The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Secrets

This page lists secrets and unlockables in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Angry Guard
In the Castle Courtyard room with Princess Zelda in it, if Link shoots through the left window with the Fairy Slingshot, a guard will stick his head out and yell, "Hey you! Don't cause any trouble!" He will then proceed to throw a Bomb at Link. This only occurs once--shooting the window additional times garners no reaction.

Bigger Enemies
If Link kills enough Stalchildren, Guays, or Leevers, a larger (and stronger in the Leever's case) version of the enemy will appear. Upon defeat, a bigger Stalchild or Guay will usually drop a blue Rupee, while a bigger Leever will usually leave a set of three Rupees, either blue or red.

Catch with Ganondorf
Besides his Sword, Link can also use an Empty Bottle or even the Megaton Hammer to knock Ganondorf's energy attacks back at him. The Megaton Hammer will also make a floor tile it hits fall away, just as Ganondorf can do when he punches the ground.

Change Pitch of Ocarina Notes
When playing the Fairy Ocarina or the Ocarina of Time, holding the Control Stick in any direction will change the sound of the Ocarina notes. Up and down raise and lower the pitch, respectively, while left and right add a waiver to the note. These features can also be combined: holding the Control Stick in the southwest position (7:30 on a clock) will produce a lower, waivering note. Link cannot use this to activate any Ocarina songs. If Link records his "Scarecrow's Song" using this method, it will nonetheless be rendered with normal notes whenever activated.

Cheaper Hylian Shield
After trading the Keaton Mask to the Keaton Mask Soldier, if Link has not yet acquired a Hylian Shield, the Soldier will explain that he knows the Owner of the Castle Town Bazaar. Afterward, the Man from the Bazaar will sell Link the Hylian Shield for 50 Rupees rather than the normal 80.

Cuccos' Revenge
As in several other Zelda games, if Link damages a Cucco enough, it will crow and summon a vast number of its kin to attack Link. Due to the quantity of enemies and their relatively quick movement speed, this can actually be quite dangerous early in the game, when Link has only a few Heart Containers.

Damage Ganon with Deku Nuts
During the game's final battle, if Link manages to get behind Ganon and throw a Deku Nut at his tail, Ganon will actually take damage as if Link had used another weapon, such as the Megaton Hammer or the Biggoron's Sword. With a large enough number of Deku Nuts, it is possible to bring Ganon's health down to the point where attacking him with the Master Sword will end the fight.

Disappearing Blood
In the Bottom of the Well, there are a few X-shaped wooden objects reminiscent of crucifixes. On 1.0 cartridges of the game, at least, these objects are accompanied by blood spatters on the floor directly beneath them. However, when viewed through the Lens of Truth, these blood spatters disappear. It is unknown whether or not this was intentional on the game designers' part.

Drawbridge Rupees
As a child, if Link walks all the way up the chains that pull Hyrule Castle Town's drawbridge up at night, he will receive a red Rupee. These Rupees reset every time Link reenters Hyrule Field, and so can be used to gain a large amount of Rupees fairly quickly.

Dying Guard
After receiving the Ocarina of Time, but before playing the "Song of Time" in the Temple of Time, Link can encounter a dying guard in Castle Town's back alley. If Link talks to him, the guard will tell him about Ganon's attack on the castle, then die. The guard provides no response if talked to again.

Extra Piece of Heart
If Link manages to enter Gerudo Fortress as a child using a glitch, there will be a Piece of Heart in the jail cell and not in the Treasure Chest where it is normally found. (The Chest instead contains the Odd Mushroom.) Obtaining this Heart Piece can be useful if Link failed to obtain the Piece of Heart from the Fishing Pond, opting instead to use a glitch to receive the Golden Scale early. Collecting this Heart Piece in addition to the game's other 36 will cause an extra Piece of Heart to be displayed in the Quest/Status Item Subscreen. Additionally, what is known as the "Heart Medallion" will appear in the File Selection Screen.

Fix Signs
If "Zelda's Lullaby" has been learned, Link can play the song to make any wooden sign he destroys put itself back together.

Free Hylian Shield
Beneath one of the tombstones in Kakariko Graveyard is a Grotto with a Chest in it. Inside this Chest is a Hylian Shield, but only if Link has not yet acquired one. If he has, the Chest simply contains a blue Rupee.

Free Milk
Playing Epona's Song in front of a Cow will cause it to speak to Link, and fill an Empty Bottle with Lon Lon Milk, if he has one.

Goron Fun and Games
After lighting the torches in Goron City as young Link, the large Goron vase will spin around. If Link throws a Bomb or Bomb Flower into it, Rupees, Bombs, or a Piece of Heart will come out, depending on the face it stops on.

Gossip Stone Reactions
The Gossip Stones scattered across Hyrule respond amusingly to being hit by a variety of weapons. This includes: wiggling around before telling Link the in-game time if struck with Link's Sword; performing a different wiggling animation if hit with a projectile weapon such as the Fairy Slingshot, Boomerang, Hookshot, or Fairy Bow; flattening for several seconds before springing back into place if hit with the Megaton Hammer; spinning around rapidly and momentarily growing in size if touched by Din's Fire or a magic Arrow; and changing from blue to red while beeping until eventually blasting off like a rocket, complete with flame tail, if Bombed. Hitting the Stone with another weapon during its countdown to blastoff will stop the launch, with the Stone remaining whatever color it was at that moment. Gossip Stones give no reaction to Deku Nuts or Deku Sticks; however, they do produce a somewhat notable cloud of brown dust when struck with the latter.

Hammer Time
Hitting the ground with the Megaton Hammer will cause any nearby Tektites or Torch Slugs to flip upside-down, rendering them immobile for a short time. Hitting the ground again will flip an upside-down enemy back to its normal position.

IT'S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY
When Link goes to see Princess Zelda for the first time, if he is spotted by the guards while in the Castle Grounds, they will toss him out in front of the gate. Talking to the gate guard after being thrown out results in the guard soliciting a bribe of ten Rupees to open the gate. If Link speaks to him after paying the bribe, the guard will say, "IT'S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY". This is a reference to one of the only occurrences of dialogue in The Legend of Zelda for the NES, spoken by the Secret Moblin.

Jaws
On the bottom of the pool inside the Lakeside Laboratory, a still image of a large shark can be seen pressing its face against the left set of iron bars.

Kill Skull Kids
While difficult, Link can defeat the hostile Skull Kids he encounters as an adult--most notably with the added range and damage the Biggoron's Sword provides. Upon death, these enemies will drop a huge Rupee, worth 200 Rupees. These Rupees appear orange when dropped by an enemy as in this case, while they are depicted as gold when Link finds them in Treasure Chests.

Magic Arrow Features
Ice Arrows seem to generally be the strongest of the three varieties of magic Arrows. Besides immobilizing enemies in ice for a short time, Ice Arrows kill common enemies such as blue Tektites and Dodongos in one hit, and Lizalfos in two hits. Fire Arrows and Light Arrows--which, interestingly, seem to possess the same attack power as one another--kill blue Tektites and Dodongos in two hits, and Lizalfos in three hits. Defeating a wide variety of enemies with Light Arrows, including Bubbles, Tektites, Torch Slugs, and Lizalfos, will cause them to drop a purple Rupee. This is one of few cases where Link sees a purple Rupee on the ground, as opposed to finding it in a Chest; its size is dramatically greater than that of lesser Rupees, similar to the appearance of the huge Rupees Skull Kids drop.

Mirror Shield Defect
Despite its light-reflecting properties, the Mirror Shield cannot reflect the projectiles Octoroks or Deku Scrubs spit at Link. It simply breaks them.

Mischievous Hero
When in the Fishing Pond as an adult, if Link casts his Fishing Rod at the Pond Owner's head, it is possible to hook the Pond Owner's hat. Link can then reel it in and either return it to its owner, or cast it into the pond; the latter results in the hat sinking, and the Pond Owner fining link 50 Rupees. If the hat sinks, the Pond Owner remains without it for the rest of the game, even during the end credits. Hooking the Pond Owner's hat prompts him to add another rule to the sign in front of the pond: "Don't cast at anyone."

Nintendo Character References
In the Castle Courtyard room with Princess Zelda in it, pictures of Yoshi, Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser can be seen if Link looks into the castle through the windows. Additionally, the broaches worn by Malon and Talon of Lon Lon Ranch are in the shape of Bowser's head. It is also likely that Talon and Ingo are references to Mario and Luigi, respectively.

Paralyze ReDeads
Playing the "Sun's Song" near a ReDead will cause it to turn white and become paralyzed. It will not move or attack while in this state, which lasts until its white tint fades away, with a sound effect marking the ReDead's return to normal. Attacking it will immediately return the ReDead to its normal state as well.

Poe Juice
If Link catches a regular Poe in a Bottle, he can drink it. Doing so will either refill one of his Heart Containers or cause him to lose one Heart's worth of health. The result is random.

Pieces of Heart
There are a total of 36 Pieces of Heart hidden throughout the overworld:


 * 1) Get to the end of the Treasure Chest game in Hyrule Castle Town.
 * 2) Get a perfect score in the Bombchu Bowling Alley in Hyrule Castle Town.
 * 3) At night in Hyrule Castle Town, find Richard the dog and bring him to Mamamu Yan.
 * 4) Inside the storage shed of Lon Lon Ranch, move the milk crates around and crawl through the opening this reveals.
 * 5) Use a Bomb within the fenced area in Hyrule Field, at the entrance to Lake Hylia.
 * 6) Use a Bomb near a tree north of Lon Lon Ranch, just south of the river formed by the moat that flows out of Hyrule Castle Town's westward wall.
 * 7) From the Great Fairy Fountain atop Death Mountain, have Kaepora Gaebora fly Link down to Kakariko Village. Link can enter the house he is dropped onto through a door on the awning, and find this Heart Piece next to the Cow inside.
 * 8) Play Dampé's Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour in Kakariko Graveyard until Dampé digs up a Heart Piece.
 * 9) In Kakariko Village, use the Hookshot to reach the roof atop which the Man on the Roof sits. Speak to him, and he will give Link a Heart Piece.
 * 10) Beneath Dampé's tombstone in Kakariko Graveyard, complete Dampé's race in a minute or less. While helpful, the Longshot is not necessary to achieve this.
 * 11) After completing Dampé's race beneath his tombstone in Kakariko Graveyard, Link will emerge in the Windmill, where he can jump to a rotating Heart Piece.
 * 12) Slay 50 Gold Skulltulas and go to the House of Skulltula in Kakariko Village.
 * 13) Plant a Magic Bean in Kakariko Graveyard as a child, then return as an adult and ride the bean plant to the crate containing this Piece of Heart.
 * 14) In Kakariko Graveyard, play the "Sun's Song" in this Grotto beneath a tombstone.
 * 15) In Goron City, light all the torches on the lower level with a Deku Stick, then toss Bombs into the spinning urn until a Heart Piece pops out.
 * 16) Plant a Magic Bean near the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern as a child, then return and ride the bean plant as an adult. While difficult, it is also possible to Jump Attack to this Heart Piece from the Bomb Flower alcove above. Link will take damage from doing this.
 * 17) Plant a Magic Bean in Death Mountain Crater as a child, then return as an adult and ride the bean plant through the smokestack to get this Heart Piece.
 * 18) In Death Mountain Crater, climb, Hookshot, or ride the bean plant to the alcove in the climbable cliff face.
 * 19) Play "Saria's Song" for the Skull Kid found immediately to the west of the entry point in the Lost Woods.
 * 20) In the Lost Woods, two Skull Kids will ask Link to follow along with their tune on his Ocarina. Successfully do so three times, with each time increasing in difficulty.
 * 21) Play the Song of Storms for a group of frogs in Zora's River.
 * 22) Play "Zelda's Lullaby", "Epona's Song", the "Sun's Song", "Saria's Song", and the "Song of Time" for the frogs in Zora's River, then beat their bug-eating game.
 * 23) Midway up Zora's River, use a Cucco to fly behind a large ledge. Climb the ledge using the ladder, grab the Cucco atop it, and fly to another ledge where this Heart Piece sits.
 * 24) At the Sleepless Waterfall in Zora's River, use a Cucco to fly to the stone pillar supporting this Heart Piece.
 * 25) Light all the torches in Zora's Domain to reveal a Treasure Chest behind the waterfall.
 * 26) In the frozen Zora's Fountain, jump from block to block to reach this Heart Piece.
 * 27) Use the Iron Boots to sink to the bottom of Zora's Fountain.
 * 28) Use Blue Fire to melt Red Ice encasing a Heart Piece inside the Ice Cavern.
 * 29) Catch a Fish weighing at least 10 pounds in the Fishing Pond as a child.
 * 30) Plant a Magic Bean near the Lakeside Laboratory as a child, then return and ride the bean plant as an adult.
 * 31) Use the Golden Scale to dive to the bottom of the pool inside the Lakeside Laboratory.
 * 32) Near the bridge leading to the Gerudo Fortress is a Cucco. Use it to fly to the alcove behind the waterfall.
 * 33) In Gerudo Valley, use a Cucco to fly to a ledge with a crate on it, and break the crate open.
 * 34) On one of the higher roofs in the Gerudo Fortress is a chest. Use the Longshot to reach it.
 * 35) Score at least 1,000 points at the Gerudo's Horseback Archery Range.
 * 36) Near the Desert Colossus, plant a Magic Bean as a child, then return as an adult and ride the bean plant to the top of the pillar.

Secret Fairies

 * Numerous hidden holes containing Fairy Fountains exist in the game. These holes sometimes sit amidst circles of rocks or beneath boulders, although several have no feature marking their locations, such as the one behind the Carpenters' tent and the one to the left upon entering the frozen Zora's Domain. Requisites for making these holes appear include bombing or hitting the ground with the Megaton Hammer, or playing the "Song of Storms" or the "Sun's Song" on the Ocarina.
 * A dried-up oasis can be found at the Desert Colossus. Playing the "Song of Storms" here will cause water to fill the oasis and make a dozen or so Fairies appear, effectively turning this into a Fairy Fountain. The oasis dries up each time Link leaves the area.
 * If Link can get a Butterfly to follow a Deku Stick he is holding as he slowly walks away, the butterfly will eventually turn into a Fairy.
 * Playing "Zelda's Lullaby", "Epona's Song", the "Sun's Song", "Saria's Song", or the "Song of Time" in front of a Gossip Stone will summon a Fairy. Playing the "Song of Storms", meanwhile, will summon a wingless Big Fairy that totally refills Link's health and Magic Meter. Big Fairies cannot be caught in Bottles.
 * In some places, Navi will fly over to a spot and turn green without allowing Link to Z-target. Playing the "Song of Storms" or the "Sun's Song" at such a location will cause a Big Fairy to appear and fully replenish Link's health and Magic Meter.

Sinking Lure
The Sinking Lure, which is irresistible to all fish and sinks to the bottom of the water where the biggest fish lurk, can only be obtained after catching a fish weighing 15 pounds or more (and also only after obtaining the Golden Scale, according to some). To get this lure, rent a rod from the Pond Owner and immediately run to one of the following locations: the small feeder creek; the grass around the edge of the pond; the Lily Pads; or the top of the fallen log, right where the branch juts out of it. Speed is important because the fish will actually eat the Sinking Lure if given time. Have Link walk slowly back and forth in the target area, and if he is lucky, he will find it. Sometimes this takes a few exits and reentries of the Fishing Pond. Once Link has this lure it becomes much easier to catch those lunkers, although anything he catches with it will be marked as "illegal" by the Pond Owner. However, if Link speaks to him after finding the Sinking Lure and selects "Let's talk about something", the Pond Owner will render this lure legal for use.

Soup Rupees
Inside the Gerudo Fortress are a few cauldrons with a bubbling substance inside. Jumping or climbing inside these will usually result in Link receiving a red Rupee.

Target Practice
Scattered copiously throughout the Gerudo Fortress are wall ornaments, often consisting of several colorful feathers and what appears to be a cow skull. When shot with the Fairy Bow, some of these will reward Link with Rupees or even the occasional Fairy. This also works with some of the wooden signs hanging from ropes in the outside areas of the Gerudo Fortress.

Torture the Rich
If Link hits a member of Kakariko Village's Fabulously Rich Family with his Sword (before lifting the curse on the individual), the spider-person will swing back and forth for a few seconds. Link can use this opportunity to move behind it and slash its vulnerable back. This results in a scream sound effect and the creature turning blue, stunned, for a short while. After this, if Link approaches the creature without first exiting and reentering the house, it will spin around once in retaliation, damaging Link and knocking him back.