Zelda Wiki

Want to contribute to this wiki?
Sign up for an account, and get started!

Come join the Zelda Wiki community Discord server!

READ MORE

Zelda Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Barrels are recurring Objects in The Legend of Zelda series.[1][2][3][4][5][6][name reference needed] Like Pots, they usually reveal pickups such as Rupees, Hearts, Arrows, and Bombs when broken. Depending on the game, Barrels may also have particular purposes or roles.

Location and Uses[]

Majora's Mask[]

Barrels make their debut in Majora's Mask, where they appear exclusively within the Pirates' Fortress and the Great Bay Temple. Appearing as large kegs, Barrels in Majora's Mask cannot be lifted, although they can be broken with Bombs, by rolling into them, or by punching them in Goron form. A Stray Fairy in the Great Bay Temple can be found inside a Barrel. Barrels, being made of wood, can also be latched onto with the Hookshot.

The Wind Waker[]

BarrelSneakingWW

Link hiding from a Moblins inside a Barrel

In The Wind Waker, Barrels are smaller and can be lifted and thrown by Link. As in Majora's Mask, they can be broken to reveal pickups. Since they can be picked up, barrels can be placed on floor switches to activate them. Barrels are found all across the Great Sea, namely in the Forsaken Fortress, inside Dungeons, Submarines (which resemble floating Barrels themselves), and other indoor areas.

As Link travels to the Forsaken Fortress for the first time with Tetra's Pirate Crew, he is placed inside a Barrel and catapulted into to the fortress. The Barrel shatters against the wall of the fortress, causing Link to lose his Sword and drop down into the interior of the stronghold. Barrels become an essential element of Link's first visit to the Forsaken Fortress. As he lost his Sword getting into the fortress, he cannot attack Moblins roaming the fortress. He must instead use stealth, hiding under open-bottomed Barrels to avoid detection from Moblins. As long as Link stands still under a Barrel, Moblins will not detect him. Once the Moblin puts his back to Link, he can again start walking under the Barrel, although he must keep a distance between himself and the Moblin. Hiding under a Barrel also allows Link to evade detection from Searchlights as well.

RupeeBarrel

A Barrel floating on the Great Sea

Barrels also appear floating on the Great Sea, either on their side or upright. Barrels on their side can simply be sailed over, while upright Barrels must either be avoided or jumped over to avoid smashing into them and being thrown off the King of Red Lions.[7] While sailing, Link will sometimes encounter two Barrels adorned with flags. Passing through these two Barrels triggers a mini-game where Barrels, placed on their side, begin to appear with Rupees above them. The value of the Rupee increases as Link collects them. The mini-game ends when Link misses a Barrel or approaches an island. A similar mini-game can be played at the Boating Course. This mini-game is a timed race in which Link must gather as many Rupees as possible found on Barrels that are either on their side or upright.[8] Barrels also serve as targets for the Barrel Shoot mini-game on Spectacle Island.[9]

Four Swords Adventures[]

In Four Swords Adventures, Barrels serve as an obstacle that can be moved with the Wide Formation. They appear in the Village of the Blue Maiden and block access to the Book of Magic.

The Minish Cap[]

In The Minish Cap, Barrels only appear in areas where Link is Minish-sized, thus appearing to be large objects.[10] There are only two Barrels to be found in Hyrule; the first is the Barrel House in the Minish Village that contains the Jabber Nut and Pico Blooms.[11] The second serves as the central hub and main puzzle of the Deepwood Shrine. Walking up or down causes the Barrel to roll, revealing different exits that allow access to different areas of the Dungeon. Some exits are blocked by spiderwebs that can be removed using the Gust Jar. To use the Barrel, Link must first burn the vines holding it in place by lighting a Switch-activated Torchlight.

Twilight Princess[]

Barrels in Twilight Princess appear much as they do in The Wind Waker, but can now simply be broken by a swing of the Sword. As always, barrels yield Hearts, Rupees, and other pickups.

In an optional Sidequest, Link must carry a Barrel of Hot Springwater from Gor Liggs across the Eldin Province to the Goron outside the east entrance of Hyrule Castle Town who runs a Hot Springwater shop in the town. While transporting the Barrel, Link must avoid enemies that will attempt to destroyed it. He must also avoid dropping the Barrel in cold water, which will turn the springwater cold. The Barrel of springwater will also go cold if Link takes too long to bring it to the Goron.[12]

Phantom Hourglass[]

In Phantom Hourglass, Barrels in the World of the Ocean King play a similar role to the ones of The Wind Waker. Regular Barrels can be found on various islands and can be broken for pickups or to attack enemies by lifting and throwing them. Also, the bridge of the Vintage Ship, called the Barrel Shack, is shaped like a Barrel.

Spirit Tracks[]

In Spirit Tracks, Barrels can be found floating on the waters of the Ocean Realm. Like the Rocks of the other realms, these barrels can be destroyed using the Cannon for Hearts and Rupees. Ocean Rabbits will hide behind these Barrels. Destroying them prompts the rabbit-catching mini-game.

Skyward Sword[]



Barrels appear in Skyward Sword as well. They can be destroyed with the Sword to reveal pickups.

Breath of the Wild[]



Barrels containing Materials, Food, and Arrows can be found throughout Hyrule in Breath of the Wild. Giant Barrels, inside which Link can hide to avoid detection from enemies, also appear scarcely.

Other Appearances[]

Link's Crossbow Training[]

In Link's Crossbow Training, Barrels appear as background objects in several stages. They can be shot at for a minor amount of points. In both the Skull Shooting and Fruit Balloons stages, one particular Barrel holds an Orange Rupee worth 1000 points. Link must destroy the Barrel to reveal the Rupee. Barrels take three shots to destroy. Link receives one point for each hit and 5 for destroying it, for a total of 7 points per Barrel.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese タル (Taru) Barrel
French Republic FrenchEU Tonneau
Federal Republic of Germany German Fass
Italian Republic Italian Barile
Kingdom of Spain SpanishEU Barril Barrel

Gallery[]

See Also[]

References

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask — Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 80
  2. "Ocean, #5: Barrel" — Vision (Majora's Mask 3D)
  3. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker — The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Nintendo of America, pg. 8
  4. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 273 (TMC)
  5. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess — PRIMA Official Game Guide, Prima Games, pg. 132
  6. "Good morning, Link! Today's the big Wing Ceremony, right? I wanted to fly too, but I... I didn't make the cut, so I'm stuck back here at the academy. Plus, I've got to move these barrels over to the kitchen." — Fledge (Skyward Sword HD)
  7. "There's two kinds of floatin' barrels you gotta watch out for: the ones that float on their sides and the ones that float upright. You can get the Rupees above the barrels floatin' on their sides by just sailin' right over the barrels... But if you run into the barrels floatin' upright in the water, they'll rough you up." — Loot (The Wind Waker)
  8. "The deal is, you take your boat and sail over the barrels floatin' in the water and see how many Rupees you can bring to the finish line within the time limit." — Loot (The Wind Waker)
  9. "If you can manage to sink the 5 pirate ships you see off on the horizon, we'll acknowledge your skills with a cannon, you shrimpy little landlubber! HOWEVER! We won't tolerate any comments about how the pirate ships look like barrels!" — Salvatore (The Wind Waker)
  10. "Wow! Look at the size of that barrel! Hm? Oh, right! Right! How silly of me! It's not big we're just small!" — Ezlo (The Minish Cap)
  11. "You could use a Jabber Nut. It will allow you to understand our tongue. You should be able to find one in the barrel house just south of here." — Festari (The Minish Cap)
  12. "Hot springwater cools as time passes, so if you do not hurry, you will end up with plain old cold water, my brother!" — Gor Liggs (Twilight Princess)
Advertisement