The Forest Temple is the first dungeon you’ll encounter after you travel into the future in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake.
After you grab the Hookshot from the graveyard in Kakariko Village, you’ll make your way over to the Sacred Grove. You’ll learn that Saria has gone inside the temple, and cannot be found. Additionally, you find out that she’s meant to become one of the Sages. It’s up to you to head inside, and save her from the twisty dungeon that is the Forest Temple.
Here’s how to complete the Forest Temple dungeon in Ocarina of Time remake.
Part 1: Finding the dungeon map
As soon as you walk into the Forest Temple, two Wolfos will appear and attack you. Remember that they’re only vulnerable when they’re attacking or if they miss their own attacks. Then, look up the large tree, and you’ll find a Gold Skulltula all the way at the top. To get it, climb onto the branch, and then use your Hookshot to hit it and pull the token back to you. Then, open the chest on the other tree to get a small key, which you can use to open the locked door below.
Unlock the door and head inside, but watch out for the Skulltula that will drop from the ceiling. In the main room, you’ll encounter four colored Poes, who seem to snatch away the fire from the torches at the center of the room. Before you venture off, go up the staircase directly opposite of you. Then, look to the right to find a Gold Skulltula. Use your Hookshot to get its token.
Go inside the door at the top of the stairs, and you’ll encounter a Blue Bubble, which isn’t a bubble, but actually a flying skull. Block it with your shield and then hit it with your sword to defeat it. Continue into the next room, where you’ll find two Stalfos, which look like skeleton warriors. Wait for them to swing their sword, and then go in for the attack. After you defeat them, a chest containing a small key will spawn.
Grab the key and return to the main room. This time, head northwest and you’ll find a large cube. If you interact with it, Navi will tell you that the cube has the same design as the door in the Temple of Time. Play the Song of Time (A – L – R – A – L – R) and the box will disappear.
Head inside the next room, and be careful as there are Deku Babas scattered about. First, turn right to see a wall covered in vines. Use your Hookshot to defeat the Skullwalltulas and climb up to the balcony. Turn around to spot another balcony that has a point that you can Hookshot to, but be careful as there’s a Blue Bubble waiting for you.
Hookshot over and defeat the flying skull. Then, step on the button, which will lower the water in the well below you. Jump inside and follow the path to a chest that contains another small key. Climb up the ladder, and you’ll end up in the northeast room. Hookshot to the target ahead of you, but be weary of the Octorok in the water. Open the chest to get the dungeon map. Exit through the door and step on the button to return to the main room.
Part 2: Getting the Fairy Bow
Unlock the door on the west side of the main room and head inside. In this room, a spotlight will shine down on you. Make sure to roll out of it. A Wallmaster, which looks like a severed hand, will drop down shortly after. Wait for them to fall, and then take them out. Defeat the Wallmaster and the Blue Bubble, and then climb the ladder.
In this room, you’ll find a large cube and arrows on the floor. Your goal is to move the cube along the arrows, so that it falls into a small ditch in the southwest corner of the area. First, pull the cube until it’s resting just on top of the arrows. Then, push it to the end of the hallway. From here, you’ll need to go around and push the cube from the other side, but you’ll find a ladder where the cube once was. Finish pushing the cube into the corner, and then go up the ladder.
In this area, you’ll find another cube. Push it to the end of the hallway. Then, go back to the initial cube that you pushed. Climb onto it and go to the next floor. You’ll find a cube in your path, which is the cube that you just moved. Push it to the end of the hallway, and climb up to the next floor.
Follow the path to the third floor until you reach a room with two Blue Bubbles. Defeat them, and step on the button in the hallway. This will make an elevator appear, but don’t step on it just yet. It’ll take you back down to the entrance, but there’s still more to explore here.
Open the door with your small key, which will lead to a twisty hallway. Walk into the next room, and another spotlight will appear. Either defeat the Wallmaster or quickly hop across the platforms to the next room. Ignore the chest for now, as we’ll be back for that later. Follow the path to the bottom of the staircase, and go inside the room ahead.
In this room, you’ll need to beat three Stalfos, but as a reward, you’ll get the Fairy Bow!
Part 3: Finding the boss key and a small key
As the way forward and backwards are blocked, you’ll need to find a way to unlock one of the doors. Look above the door behind you to see a familiar eye on the wall. With the Fairy Bow in hand, you can now hit the eye with an arrow.
Return to the room just before the twisty hallway, and look above the door to see another eye on the wall. Shoot it, and then go back to the red room at the end of the now-normal hallway. Open the chest on the ground to get the boss key.
Before you climb back up the ladder, look to your left to find a hole that drops into a room full of water. Drop into it and quickly defeat the Blue Bubbles inside. Go through the door, which will take you to a balcony in the northwest room.
Go into the first door on your right, where you’ll encounter a Floormaster, which is another hand monster. You need to wait for it to stop glowing to deal damage to it. However, it’ll split into three smaller hands once defeated, so be ready to keep slashing away! Once defeated, a chest with a small key will spawn.
Part 4: Finding the compass
Get the key and head back outside. Don’t go into the room to the south just yet. Instead, follow the path to the left of the door to find a Gold Skulltula on the southern wall. Hit it with your Hookshot to retrieve it, and then go into the southern door. This will take you back to the beginning of the west room. Don’t ride the elevator to the top. Instead, climb up the ladder to the area with the blocks.
Climb up the second ladder and take the second right turn to find an eye on the wall. Shoot it, and a chest with a purple rupee (50 rupees) will fall onto the ground. Collect it, and make your way back up to the room just before the twisty hallway. Shoot the eye to make the hallway twisty again.
Make your way back to the staircase with the paintings of the moving Poe. Don’t get too close to the painting, but instead, shoot the Poe in the painting with your Fairy Bow. Repeat this process with every painting until the Poe comes out of the painting and heads downstairs.
Follow after her and take her on as you would any other Poe. Avoid looking at her until she gets close and then hit her with your sword. If she does catch you looking at her, she’ll spin in your direction. Because she was spinning so fast, she’ll stun herself, leaving her vulnerable to attacks. After you defeat her, open the chest to get a small key.
Go through the door, and unlock the door in the next room with a small key. You’ll find yourself in a familiar staircase room, only this time it’s blue. Hunt down Beth, the Poe hiding in the paintings, just like you did before. After you defeat her, open the chest to get the compass, and then head upstairs to the newly unlocked door.
Part 5: Defeating the final two Poe sisters
In the next room, go up the ladder to find Green Bubbles, which are just like their blue counterparts, just green. Defeat them and unlock the door at the end of the hallway.
Step on the button, which will light a stone torch. Go past the torch and turn around to see a frozen eye on the wall. Your goal is to shoot an arrow through the fire and into the eye. If successful, the ice will melt, and you’ll need to shoot the eye again to twist the hallway.
Go back through the previous hallway and drop into the hole on the floor. You’ll enter a long checkered room that has a collapsing ceiling. There is a hallway on your right that leads to a Gold Skulltula, but you can’t reach it at the moment. You’ll have to come back after you learn the Scarecrow Song to get it.
For this room, you need to move onto the tiles that have spotlights on them, but avoid the lit-up tiles with shadows. Skulltulas will drop from the ceiling on those tiles. Make your way over to the door at the end of the room, but make sure to step on the button and open the chest along the way.
In the next room, shoot the Poe in the painting on the wall, and they’ll go into a block that will shortly break into a bunch of pieces. You’ll need to put the pieces back together to recreate the painting. However, you’ll notice that there’s a duplicate piece. The piece in the center isn’t moving like all the other pieces, so move that piece over to the side.
Then, find the pieces that contain the Poe’s head, and place them next to each other. Then look for the Poe’s lower body. The square with the arm pointing to the left will go on the left, while the square with the arm pointing to the right will go on the right. Place these two squares below the squares with the head, and Amy, the fourth-born Poe sister, will come out of the painting. Defeat her as you did the previous two Poes by avoiding their gaze.
Go through the door, and you’ll immediately be greeted by another painting. Shoot the Poe in the painting, and they’ll run back to the main room. Chase after her, which will lead to a fight against Meg, the firstborn Poe sister.
Meg is a bit different compared to her other sisters. She’ll split into four copies of herself, but only one is real. For the first two splits, look for the Poe with a purple torch. Shoot that one with your Fairy Bow and attack her. For the third and final split, three out of four Poes will be squinting. Shoot the Poe with wide-open eyes and attack her. After you’ve defeated her, an elevator will rise from the floor in the middle of the room.
Part 6: Reaching the boss room
Ride the elevator down, and head toward the south room. A Skulltula will drop from the ceiling, but you’ll find a Gold Skulltula inside.
In this room, there are two bars that stick out from the walls. To reach the boss, you’ll need to push the bars and press a few buttons to unlock the boss room’s door.
First, rotate the room clockwise three times. Open the chest to get some arrows and then step on the button in the other room. Then, rotate the room clockwise one more time. Look through the window to the east to see that a stone torch is in front of a frozen eye. Shoot an arrow through the window at the eye to melt it. Then, shoot the eye again, and the door to the boss’ room will unlock. Use the boss key to unlock the boss’ room.
Part 7: Beating the Forest Temple boss, Phantom Ganon
Before you go up the stairs, we recommend using headphones or increasing the volume on your device, as you’ll need it for the first part of this fight.
When you’re ready, head up the stairs to face off against the Evil Spirit from Beyond, Phantom Ganon.
For the first part of this fight, Phantom Ganon will ride his horse in and out of the paintings. Multiple Phantom Ganons will appear in the paintings, but you can hear the real Phantom Ganon’s horse sounds as he’s exiting the painting. Aim your Fairy Bow at the real one, and shoot it just as it’s coming out of the painting. Repeat this two more times, and Phantom Ganon will start flying around the room.
For the second part of this fight, Phantom Ganon will float around the room and throw projectiles at you. You need to hit the orbs back at Phantom Ganon until he misses. He’ll fall to the ground in a vulnerable state, so run at him and swing your sword as many times as you can.
Occasionally, Phantom Ganon will charge at you instead. He’ll swing his spear in a circle, and the tip of the spear will shine just before he’s about to charge at you. Try your best to avoid him here, but he’ll lose his invulnerable glow, so you can shoot a few arrows at him if you’re quick enough.
Continue to dodge his charge and reflect the orb at them until you defeat them. Grab the Heart Container and exit the dungeon through the ring of light when you’re ready.