Zelda: FAQ and Walkthrough

The Legend of Zelda-Ocarina of Time

3-Heart Challenge Walkthrough

Author: jose r (shadow3184@prtc.net)

Copyright 2004 José Rivera Rivera

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                              Table of Contents
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Introduction

Version History

Restrictions

Walkthrough

Legal Stuff

Special Thanks

Contact me

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                              Version History
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Version 1.0 - Finally completed it!

Version 1.1 - Added a new challenge and corrected some errors.

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                                Introduction
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Hi! This is my first contribution to Gamefaqs and I really hope it won't be the
last! I wrote this guide while I was actually doing the 3 heart challenge, so
the information here is as accurate as I can possibly get. I added a little
twist on the challenge that will make it more interesting, so read on!

The 3 Heart challenge consists of exactly that, finishing the game with only 3
hearts. Notice that this challenge can be very very easy or extremely hard, it
all depends on the restrictions you put yourself to make it harder. I will list
the different restrictions in the next section so you can choose the ones you
want or if you want to prove you are the ultimate Zelda Master you can choose
them all. Note that the guide is made for the people who choose all the
restrictions so obviously it will work for every combination of restrictions.
Also remember that this is not your average walkthrough. I assume you have
beaten the game a couple times before attempting this challenge.

Now on to the restrictions section!

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                                Restrictions
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These are what are going to make the 3 heart challenge more interesting. By
adding restrictions you pump the difficulty level of the challenge so you can
customize it for your own playing level. I you want the easiest 3 heart
challenge, don't use any of the restrictions. Of course if you want the hardest
then use them all. Good Luck!

Remember! Don’t pick up any Heart Container or Heart Piece!

1. Never upgrade your carrying abilities of any items. This include deku nuts,
deku sticks, bombs, deku seeds and arrows.

2. Never pick up any of the bottles. The only one you can get is the one with
Ruto's Letter inside and this is because the story forces you to get it.

3. Never upgrade your magic meter to make it twice as large.

4. Never upgrade your heart meter to endure twice as much damage.

5. Do not get the Biggoron Sword.

6. Never kill Gold Skulltulas.
*Variation: You can kill the Gold Skulltulas but you can't get any reward from
the cursed family in Kakariko Village.

7. Never get Nayru's Love or Farore's Wind.

8. Never put anything in the bottle. (Only exceptions being the Ice Cavern and
Ganon's Tower Water room because you need to carry the Blue Fire and the fish
you need to catch to enter Jabu Jabu's Belly)

9. If you lose your shield at any time you can't buy another one EVER!!!
*Variation: You can lose your shield on purpose the first opportunity you get.
After that, never buy another one.

10. Don't get Epona.

11. Don't get the Hylian Shield while being Young Link.

12. Get a perfect score of 000. (Save your progress a lot. If you die push
reset and you will continue with 000 deads.)

13. Never learn the Sun's Song.

14. Never get either the Ice Arrows or the Fire Arrows.

15. Never plant the Magic Beans.

16. Don't do the Happy Mask Shop Side Quest.

17. There's a new restriction on Ganon's Battle. Check the walkthrough.

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                                Walkthrough
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This walkthrough is made to give you tips and guide you through the dungeons,
pointing out trouble spots. Remember that this is not a detailed walkthrough.
If that's what you need, check the other walkthroughs at www.gamefaqs.com.

At the beginning of the game you should not have any trouble at all since in a
normal game you start with 3 hearts. Just get the kokiri sword and the deku
shield and get inside the great deku tree.

Great Deku Tree:

This dungeon shouldn't pose any problems at all since you have to beat it with
3 hearts in a normal game anyway. Beat it like you would normally and remember
NOT to pick the Heart Container when you defeat Gohma.

After you exit the deku tree go to Hyrule Castle and get Zelda's Autograph then
go back to the Lost Woods to learn Saria's Song. Then go to Kakariko and give
the autograph to the guard. Climb Death Mountain go into Goron City and get the
Goron Bracelet from Darunia. Then open the entrance to Dodongo's Cavern.

Dodongo's Cavern:

Now things start to heat up. In this dungeon you might lose your shield if a
fire keese touches you. Beat the dungeon normally avoiding the fire keeses (or
not avoiding them if you want to lose your shield now). Watch out for the 
lizalfos. You have to beat 4 of them. My strategy to beat them is to guard 
against their attacks and counter with a jumping slash (Z+A). If you lost your
shield then just do a side jump to evade their attacks and counter with a
jumping slash.

Boss: King Dodongo

This guy is easy. Just drop a bomb on his big mouth and draw out your sword.
When the bomb explodes do a jumping slash on his head. Do this three times and
he is done for. Remember! Do not get the Heart Container! Just walk directly to
the blue portal.

After Darunia gives you the Goron's Ruby, head to the top of Death Mountain to
get the Spinning Blade Magic Attack. Although you don't have a Hylian Shield
and only three hearts, it's still possible to cross the falling rocks by using
the roll attack (forward+A). The roll sometimes absorb the damage taken when
timed right. I crossed in the first try but it may take longer for you. Save
inside Dodongo's Cavern and if you die you can push Reset and try again without
having to come all the way from Kokiri Forest. When you get the Spinning Blade
go to Hyrule Castle and get Din's Fire.

After you get Din's Fire, go straight to Zora's Domain and play the Diving
Mini-Game and get the Silver Scale. Then get the bottle with Princess Ruto's
letter and show it to King Zora. After King Zora moves out of the way go near
the Grocery Store and catch a fish. Use it to get inside Lord Jabu Jabu.

Lord Jabu Jabu's Belly:

Ok, this dungeon might seem complicated but is not.The enemies move very slowly
so you'll have an easy time avoiding them. The only exceptions are the Bubbles
bouncing around and they do little damage. Only trouble spot here is the mini
boss, the Giant Octorok. Just get behind him and stun him with your boomerang,
then follow that with a jumping slash. Two jumping slashes are all you need to
beat him.

Boss: Barinade

The problem with this boss fight is that Barinade has minions that move very
fast and are a little hard to avoid. The best way is to focus and use the side
jump and back flip a lot to evade Barinade's attacks. Remember that there are
pots in the corners of the room that you can use if you are low on Hearts, but
use them sparingly and wisely. Try to always have Barinade on your sight so you
can evade his attacks.

After this you'll have the three spiritual stones. Also, you will need the 
scarecrow's song, so go to Lake Hylia and use the ocarina near the scarecrow.
Play a song that you can remember easily. An example would be, C-down,A,A,A,A,A
A,A. Now head back to Hyrule Castle to get the Ocarina of Time and the Master
Sword.

Now that you are Adult Link the first order of business is to get the hookshot.
After you get it don't forget to learn the Song of Storms from the man in the
windmill. Remember that not having a shield is going to make things a little
bit more complicated since you'll have to rely on back flips and side jumps a
lot. When Link has no shield, deku nuts are going to be your best friends. They
saved me more than once on this 3 heart challenge so make sure you always have
20 of them. The hookshot is going to be very helpful in stunning enemies too.
Now on to the Forest Temple!

Forest Temple:

The Forest Temple is your first taste of the difficulties that are yet to come.
With no shield, is going to be a little hard to beat the Stalfos which can kill
you with two blows. The strategy that I used consisted of waiting for them to
make an attack or that they tried to make their jumping slash so I could stun
them using a deku nut, followed by a jumping slash. You need to do this three
times to defeat one Stalfos and there are five Stalfos in the temple. The other
monsters that give a little trouble are the Poe Sisters. To beat them you need
to evade their spinning flame attack and when they reappear receive them with,
yes, you know it! A JUMPING SLASH!!! Three jumping slashes and they are worm
food... again. Also in some rooms you have to kill Blue Bubbles to advance. In
this rooms you can use either a deku nut or hit them with the hookshot to stun
them and kill them.

Boss: Phantom Ganondorf

This boss has two fighting styles. At first he will just try to jump from the
pictures on the walls. If he fools you when he is coming from two pictures at
once then get out of the middle of the battlefield since he's going to use a
spark attack that takes two hearts. When you hit him with your arrows 3 times
he will get off the horse and start to shoot energy balls at you which you must
bounce back with your Master Sword. When you stun him with his own magic do a
jumping slash followed by a normal slash. Do this 4 times to beat him.

After the Forest Temple, restock on deku nuts and head to Death Mountain. Get
the Goron's Tunic from Darunia's son and go to the Fire Temple.

Fire Temple:

I don’t know why, but this dungeon was way easier than the Forest Temple.
There's basically no trouble here. Watch out for the rolling boulders in the 
big room. They only take one fourth of a heart, but you could get hit by a 
lot of them. The mini boss is very easy. When he gets out of the flames 
and starts spinning get him with the hookshot and hit him with your
sword. The only trouble in this dungeon is Volvagia.

Boss: Volvagia

This guy can be very hard if you don't know what you’re doing. First thing to
notice is that he has a pattern. First he shows up from one of the several
holes in the ground. That is your chance to hit him with the Megaton Hammer to
stun him and then do a jumping slash on his skull. After that, he either starts
going around in circles shooting fire from it's mouth or starts to break the
ceiling. The boulders that drop from the ceiling hit very hard but are easily
avoided if you hang from the edge of the battlefield. Just stay holding till
the boulders stop falling. You can use this strategy to avoid him when he is
breathing fire. If you’re careful and time it right, you can beat him without 
ever receiving any damage.

After the Fire Temple is time to go to Zora's Domain. Remember to restock on
bombs, arrows and deku nuts. After you are ready go to the Ice Cavern.

Ice Cavern:
This is one of the times the bottle is allowed, but only to carry blue fire.
You need three fires to get the iron boots and the zora's tunic. Be very
careful of the ice keeses since they take away one heart when they freeze you.
When you get the iron boots go and unfreeze King Zora to get the Zora's Tunic.
Then play the Serenade of Water to teleport to the water temple.

Water Temple:

The Water Temple is not hard, but very tedious. There aren't enemies who pose
much of a threat. Just bash the dungeon like you would in a normal game. In the
room with a lot of stingers you can use deku nuts so you can dispose of them
without too much trouble. The major obstacle in this temple is Dark Link. The
good news is that since Link only has 3 hearts, Dark Link dies with only three
hits. What I did was to keep pressing Left on the control stick and tapping B
while I was Locked-on him. Aside from this guy, the temple is not that hard.

Boss: Morpha

You have to be EXTREMELY CAREFUL not to let Morpha grab you with one of it's
tentacles. If it does, you will suffer one of the following: A) you’ll die. or
B) You'll live with only one fourth of a heart. Whatever you do, keep your
distance from its tentacles. As long as you keep your distance you'll do fine.

When you evaporate Morpha and refill Lake Hylia get back to the Temple of Light
and turn into Young Link. Now head to Kakariko Village and dry the well so you
can get the Lens of Truth.

Bottom of the Well:

This mini dungeon is just confusing, not hard. Remember to evade the Redeads
cause they can kill you very quickly. The mini boss, Dead Hand, is very easy so
I won't bother with any strategy here.

When you get the Lens of Truth, is back to Adult Link and Kakariko Village.
Learn the Nocturne of Shadow from Sheik and use it to enter the Shadow Temple.
In case you forgot, use Din's Fire to open the Temple's Entrance.

Shadow Temple:

By now you must be used to being very careful not to get hit. Basically that's
all you need to do in this dungeon. There are many holes that take a heart if
you fall on them so there's not much room for mistakes here. Be careful of the
Redeads as usual since they can kill you easily. The really hard part here is
the Stalfos on the ship. Since the ship is constantly moving up and down is
very hard to evade their attacks. As usual I used deku nuts to stun them and a
jumping slash. After the ship stops you are supposed to use a fire arrow to
create a bridge. But there's a way to cross without using a fire arrow. Use the
scarecrow's song near where the old bridge was. Then use your hookshot to cross
with the help of the scarecrow.

Boss: Bongo Bongo

This boss is very easy. Lock on his hands and hit them with your arrows. Then
use the Lens of Truth to see his head. Lock on his head and hit it with an
arrow. He will fall stunned for some time so just hack and slash at his head.
Rinse and Repeat till you defeat him.  You should be able to beat him without
taking any damage.

Now go to the Gerudo Fortress. Free the four carpenters but be careful of the
Gerudo Guards. Use dodge and counter techniques to defeat them easily. Watch
out for they spinning attack which will make you fall unconscious and get you
back to the cell. After you free the carpenters and get the gerudo membership
head to the desert. Use the Lens of Truth to cross the desert guided by the
ghost. When you get to the Desert Colossus enter the Spirit Temple and get out.
Sheik will appear and teach you the Requiem of Spirit. Now go to the Temple of
Time and turn into Young Link. Play the Requiem of Spirit and enter the Spirit
Temple.

Spirit Temple: (Young Link)

This side of the temple is pretty short. Be careful with the stalfos you have
to face. My advice is to stun him, hit the switch with your boomerang and run
for it although you can kill it if you want. There's not much trouble till the
mini boss, the Iron Knuckle. This guy can kill you in one hit so you have to be
EXTREMELY careful. My strategy to defeat him was to get close to him and do a
back flip when he attacks. As soon as his attack ended I used a jumping slash
followed by a quick back flip to evade his next attack. I continued doing this
till part of his armor fell. When that happens you can just keep slashing at
him till he dies.

Spirit Temple: (Adult Link)

I don't know if it's the fact that you get used to a 3 heart game, but this
temple isn't hard at all. Only thing you need to watch out for is the two Iron
Knuckles and you can use the same strategy you used while being Young Link. One
thing that happens here is that you finally get a shield, the Mirror Shield.
Since this is an item required to finish the game you can continue with it
equipped. Just beat the Temple, referring to other FAQ in case you forget about
something.

Boss: Twinrova

For the first half of the battle use the mirror shield to reflect the beam of
one of the sisters to the other. After they fuse together, absorb three blast
of the same element and reflect it back at them. In case you already have
absorbed one or two of the same element and she changes to the other element
evade the attack by doing three side jumps. Since all the attacks involve using
your shield I don't think you should get hit or have any problems.

Now what's left is to go to the Temple of Time to meet Zelda and get the Light
Arrows. After Ganondorf captures Zelda go to Ganon Tower.

Ganon's Tower:

Beat each of the rooms going counter-clockwise from the entrance. The only two
trouble spots here are: In the Spirit Sage's room after you use the bombchu to
open the door you need to break a spider web on the ceiling so light can enter
and you can reflect it to the suns. Problem is that you don't have the Fire
Arrows and Din's Fire can't reach the ceiling to burn the spider web. Here's
what you need to do. Stand in front of the switch you activated with a bombchu
and use your bow. You should see just a little bit of the spider web from this
position. Just shoot an arrow and the arrow will lit up with the torch in front
of you and hit the spider web. The second spot is in the Shadow Sage room. You 
need to lit up a torch with your Fire Arrows to make a floor appear for some
seconds. The thing is that you don't have Fire Arrows, but that's no problem
since you don't need them. Use your Longshot and pull yourself to the torch.
Now from here you can see a Like Like. Stand near the edge of the small
platform you are in, face the Like Like and use your Longshot on him. If you do
it correctly then Link will grab and pull himself to the Like Like. The rest of
the dungeon shouldn't pose much of a threat. After you clear the barrier that
protects the middle of the tower, start ascending. On the way you have to beat
pumped up versions of Lizalfos but they aren't hard. The next room you have to
battle two Iron Knuckles. Make sure you hit one first and draw him away from
the other so you have an easier time defeating them. After this just continue
ascending till you get to Ganondorf's room.

Boss: Ganondorf

Make absolutely sure you have your Magic Meter Full! Also make sure you don't
miss a single shot of the Light Arrows on Ganondorf. Use the standard process
to beat him. Your magic should last till you have stunned him three times. When
you run out of magic drop to the room below and break the pots to find magic
jars. Then head back up and continue pounding Ganondorf until he falls.

Now you must escape with Zelda. Always run with her by your side so you can
avoid most of the falling debris. You'll have to face two final Stalfos before
you can escape but since now you have a shield it should be easier to dispose
of them. When you are almost out, there is a Redead waiting for you. Use your
hookshot on him to stun him and continue running to the exit. Outside you'll
have to face Ganon.

Final Boss: Ganon

Ok, this guy is ridicously easy. For the first half of the battle run to him
and do a roll between his legs, follow that by hitting his tail with the 
Megaton Hammer. Keep this up till you can get the Master Sword back. When you
get it back continue doing the same thing. Roll between his legs and slash at
his tail. Keep this up and you'll finish the 3 heart challenge!!!

***New Addition*** Sent by: Michael Nicastro

Beat Ganon with the Iron boots on, don't get fairies or magic from the debris
on the battlefield and don't use the empty bottle of course. This makes the
battle against Ganon more of a Final Battle.

I sincerely congratulate you on completing this incredible task! Now you have
earned some bragging rights so brag to all your friends!

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                               Legal Stuff
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This guide may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
Non-commercial use. This guide can only be found on www.gamefaqs.com. I will
not grant my permission to publish this guide on any other websites, so don't 
ask. You may use the information found in this guide for your own guide as long
as you give me the credit I deserve.

All trademarks and copyrights contained in this document are owned by their
respective trademark and copyright holders.

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                              Special Thanks
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Nintendo: for making this absolutely awesome game.

Luis (Bebo): for lending me his Nintendo and his copy of Zelda Ocarina of Time
to make this guide. Also for being such a pain in the you know what.

Reynaldo: for supporting me and helping me find a way to get around without the
Fire Arrows.

Mom: for making delicious food and keeping me healthy.

Michael Nicastro : for sending the challenge for Ganon's Fight.

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                              Contact Me
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If you have any doubts, problems, suggestions, corrections or anything that has
to do with this guide, drop me a mail at:

shadow3184@prtc.net

deathshadow3184@hotmail.com

Remember to write Zelda Guide or 3 heart challenge or something like that on
the e-mail subject. E-mails that have no subjects or subjects not related to
this guide will be deleted on sight.