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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking
00:10back on dungeons from The Legend of Zelda that offered players the most grueling challenges.
00:26But before we get into it, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe
00:31and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:35City in the Sky The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
00:45Most dungeons in Twilight Princess aren't too difficult, except for one or two annoying
00:50features.
00:51But the toughest of the bunch is the City in the Sky.
00:55It's a fairly big place that offers a lot of traversal challenges, both horizontal and
01:00vertical, since Link uses various oka to glide around and earns the double claw shot halfway
01:06through.
01:08Navigating a dungeon in this way takes some getting used to, and there are lots of spots
01:11to easily fall into the clouds below.
01:14Adding to the difficulty of navigating the City in the Sky is its layout.
01:18It's the type of dungeon you can easily get turned around in.
01:30Temple of the Ocean King The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass
01:44Part of the hate fans hold towards the Temple of the Ocean King is the fact that you have
01:48to return to it multiple times, and replay some sections you've already completed.
01:54But even if you were to stitch each part together and look at the dungeon as a whole, it's
01:59still the most difficult that Phantom Hourglass has to offer.
02:02What makes it challenging is its curse.
02:05Sand is drained from Link's hourglass as he spends time here, and if it runs out, your
02:10health is the next to go.
02:12Then there are the Phantom enemies, which wander throughout the dungeon, can't be killed,
02:17and reset Link to the beginning of a floor should they hit him.
02:28Sky Keep The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword
02:38The final dungeon in Skyward Sword has Link change its layout through several sliding
02:43puzzles in different rooms.
02:45This makes it a unique challenge, since you have to keep rearranging the rooms to progress.
02:50Puzzles and obstacles are based on dungeons from previous areas, just with the annoyance
02:55factor dialed up a bit.
02:58Rooms that are a particular pain include one where Link painstakingly rides on a slow lava
03:03river and a duo of combat encounters with hordes of skeletal and bokoblin enemies.
03:09It's still one of the best dungeons in the game, but the Sky Keep has more than its fair
03:14share of frustration.
03:24Sword and Shield Maze The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Seasons
03:28Overall, the dungeons in Oracle of Ages are more challenging than those in Seasons.
03:41But the Sword and Shield Maze still deserves a mention.
03:44It combines the most difficult elements found in ice and fire dungeons.
03:49In the ice sections, Link slides around with horrible traction, while in the fire areas,
03:55lava pits and other traps cover most of the rooms.
03:58No matter where you are, this makes navigating and dealing with enemies, of which there are
04:03many, a lot more troublesome.
04:05It's a fine line of needing to remain patient when traversing and not being able to, and
04:10it can be a hard one to walk.
04:19Stone Tower Temple The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
04:34In general, the dungeons of Majora's Mask are going to come with an added level of stress
04:39thanks to the game's built-in time limit.
04:42And since the Stone Tower Temple is the last dungeon before the finale, it's naturally
04:47pretty tough.
04:48One of the things that makes it harder is the fact that it uses all four of Link's
04:52forms, testing your knowledge with each one.
04:55Another thing that earns the temple its spot is the fact that it flips upside down at a
04:59certain point.
05:01While this aspect is extremely cool, it also brings new skill tests to each room and adds
05:07another level of difficulty when it comes to navigating.
05:19Turtle Rock The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
05:30The penultimate dungeon in A Link to the Past, Turtle Rock is far less adorable than its
05:35name might imply.
05:36Thanks to the heavy use of the Cane of Samaria for exploration and solving puzzles, it is
05:41essential to use a ton of magic in this place.
05:46If you haven't upgraded Link's magic meter, this is going to be a lot less fun.
05:51Navigating in general can be a pain since you have to create blocks with the cane that
05:55travel on fixed rails, as well as pipes that spit Link out at certain spots.
06:00Needless to say, it can be easy to go the wrong way.
06:03That's not to mention rooms with multiple rolling spike logs that will quickly drain
06:09Link's health.
06:10Palace of Winds The Legend of Zelda The Minish Cap
06:30There are a lot of places Link can fall into the abyss inside of the Palace of Winds, something
06:35you're going to get used to seeing on a first, second, or even third attempt.
06:41The sky-themed dungeon has a lot of places where Link must glide or jump to progress,
06:46and just as many obstacles or traps that make doing so a nuisance, like fans embedded in
06:51the walls that will push less patient players straight to their death.
06:56On top of that, some of the strongest enemies in the game can be found here, including Wizzrobes
07:01and Darknuts.
07:03The boss also tests your jumping abilities through a mid-flight fight with no solid ground.
07:17Tower of Spirits The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks
07:34Like the Temple of the Ocean King, players return to the Tower of Spirits throughout
07:38Spirit Tracks.
07:39It's a bit more likable since you don't have to redo sections, but it is still a major
07:45test of your skills.
07:47Throughout, players must have Zelda take control of phantom enemies, of which there are several
07:51types, in order to solve puzzles and navigate obstacles.
07:55This reaches peak difficulty on the final visit since you must swap between the different
08:00types on different floors.
08:02And which one you may need and where they might be found isn't always obvious.
08:07Once again, if Link is hit once by one of these enemies, he's knocked out and starts
08:12the floor over, causing nothing but immense rage.
08:25Hyrule Castle The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
08:38There have been several iterations of Hyrule Castle that acted as dungeons in the series,
08:43but the one in Breath of the Wild is surely the hardest.
08:47For one thing, it's gigantic, with several huge areas to explore inside and out, all
08:54of which are swarming with the most powerful enemies in the game.
08:57Sure, you don't have to do all of them, you can skip some portions if you want to
09:01just head to the boss, but tackling everything this Hyrule Castle has to offer earns you
09:06a ton of great rewards.
09:09Its difficulty can vary depending on how many shrines you've completed, and so how many
09:13hearts you have, as well as which divine beasts you've conquered.
09:18Those you haven't done will have their bosses waiting for you before Ganon, so you can actually
09:22make this harder on yourself.
09:24Still, even if you have done everything, Hyrule Castle is a beast itself.
09:36Mermaid's Cave The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages
09:49If you're a fan of backtracking, the Mermaid's Cave in Oracle of Ages won't be too much
09:54of an issue, but since most of us probably aren't, it's going to test your patience.
09:59The most confusing thing about this dungeon is Link's need to travel back and forth
10:03through time to progress.
10:05It isn't as simple as pressing a button or even going to a specific room.
10:09You have to head outside its entrance to travel through time, and knowing when you need to
10:14do so and how it will help you progress just adds to the exasperation.
10:19The enemies and puzzles are no cakewalk either, and you'll find the rage beginning to boil
10:23upon repeat encounters.
10:32Turtle Rock The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening
10:42Just like A Link to the Past, the Turtle Rock of Link's Awakening is one of the hardest
10:46in the game.
10:47Encountered right before the game's climax, exploring this one is painful, primarily because
10:52there is lava everywhere.
10:56And there are so many different enemies and obstacles that make taking a scorching hot
11:00bath so easy.
11:02There are also a lot of rooms and a lot of hidden small keys to track down, making this
11:07dungeon feel like a trap you're caught in.
11:09Some of those rooms have puzzles you can't solve until later in the dungeon, forcing
11:13you to remember multiple places and backtrack to them.
11:16Well, at least the boss isn't too bad.
11:28The Dragon The Legend of Zelda
11:40Puzzles naturally weren't as heavy of a focus in the first game in the series, so Nintendo
11:44relied on increasing difficulty through combat encounters.
11:48Also simply known as Level 6, the Dragon Dungeon is where the developers really turned up the
11:53heat.
11:54This is done mostly through the introduction of a new enemy, the Wizzrobe, which comes
11:58in two power levels and teleports around the room, shooting projectiles.
12:03Add on other pesky foes like Bubbles and Like Likes, and these fights can get pretty annoying.
12:09This level can also be a major pain if you haven't already gotten the magic sword, since
12:14every enemy can soak up a lot more damage.
12:22Three Eye Rock Palace Zelda II The Adventure of Link
12:27Honestly, we could have loaded this list up with multiple dungeons from Zelda II, but
12:40we wanted to limit ourselves for the sake of variety.
12:43The Three Eye Rock Palace, also known as the Hidden Palace, is an excellent example of
12:48this entry's reputation for being the hardest in the franchise.
12:52Like the first game, difficulty mostly scales up through combat, and the enemies found here
12:57are some of the game's most aggravating.
13:00Iron Knuckles that are experts in blocking and firing sword beams, Wizards that are really
13:05just stand-ins for the projectile-based Wizzrobes, and Bubbles that bounce around at alarming
13:10speeds and take freaking forever to go down.
13:22Great Bay Temple The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
13:35Remember that built-in time limit we mentioned earlier?
13:38Well, add that onto a confusing layout that requires changing the flow of water and turning
13:43switches to activate water spouts to reach other areas, and you've got a surefire recipe
13:49for tension.
13:50The Great Bay Temple of Majora's Mask is a series of rooms connected by complex waterways
13:55that Zora Link must navigate.
13:58On a first playthrough, or even several after that, it's almost guaranteed you'll miss
14:02something in one room and have to backtrack for it.
14:05And if you've already changed the water's flow before you realize it, that just means
14:10more work for you.
14:11Sure, Zora Link's swimming mechanics are fun, but as the clock winds down, you're
14:17more likely to get lost or make a mistake.
14:27Jabu Jabu's Belly The Legend of Zelda Oracle of Ages
14:39Certain water dungeons have reputations for being hard.
14:43And while they certainly earned those reputations, we're here to tell you that Jabu Jabu's
14:47Belly is the absolute worst one.
14:51It has similar issues that hinder your fun, mostly a requirement to change water levels
14:56to get through certain rooms.
14:58What makes it more frustrating than others, though, is that you have to continuously go
15:03back to the same room in order to do so.
15:06Like others, that means backtracking is its greatest sin.
15:10This causes a lot of confusion when trying to slowly swim through its rooms, dealing
15:14with the same groups of enemies.
15:17Everything about this dungeon is a huge hassle.
15:30Ice Palace The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
15:42We've already talked about the difficulty that can come with ice dungeons.
15:46With the Ice Palace in A Link to the Past, that's going to encompass your entire experience.
15:52In most rooms, the ground is covered in ice.
15:55Slipping and sliding around is irritating on its own, but then you factor in traps and
16:01enemies that wholly take advantage of your reduced traction, and that becomes multiplied.
16:06There are also block puzzles that become that much more challenging.
16:10Even in normal rooms, you still have tricky puzzles and traps to deal with, on top of
16:14groups of strong enemies since this is a late game dungeon.
16:25Death Mountain The Legend of Zelda
16:36The final dungeon in the original game will truly test your ability to survive in combat.
16:42It will seem like you're confronted with endless waves of enemies no matter which direction
16:47you go in.
16:48And it will feel that way because there are nearly 60 rooms to make it through, which
16:53is frankly absurd.
16:55Some of the game's strongest enemies are all grouped together, including Bubbles, Like-Likes,
17:00Vires, and of course, Wizzrobes.
17:04Not only are rooms filled with hordes of deadly monsters, but since there are so many rooms,
17:09it can take a lot of effort to figure out how to navigate it all.
17:19Water Temple The Legend of Zelda
17:22Ocarina of Time
17:31Coming as a shock to absolutely no one, the Water Temple is the hardest dungeon in Ocarina
17:36of Time.
17:37There are certainly dungeons in the series that are less enjoyable, but it didn't become
17:42hated by players for decades for no reason.
17:45It can be confusing to navigate since you need to change the water level at several
17:49points, and if you miss something, which most players do, you then have to backtrack to
17:54those specific points in order to readjust the levels.
17:58In the original version, there's also the added layer of tedium that comes from being
18:02forced to constantly pause to equip and unequip the Iron Boots, so Link can walk underwater.
18:10Tedium doesn't necessarily equal difficulty, but it does enhance everything that's already
18:15hard in the first place.
18:26Eagle's Tower The Legend of Zelda
18:29Link's Awakening
18:39Widely considered by fans to be the hardest dungeon in Link's Awakening, we have to say
18:44we agree.
18:45Eagle's Tower is a nightmare to climb for several reasons.
18:49There are plenty of obnoxious traps, including pits, spike floors, and spinning blades, all
18:56of which are easy to get caught by.
18:58Navigation is the biggest pain, though, since you'll have to deal with blue and red switches
19:02that block or open certain paths, an older Zelda staple.
19:07Link must also carry a giant iron ball between different rooms and use it to knock down four
19:12pillars in order to reach the final section of the dungeon.
19:15This, of course, is made harder by all the aforementioned traps and obstacles.
19:29The Great Palace
19:31Zelda II The Adventure of Link
19:43Zelda II is the hardest game in the series, and The Great Palace is the hardest dungeon
19:48in the game.
19:49Since it's the final challenge, it's much bigger and more labyrinthine in design than
19:54any other.
19:55However, a confusing layout is the least of your worries.
19:59In a game known for the most grueling combat and enemies in the franchise, it shouldn't
20:03surprise you to learn that the monsters found in The Great Palace are absolutely brutal.
20:08This goes double for the newly introduced Falkas, relentless bird knights that I'm
20:13so grateful have never appeared in any other game.
20:16As if the regular enemies weren't bad enough, this dungeon also comes with two bosses, helping
20:21secure Zelda II's undeniable legacy.
20:32Did we leave off a dungeon that frustrated and confounded you?
20:36Share your pain in the comments below.