Water dungeons in The Legend of Zelda series are infamous for being some of the toughest across the games. But just because an element of a game can be frustrating doesn’t mean it can’t be done well, too. With the series beginning in 1986 and spanning 29 games so far (if you count remakes and ports), that’s an awful lot of water trials for Link to take on.
We’ll focus on dungeons where water is the central theme – no deceptively-electrical dungeons like Inside Jabu-Jabu’s Belly or the Temple of the Ocean King, which are both more frustrating and way less water-based than you might expect.
9 Temple Of Droplets (Minish Cap)
The Minish Cap was hardly the first time Link took on a new form in a Zelda game, but it was where we met the Minish, the small mouse-like creatures only visible to well-behaved children. The game sees Link shrinking down to take on some of the tiny challenges.
The Temple of Droplets is mostly frozen when you arrive. You initially melt this ice by skylights in the temple, but the Flame Lantern eventually hands that power directly to Link. You’ll have the Flippers by this point, but you’ll still navigate the waterways in this temple via lily pad for some extra water ambiance.
8 Angler's Tunnel (Link's Awakening)
After a winding path into the dungeon involving trekking, fighting, and singing, Angler’s Tunnel from Link’s Awakening certainly feels memorable. You’ll have to get through it in order to obtain the Surf Harp, one of many instruments required to wake the Wind Fish.
To get to the final fight for it, you’ll have to take on a few water-based tests and a frustrating mini-boss along the way. Cue Ball’s back is tender enough for your sword to damage, but it’s running toward you in a tight, set fashion. Many of the areas within the dungeon are accessible only through swimming, made much easier after you’ve gotten the Flippers that Cue Ball was protecting once you finally beat him.
7 Water Temple (Ocarina Of Time)
This is the dungeon responsible for most Zelda fans’ intense distaste for water realms and dungeons across the series because, in the original N64 release of Ocarina of Time, it was tough. Subsequent remakes of the game have made it easier by making the Iron Boots a C-button item or painting arrows around the dungeon itself to direct you to the water-level-changing switches.
But for all its frustrations, the Water Temple had some highlights, too. The Dark Link fight, for example, is easily one of the most iconic of the series. It’s also how you get Ruto out of your hair forever by awakening her as the Sage at the end. Sorry about our engagement, honey.
6 Mermaid's Cave (Oracle Of Ages)
There were a good number of differences between the two Oracle games – Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons – but one of them was in Ages only, and that was Mermaid’s Cave. It exists in both the past and present game timelines, and you’ll need to jump between the two periods to complete it.
Snagging the Mermaid Suit after the Vire mini-boss fight is your ticket to successfully navigating the dungeon in the past - you could only do it in the present before, as the water has dried up by then. Defeating Octagon, the boss, will reward you with your sixth Essence of Time.
5 Great Bay Temple (Majora's Mask)
Since the theme of Majora’s Mask was using the assorted face masks Link obtains to transform into other races from the Zelda universe; you’ll do the bulk of the Great Bay Temple as Mikau, guitarist of the famous Zora band, The Indigo-Go’s.
Mikau has perished in his attempt to help his bandmate, so you take up the quest in his place. The temple is a massive factory, potentially a hydroelectric factory. You’ll be tasked with using a series of water pipes to complete the dungeon and eventually challenge Gyorg, the Gargantuan Masked Fish.
4 Swamp Palace (A Link To The Past And A Link Between Worlds)
With A Link to the Past and A Link Between Worlds so closely mirroring one another, it was no surprise to see that we once again had to challenge the Swamp Palace in the later title. And a fun fact about this dungeon is that, when it debuted in A Link to the Past, it was the series’ first ever water-centric dungeon.
Both iterations see you messing with the water level around the dungeon as your main form of navigation, as well as snagging the Hookshot on your way to your fight with Arrghus for either the second Crystal or the painting of Oren.
3 Vah Ruta (Breath Of The Wild)
While the Divine Beasts certainly felt like a departure from the regular dungeons from previous Zelda installments, Vah Ruta was a pretty good one. You and the iconic Zora prince, Sidon, work together to get Link inside the Beast, where he’s tasked with bringing Vah Ruta back from the side of evil.
You’ll complete some water-based puzzles around the dungeon, and eventually, you’ll take on Waterblight Ganon, the same monster that killed Princess Mipha, the Zora Champion, during the Great Calamity. Defeating it brings the elephant back to your side.
2 Lakebed Temple (Twilight Princess)
Twilight Princess was one of the darker installments of the Zelda series, and the Lakebed Temple is but an example of why. In order to get in, you must first work together with the ghost of the executed Zora queen to ensure Prince Ralis, her orphaned young son, is safe.
She’ll give you special armor and bombs in exchange, which will allow you to take on the dungeon. You’ll need to move water between rooms to power long-dry mechanics around the temple, eventually earning access to Morpheel and its subaquatic boss fight.
1 Ancient Cistern (Skyward Sword)
While Skyward Sword, on the whole, was largely lambasted for its extremely linear gameplay, subpar motion controls, and chatty sidekick, there were some really strong elements to the game itself. One such thing it got right was The Ancient Cistern, the first dungeon you take on in your search for the Sacred Flames.
This is routinely ranked among fans as one of the best Zelda dungeons of all time, and it’s not hard to see why. The atmosphere in the upper levels is serene, making it much more jarring when the underground sections are notedly darker and more hellish. Koloktos, the Ancient Automaton boss, is one of the more interesting boss fights across the series – any boss that you beat with its weapons is cool with us.