Talk:Earth Dungeon

Should Turtle Rock be here?
I don't think that Turtle Rock from Link's Awakening is an Earth Dungeon. It has lava, the rocks are red, it's main item is a rod that creates fire and the boss is made of fire. But it also has pits, strong and demonic enemies and a scary music. So I think that it should be a Fire and Shadow dungeon. Can I change it?Jerônimo 19:50, 9 October 2011 (EDT)


 * The Turtle Rock dungeon in isn't an earth dungeon, but the one in A Link to the Past is. The LA version was missing from the Fire Dungeon page, so I went ahead and added it. Thanks for pointing that out!  08:25, 11 October 2011 (EDT)


 * Ok, but what about the Shadow theme? Do you think it should be added to the Shadow Dungeon page or stay like that?Jerônimo 11:54, 21 October 2011 (EDT)
 * I haven't played LA, but if the fire themes significantly outweight the shadow ones, then simply leave it as-is. It's best to indicate only the themes that are majorly carried over, unless the dungeon intentionally wants to show a potpourri (like Ganon's Tower in OOT and TWW, as well as the Moon in MM). The Goron Mines has rooms filled with water, but the big rest of the dungeon is fire-themed =P. -- 12:15, 21 October 2011 (EDT)

Definition of an earth dungeon
I think we need to do a better job of defining what an earth dungeon is. As it currently stands we've got otherwise themeless or other-element-themed dungeons that happen to be underground, dungeons without any clear elemental theme at all, and dungeons that are apparently only in this category because they have "earth" in the name.

I suggest the following: An earth dungeon is at least one of the following: Any of these must be a consistent, commmon feature of the dungeon. A token rolling boulder, say, is probably not sufficient reason to call a dungeon an earth dungeon.
 * A cave, mine, or other structure made of natural, irregular stone or earth, rather than a building. This must be true of the dungeon's interior itself.  Merely being located underground is not enough; otherwise every dungeon in the original Legend of Zelda would be an earth dungeon.
 * A dungeon with numerous puzzles or gameplay elements based around digging, breaking rocks, or otherwise manipulating earth or stone.
 * A dungeon with numerous earth-based hazards such as falling or rolling rocks, crumbling floors, and the like.

Examples of dungeons that are clearly earth dungeons (along with any other themes they may have):
 * Turtle Rock -- A system of caves. Lava appears in one room, but it cannot be accessed due to the room's layout and is therefore purely cosmetic.
 * Dodongo's Cavern -- A rocky mine. Also fire-themed.
 * Fortress of Winds -- Despite the name, there are no wind-based elements. Instead, the dungeon is based around digging through barriers of packed earth.

Examples of dungeons that are not earth dungeons:
 * The Earth Temple from The Wind Waker -- It is underground, but it's no more earth-based than the also-underground Shadow Temple in Ocarina of Time is.
 * Eastern Palace -- A generic, non-themed dungeon, similar to those found in the original Legend of Zelda and The Adventure of Link.

Thoughts?--Osteoderm Jacket 01:19, 14 January 2012 (EST)


 * No matter what way you look at it, the definition of dungeon elements can be pretty subjective. But you do make a good point. That seems like a very reasonable guideline. 12:57, 14 January 2012 (EST)

Would anyone object to my removing the dungeons from this page? (Except possibly Turtle Rock.) I don't see how any of them are supposed to be earth-themed, aside from being built into a hillside or the like.--Osteoderm Jacket 00:11, 18 January 2012 (EST)

Update: Honestly, some of what we have here now is still kind of questionable. I'm thinking in particular of Mutoh's Temple. Why is it listed as an earth dungeon? I'd ask the one who originally classed it as such (User:K2L) but he appears to have left the wiki. The only way I can think of in which it fits the theme is that it contains boulders, which aren't exactly an uncommon hazard in this series even outside of strongly earth-themed areas. (I'm thinking I should have been a little stricter with the "earth-based hazards" bullet point in the initial post of this topic. Or maybe just left it out altogether; both boulders and crumbling floors occur in a diverse range of dungeons over the course of the series, most of which I'd hesitate to call earth-themed.) Meanwhile, it makes extensive use of water-level puzzles as well. It just doesn't seem very strongly themed to me. Anyone want to enlighten me as to why I'm wrong? --Osteoderm Jacket 04:53, 1 March 2012 (EST)