Dodongo’s Cavern at a glance
Dodongo’s Cavern is the second dungeon in Ocarina of Time 3D, the Gorons’ quarry on Death Mountain. Young Link clears it for the Goron’s Ruby. The whole dungeon is about explosives: you start with only Bomb Flowers you can pull up with the Goron’s Bracelet, pick up the Bomb Bag halfway through, and finish with bombs in King Dodongo’s mouth. Darunia’s order is simple: “Destroy the monsters in Dodongo’s Cavern, and become a real man!”
| Thing | Where |
|---|---|
| Dungeon Map | Lower floor, by the main hall |
| Compass | Lower floor, west side room |
| Deku Shield (a Blue Rupee if you already have one) | Upper floor, on a ledge above the main hall |
| Red Rupee | Upper floor, near the Bomb Bag |
| Bomb Bag (20 Bombs) | Big chest on the upper floor |
| Gold Skulltulas | 5 (2 above the big staircase, 3 on the lower floor) |
| Before the boss | A chest with 5 Bombs |
| Boss | King Dodongo: Heart Container, then the Goron’s Ruby |
| Small Keys, Boss Key | None |
How to get in
- Get the Goron’s Bracelet. In Goron City, open Darunia’s door with Zelda’s Lullaby and play Saria’s Song to cheer him up. He gives you the bracelet: “Now you can pull up Bomb Flowers.”
- Blow up the boulder. A big boulder blocks the cave on Death Mountain Trail. Climb to the ledge above the cave entrance, pick up the Bomb Flower there and throw it down onto the boulder. Navi says “Let’s go inside Dodongo’s Cavern using a Bomb Flower!”
Bring the Fairy Slingshot, some Deku Sticks and the Deku Shield. The Kokiri Sword is all the sword you need. Fire Keese can set the wooden Deku Shield alight, so keep a spare or put it away when they swoop; the Hylian Shield doesn’t burn.
Dodongo’s Cavern walkthrough
1. The main hall
Inside the entrance, blow up the cracked wall with a Bomb Flower to reach the main hall: a big room with lava, Beamos statues and the skull of a giant Dodongo. The Dungeon Map is in a chest off this hall.
A plaque in the hall reads “Giant dead Dodongo... When it sees red, a new way to go will be open.” That is the way to the boss, and you can’t do it yet.
2. The Baby Dodongo corridor and the first Lizalfos
Take the corridor on the right-hand side of the hall. Baby Dodongos crawl along it and explode after they die, so step away from them; a blast next to a cracked wall opens it, just like a Bomb Flower. At the end, two Lizalfos ambush you in a room with lava around it. Hold up the shield, wait for one to attack, then hit back. Beat both to open the doors.
Next comes a room with Dodongos and torches. Light the torches with a Deku Stick to open the way on, then follow the route back to the main hall and press the switch there. It opens the way to the big staircase room.
3. The Bomb Flower staircase
This room has a row of Bomb Flowers with a gap in the middle. Navi asks: “Wow! Look at all those Bomb Flowers! Is there any way you can set them all off at once?” Pick up the lone Bomb Flower nearby and put it down in the gap. The explosions spread both ways along the row and the giant staircase drops so you can climb to the upper floor.
4. The eye switches and the Bomb Bag
Upstairs, shoot the eye switches with the Slingshot to open the bars, and cross the bridges. You come back into the Lizalfos room on a higher ledge, and two more Lizalfos are waiting. After them, a big chest holds the Bomb Bag: “You found a Bomb Bag! This bomb-holding bag is made from a Dodongo’s stomach! You found 20 Bombs inside!” Now you can blow up walls without hunting for Bomb Flowers.
5. Open the skull
Walk along the upper walkway until you are above the giant Dodongo skull in the main hall. Drop a bomb into each eye. When both eyes glow red, the skull’s mouth opens.
6. The way down
Go in through the mouth. Push the block onto the floor switch to open the way, and follow the passage round to the area before the boss, where a chest holds 5 Bombs. Bomb the cracked floor and drop through it into King Dodongo’s lair.
How to beat King Dodongo
The game describes him as “a huge Dodongo that eats anything! Give it a shock, and finish it off with your sword!”
- Wait for King Dodongo to open his mouth and breathe in. That is when he is about to breathe fire.
- Throw a bomb into his mouth. A Bomb Flower from the side of the arena works too.
- The bomb goes off inside him and he collapses. Run up and land a sword hit or a Jump Attack.
- Then get out of the way: he gets up and rolls round the arena. Keep away from his fire too, and repeat until he falls into the lava.
He leaves a Heart Container. Outside, Darunia gives you the Goron’s Ruby: “This is the Spiritual Stone of Fire passed down by the Gorons!”
Gold Skulltulas
| # | Where |
|---|---|
| 1 | On the vines above the big staircase |
| 2 | In an alcove above the big staircase. Come back in through the upper entrance and use the Boomerang or Hookshot from there, or reach it with the Longshot |
| 3 | In a high alcove in the Baby Dodongo corridor: come back as adult and play the Scarecrow’s Song to Hookshot to Pierre, or use the Longshot |
| 4 | Behind a bombable wall in the Baby Dodongo corridor: use a bomb, or let a Baby Dodongo explode next to it |
| 5 | In the room behind the bombable wall at the back of the cavern |
Every pin is on the Dodongo’s Cavern map.
Stuck in Dodongo’s Cavern?
- You can’t lift the Bomb Flower. You need the Goron’s Bracelet from Darunia first.
- The Bomb Flower blows up in your hands. Its fuse starts when you pick it up. Carry it straight to where it needs to go.
- The staircase won’t drop. Put the lone Bomb Flower in the gap in the middle of the row, so the explosions spread to both ends. Starting at one end doesn’t work.
- The door to the staircase room won’t open. Light the torches with a Deku Stick and press the switch in the main hall first.
- Nothing happens at the skull. Both eyes need a bomb. Drop them from the walkway right above, so they land in the eye sockets.
The eight Sheikah Stone hint videos for this dungeon, from “A Weighty Dilemma” to the King Dodongo battle, are on the Dodongo’s Cavern hint list.
Master Quest
In Master Quest the cavern is mirrored left to right on 3DS and has six chests in the main cavern instead of five, including a Hylian Shield. One room is full of Time Blocks, 15 of them; you only need the Song of Time there for a Gold Skulltula, not to beat the dungeon.
Din’s Fire is not in this dungeon: it comes from the Great Fairy near Hyrule Castle. See Din’s Fire in Ocarina of Time 3D.
Dodongo’s Cavern FAQ
How do you get into Dodongo’s Cavern?
As young Link, play Zelda’s Lullaby outside Darunia’s door in Goron City, then play Saria’s Song to him for the Goron’s Bracelet. On Death Mountain Trail, pick up the Bomb Flower on the ledge above the cave and throw it down onto the boulder.
Where is the Bomb Bag in Dodongo’s Cavern?
In a big chest on the upper floor. It comes with 20 Bombs and is made, the game says, from a Dodongo’s stomach.
How do you open the giant Dodongo skull?
From the upper walkway, drop a bomb into each of the skull’s eyes. When both eyes glow red, its mouth opens and the path continues towards King Dodongo.
How do you beat King Dodongo?
When he opens his mouth to breathe in, throw a bomb or a Bomb Flower into it. The bomb goes off inside him and he collapses; land a sword hit or a Jump Attack, then get out of the way of his rolling attack. Repeat until he falls.
How many Gold Skulltulas are in Dodongo’s Cavern?
Five. Two are in the big staircase room, one is high in the Baby Dodongo corridor, one is behind a bombable wall off that corridor, and one is in the room behind the bombable wall at the back of the cavern.
What do you get for beating Dodongo’s Cavern?
A Heart Container from King Dodongo and the Goron’s Ruby, the Spiritual Stone of Fire, from Darunia.