Chapter 1 - The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass Guide - IGN (2024)

Get to know your ship

As with Wind Waker, sea navigation makes up a large component of the game. As the appointed ship navigator, there are just a few things to keep in mind. The feather pen acts as the pointer for your stylus while you are viewing the sea chart. Use it to draw lines to map out your ship's course.

The second point is that Linebeck's floating vessel also features a health meter of sorts. Collisions at sea and other nasty encounters knock the health down; dock it safely at harbors, or pick up stray hearts from the carcasses of your sea enemies to restore its energy. The anchor icons scattered all over the map at key isles denote locations of interest. Link the ship's current position to the anchor icon of the destination and confirm the route to push off on an auto-pilot course towards that destination.

Explore the high seas

There's no hurry to go see Astrid. (Of course, that could be a different story for poor Tetra who's still in the clutches of that wretched Ghost Ship.) Get your feet a little wet (pun kind of intended) by traveling to other points of interest. As a new seaman, you are not presented with too much to do, but there are definitely new and exciting things to see.

Notice the floating face on the map that slowly moves around. It's actually a traveling merchant by the name of Beedle. Set your course to intercept his ship and hop onboard. He doesn't carry anything in particular that you need at this point, but the first purchase gives you access to membership program. With a Member's Card, you can accumulate points by spending more. As you move up through the system, you get awesome discounts on his items. He's a wandering merchant, so he's bound to get all sorts of great goods.

Sail to Isle of Ember

Plot the course to the Isle of Ember, which is located at the southern most tip of the map. As expected, Linebeck leaves you to do the grunt work while he lazes about near the dock. Some captain...Anyway, the Isle of Ember is a quiet island with little activity. The land on the island spirals around and around to a volcano as the focal point of the island.

The seer lives in the first house on the hill. It appears seemingly empty at first; perhaps she may be in the basem*nt. At the bottom of the steps, you find yourself walled in and ambushed by a nice welcoming party of Octoroks. Some deft sword-swinging will make short work of these creatures, but be wary of their rocky projectiles. They hurt! After eliminating every last one, the wall gives way, allowing you to leave. However, we still haven't found Astrid yet.

Approach the blue door and call out loudly into the mic on the DS. Aware of your presence, Astrid answers by meekly calling back. As it turns out, Astrid has locked herself in and cannot get out of her own basem*nt. Sheesh, it seems everyone tends to purposely jam themselves in some sort of sticky situation whenever Link is around. What is a hero in tights to do.

Save Astrid

Without her assistant present to aid us, there is nothing else we can do for her except to go find Kayo now. Located just further down the stone pathway from Astrid's house, Kayo's abode holds nothing except his diary that reveals his location to the east. Take note of the torch in his house. Back outside, cross the bridge to the right and follow the path east until you come upon a skeleton laying in a helpless heap. Upon closer investigation, it turns out to be the awful remains of Kayo. Before departing into the afterlife, Kayo's ghost leaves you with the location of a second torch. Mark the location of this torch on the map.

Further up, the path gradually bends to the west. Along the way you will encounter Crows and a Yellow Chuchu that is quite shockingly powerful (hyuk). This variation of the Chuchu burrows from the ground, surrounded in electricity. Avoid it at all costs when it crackles with static electric energy.

The location of the third and last torch reveals itself at the end of the pathway. Make note of this on the map. Before returning to Astrid, roll into the tree near the torch to free up a red Rupee. Tap the map hanging outside Astrid's door to bring up the puzzle. The solution to this should be at your fingertips. Recall the locations of the three torches: one in Kayo's house, one on the eastern most tip of the isle, and the last to the north, at the edge of the path. Point at these three locations on the map to open the door.

Journey to the Temple of Fire

Astrid agrees to render up any requests you have as repayment for your good deeds. Her divine telling foresees only doom and gloom—why are we not surprised? Somewhere in her depressing fortune, she mentions something about a Temple of Fire. Now we're talking! The previously sealed summit gate has now been released by Astrid, so you could head to the temple entrance now.

The ascent is quite linear, so there should be little worry about finding your way. Just be careful about accidentally leaping off the edges, as you will be forced to start from the bottom and work your way up again. About halfway up to the summit, the active volcano will suddenly begin spurting out giant chunks of molten lava rocks. Your journey is made much more treacherous now that you have to watch out for the falling rocks. Thankfully, you can foresee where the rocks will land—could you be Astrid's successor?! Perhaps not, but when you see a circular shadow on the ground, move away from it if you know what's good for our young hero.

Eventually, Ciela points out the entrance to the Temple of Fire, but it's sealed shut. A stone inscription near the top sheds light on your predicament. The temple entrance is flanked by two candle wicks. Simply blow into your DS's mic while standing next to the candle to snuff it out. Extinguish both flames this way for entry.

Temple of Fire

• Key Items to Obtain: Boomerang
• Enemies: Red Chuchu, Yellow Chuchu, Fire Bubble, Octorok, Fire Keese, Green Slime

As expected of a dungeon whose moniker includes the word "fire," the Temple of Fire hotly boasts a sweltering, furnace-like atmosphere. Upon entering, Ciela quickly points out the obvious: walls of flames lined along the path; best to avoid them for the sake of Link's well-being.

Open the first blue door

Weave around the initial flames into the larger chamber ahead. Proceed carefully, for in the middle of the room is a long line of flames rotating in a clockwise fashion. The fire blockade to the left keeps you out of the western quadrant of the first floor for now, and the door directly north requires opening. Head to the right, avoiding the moving fire column, and leap over the lava gap at the north end. A hint with a drawn-out path hangs on the wall on the other side. This map refers to the portion just north of your current position; the route lain out for you will come in handy very shortly. It may just be easier to transcribe the locations of the dark squares onto your own map.

Continue south into an isolated room that seals you in to wrangle a cluster of Keese. Upon defeat of these bloodsucking baddies, you gain access to a chest that contains the first Small Key. Unlock the locked door you bypassed earlier, near the hint. Here we have a room rigged with booby-trapped floor panels. If you've recreated the old map from earlier, aim to avoid the dark squares and follow the general path on your map to traverse this perilous room. Careful, slow walking would be definitely recommended to avoid stumbling upon an unstable panel and being plummeted into the lava.

In an alcove across the room stand four unlit orbs. The trick is to hit them all at once to open the blue door in the large chamber. Position Link in the center of all four orbs and execute a spin attack to activate them simultaneously.

Acquire the Boomerang

With the blue door in the large chamber finally open, you are free to probe deeper into the temple's mysterious innards. The second floor of the castle doesn't appear to be much more complicated the first. Your eyes may be immediately drawn to the moving Small Key on the map, but that will be dealt with later. For now, take the long way around to the bright red orb in the corner. Activating this orb drops the red columns to the floor to the east of you; head past the dropped columns, besting two close encounters with a Red and Yellow Chuchu, to the southern room.

Once again, the wall springs up behind you, trapping you in. And what have you got on your hands this time? Why, a bunch of bouncing mucus creatures, of course. These animated green blobs are more of an annoyance than anything, especially when mixed with other types of enemies. When they pounce on Link, they latch onto him like parasites and slow him down. When this happens, vigorously shake the stylus to get them off. Spin attacks and targeted attacks will also serve you well.

Clearing the room grants you access to the grand treasure of this dungeon, the wonderful Boomerang! This is a very versatile, long-distanced weapon that can be used to vanquish enemies, hit objects from afar and retrieve items that normally cannot be gotten to. When plotting out your angle of attack, be careful about obstructions that may cause the Boomerang to bounce off course and prematurely return to you.

Get Small Key #2

On the far east side of the room, you will see an orb sitting atop a pillar above the lava. Whip out the Boomerang and simply tap the orb. A successful hit retracts the barricade of fire to the west, allowing you to proceed. The corridor leads to the upper left room, in which you'll find two stationary torches that spit out balls of flame. These fiery projectiles travel slowly enough that you have more than ample time to move out of the way before they make contact.

However, these wayward, drifting balls make your objective in this room more difficult to complete. Perched above the lava yet again are two orbs. Each orb is linked to its adjacent torch. Hitting the orb will stamp out the flame from the torch, subsequently ceasing the fireballs of doom. Shutting down both torches grants you access to the stairs, which lead back to the first floor.

The south stairs are blocked by a pair of blue columns. The blue orb in the niche will change that; however, when the blue columns lower, the red columns rise up instead. Time for some wicked Boomerang action! Make sure the orb glows blue instead of red, then stand just to the right of the red columns. Take out the Boomerang and trace a U-shaped flight path around the dividing wall to the orb. The Boomerang should hit the orb and redress the situation.

Find the crystal orb to the left of the base of the stairs on the other side of the partition. This looks like another job for the Boomerang. Trace another U-shaped flight path to the orb. This will shut off the flames near the entrance, creating a shortcut that will save a lot of backtracking in case you need to begin again from the entrance. Proceeding down into the southern most room Link finds himself trapped yet again in a room with odd, unwanted company: a pair of Fire Bubbles. You know the drill here.

Ascend the newly opened stairs back to the second floor, although this time you wind up in the bottom left quadrant of the second floor. This new room features two rotating fire columns as well as fresh baddies: Fire Keese. Use the Boomerang from a safe distance to quickly dispatch them—both effectively and safely. The statue at the bottom tries to stake out a deal: it will reveal the location of the remaining treasure chest on this floor for a sum of 20 Rupees. Keep those hard-earned Rupees from evacuating your pocket because we'll save you the dough and tell you where it is...for the price of your soul! No really, we will show you the chest for free, but we wouldn't mind your soul either...

Across from the statue, you'll find a pull lever. Pull it back, then head north and east across the gaps. The discolored section of ground in the corner signifies the position of the secret treasure chest the statue was referring to. Eliminating all the Fire Keese in the area will make the chest appear, inside which holds 20 Rupees. Once both levers have been pulled outward, the blue door leading into the north room slides away.

Within you will find two holes to the north and a Rat carrying the much-needed key. The Rat doesn't come out if you are near, so wait just outside the doorway and ready your Boomerang. Watch the Rat dart in and out of the holes to learn the timing, then launch the Boomerang as it emerges from the hole. Collect the Small Key and continue on your merry little way.

Get Small Key #3

Further east past the second pull lever is a collection of raised red columns and a spitting Octorok on the other side. Hit the nearby orb to lower the red columns. The relentless barrage of projectiles from the Octorok make this passing a little bit on the uneasy side. Stay out of its line of fire and direct a Boomerang hit to its noggin. Immediately finish it off with a slash while it is still dazed. From where the Octorok once stood, guide the Boomerang back to the orb to flatten the blue columns. The locked door here leads to the third floor of the temple.

Advancing along to the third floor, you'll find the north and southwestern passages blocked in one form or another. The southern room features a fast rotating column of fire; slipping past it brings you to the lower left corner niche, which contains a hint on the wall. This map refers to the upper right room. Copy this onto your own map; these notes will be put to use very soon.

Backtrack into the previous room and blow out the two candles to the north by facing each and blowing into the mic. You can now proceed into the northeastern room, where you will find yourself standing on a platform separated from all the others. Remember the order of the numbers you had just copied from earlier. Before you start tossing your Boomerang at each orb individually, note that you have to draw out a single, continuous flight path so that the Boomerang contacts the four orbs in one go—in the correct order, of course. Start from the lower left, swinging diagonally to the upper right, across to the upper left and finally to the lower right.

Use the Boomerang to retrieve the Small Key from the northern platform on the rebound. This key empowers you with access to the previously inaccessible southern portion of the floor. The statue here will again offer to reveal the location of another treasure chest for a price. Again, no need for that if you're following this walkthrough.

Obtain the Boss Key

Past the ominous-looking block of doom to the west room, you are forced into battle against a diverse group of enemies: two Fire Keese, two Yellow Chuchus and a fireball-shooting torch in the center. Keep your wits about you! Some fancy footwork will help you maneuver around this madness; prioritize the Yellow Chuchus and throw your Boomerang at the two Fire Keese from the corners. Surviving this wild skirmish causes the two doors to descend, the north one leading into the next vital chamber.

Destroying the two Fire Bubbles here will put out the flames to the east and to the north as well. Visit the north chamber first. The tablet reveals the room's secret. Stand on the floor switch to ignite the torch to the left. The idea now is to guide the Boomerang through the lit torch to set the Boomerang itself ablaze and steering it to the remaining two unlit torches—in one flight. The lit Boomerang from the first torch will, in turn, spark the other two torches, opening access elsewhere.

The path to the east chamber appears to be incomplete; the gap is far too wide for Link to jump it. Instead opt to take out the Boomerang and draw a path to the orb located in northwest corner of the room with the rotating fire column. This brings the floor panels back up, allowing you to cross safely. At the top of the stairs sits a grandly decorated chest that holds the Boss Key. You will be needing this if you are to ever meet the master of this dungeon, or master of any dungeon for that matter. Link has to physically lug this hefty prize around. The immense weight of the Boss Key hampers Link's movements; if there's anything he needs to do, he must first put down the key to free up his hands. Just remember to pick it up again afterward!

Showdown with the dungeon master

Thankfully, the boss is not far. Haul the key with you back to the fancy-pants block you passed not too long ago and tap it. The key is a perfect fit, and the block gives way. Proceed up the stairs to the final room before the boss. Inspecting the left tablet generates a blue, swirling light that transports you to the temple entrance. No need to use it now. Onward, gamer!

Banished along with the evil sorcerer Blaaz, the accursed seal that held sway over the Temple of Fire for so long finally comes undone. As thanks, Leaf, the Spirit of Power joins your group in odd RPG fashion. The other reward for your heroic efforts is a Heart Container from the chest. Your maximum health should now be increased by one heart. Step into the blue light behind the chest for a quick way out.

Visit Astrid with the Spirit of Power

Now that evil has been vanquished from the place, the volcano becomes dormant and all is at peace. Make haste to Astrid's house to see what other piece of wisdom she has to offer. As it turns out Link would require the strength of three spirits: the Spirit of Power, Wisdom and Courage in order to have the necessary power to deal with the much-feared Ghost Ship. The visit to the Temple of Fire helped you garner the Spirit of Power, but that leaves two more spirits left to acquire.

It seems the light at the end of the tunnel lies up north, in the Temple of the Ocean King! As a parting gift, she presents you with a shiny Power Gem. Meet Linebeck at his ship and set sail for Mercay Island once again.