Water Temple (Ocarina of Time)


 * This article is about the Temple in . For the Dungeon of the same name in, see Water Temple (Tri Force Heroes). For the Scenario in , see "The Water Temple".

The is a dungeon in. It contains the source of the curse that has frozen Zora's Domain.

Entrance to the Temple
The ancient temple lies deep under the vast Lake Hylia. Guarded by the Zoras, it is considered a sacred temple that is used to worship the water spirits. The Water Temple is accessible after the young hero finds the Iron Boots in Ice Cavern. Aided with the boots and the Hookshot, Link can access its entrance by shooting the target above the gate.

Themes and Navigation
Various parts of the temple require Link to go underwater for substantial amounts of time, thus necessitating the Zora Tunic (though the Water Temple can be beaten without it by an experienced and resourceful player). Its enigmatic structure consists of various floors (four in total, one of them is a basement) and requires the use of playing Zelda's Lullaby at each of the special markings on the walls that manipulate the level of water, which give Link access to various parts of the temple from the hub room. Link will need to use all of his intellectual skills and cunning survival techniques to truly conquer this temple, as puzzles and obstacles are strategically varied: From the aforementioned water level manipulation, to swimming in presence of current flows, defeating enemy groups, climbing a waterfall with descending platforms, raise and lower pillars with a switch, etc.; the young hero will also come to confront his very own doppelgänger, Dark Link in the Water Temple. After defeating Dark Link, Link will find the Longshot which, once acquired, helps Link in the search for the Boss Key and enter the lair of the aquatic boss, Morpha.

This temple is infamous to fans for its difficulty and necessity for constantly pausing the game in order to switch to the Iron Boots and back. When the game was remade for the 3DS, the temple was altered in order to be completed easily. The Iron Boots are now a click-on item, glowing markings appear on the wall to show the way, and the entire temple was made brighter.

Master Quest
The Water Temple makes much use of Din's Fire in the version of the game. The Hookshot is also used more often than in the original version. The infamous "serpent-shaped" room now has Hookshot targets over the wall, making it easy to simply bunny-hop through the vortex-filled gauntlet. The map, compass, and even the Longshot are obtained very early in the dungeon. The Longshot gives access to a lot of new areas and makes most puzzles easier than before. Most rooms are blocked with gates, so puzzles must be solved to be able to access them. Boulders and most enemies are no longer found, except for two Spikes and nine completely new Stalfos. Two new features include a room with several Dodongos, plus several crates that are found throughout the dungeon.

In the GameCube version of the Master Quest, Link can complete the dungeon with an extra Small Key remaining. This is because one of the doors that Link is meant to unlock with a key unlocks itself, specifically when defeating the Stalfos prior to Dark Link and causing the dragon heads to rise. The only way to reach this door and unlock it normally is by using glitches. In this glitch was fixed.

Eiji Aonuma apologized for the design of the Water Temple in a 2009 interview. Due to the confusing layout and controls for the Nintendo 64 version of, several changes were in. The Iron Boots were changed into an item rather than a piece of equipment, the dungeon received glowing markings on various walls and corridors to mark where the player must go and to make changing the water level more clear, and an additional camera scene was added in the central tower of the dungeon to make the location of a commonly and easily missed Small Key more obvious.

The Water Temple appears as part of the Lake Hylia stage in. This stage is a part of Sheik and Impa's quest to close the Gate of Souls located inside the temple. An updated version of Dark Link's chamber appears, where Wizzro, disguised as Zelda, is fought.

Though the Water Temple is never seen during, a Sign stating that the Real Escape Game was "Easier than the Water Temple" was used as a prop during photo shoots with the Master Sword at events.