Ganon's Castle

1. Cross the Bridge and Discover the Hub

When you approach the lava moat at the ruined grounds of Hyrule Castle, cross the bridge of light projected by the six awakened Sages to enter Ganon's Castle. Once inside the central room, activate the Lens of Truth directly beneath the entrance ramp to reveal a hidden staircase leading to a secret alcove. Speak to the Business Scrubs down here if you need to buy arrows, restorative items, or basic supplies before taking on the chambers.

Tip: Let Navi provide contextual hints and target locking as you get your bearings in the hub.

2. Conquer the Shadow Trial

Head into the Shadow Trial first, keeping your distance from Beamos by destroying their bases with Bombs or Bombchus. Activate the Lens of Truth to locate invisible floating platforms across the void, then ignite the far-off torch with a Fire Arrow to reveal a temporary path to a distant platform. Open the large chest there to secure the Golden Gauntlets, then advance to the barrier room and loose a Light Arrow directly into the pulsating purple core to shatter the seal and warp back to the hub.

Tip: Use the Mirror Shield to deflect sweeping laser attacks from Beamos while crossing narrow platforms.

3. Claim Double Defense Outside

Leave Ganon's Castle temporarily by crossing back over the light bridge to the castle grounds near the crater cliffside. Locate the archway blocked by a gigantic stone monolith, hoist it away with your newly acquired Golden Gauntlets, and step inside the hidden Great Fairy Fountain. Stand on the Triforce crest and play Zelda's Lullaby to summon the Great Fairy of Courage, who wraps your heart containers in white borders to cut all incoming damage in half.

Tip: Take this opportunity to catch restorative fairies outside before you re-enter the castle.

4. Clear the Water Trial

Enter the Water Trial and use Blue Fire to melt away thick red ice obstacles impeding your path. Navigate the sliding ice block puzzles while eliminating Freezards and dodging Ice Traps using your Megaton Hammer or Fire Arrows to avoid getting frozen. Gather the room's five Silver Rupees, slam the rusty switch with your Megaton Hammer to open the way forward, and shoot the Water barrier core dead-center with a Light Arrow.

Tip: Dispatch Freezards quickly from range using Fire Arrows before their frost breath can reset your movement.

5. Clear the Forest Trial

Venture into the Forest Trial chamber, where you must defeat a Wolfos and ignite torches to unbar the door before dealing with high-powered wind fans. Carefully collect all five Silver Rupees scattered across the room while playing the Song of Time to manipulate time blocks into handy steps. Move directly into the final chamber and strike the pulsating green barrier core with a Light Arrow to dispel the forest seal.

6. Clear the Fire Trial

Enter the Fire Trial and equip your Goron Tunic alongside the Mirror Shield to safely deal with Torch Slugs and Fire Keese without risking burnt shields. Gather five Silver Rupees while leaping across platforms sinking into the magma, utilizing your Longshot or arrows to eliminate airborne pests safely from afar. Pick up and toss the massive black monolith using your Golden Gauntlets to uncover the exit, then fire a Light Arrow into the red barrier core.

Tip: The Longshot easily neutralizes Fire Keese before they can knock you off sinking platforms into the lava.

7. Clear the Spirit Trial

Step into the Spirit Trial to tackle a cage and mirror maze while grabbing another set of five Silver Rupees. Find a Small Key in a chest to progress through intermediate security gates, launch a Bombchu through a ceiling hole, and in the final area, angle sunlight onto the sun switch using your Mirror Shield to unlock the barrier room, then destroy the orange barrier core with a Light Arrow.

8. Clear the Light Trial

Lift the enormous gray monolith guarding the Light Trial using your Golden Gauntlets, then activate the Lens of Truth to navigate invisible paths and identify fake walls. Keep moving to outrun the expanding shadows of Wallmasters before slaying them with your Master Sword or Biggoron's Sword when they drop. Use the Lens of Truth to reveal an invisible chest holding a Small Key to open the locked door, then shoot the final barrier core dead-center with a Light Arrow to dispel the central force field.

Tip: When a Wallmaster drops and misses, immediately punish its recovery frames with Biggoron's Sword strikes.

The short version

What matters

• Tackle the Shadow Trial first to secure the Golden Gauntlets, which are mandatory for bypassing monoliths in the Fire and Light Trials.
• Exit to the crater cliffside once you have the gauntlets to obtain the Double Defense upgrade from the Great Fairy of Courage.
• Fire Light Arrows dead-center into each elemental barrier core to break the barrier blocking access to Ganon's Tower.

Common mistakes

• Entering the Fire Trial or Light Trial early will waste time, as both contain heavy monoliths that cannot be lifted without the Golden Gauntlets.
• Standing still during the Light Trial will let Wallmasters grab you and reset your progress back to the room's entrance.
• Using wooden shields in the Fire Trial will cause them to burn when attacked by Torch Slugs or Fire Keese; keep the Mirror Shield equipped instead.