Cave of Ordeals

The Cave of Ordeals is a long and arduous optional dungeon in Twilight Princess, located in the South-Western (or South-Eastern in the Wii version) corner of the Gerudo Desert, below the center piece of the Bridge of Eldin.

It can be accessed any time after restoring the Bridge of Eldin, unblocking the entrance. However, to make it into the deeper floors Link will need weapons and items from further along in the game. At critical points, the Great Fairy will allow Link to escape the cave if he doesn't have the required tools yet.

Within the cave, Link has to fight his way through hordes of enemies, some of which may not yet be known to him.

After every ten floors and at the end of the cave, there is a fountain in which the Great Fairy appears and grants the power of fairies at each Spirit Spring.

Enemies and their floor number
(Cave of Ordeals guide at StrategyWiki)


 * 1) Bokoblin
 * 2) Rats, Keese
 * 3) Deku Babas x6
 * 4) Skulltulas x3
 * 5) Bulblin archers
 * 6) Torch Slugs
 * 7) Fire Keese, Dodongos x2
 * 8) Red Tektites x3, Blue Tektites x3
 * 9) Bulblin Archers, Lizalfos
 * 10) Great Fairy
 * 11) Helmasaurs, Rats
 * 12) Large Purple Chuchu
 * 13) Chu Worms x2
 * 14) Bubbles
 * 15) Bulblins
 * 16) Rats, Keese
 * 17) Stalhound, Poe
 * 18) Leevers
 * 19) Chuchu Horde
 * 20) Great Fairy
 * 21) Ice Keese, Purple Bokoblins
 * 22) Keese, Rats, Ghoul Rats
 * 23) Stalkin
 * 24) ReDead Knights x5
 * 25) Bulblin Archers, Bulblin Infantry
 * 26) Stalfos
 * 27) Skulltulas, Bubbles
 * 28) Lizalfos, Bokoblins
 * 29) Stalkin, Stalfos, Fire Bubbles
 * 30) Great Fairy
 * 31) Beamos x5, Keese
 * 32) Torch Slugs, Fire Keese, Fire Bubbles, Dodongo x2
 * 33) ReDead, Poe
 * 34) Large Purple ChuChu, Ghoul Rats
 * 35) Ice Keese, Freezard, Mini Freezards
 * 36) Chilfos x4 (WARNING: there are twice as many on 2nd time)
 * 37) Bubbles, Leevers
 * 38) Mini Freezards, Ice Keeses ,Freezard x2, Chilfos x3
 * 39) Darknuts x2 (WARNING: there are three here on 2nd time)
 * 40) Great Fairy
 * 41) Armos x9
 * 42) Baba Serpents, Red Bokoblins
 * 43) Lizalfos x3, Bulblin Archers
 * 44) Dynalfos, Poe
 * 45) Bulblin Archers, ReDeads, Large Purple ChuChu
 * 46) Freezards x2, Chilfos, Ghoul Rats
 * 47) Bokoblin, Rats, Stalkin
 * 48) Aeralfos, Darknut
 * 49) Darknuts x3 (WARNING: there are four Darknuts here on 2nd time)
 * 50) Great Fairy

Rewards

 * Reaching the 10th Floor releases fairies into Ordon Spring.


 * Reaching the 20th Floor releases fairies into Faron Spring.


 * Reaching the 30th Floor releases fairies into Eldin Spring.


 * Reaching the 40th Floor releases fairies into Lanayru Spring.


 * Reaching the 50th Floor causes a Great Fairy to appear in all Spirit Springs. You also receive the ability to collect Fairy Tears. These can be gathered at any Spirit Spring, and you can fill another bottle each time you beat the cave, for a maximum of four bottles.

Trivia

 * The Cave of Ordeals plays the same role as the Savage Labyrinth from The Wind Waker, the difference is that the Cave requires the main items of dungeons 4 to 7 in order to explore all the floors and fully clear it. It also resembles the Take 'Em All On Game in Spirit Tracks
 * The second time completing the Cave, on the last ledge before the Great Fairy, the Postman is squatting down while trying to read a letter
 * The Cave of Ordeals plays the same role as The Pit of 100 trials in Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Super Paper Mario.