Dungeons have been synonymous with The Legend of Zelda franchise since the very beginning, and every person has their favorite. But as with many fantasy RPGs, some dungeons in The Legend of Zelda test the patience of even the most experienced players. This frustration mostly boils down to convoluted maps or puzzles requiring a little creativity and ingenuity to successfully get through. However, sometimes, that pesky final boss can put the final nail in the coffin and send players right back to where they started.
There’s always a dungeon in The Legend of Zelda that grinds the gears of players, but there are a select few that the community has collective trauma from trying to complete.
8 Divine Beast Vah Naboris (Breath of the Wild)
Found in the Gerudo desert, Vah Naboris is one of the more formidable Divine Beasts in Breath of the Wild. With the ability to conjure lightning from the two humps on its back, electricity is the element that Link is up against during his fight to free the beast from Ganon’s malice. While interacting with the five terminals is relatively simple, getting to them is another matter. The puzzles in Vah Naboris involve the use of three rotating cylindrical sections within the beast’s torso, which can become very disorientating if players don’t pay attention, particularly when navigating the platforms as they turn.
Having solved the puzzles and reached the central console, players are faced with defeating Thunderblight Ganon. This mini-boss can prove difficult for newcomers due to its reliance on electric-based attacks. But if Link is prepared with elixirs, meals offering shock resistance, and wearing the Rubber Armor set, Thunderblight Ganon can be thwarted in no time.
7 The Ice Palace (A Link To The Past)
Ice levels are the bane of all gamers, and The Ice Palace in A Link To The Past is no different. The dungeon is the usual level of difficulty for any Zelda game, but the slippery flooring can become especially exasperating when trying to finesse Link down a flight of stairs or through a doorway. The same goes for fighting enemies, which has to be done with precision and carefully dedicated movements (and the use of an upgraded Master Sword).
With slippery levels like The Ice Palace, it’s all about strategy and not freaking out. Rushing through these sorts of levels can land players in sticky situations (or death), which aids in frustration. Taking things slow is the best way to go here, and Link will be all the better for it.
6 Hyrule Castle (Breath of the Wild)
Breath of the Wild’s vision of Hyrule Castle is as beautiful as it is daunting, considering players can theoretically take on Ganon as soon as Link leaves the Shrine of Resurrection. Obviously, the best route in taking back control of the castle is getting the maximum number of hearts and a loadout of superior weapons and armor. However, it’s not the foes or Ganon that are difficult; it’s the castle's layout.
Instead of a flat map of the castle, players are given a 3D map in similar shades of translucent blue, which can be hard to decipher. While the entrances and fixed waypoints are in orange and yellow, it’s hard to discern precisely where Link is in Hyrule Castle at any given moment. Players can’t place waypoints on the map either, which makes it even more frustrating to locate things like Korok seeds and other secrets within Hyrule Castle.
5 Death Mountain (The Legend of Zelda)
Conquering Death Mountain is already a foreboding task, with the added pressure of it being the final dungeon players will face in the original Legend of Zelda. Thanks to this dungeon’s nearly 60 rooms, it can also be a struggle to navigate.
Fortunately, there are now tons of guides online to help players through the sprawling, skull-shaped cavern. That said, back when the game was first released, Death Mountain was a minefield to traverse. If that wasn’t enough, players need to remember to find the silver arrows; otherwise, they’ll be stuck fighting the dungeon’s final boss, Ganon.
4 Sword & Shield Maze (Oracle of Seasons)
If players thought traversing the Ice Palace in A Link To The Past was frustrating enough, it was much more difficult in Oracle of Seasons as Link had to contend with a dungeon combined with slippery ice and boiling flames. So as players master the art of not slipping and sliding directly into enemies in the Shield dungeon, they face a barrage of fire attacks and lava pits that are easy to fall into in the fiery Sword maze.
Completing these mazes is down to strategy and skill and not succumbing to that all too familiar feeling of being overwhelmed with everything. However, taking it one step at a time, with some trial and error, makes traversing the Sword and Shield mazes in Oracle of Seasons slightly less frustrating.
3 Water Temple (Ocarina of Time)
Often considered the most challenging dungeon in the franchise by fans, the Water Temple in Ocarina of Time is known for being disorientating. The main goal here is to manipulate water levels to progress through the dungeon, but it can be easy to forget exactly where Link is in the temple resulting in a lot of backtracking.
Players must also continually access the menu to switch between the Iron and Kokiri boots so Link can sink to the bottom of a room and float back up. If that wasn’t enough to think about, enemies like Shell Blades occupy this dungeon, making exploration and puzzle-solving all the more difficult.
2 The Great Palace (The Adventure Of Link)
While The Adventure of Link’s Great Palace doesn’t have nearly as many rooms as Death Mountain, when Link dies, the player is sent right back to the beginning, regardless of where they were. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Link will also lose any XP players have gained up until that point.
Aside from the usual Zelda platforming and a lot of dead ends, the Great Palace also features one of the hardest bosses in the game – the Thunderbird. For Link to defeat the Thunderbird, the hero must learn Thunder Magic, which will change the creature from an invincible red to a vulnerable blue.
1 Stone Tower Temple (Majora's Mask)
The Stone Tower Temple in Majora’s Mask may not look like a frustrating dungeon, but that’s how it tricks players. This dungeon is very perplexing, with Link traversing it twice – once right-side up, the other upside-down. On top of that, players have to be on top of what masks, tools, and other abilities Link has at his disposal to solve puzzles and kill enemies.
With all that on the player’s mind, the Stone Tower Temple is enough to confuse seasoned players of the Zelda franchise. But the frustration that this dungeon provides makes it all the more satisfying to complete in the end.