The Ocarina of Time remake keeps the Water Temple's layout and water-level puzzle, but the Iron Boots are quicker to swap and the rooms are easier to read. Here's what changed and the route through it.
Key takeaways
- The layout and the three water levels are the same as the original, and you still change them with Zelda's Lullaby.
- The Iron Boots go on the D-pad, so you're not opening the menu every time you want to sink.
- Some walls are now see-through lattices, so you can tell what's in the next room.
- You'll need the Iron Boots, the Hookshot, the Fairy Bow and Zelda's Lullaby before you go in.
- Dark Link and Morpha are still the big fights, and the Longshot is still the reward.
What changed in the Water Temple?
Nintendo admitted it had unfinished business. In Nintendo's Ask the Developer interview, the team says the Water Temple was adjusted for difficulty, toggling items was made much easier, and some walls were replaced with lattice structures so you can see into the rooms next door.
Everyone struggled with the Water Temple back when we were kids. Luckily we've got the internet now to show us how to do it, and the remake takes away the worst of the pain on its own.
The biggest fix is the boots. In the N64 original you had to open the pause menu and equip the Iron Boots every single time you wanted to sink, then do it again to float back up. On Switch 2, the Iron Boots and Hover Boots can go on the D-pad, according to Zelda Wiki, KeenGamer and Game8. That alone saves a lot of menu trips.
What didn't change is the dungeon itself. KeenGamer says the layout and the water-level puzzle are still there, and TheSixthAxis's review describes reshaped rooms with better sight lines rather than a new design. The same review mentions colour-coded guidance to the spots where you change the water level, though that's one source.
The 3DS version already made the boots easier and colour-coded some doors, so this is the second time Nintendo has smoothed it out. It's still the same puzzle, just with fewer ways to get lost.
What do you need before the Water Temple?
You need four things:
- Iron Boots, from the Ice Cavern.
- Hookshot, for the Spike enemies and the grapple points.
- Fairy Bow, for lighting torches and shooting switches.
- Zelda's Lullaby, to change the water level.
After you get the Iron Boots, Sheik teaches you the Serenade of Water, which warps you to Lake Hylia. The temple is at the bottom of the lake. Getting around still takes time, because Nintendo cut the extra warp points it tried adding, so the Serenade is your quick way back.
Game8 also says Zora's Domain stays frozen and the Zora shop stays closed to adult Link until you finish the Water Temple. That's from one guide.
How do the water levels work?
There are three water heights, and you switch between them by playing Zelda's Lullaby at Triforce symbols around the temple. This is the same system as the original.
- High is how the water is when you arrive.
- Middle is the second floor, set from the Triforce inside the central tower.
- Low drains most of the main chamber, set from the Triforce at the back of the main chamber.
Most of the temple is about getting to the right Triforce symbol with the water at the right height. If you're stuck, the answer is usually to change the water level and look again.
Water Temple walkthrough: the short version
This follows TheGamer's full remake walkthrough, which finds four Small Keys.
- Sink with the Iron Boots and deal with the Spikes using the Hookshot. Find Ruto in the room with the glowing pillars, float up and take the Dungeon Map.
- Play Zelda's Lullaby at the Triforce at the back of the main chamber to lower the water. Shoot an arrow through the fire to light the two torches by the locked door, beat the Spikes and take Small Key 1.
- Bomb the south wall on the ground floor, beat the Shell Blade and Like Like, and grapple up to the Compass.
- Push the block on the west side into the water. In the whirlpool room, Hookshot the green crystal in the statue's mouth, then take Small Key 2.
- Open the central tower and play Zelda's Lullaby to raise the water to the middle level.
- Bomb the east wall, beat the Stingers and use the geyser switch to reach Small Key 3.
- Ride the geyser on the west side, raise the water back to the top and work through the waterfall room and the Tektite room to Dark Link.
- Beat Dark Link and take the Longshot from the next room.
- Lower the water again, use the Longshot in the central tower, and get Small Key 4 from behind the stone blocks on the north side.
- Find the Boss Key in the boulder hallway: wait for the boulder to pass, then go left and left again.
- Raise the water to the top, Longshot to the north side, and walk up the slope with the Iron Boots past the spike traps to Morpha.
How do you beat Dark Link?
Dark Link is waiting in the reflection room with the small island. Walk to the far end and the doors lock behind you.
TheGamer says it depends on your sword. With the Biggoron Sword, just keep swinging. With the Master Sword, open with a jump attack and follow up with slashes, because he can't block that. Din's Fire works too, because he can't block it either.
Once he's taken enough hits, he gets a jump attack and a spin attack. Wait for the spin, then hit him as it finishes.
How do you beat Morpha?
Stay on the outer ring with the Longshot out, and keep off the four platforms in the middle. Morpha can't be hurt while it's in the water.
Wait for its third slam, when the tentacle holds still for a few seconds. Longshot the pink nucleus out of the water and hit it with your sword, locked on so it can't slip away. If a tentacle grabs you, mash A.
Later it splits into nine tentacles, and only one has the nucleus in it. Head for that one, pull it out and keep hitting. TheGamer says the Biggoron Sword can skip most of these phases.
Water Temple Gold Skulltulas
There are five, according to TheGamer's Gold Skulltula and Water Temple guides:
- Under the central tower, with the water at the middle level.
- Behind the cracked east wall in the Ruto room.
- In the whirlpool river, once you have the Longshot.
- In a ceiling corner of the central tower, with the water low.
- Behind a small waterfall in the boulder hallway near the Boss Key.
If you're also chasing the rest, our list of remake changes covers the other changes, and completing everything takes around 37 hours going by the original.
FAQ
Is the Water Temple easier in the Ocarina of Time remake?
Yes. Nintendo says it adjusted the difficulty, made item toggling much easier and added see-through walls. The layout and puzzle are the same.
How do you change the water level in the Water Temple?
Play Zelda's Lullaby at one of the Triforce symbols. There are three heights.
How many Small Keys are in the Water Temple?
TheGamer's remake walkthrough finds four.
What do you get in the Water Temple?
The Longshot, after you beat Dark Link.
