Zelda Ocarina of Time Zora River

The Zora River is a huge body of water in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that flows throughout Hyrule and is responsible for providing water to the region. It's here that you'll need to take on some Octorok foes, collect some Heart Pieces, and ultimately, gain entry to the Zora Domain. To make sure you don't miss out on anything here, you'll find my Zelda: Ocarina of Time Zora River guide below.

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Zelda Ocarina of Time Zora River

Zora River is how Link ultimately gains passage to the Zora Domain, where his adventure in Ocarina of Time continues. Below, you'll find an overview of what objectives you'll be completing here, as well as the locations of any key collectibles in the area.

• Child timeline
• Adult timeline
• Heart Piece locations

Child timeline

In Zora River, the only objective you need to complete as Child Link is opening up access to the Zora Domain. You can do this by following the river upstream as advised by Kaepora Gaebora at the beginning of the area, then playing Zelda's Lullaby's in front of the Sleepless Waterfall at the end of the area.

After this, the Sleepless Waterfall will split in two, revealing a path into the Zora Domain behind it (shown below).

You may also need to use some Cuccos to help you glide between platforms while following the river for what it's worth!

There are no upgrades to collect in Zora River, and there isn't anything you need to do here as Adult Link.

Gold Skulltula locations

There are four Gold Skulltula to collect in Zora River. These are as follows:

Gold Skulltula #1:

As Child Link at night, fill an Empty Bottle with bugs then drop it into the soft soil by the Bean Seller.

Playing the original game?

In the original game, roll into the tree at the beginning of Zora River to find this Gold Skulltula.

Gold Skulltula #2:

As Child Link, head to the waterfall leading to Zora Domain. Here there are some vines growing at the base of a rock in this area, run behind this rock to find the Gold Skulltula.

Playing the original game?

In the original game, check the ladder near the entrance to Zora Domain at night.

Gold Skulltula #3:

As Adult Link at night, climb up the ladder found roughly halfway in Zora River to reach the top of the hill. Now look along the left-hand floor near the circle of stones and you should spot a Gold Skulltula. You'll need Hookshot or Longshot unlocked to reach this.

Gold Skulltula #4:

As Adult Link at night, another Gold Skulltula can be found high on the left-hand wall just after you've gone over the bridge leading to the waterfall. It can only be easily acquired using the Longshot, but, if you stand on the nearby fence, you might be able to get it using the Hookshot.

Heart Piece locations

There are four Heart Pieces to collect in Zora River. These are as follows:

Heart Piece #1:

As Child Link, play the Song of Storms to the Frog Chorus and they'll give you a Heart Piece!

Heart Piece #2:

To get this Heart Piece, you first need to play all six of the 'grey noted' songs to the Frog Chorus. These songs are: Zelda's Lullaby, Saria's Song, Epona's Song, Sun's Song, Song of Time and Song of Storms.

With that done, use your Ocarina at the Frog Chorus again to make them jump out. This time, however, a butterfly will be flying above a frog's head. As you might have noticed when playing them the other songs, each frog represents a different note on the ocarina. Now you need to play the note that matches the frog with a bug flying above them. Getting this correct causes the frog to eat the bug and you need to keep going until all of the frogs are nice and fat. You'll get a Heart Piece in return for this hearty meal!

Here's which frog corresponds to which button:

• Dark Blue - Y
• Grey - X
• Red - A
• Light Blue - L
• Yellow - R

The frog order that Lottie had to complete for this Heart Piece was: L, Y, A, R, Y, A, R, L, R, L, R, A, Y, L.

Heart Piece #3:

This Heart Piece sits atop a pillar in the middle of Zora River, near the Frog Chorus. To reach it as Child Link, you'll need to use the nearby cucco.

First, take the cucco upriver just to the point where the landscape curves to reach the waterfall. Now look back on where you've come and you'll vines growing against a cliff. Use the cucco to reach the land in front of these vines.

Abandon this cucco and climb the vines. Atop the cliff, you'll want to head to the area opposite the bombable rock. There you'll see another ledge to your left. Jump over here and head into the hole to find a cucco.

Pick up the cucco and leave the hole. With this bird in hand, you can glide down to the Heart Piece. You can wait until your Adult Link, however, as it's also reachable using the flying plant if you planted a Magic Bean in the soft dirt by the Bean Seller in the Child timeline.

Playing the original game?

In the original game, the second cucco will be waiting for you atop the cliff. Simply pick it up and glide down to the Heart Piece.

Heart Piece #4:

As Child Link, carry a cucco all the way upstream until you're by the waterfall. Now, still holding the cucco, jump across to the Heart Piece. As Adult Link, you can try jumping across to this Heart Piece but the cucco method is far easier.

That's all for the Zora River! For more on Ocarina of Time, take a look at where to find all Empty Bottles, all upgrade locations, and how to learn the Sun Song, which allows you to freely change the time of day.