Ancient Tomb

The Ancient Tomb is the eighth and final dungeon in located within the Sea of No Return. The "Sea" is actually dried up, revealing a great maze filled with strong adversaries (Darknuts and Lynels). Within the stone halls of the tomb are many twists, turns, traps, and treasures. The main treasure that Link obtains within these ancient catacombs is the Power Glove. Link must then use this new found power to take on the tomb's boss: Ramrock. After defeating Ramrock, Link is rewarded with the Falling Star (the last Essence of Time).

The Maku Tree cannot detect the presence of the final essence hidden within this dungeon, meaning Link gets no clues as to where this dungeon is located. As such, Link must rely on detective skills alone to locate the dungeon. The reason that the Maku Tree is unable to detect the Essence may be due to the same unexplained phenomenon that prevents time travel between the Sea of No Return and Yoll Graveyard.

Themes and Navigation
At 52 rooms, Ancient Tomb is the largest dungeon in Oracle of Ages. Its overall form is a buried pyramid with increasingly large basement floors under the small ground floor, the sole exception being the lowest floor, which is as small as the ground floor. The Ancient Tomb features puzzles and other elements from every other dungeon in the game (e.g. Crystal Switch and colored barrier puzzles from the Crown Dungeon, temporarily solid lava from the Skull Dungeon, and underwater areas from Jabu-Jabu's Belly) as well as a few that show up in Oracle of Seasons but otherwise not in Oracle of Ages, such as ice floors from the Sword & Shield Maze.

The central puzzle of the Ancient Tomb involves the acquisition of four tablets to open a sealed door in the center of the second basement level. Each tablet is found in a branch of this floor with a different theme: a Chaser maze in the northwest, a water-filled area in the northeast, lava floors in the southwest, and ice floors (as well as more Chasers) in the southeast.

The treasure of the Ancient Tomb, the Power Glove, is used to move the immensely heavy statues that are found in some rooms of the dungeon and in the labyrinth outside.

Trivia

 * The map in Hero's Cave mistakes the dungeon as the Ancient Tomb.