retrogameindex
Chronicles of HyruleThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of TimeGUIDES

Ocarina of Time Secrets & Side Quests

The side quests and hidden rewards the game barely explains: Biggoron’s Sword, the mask shop, Gold Skulltulas, Great Fairies, Epona, Big Poes, fishing and more.

Biggoron’s Sword trading sequence

Ocarina of Time: Biggoron’s Sword
Kakariko, Lost Woods, Gerudo Valley, Zora’s Domain, Lake Hylia, Death Mountain
  1. Get the Pocket Egg from the Cucco Lady in Kakariko; it hatches into the Pocket Cucco overnight.
  2. Wake Talon in Kakariko with it, then give the Cucco Lady back her Cucco for Cojiro.
  3. Cojiro → Grog in the Lost Woods → Odd Mushroom → Granny’s Potion Shop → Odd Potion → Fado → Poacher’s Saw.
  4. Poacher’s Saw → head carpenter in Gerudo Valley → Broken Goron’s Sword → Biggoron → Prescription.
  5. Prescription → King Zora → Eyeball Frog → Lake Scientist → World’s Finest Eye Drops → Biggoron → Claim Check.
  6. Come back after three days (play the Sun’s Song to pass the time) and swap the Claim Check for the sword.
Reward
Biggoron’s Sword: the strongest blade in the game, and it never breaks

The Happy Mask Shop

Ocarina of Time: Happy Mask Shop
Hyrule Castle Town Market (child)
  1. The shop opens once Zelda’s Letter has been shown to the Kakariko gate guard.
  2. Borrow the Keaton Mask and sell it to that guard; pay the shop back 10 Rupees.
  3. Then sell the Skull Mask to the Skull Kid, the Spooky Mask to the graveyard boy and the Bunny Hood to the Running Man in Hyrule Field.
  4. With all four paid for, every mask can be borrowed for free.
Reward
The Mask of Truth, plus Goron, Zora and Gerudo masks; the Bunny Hood sale fills your wallet

Gold Skulltulas and the House of Skulltula

Ocarina of Time: A cursed member of the Skulltula family
Everywhere; the house is in Kakariko Village
  1. Defeat Gold Skulltulas and grab the token each leaves behind. Many only come out at night; some hide in soft soil (drop Bugs on it) or behind walls.
  2. There are 100: 44 in the ten dungeons and the rest out in Hyrule.
  3. Visit the House of Skulltula: each ten tokens lifts the curse from another family member.
Reward
Adult’s Wallet (10), Stone of Agony (20), Giant’s Wallet (30), Bombchus (40), Piece of Heart (50), Huge Rupee (100)

The six Great Fairies

Ocarina of Time: A Great Fairy Fountain
Death Mountain summit, Death Mountain Crater, Hyrule Castle, Zora’s Fountain, Desert Colossus, outside Ganon’s Castle
  1. Open each hidden fountain (bombs, the Megaton Hammer or the Golden Gauntlets).
  2. Stand on the Triforce mark inside and play Zelda’s Lullaby.
Reward
The magic meter, double magic, Din’s Fire, Farore’s Wind, Nayru’s Love and Double Defense

Winning Epona

Ocarina of Time: Ingo
Lon Lon Ranch
  1. Learn Epona’s Song from Malon as a child.
  2. As an adult, pay Ingo to ride the ranch horses and play Epona’s Song to call her.
  3. Race Ingo and win, then beat him again when he bets Epona herself.
  4. Ingo locks the gate: jump the fence on Epona to escape.
Reward
Epona, called anywhere in the open with Epona’s Song

Freeing the carpenters

Ocarina of Time: A Gerudo thief
Gerudo’s Fortress
  1. Sneak into the fortress; if the guards catch you they throw you in a cell, which is a quick way inside.
  2. Find the four carpenters in the jail cells and beat the Gerudo guarding each one.
  3. Free all four and a Gerudo hands over the membership card.
Reward
Gerudo’s Card: free passage in the fortress, the gate to the Haunted Wasteland and the Training Ground

The Fire Arrows at Lake Hylia

Ocarina of Time: Shooting at the sun
Lake Hylia (adult)
  1. Wait for sunrise with the lake full again (after the Water Temple).
  2. Stand on the platform by the Water Temple entrance and shoot an arrow at the rising sun.
  3. A chest drops onto the little island.
Reward
Fire Arrows

Hunting Big Poes

Ocarina of Time: The Poe Collector
Hyrule Field (adult, on Epona)
  1. Ride Epona around Hyrule Field: the ten Big Poes only appear to riders.
  2. Shoot each one with arrows and bottle its spirit.
  3. Sell them to the Poe Collector in the ruined Castle Town.
Reward
Rupees for each Big Poe, and a Bottle after ten

The Fishing Pond

Ocarina of Time: The Fishing Pond
Lake Hylia
  1. Pay the owner to fish and pick a spot.
  2. Reel in a big fish as a child and show it to him.
  3. Come back as an adult and beat the record.
  4. The Sinking Lure, hidden around the pond, catches far bigger fish but is against the rules.
Reward
A Piece of Heart (child) and the Golden Scale (adult)

Horseback Archery

Ocarina of Time: The archery range’s Gerudo
Gerudo’s Fortress
  1. With Gerudo’s Card and Epona, talk to the Gerudo at the archery range.
  2. Ride the course and shoot the targets and the pots.
  3. 1,000 points wins a Piece of Heart; 1,500 wins the Biggest Quiver.
Reward
A Piece of Heart and the 50-arrow quiver

Dampé’s race

Ocarina of Time: Dampé’s ghost
Kakariko Graveyard (adult)
  1. Pull back Dampé’s grave and drop in.
  2. Chase his ghost through the tomb, keeping up so the doors stay open.
  3. Race him again and finish in under a minute for a second prize.
Reward
The Hookshot, then a Piece of Heart

Magic Beans

Ocarina of Time: The Bean Seller
Zora’s River and ten soft-soil spots
  1. Buy beans from the Bean Seller as a child; the price goes up by 10 Rupees each time.
  2. Plant them in soft soil patches around Hyrule.
  3. Return seven years later and ride the flying leaf to new ledges.
Reward
Shortcuts and several Pieces of Heart

The frogs of Zora’s River

Ocarina of Time: A Zora’s River frog
Zora’s River (child)
  1. Stand on the log by the frogs and play the songs you know; each makes a frog grow and gives Rupees.
  2. Play the Song of Storms for a Piece of Heart.
  3. Once the five other songs have been played, the frogs’ bug game wins a second Piece of Heart.
Reward
Two Pieces of Heart and Purple Rupees

The Scarecrow’s Song

Ocarina of Time: Bonooru the scarecrow
Lake Hylia
  1. As a child, play any eight-note tune to Bonooru, the scarecrow outside the laboratory.
  2. Come back as an adult and play the same tune to register it.
  3. Play it at hidden spots to make Pierre appear as a Hookshot target.
Reward
Shortcuts, such as the laboratory roof and Gerudo’s Fortress rooftop

Gossip Stones

Ocarina of Time: A Gossip Stone
All over Hyrule
  1. Hit a Gossip Stone to hear the time; play the Song of Storms beside one to release a fairy.
  2. Wear the Mask of Truth to hear hints and rumours from them.
Reward
Fairies and hints

Bombchu Bowling

Ocarina of Time: Bombchu Bowling Alley
Hyrule Castle Town Market (child)
  1. Pay for a round and roll Bombchus down the lane to hit the targets.
  2. The prizes change on each visit.
Reward
A bigger Bomb Bag, a Piece of Heart, Bombchus and Rupees

Hidden grottos and the Stone of Agony

Ocarina of Time: The Triforce
Hyrule Field, Kokiri Forest, Kakariko, Death Mountain and more
  1. Grottos hide under rocks, bombable patches of ground and Song of Storms spots.
  2. With a Rumble Pak plugged in, the Stone of Agony shakes the controller near a hidden one.
Reward
Rupees, Gold Skulltulas, Business Scrubs, fairies and Pieces of Heart

FAQ

How do you get Biggoron’s Sword?

Get the Pocket Egg from the Cucco Lady in Kakariko; it hatches into the Pocket Cucco overnight. Wake Talon in Kakariko with it, then give the Cucco Lady back her Cucco for Cojiro. Cojiro → Grog in the Lost Woods → Odd Mushroom → Granny’s Potion Shop → Odd Potion → Fado → Poacher’s Saw. Poacher’s Saw → head carpenter in Gerudo Valley → Broken Goron’s Sword → Biggoron → Prescription. Prescription → King Zora → Eyeball Frog → Lake Scientist → World’s Finest Eye Drops → Biggoron → Claim Check. Come back after three days (play the Sun’s Song to pass the time) and swap the Claim Check for the sword.

How do you get Epona?

Learn Epona’s Song from Malon as a child. As an adult, pay Ingo to ride the ranch horses and play Epona’s Song to call her. Race Ingo and win, then beat him again when he bets Epona herself. Ingo locks the gate: jump the fence on Epona to escape.

How do you get the Fire Arrows?

Wait for sunrise with the lake full again (after the Water Temple). Stand on the platform by the Water Temple entrance and shoot an arrow at the rising sun. A chest drops onto the little island.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against Zeldapedia and walkthrough guides. Screenshots, models and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Zeldapedia file pages (listed on the image gallery).