Fight
Bongo Bongo will recover and start drumming again. Equip the Hover Boots to keep from being knocked around, then watch for a hand to become vulnerable.
- Remove the boots when you need to dodge a hand attack.
- Shoot the hand after dodging its slam or horizontal sweep.
- When the other hand forms a fist, wait for it to hit the drum, then shoot it.
- Use the Lens of Truth to reveal Bongo Bongo and shoot its red eye when it charges.
Keep repeating this pattern until the boss is defeated. If you get knocked off the drum, use the outer platforms to get back onto it.
Once Bongo Bongo is down, collect the Heart Container and step into the teleportation circle to complete the Shadow Temple.
Shadow Temple 100% Checklist
| Item | How to get it |
|---|---|
| Dungeon Map | Defeat two Keese and a ReDead in the hidden room |
| Compass | Defeat two Gibdos in the southern hidden room |
| Hover Boots | Defeat Dead Hand |
| Small Keys | Collect them from the silver diamond puzzles and hidden chests |
| Boss Key | Defeat the ReDeads beyond the closing spike walls |
| Gold Skulltula 1 | Invisible scythe room |
| Gold Skulltula 2 | Spike crusher room |
| Gold Skulltula 3 | Fan hallway |
| Gold Skulltula 4 | Docks, using the Scarecrow’s Song |
| Gold Skulltula 5 | Spinning skull vase room |
| Heart Container | Defeat Bongo Bongo |
With all five Gold Skulltulas collected and the boss defeated, you’ve cleared the Shadow Temple 100% and can move on to the next part of your adventure.