How to Beat the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time

Find Small Key 1. You probably already know that Small Keys are absolutely crucial for navigating temples. There are six of them in the Water Temple. To get the first one, drain the water away, then jump down to the ground. Light the two torches, either by shooting arrows through them or by using Din's Fire, and a door will open in front of you. Go through it and kill the Shell Blade enemies inside, and a chest containing a Small Key will appear.

Locate Small Key 2. This one is a bit more difficult to find and involves taking your Boots on and off to sink and surface repeatedly. Start by draining the water away and finding the opening with a giant brown block obstructing it. Push the block until it falls through the floor, then dive down where it dropped and go through the tunnel (no need for Iron boots here). Next:

• Hit the nearby crystal to activate a geyser. Use that geyser as a step to cross the gap, and head to the next room, which will have a whirlpool.
• Put your Boots on and sink underwater so that you stand on the statue's tail. You will see the head of the statue as well as a Hookshot target to your right. Hit the crystal in the statue's mouth with your Hookshot, then use it again to quickly move to the right and kill all the Shell Blade enemies. Make sure to get behind the gate before it closes.
• Take your Boots off. Float upwards, and you will see a chest. Open it, and you will find -- finally! -- the second Small Key.
• Note: Now you can proceed with the steps above to find the Compass.

Obtain Small Key 3. Fill the temple halfway with water. Then return to the place where you first saw Princess Ruto and float upwards. When you reach a wall with a crack, detonate it with a Bomb. Collect the Small Key inside.

Get Small Key 4. Fill the temple halfway with water. You will see that the platform in the pillar rises too. Sink into the hole underneath, follow the path, and when you see a crystal, hit it. Kill the enemies that appear, and a gate will open on the roof. Float upwards to get your fourth Small Key.

Acquire Small Key 5. This Small Key is also more complicated to find. You can only do it after you have found the Longshot and moved the block with the Song of Time to access a cavern. Once you have done that:

• Swim the cavern's path, taking care to avoid being caught in the vortexes. At the end of the path, you will see a small ledge with an eye in front of it. Shoot it to open the adjacent cage.
• Using the Longshot, latch yourself quickly to the chest inside. The gate will close within a few seconds, so you'll have to hurry. Inside the chest, you will find the fifth Small Key. Collect it and follow the short path back to the room with the dragon statue. Follow your map to return to the main room.

Collect Small Key 6. Fill the temple halfway and look for the closed opening with an eye. Shoot the eye to lift the gate and expose a target, then latch onto the target to reach the opening before the gate closes. Follow the path until you come to a giant block. Push the block out of the way, head right, and you'll see a chest with your sixth Small Key. Now you have them all! To return to the main room, go to the other end of the pathway and latch onto the target above you.

Fill the temple with water. To fill the temple completely, the water must be at the halfway mark, and you must be on the second floor. Go through the door with the target. Inside, set a bomb and stand on the geyser (but watch out for the Tektite!). When the geyser raises you to the next room, go through the door and play Zelda's Lullaby at the Triforce symbol.

• As with draining the Water Temple and filling it halfway, filling the temple completely is a procedure you will need to repeat. Each time you need to fill the temple, repeat this step.

Get to the top of the stairs. Return to the main room. Go through the door with the brown platform, and you will find yourself in a room with a massive gap. Jump onto the lowest moving platform and then use the Hookshot to climb the stairs.

Use a Small Key to open the door. You will see a room with statues and small pillars.

Make the statues rise to reveal Hookshot targets. You will see a red crystal on one of the pillars. Hit it with the Hookshot or an arrow to turn it blue. The statues in the room will begin to rise, and Hookshot targets will be revealed.

Get to the ledge. To do this, first latch onto the target in front of you. Then switch the crystal off again and latch onto the nearby target. Climb over the statue's head, switch the crystal back on, and latch onto the last statue. Shoot the crystal again, and once the statue has lowered, climb on its head and shoot the crystal one last time. You will now be able to reach the ledge behind it.

• Beware of the Like Like in front of the door! If it catches you, you will lose your Zora Tunic and your Hylian Shield. To get them back, destroy the Like Like.

Find Dark Link. Dark Link is Link's evil doppelgänger. To find him, go to the locked door on the other side of the room. When you reach it, turn around. You will see a shadowy figure by an island -- that's Dark Link!

Defeat Dark Link. Attack the shadowy figure to start the mini-boss battle with Dark Link. Striking him directly will not be effective; he has all of your standard attacks. Instead, attack him with items that he cannot copy, like Din's Fire or the Megaton Hammer. Repeat as many times as necessary to defeat him, watching his movements carefully -- when you strike him, he will appear behind you.

Get the Longshot. When you defeat Dark Link, the room will change in appearance, and the doors will unlock. Head into the next room and open the chest to collect the Longshot, an upgraded version of the Hookshot that can shoot twice as far.

Find the room filled with Tektites. To do that, drain the water completely. Look for the opening that leads underwater (it's in the northern part of the temple). Dive under, follow the path, then turn around and latch onto the target above you. Latch onto the target above the door, then use a Small Key to open it. You will find yourself in a room full of Tektites (the spider-like enemies).

Access the next room. From the Tektite room, make your way underwater using the Iron Boots. Swim to the next room.

Find the secret passage. Once in the next room, you will see a pool of water and a long platform to your left. Jump onto the platform and kill the Stingers. Look at the wall by the entrance. Part of it will have a lighter color than the rest. Use a bomb to detonate that part of the wall, and a secret passage will appear.

Activate the switch. After you find the secret passage, you will see another weak wall. Detonate it with a bomb, and a brown block will appear. Navigate around the block and push it until it falls on top of a switch. A new door on the left side of the room will become available.

Activate the geysers. Climb the stairs, go through the new door, and press the switch to activate three geysers in the gap beside you.

Proceed to the next room. Cross the gap as quickly as possible, avoiding the Tektites. You will be able to enter the next room, where you will see a small waterfall.

Reach the dead end. Boulders will roll down from the right of the waterfall. Avoid them and head into the gap, following the underwater path until you find a dead end.

Get the Boss Key. When you hit the dead end, kill the Shell Blade and then float upwards. Inside the door in front of you will be the Boss Key.

Locate Morpha. Once you have the Boss Key, return to the main room. Fill the temple completely with water, then move around until you notice a statue with a Hookshot target on it. Use your Longshot to latch onto it and access the door behind it. You will find yourself in a room with a steep slope and a Boss door at the end. Walk up the slope, avoiding the blades that slide across the room. Inside the Boss door is Morpha, the Boss of the Water Temple.

Fight Morpha. Morpha is the evil monster hoarding all of Lake Hylia's water. It can manipulate all water it touches, making it a frightening opponent. To emerge victorious, use the following tips:

• Pull Morpha's nucleus close to you with the Longshot, then hit it with your sword.
• Stay off the islands and use the perimeter of the room. Morpha's reach is limited, and you can use that to your advantage.
• Don't try to handle Morpha underwater! You won't be able to use your sword underwater, so stick to the surface.

Collect your Heart Container. Once you have destroyed Morpha, grab your Heart Container and exit through the portal. Congratulations! You have finally beaten the difficult and annoying Water Temple!