The Water Temple in the Ocarina of Time remake on Switch 2 is still a flooded maze built around three water levels, but both walkthroughs we read call it much easier than the 1998 original. The Iron Boots now toggle with a press of the D-pad, and coloured markings on the walls tell you which Zelda’s Lullaby spot raises or lowers the water. Below is the route in the order the guides take it, with a key and water-level table and the five Gold Skulltulas. Checked Nov 14, 04:14 UTC.
Table of Contents
Quick answer: how to beat the Water Temple
- Before you go in: clear the Ice Cavern for the Iron Boots, thaw King Zora with Blue Fire for the Zora Tunic, learn the Serenade of Water, and bring bombs (or the Megaton Hammer), a bow and the Hookshot.
- The whole dungeon is one loop: play Zelda’s Lullaby at a Triforce mark to set the water to 1F, 2F or 3F, then return to the main hall and use whatever that level opens.
- The big rewards in order: Dungeon Map, Compass, the Longshot (after the Dark Link fight), the Boss Key, then Morpha for a Heart Container and the Water Medallion.
- If you get lost: go down to the 1F room where you met Ruto and play the Lullaby there to drain the water to 1F, then rebuild the levels in order.
The Iron Boots and the Hookshot do most of the work in the Water Temple. AI-generated illustration
How to get into the Water Temple
Adult Link needs three things first. Kotaku says the Zora Tunic comes from freeing King Zora from his ice block, which needs Blue Fire in a bottle from the Ice Cavern, and the Iron Boots come from the same cavern. Nintendo Life lists both items under the Ice Cavern, so the guides differ on the tunic; either way, finish the cavern and thaw the king before you dive. Our Ocarina of Time bottle locations guide covers where to find every empty bottle.
Wear the Zora Tunic for the dive (see the FAQ). Then play the Serenade of Water to teleport to Lake Hylia, drop off the ledge into what is left of the lake, equip the Iron Boots to sink, and shoot the switch above the locked gate with the Hookshot. On Switch 2 the song inputs are in our Ocarina of Time songs list.
Optional but useful: Din’s Fire from the Great Fairy Fountain on top of Death Mountain. Nintendo Life calls it the easiest way to beat the mini-boss. See our Great Fairy Fountains guide.
Water levels: which marker does what
The temple has three Lullaby spots, each a Triforce mark on the floor. Both guides say the pillars or wall paths around each one are colour-coded. They agree on blue and green; they name the third colour differently (Kotaku: red, Nintendo Life: pink).
| Marker colour | Water goes to | Where the guides place it |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | 1F (lowest) | Room on 1F where you meet Princess Ruto |
| Green | 2F (middle) | Inside the central pillar, up on the ledge reached with the Hookshot |
| Red or pink | 3F (highest) | Top of the lift room behind the locked door with the red or pink columns on 2F |
If the water is in the wrong place, drop to the Ruto room, play the Lullaby to reach 1F, and repeat blue, then green, then red or pink. Nintendo Life gives the same reset order.
Step-by-step route, floor by floor
Cardinal directions in the two guides do not always match (Kotaku sends you east to the Ruto room, Nintendo Life says west), so use the in-game map once you have it and match rooms by what is in them. The order below follows both.
1. Dungeon Map and the first Small Key (water to 1F)
Take the Iron Boots off and float to the top of the first room, then clear the Blue Tektite. Put the boots on again, sink to 1F and enter the room where Ruto waits. After the cutscene, take the boots off to float up and open the chest for the Dungeon Map, then play Zelda’s Lullaby on the Triforce mark to drop the water to 1F (blue).
Drop back down to the Ruto room and fire an arrow through the lit torch to light the others and open the door. Inside, three Spikes guard Small Key 1. Block their attacks with the shield and hit them when they are open, or use Din’s Fire, per Kotaku. Nintendo Life says the Hookshot works best.
2. Compass and the dragon-statue key
- Compass: back in the main hall with the water low, bomb the cracked wall on 1F, sink through the underwater corridor (a Shell Blade patrols it; Kotaku says to hit it with the Hookshot when its mouth is open), then float up and Hookshot across the pillars to the chest.
- Small Key 2: push the movable block in the main hall into the water, follow it with the boots, and surface in the whirlpool room. Sink onto the serpent’s body in the middle and Hookshot the gem in its mouth to open the underwater grate. Put the boots on and off as needed to cross, deal with the Shell Blades inside, then float up to the key chest.
3. Central pillar: raise the water to 2F
Open the locked door on the central pillar with a Small Key. Inside, look up, Hookshot onto the ledge and play the Lullaby on the Triforce to raise the water to 2F (green). A block floats up and opens a hole in the floor. Sink down to the basement, Hookshot the switch to release a Shell Blade, and rise through the opening. You get a Red Rupee and a Gold Skulltula here (Nintendo Life, Kotaku, VGC).
4. 2F: the third Small Key and the lift to 3F
With the water at 2F, bomb (or hammer) the cracked wall in the alcove across the hall and swim the underwater passage guarded by Stingers. At the end, hit the switch in the pool to lower a round lid, stand on it and hit the switch again to rise. The chest holds Small Key 3.
Back in the hall, open the locked door ringed with red or pink columns. Hit the switch, defeat the Blue Tektite that drops in, stand on the lid and hit the switch again to rise. Play the Lullaby at the Triforce on top to raise the water to 3F.
5. 3F: waterfall climb, Dark Link and the Longshot
Use a key on the locked door on the west side of 3F. A waterfall room with moving platforms leads to a Hookshot climb; Kotaku says a stable side platform lets you pause. The next room has dragon-head pillars and a central switch. Both guides solve it by alternating: hit the switch to raise or lower the pillars, Hookshot to the next target, and repeat until you can climb onto a dragon head and raise it to the next floor. Blue Tektites appear after the first raise, so clear them first or they will knock you into the water.
Beyond is the Dark Link fight, then the Longshot. Use it to leave the room, drop down the waterfall, and walk the river with the Iron Boots to avoid whirlpools. At the end, Longshot the eye switch above the gate, then immediately Longshot the target inside before it closes.
6. Small Key 4 and the Boss Key
- Reset to 1F: sink to the Ruto room and play the Lullaby. Go into the central pillar from its 1F door, grab the high ceiling target with the Longshot and fly up; a Gold Skulltula waits in the opposite corner. Play the green Lullaby to raise the water to 2F.
- The gated chest: from the floating block, Longshot the eye switch on the outer wall and then the target inside the gate. Drop into the pool, pull the block out of the hallway, climb out, Longshot the ceiling target by the fence, then sink and push the block aside to reach the chest with Small Key 4.
- The boss-key rooms: sink to the north passage on 1F and cross the gap to a locked door. Clear the Tektites, cross the whirlpool room, Longshot the Stingers and bomb the three cracked walls to reveal a block. Push it onto the underwater switch to raise the water, then climb out through the door above.
- Boulder stream: cross the raised platforms, time the rolling boulders, and go behind the waterfall. A Gold Skulltula sits near the ceiling there. Beat the Shell Blade in the alcove, go through the door and open the chest for the Boss Key.
7. Raise the water to 3F one last time
Return to the 2F west lift, climb the fountain and play the red or pink Lullaby. This opens the big stairway on the north side. Longshot across from the central pillar and go through the boss door. A short gauntlet follows: climb the waterfall with the Iron Boots and avoid the spinning spiked pieces.
Small Keys: what the remake route uses
| Key | Where you find it |
|---|---|
| 1 | Three Spikes behind the torch door, 1F |
| 2 | Chest past the dragon-statue whirlpool room |
| 3 | Chest at the top of the Stinger passage lift, 2F |
| 4 | Gated chest after you have the Longshot |
Four locked doors take a key: the central pillar, the red or pink-column door on 2F, the west door on 3F and the north passage on 1F. By our count of both walkthroughs that is four keys found and four spent, so there are no spares to waste and keys are not tied to particular doors. The table is our own tally, not one either guide prints. Zelda Wiki says the original game had six Small Keys, so do not assume the 1998 count applies.
Water Temple Gold Skulltulas (5)
VGC says there are five, all reachable on your first visit with no extra gear. Our full Gold Skulltula locations list has the rest of the game.
| Spot | Notes |
|---|---|
| Basement of the central pillar | Reached with the Iron Boots after the water rises. Nintendo Life and Kotaku collect it at 2F; VGC says the highest level. |
| Top of the central pillar | Longshot to the ceiling target, then look to the opposite corner. |
| Bomb-wall room, 2F water | VGC places it in the blue-lit eastern room; Nintendo Life has you bomb a cracked wall on 1F. |
| Whirlpool river | After the Longshot, about three-quarters down the stream; stay under with the boots and hit it with the Longshot. |
| Rolling-boulder tunnel | Go behind the waterfall on the way to the Boss Key. |
Morpha hides its red nucleus inside water tentacles. AI-generated illustration
How to beat Dark Link
Nintendo Life calls the mini-boss Dark Link; Kotaku calls him Shadow Link. Both say he mirrors your moves. Nintendo Life says Din’s Fire is the easiest answer, otherwise block, watch for the spin attack and strike when he opens up. Kotaku’s writer kept the guard up and did not attack while his shield was raised: in the first phase they dodged left twice when he swung and then hit his exposed back, and in the second phase they dodged backward twice and used the Hookshot to stun him. Kotaku also warns to dodge far back when he winds up the spin attack and not to get pinned near the walls.
How to beat Morpha
Morpha is the red nucleus hiding in the water tentacles. You can only hurt it by pulling it out of the water with the Longshot and slashing it. Nintendo Life writes “Hookshot” for this, but you are carrying the Longshot by now, which also matches Zelda Wiki’s description of the 1998 fight. Lock on to the nucleus and keep to the edge of the room with your back to a wall. More tentacles appear as the fight goes on, and later they form a wall. If one traps you, Kotaku says the grapple points at the sides of the room get you out. Zelda Wiki adds that Din’s Fire can evaporate the tentacles.
Win and you get a Heart Container and the Water Medallion, and you return to Lake Hylia at dawn.
What to do after the Water Temple
- Fire Arrows: at sunrise on the island, shoot an arrow at the light in the sky. If the sun is already up, play the Sun’s Song to wait. Our Ocarina of Time arrows guide has the full route.
- Biggoron’s Sword: Nintendo Life says you now have everything for the trading quest. See our Biggoron’s Sword guide.
- Next dungeon: Nintendo Life sends you to Kakariko for the Song of Storms and the Lens of Truth from the Bottom of the Well before the Shadow Temple.
What changed from the 1998 game
| Feature | Remake (Kotaku, Nintendo Life) | 1998 game (Zelda Wiki) |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Boots | Toggle with a D-pad press | Equipment you swap in the pause menu |
| Water-level markers | Colour-coded paths and pillars | Not marked; Zelda Wiki says the 3DS version added them |
| Look of the rooms | More distinct and brighter | Darker; Zelda Wiki says the 3DS version brightened it |
| Small Keys | Four found on the guides’ route (our count) | Six |
The 3DS remake made the same fixes, according to Zelda Wiki, which quotes Eiji Aonuma apologising for the original’s design in a 2009 interview. Neither guide we read describes new rooms in the Switch 2 version.
FAQ
How do I reset the water level in the Water Temple?
Sink to the 1F Ruto room and play Zelda’s Lullaby on the Triforce mark. That drops the water to 1F. Raise it again with the green mark (2F), then the red or pink mark (3F).
Is the Water Temple hard in the Switch 2 remake?
Kotaku calls it far easier than it has ever been, with the Iron Boots on the D-pad and more distinct rooms. It is still one of the longest dungeons, and the route returns to the main hall many times.
Do I need the Zora Tunic?
Kotaku says you must wear it to enter. Zelda Wiki says the 1998 game can technically be finished without it but only by an expert, so wear it.
Can I skip the Dark Link fight?
No. He guards the room that holds the Longshot, which you need for the Boss Key and Morpha.
Sources: Nintendo Life Water Temple walkthrough, Kotaku Water Temple walkthrough (Nov 10), VGC Gold Skulltula guide, Zelda Wiki: Water Temple and Morpha (1998 facts). We have not played the remake; this route is a synthesis of those guides.
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Featured image: AI-generated illustration
