Preparations: You must have the Sand Rod to proceed in here. Bombs are optional.
Starting off, use the Sand Rod to form a bridge going northward. Cross it and head around the left corner to spot another sandy strip below. Form a row of sandy blocks, then merge onto the side and pop out on the ledge with the chest. Open it to get
5 Rupees. Then, come back around and merge with the sandy wall to reach the northern door. In the next room, defeat the Ropes and Gibdos (the Fire Rod or Lamp can be used to turn Gibdos into easier Stalfos). Go up the steps in the back corner, then merge with the right wall to get past the beam statues safely.
In the following room, go north and form a sandy bridge leading to the east side. Walk forward to the point where the stairs begin, then turn left and use the Sand Rod to form a long bridge. This will lead you right in between the four crystal switches on pillars in the middle area. Trigger them all quickly to open the southern gate. Form a wall next to the beam statues with the Sand Rod, then pass safely on the left side to continue.
The next room is a large sandy chamber with Leevers popping out of the sand, and three statues you can move. There are three floor switches on the upper ledge as well. First, pull the statue on the ground level to the right two spaces and up one. Go up the steps to the upper level and pull/push the first statue onto the first switch. Stand on the jutting ledge, lining up with the statue below, and use the Sand Rod to send the statue upward atop the bridge. Pull/push that one to the middle switch. Form a bridge along the second jutting platform ahead, then pull the last statue across to the last switch, opening the south door.
Head into the next room and step on the floor switch when you enter. Form a sand bridge and cross the room while avoiding the Blade Traps. In the room ahead, you need to defeat an enemy buried in the sand. Use the Sand Rod to dig it up, revealing a multi-part enemy. Use your sword to attack, destroying all the parts as they bounce around the room to defeat it. This will make a chest appear on the south ledge, but you can't reach it yet. For now, go north. In here, defeat the enemies and drop off the sandy portion to the north. Go up the steps and merge with the far south wall, moving to the southwest ledge to collect a
Monster Tail from the chest. Merge again and go north to reach the following room.
In here, collect the rupees and open the chest to get the
Compass. Before you leave, pull the wall lever to fill the previous room with sand. Now that you can do so, open the other chest in that room to obtain a
Small Key. Use it to unlock the east door and go into that room. There, pull the nearby lever to fill this room with a layer of sand. You need to get to the large northern ledge; to do this, use the Sand Rod to form a bridge leading toward the center ledges, then merge with the sandy walls and move onto those ledges. When you reach the floor switch, hit it to open the nearby wall. Use the Sand Rod to the left and merge along the back wall to reach the big chest, containing
Titan's Mitt. This will allow you to lift the larger stones now!
Now that you have this item, go back to the southwest room, then continue southward again. In the room with the chest, go up the steps on the east side and form a sandy bridge to the south. Go across and clear the large stones to reach the chest; open it to get a
Small Key. With it, drop down to the ground level and lift the large stone away from the door, then unlock it and continue. Break the pots for hearts if needed, then exit to the south. There is not much to do outside in this version of the game, so enter the second half of the dungeon via the northern cave.
On 2F now, use the Shield to deflect the flying tiles on both sides of the room. When the tiles are gone, use the Sand Rod to uproot and defeat the quicksand enemies on both sides. When they are gone, the entrance portal will appear, as will a bridge leading onward. Cross it and form a sand bridge to the northern wall, then merge along the left side and enter the west room first. In here, first take the lower path to the very back of the room. Use the Sand Rod to dig up a chest in the sand holding
100 Rupees. Go back up the stairs at the south end, then form a sand bridge to the north. Cross it while avoiding the Blade Traps, and enter the east room.
Here, go down the steps and use the Sand Rod to raise the beam statue upward. Merge around the sandy wall to the other side, then open the chest to get another
100 Rupees. Continue into the now-open east room, and continue onward to the next room to the east. Go down the steps and make your way southward, defeating the Armos Knights and avoiding the arrows being shot from the walls. At the south end, hit the crystal switch to raise the red blocks. Now that you're on the upper level, form a sand bridge to reach the middle ledge, then raise the statue sitting on the sand below. Pull it back onto the solid platform, then use the Sand Rod elsewhere to remove the raised sand block. This will allow an arrow to constantly shoot the crystal switch, changing the red/blue blocks.
Use this principle to reach the chest in the southeast corner, and open it to get a
Small Key. We will return for the larger chest, so get onto the northeast platform in the same fashion and enter the north room. Go down the steps here and lift the large stone to the right, then dig up the chest to get the
100 Rupees inside. Hug the southern wall, using your map for guidance, to reach another room to the south. Dig up another chest there to find another
100 Rupees!
Return to the previous room, and use a Bomb to clear the cracked blocks above the center stairs. You will notice a steady stream of giant orbs rolling across the room from the left side. On the upper level, remove the large stone sitting atop a sandy patch, then wait for an orb to start rolling along the northmost path. As it progresses, use the Sand Rod to fill in the gaps. Eventually the orb will hit the final cracked block to the right, which will allow sand to be poured into the southern room.
Return to the southeast room at this point, and use the Sand Rod to form bridges to the square ledges in the middle area. Merge your way onto them and repeat to reach the big chest, which contains the
Big Key. Before you leave here, go south and enter a newly accessible room where you can capture small faeries and a few rupees. From here, go up the west steps and continue across for three rooms to reach the locked door in the western room.
Enter the new room, and go around the corner to spot the first beam statue sitting on a sandy platform. Trigger it from the left side, then as soon as the beam begins, use the Sand Rod. This will raise the statue, triggering the three switches above to open the southern door. Go into the south room and defeat the enemies inside with help from your sword and Sand Rod. Open the chest following that to get a
Small Key, then return to the beam statue room. Go to the second beam statue this time and activate it, then use the Sand Rod to raise it again. As it hits the crystal switches, stand on each level of red/blue blocks to reach the top. Then, merge across to the locked door and head through it to reach 3F.
Here, defeat the Ropes and enter the somewhat hidden door in the middle of the western wall. Open a chest inside to get
100 Rupees, then exit and go into the southern room now. Defeat the enemies if you want, then go through the southern door on the upper level to reach that room. Use the Sand Rod to form a bridge leading across this room, then defeat the Armos Statues as you cross. Collect the
Small Key from the chest at the end, then exit the room.
Now, unlock the nearby door and go into the north room. Bomb the cracked block in front of you to reach the sandy section first. You will see cracked blocks atop three columns above. Place a Bomb (or attack the bomb enemies) next to a cracked block below, then use the Sand Rod to raise it up and clear the block. By doing this, the arrows will hit the crystal switch, alternating the red/blue step blocks by the room entrance. If you bomb the other cracked blocks in the room, you can access hidden caches of rupees. Anyway, get onto the southern ledge with help from the red/blue platforms, and return to the previous room.
Pull the wall lever nearby to fill the room with sand, which allows you to reach the boss door. Unlock it and enter the final room. Here, use the Sand Rod to form bridges leading to the south, stopping on the middle platform to remove a large stone. At the end, exit the palace. You will find a new fissure portal outside, so use it to return to Lorule.
Misery Mire
You will emerge in a surprisingly sandy, albeit enclosed, area of the swamp. Drop off the sides of the high platform and you will immediately meet a boss.
Boss Battle
This strange flower-like boss is faced in an arena consisting of various columns and quicksand below. You use the Sand Rod to form bridges to the columns or the longer platforms on both ends of the arena. Since only one bridge can be active at a time, you will need to be standing on a solid column before forming another one, so keep that in mind. Anyway, the boss moves from column to column, periodically spitting out three smaller enemies that bounce around the room. You can kill them easily with your sword. As for the boss, attacking multiple times directly with your sword (or from a distance with Bombs) will cause good damage.
After causing enough damage, the boss's form will change slightly to reveal eyeballs. This is the more dangerous phase since the strategy changes a little bit as well. When the boss appears on a column (keep in mind you can see where it's heading if you watch the sand below), it will quickly spit out three smaller enemies before aiming at you. Shortly afterward, it will launch a beam made of sand as it rotates in your direction, so you want to get out of its way quickly, moving in the same direction the beam is rotating. If you get far enough away, the beam won't reach you either, so keep that in mind.
You can hit it with your sword up close, but that can be dangerous if you don't swing quickly a few times before running away. As the boss rotates during its beam attack, you can throw a couple of Bombs at it to inflict additional damage. When the boss starts flashing red, it is getting weaker, so keep at it and be patient to win the battle.
Once you win, the quicksand below is filled up and the
Heart Container is revealed. Take it, then touch the painting of Sage Irene to complete this dungeon! You will then return to the weather vane in Misery Mire.
NEXT: Before the Swamp Palace
