The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time #2 - Death Mountain

1. Death Mountain Trail, Death Mountain

In order to reach the upper part of Death Mountain and Goron City itself, Link must travel through the Death Mountain Trail, which is filled with Red Tektites and giant Boulders. The path to the Death Mountain Trail is initially closed off and will not open until Link shows Zelda's Letter to the Gatekeeper guarding the gate.

Death Mountain Trail takes Link to all of the prominent locations of Death Mountain. It is home to Dodongo's Cavern, where child Link faces King Dodongo, eventually receiving the Goron's Ruby in the process. By following the Trail, Link can reach Goron Village. Death Mountain Crater, the inner part of the volcano of Death Mountain and the location of the Fire Temple, can be accessed via Goron City or by climbing up the mountain through the Trail. Atop the Death Mountain Trail is a Great Fairy Fountain where the Great Fairy of Power within grants Link the Magic Meter and the Spin Attack.

When Link is a child, Death Mountain is an active volcano. Any time Link approaches the northernmost part of the mountain in an attempt to climb it up to the crater, the volcano will activate itself. As such, Link must equip himself with the Hylian Shield in order to safely climb it. Biggoron, the giant Goron involved in the Biggoron's Sword sidequest, resides behind the mountain next to the crater entrance, although since he is always rolled up, Link cannot see him until he approaches him. Kaepora Gaebora can also be found atop the highest point of the trail near the Great Fairy Fountain entrance, where he offers Link a ride down to Kakariko Village.

After Link withdraws the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time, Ganondorf revives the ancient dragon Volvagia and stirs up trouble in the depths of the crater, causing Death Mountain's white clouds to take on a red and fiery appearance. It is not until Link defeats Volvagia that Death Mountain returns to normal and the volcano stops its spontaneous eruptions, allowing him to safely scale the Trail.

2. Death Mountain Crater, Death Mountain

Death Mountain Crater, also known as Death Mountain Summit, is a location in Ocarina of Time. It is the volcanic center of Death Mountain.

It can be accessed from the top of Death Mountain or through an ancient Goron pathway that leads from Darunia's room in Goron City. The crater is the location of the Fire Temple and home to the ancient dragon Volvagia.

The heat of the crater is too intense to be in for very long unless the Goron Tunic is being worn. Without this tunic, Link only has a limited amount of time to stay in the crater, otherwise he will burst into flames and die as soon as the timer runs out. The amount of time Link can remain in the crater is dependent upon how many Heart Containers Link possesses. Also as a child link, the bridge to Fire Temple is blocked by three gray rocks, that he cannot destroy with bombs alone.

After Link receives the Goron Tunic from Darunia's son and enters Death Mountain Crater for the first time, Sheik will appear in front of him and teach Link the Bolero of Fire, which allows him to immediately transport back to the crater at any given time. The Bolero of Fire is needed to access the middle portion of the crater as young Link.

The Great Fairy of Wisdom also resides in the Great Fairy's Fountain on the western portion of the volcanic area, but its entrance is blocked by giant boulders that can only be removed with the Megaton Hammer. Once Link enters the fountain, he meets the Great Fairy within it who doubles his Magic Meter.

Entrance to the Great Fairy's Fountain

3. Dodongo's Cavern, Death Mountain

Dodongo's Cavern is a Dungeon in Ocarina of Time. It is the second of three dungeons that child Link must visit in order to acquire the three Spiritual Stones. It also has a great amount of rocks in it that the Gorons that live nearby eat, and it is used for mining food for them.

The cave is located about halfway up Death Mountain Trail. Prior to the events of the game, Ganondorf came to Death Mountain to get the Goron's Ruby from Darunia, the chief of the Gorons, who refused. Because of that, Ganondorf infested the cavern with Dodongos and sealed the entrance with a boulder.

Link, who comes to Death Mountain to get the Spiritual Stone as well, is, unlike Ganondorf, able to gain the trust and respect of the Gorons. By using a Bomb Flower (usable only after collection of the Goron's Bracelet) to destroy the boulder blocking the entrance, he is able to enter the cavern and navigate his way through it, defeating the creatures all the way through up to King Dodongo, the boss of the dungeon. In return for this, he is able to receive the Spiritual Stone from the Gorons and proceed with his quest.

Dodongo's Cavern has two floors, some of which include bridges and statues. Some rooms are smaller and darker. Link regularly has to move blocks to depress Switches, use Bomb Flowers to destroy walls (which can also be destroyed by defeating a Baby Dodongo), and occasionally shut off rings of fire by shooting eye switches with the Fairy Slingshot. It is home to lizard-like creatures, such as the several varieties of Dodongos for which the Cavern is named and Lizalfos, which are the first mini-bosses found in the game. A small, hidden room is located behind the lava-waterfall in the chamber where the first two Lizalfos are fought. This room contains a single Heart. Many Bomb Flowers grow within the Cavern and are often necessary for solving puzzles before Link obtains the Bomb Bag. In the main chamber of Dodongo's Cavern lies the remains of a giant dead Dodongo, whose mouth must be opened to progress further into the dungeon.

In the Master Quest version, the dungeon is largely played in a backwards fashion. Instead of going first to the right, Link must go to the left and to the upper floor. The Lizalfos are first fought in the second floor and then in the first. Bombs are obtained much later, where the Compass was originally found. There are also more Business Scrubs. The rooms where Gold Skulltulas were originally found have now many enemies such as Skulltulas and Mad Scrubs, giving a reward of only five Rupees. Poes now appear in the Dodongo room. Baby Dodongos are plentiful and Dodongos are found in a different room. There are almost no Keese and there is a room with several Armos. Most puzzles feature a sequence of Bomb Flowers on the walls.

Trivia

• The sign which explains the giant dead Dodongo uses the same texture of a sign seen in a fountain in Super Mario 64. It was changed in Ocarina of Time 3D to a different, more detailed sign that shows visible Hylian at a distance.
• The map items in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, when taken from a Treasure Chest, show a map of Dodongo's Cavern on them.
• Dodongo's Cavern is mentioned in Majora's Mask by the Goron that gives Link Don Gero's Mask, however, he calls it "Dodongo Cavern."

4. Fire Temple, Death Mountain

The Fire Temple, also known as the Mountain Temple, is a recurring Dungeon in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Fire Temple is located deep within the Death Mountain Crater and is only accessible to Link by use of the Goron Tunic, which is given to him by Darunia's son, Link, in the hopes that he will rescue the other Gorons. Being in an active volcano, the Fire Temple is filled with many lava pits including the boss room. In the boss room is a giant rock platform where the battle takes place.

Link's progress in the Fire Temple is based on opening jails so that the imprisoned Gorons can be freed. When a Goron is released, he gives Link a clue or tip regarding the use of the so-called special crop, although some offer other facts; Link also receives keys to open locked doors. Throughout the Temple, there are bridges and platforms over magma that must be crossed, as well as complex mazes (one of them consisting of fire walls). Once the Megaton Hammer is found, after defeating the mini-boss Flare Dancer, Link may use it to break obstacles or create new paths.

The dungeon as a whole is notable for having a nearly-symmetrical architecture: From floor three upwards, the interior of the temple is divided into two, although Link only needs to visit the western territory to succeed on his quest (in fact, the other portion can only be accessed from the third floor by using the "Scarecrow's Song.")

The Temple is home to an ancient dragon, Volvagia, who is known to have eaten Gorons in the past. Defeated by an ancient hero with the Megaton Hammer, he was resurrected by the evil Ganon. The only real defense against the dragon is the aforementioned Hammer, which Link can put in practice as soon as the dragon is hesitating in one of the fire holes placed in the battle arena's floor.

Similarly to the rest of the dungeons, the Fire Temple was altered in the Master Quest version of Ocarina of Time. Honoring the name of the dungeon, the first rooms require Din's Fire to light several torches. Compared to the original version of the dungeon, the redesigned layout features a lesser focus on enemies and a stronger focus on puzzles. Additionally, most make use of the Hookshot. Some invisible walls and time blocks are found in the dungeon. Also, some switches need the Spin Attack to be activated, including one that is hidden inside a crate and can't be seen. There are fewer Gorons than in the normal version as well. Most doors are blocked with iron bars, and the Big Key and Megaton Hammer come very early. New enemies include several Stalfos, Lizalfos (found in the boulder room) and even an Iron Knuckle.

Small Keys

There are eight small keys.

Trivia

• In the original version of Ocarina of Time, the Fire Temple's music sampled Islamic recitations from the Qur'an. This, like the original Crest of the Gerudo, was removed from later versions of the game by Nintendo because of the religious association. These Islamic recitations were replaced by a MIDI Synthesizer in later releases, ports, and the Nintendo 3DS remake.
• Despite it being advised that Link purchase the Goron Tunic before entering the Fire Temple, the majority of rooms do not require it. The only rooms where the heat will prove lethal to Link if he stays there long enough are the ones that contain large pools of magma, including the boss room.

Notes

The first part of the Arabic samples were deciphered as "Sal-Allahu-alayhi-wa-alik" which means "May God grant peace and honor him (Muhammad) and his family," followed by "Dhul-Galali-wal-ikram," meaning "The Lord of Majesty and Generosity." The second part of Arabic samples was deciphered as the Basmala; meaning "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful," followed by the Takbir; literally meaning "God is Great."

5. Goron City, Death Mountain

Goron City, also known as the Home of the Gorons, is a recurring location in The Legend of Zelda series. It is the home of the Goron Tribe. It is located nearby Death Mountain.

Goron City is the main gateway to Death Mountain Crater which leads to the Fire Temple. There is also a portal to the Lost Woods, but its entrance is blocked by rocks that Link must destroy with Bombs. Paintings of Gorons, Dodongos, and other abstract shapes can be seen all around the city walls. The city consists of four floors, with the entrance on the top floor. The lowest floor has two important points of interest: the Goron Shop and Darunia's chamber, which is initially closed off until Link proves his connection with the Royal Family. Within the chamber is a heavy stone monument blocking off the entrance to Death Mountain Crater. Link can move this obstacle once he is an adult.

Also on the bottom floor is a giant vase which spins once Link lights up all of the city's torches. Situated at the center of the city is a platform suspended by ropes where the Spiritual Stone of Fire, also known as the Goron's Ruby, was once displayed; it used to light up the city before Darunia took it away.

When young Link arrives at Goron City, he finds the source of the Goron's troubles: their source of food, Dodongo's Cavern, has been blocked by a giant boulder thus endangering their lives. Their leader, Darunia, locks himself up in his chamber and won't let anyone in unless they are connected to the Royal Family of Hyrule. Once Link shows his proof of connection with the Royal Family, the door opens, allowing Link to speak to the Goron chief. Darunia, though reluctant at first, lets Link help them by having him destroy the Dodongos in Dodongo's Cavern.

After Link defeats King Dodongo and clears the infested cavern, Darunia gives him the Goron's Ruby and calls him a Sworn Brother.

Seven years later, after retrieving the Master Sword, Link returns to Goron City to find that all of its citizens are gone. He notices a lone Goron rolling around the third floor and stops him with a Bomb. Link discovers the Goron is Darunia's son who informs him about the revival of Volvagia, an ancient Dragon who eats Gorons. Due to this situation, Darunia went to the Fire Temple to try and defeat Volvagia; however, while he was gone, all the Gorons were taken by Ganondorf as prisoners into the temple where they would be fed to Volvagia as a warning to those who might oppose him. Darunia's son pleads for Link to go and save Darunia. So, Darunia's son gives him the Goron Tunic, a tunic which lets Link endure the heat of Death Mountain Crater and the Fire Temple indefinitely, so long as it is worn.

Once Link rescues all the Gorons from the Fire Temple, they will return to the city and thank Link for saving them.

6. Goron Shop, Death Mountain

In Ocarina of Time, the Goron Shop is on the lowest level of Goron City. It specializes in Bombs, but it also sells a few other items, most notably the Goron Tunic. This is the only place the tunic can be acquired if Link loses his due to a Like Like. However, the shop is initially closed off by a wall that Link can open by using a Bomb Flower near. Once Link returns to Goron City as an adult, the shop will be closed off again, and it will only open after Link stops and talks to Darunia's son.

Wares and Pricing

• Bombs (5)
  You cannot buy them without a bomb bag.
  25 Rupees
• Bombs (10)
  You cannot buy them without a bomb bag.
  50 Rupees
• Bombs (20)
  You cannot buy them without a bomb bag.
  80 Rupees
• Bombs (30)
  You cannot buy them without a bomb bag.
  120 Rupees
• Goron Tunic
  A tunic made by Gorons. Adult sized. Protects you from heat damage.
  300 Rupees
• Heart
  This will instantly refill one Heart Container.
  10 Rupees
• Red Potion
  If you drink this, you will recover your life energy. This is a single dose.
  40 Rupees

7. Medigoron's Blade Store, Death Mountain

Medigoron's Blade Store is a location in Ocarina of Time. As its name implies, the store is owned by Medigoron and it is where he forges and sells the Giant's Knife.[1] It is located on the third floor of the Goron City, but its entrance is initially blocked off by cracked walls that can be taken down with either bombs or the Megaton Hammer.

The store itself is really cramped since Medigoron takes up most of the room. The only things visible are a stove and a Gossip Stone. Medigoron only starts selling the Giant's Knife for 200 Rupees during Link's adulthood. Although the Giant's Knife is twice as powerful than the Master Sword, it will break after a few hits, greatly reducing its dealing power. Link can continue to buy the Giant's Knife from Medigoron until he obtains the Biggoron's Sword from Biggoron, at which point Medigoron will stop selling the knife to the young hero.

Wares and Pricing

• Giant's Knife
  200 Rupees