The Longshot is in the Water Temple in the Ocarina of Time remake, in a chest in the room just past the Dark Link fight. To reach it, raise the water to its highest level, take the locked west door on the third floor, climb the waterfall room, solve the dragon statue room, and beat your shadow in the misty room beyond.
It is an upgrade to your Hookshot with far more reach. Below is what to bring, how the water levels work, the route to the chest and where the Longshot pays off.
What to Bring
| Item | Why | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Iron Boots | Sink to the temple door and walk along the bottom | Ice Cavern, through Zora’s Fountain |
| Zora Tunic | Breathe underwater | King Zora, once Blue Fire from the Ice Cavern has thawed him |
| Hookshot | Hits switches and targets all over the temple | Under Kakariko Graveyard |
| Fairy Bow | Opens a door by shooting through a torch | Forest Temple (1998 Bow guide) |
| Bombs | Break the cracked walls | The Bomb Bag |
| Din’s Fire (optional) | The easiest answer to Dark Link | Great Fairy at the top of Death Mountain |
Put the Zora Tunic on from the pause menu before you go in, since we have found nothing that puts tunics on the quick-select bar. The Iron Boots can sit on the D-pad, and Nintendo says item toggling is much easier than it was in 1998. Our quick swap guide shows how, and our Water Temple changes story has what director HokWai Ng said about the rework.
To get in, drop off the ledge at Lake Hylia with the Iron Boots on, sink to the locked door, and shoot the switch above it with the Hookshot.
How the Water Levels Work
The temple’s central room has three floors, and the aim is to raise and lower the water so you can reach different doors. Coloured paths on the walls lead to the three Triforce marks where you play Zelda’s Lullaby.
| Path colour | Where the Triforce is | Water level it sets |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | West side, in the room above where you meet Ruto | Lowest, first floor |
| Green | Inside the central pillar | Middle, second floor |
| Pink-red | Up the west locked door on the second floor | Highest, third floor |
You can always reset: put on the Iron Boots, sink to the first floor, and follow blue, then green, then pink.
The Route to the Longshot
- Lower the water. From the third floor, drop off the west side with the boots on to reach the first floor and meet Ruto. Take the boots off to float up, grab the Dungeon Map, and play the Lullaby at the Triforce there.
- Collect two Small Keys. Drop back to the room below and fire an arrow through the central torch to the torches in each corner. The door opens, and clearing the Spikes inside gives you one key. For the other, push the block on the west side of the central room down its passage, follow it with the boots on, and float up on the far side. Sink onto the dragon statue, hit the switch in its mouth with the Hookshot, and swim through the gate to the chest.
- Raise the water to the second floor. Use a key on the locked door on the west side of the central pillar. Hookshot to the ledge above you and play the Lullaby.
- Get the third key. In the central room, go east, bomb the cracked wall, and walk through the water passage with the boots on. Use the switch to lower the torrent of water, stand on the lid, and shoot the switch again to ride up to a chest.
- Raise the water to the top. Take the locked door on the west side of the second floor, deal with the Blue Tektites on the lid, ride it up, and play the Lullaby.
- Take the west door on the third floor. It opens with your last key and leads to a long waterfall room with ledges and Hookshot targets. Climb them to the door at the top.
- Solve the dragon room. Hit the centre switch to raise and lower the water, and work your way around using the dragon heads. Hit the switch to raise, Hookshot across to the south-west corner, then lower it and Hookshot to the target beside the dragon head. Go around the corner and raise it, Hookshot to the north-west dragon, lower it, climb onto the head, and raise it once more. Clear the Blue Tektites when they appear, or they can knock you into the water.
- Walk north into the misty room. Run through to the far end, then turn back to the tree in the middle. A figure is waiting beside it.
How to Beat Dark Link
Dark Link copies your moves, so trading plain sword swings is slow going.
- Din’s Fire is the easiest answer, since he cannot block it.
- The Biggoron Sword also works if you have it. It does huge damage, and our Biggoron Sword guide has the trading chain.
- With the Master Sword, open with a jump attack and follow up with a few slashes. Once shadows wrap around him, he starts using jump and spin attacks of his own. Play defensively, wait for his spin to finish, and rush in.
Our 1998 Dark Link guide goes deeper on the fight in the original. Beat him and go through the door at the end. The chest in the next room holds the Longshot.
Getting Back, and What the Longshot Reaches
From the chest, drop down into the water rapids and use the Iron Boots to walk past the whirlpools. Stop at the second to last corner and look up for a Gold Skulltula. At the end, hit the gold eye switch and quickly Longshot to the target in the gate before it closes. The passage takes you back to the central room.
| Where | What it does |
|---|---|
| Second floor of the central room | Reaches the target behind the gate on the north side, on the way to the last Small Key |
| First floor, north passage | Crosses the large gap to the locked door that leads to the Boss Key |
| Third floor, north door | Reaches the far side, on the way to the boss |
| Fighting Morpha | Pulls the nucleus out of its tentacle so you can hit it |
| Gerudo Valley | Crosses the broken bridge without Epona |
| Gold Skulltulas | Reaches spiders and tokens the Hookshot could not |
The rest of the dungeon is still ahead of you. Our 1998 Water Temple guide was written for the original, and Nintendo says some of the remake’s layouts differ slightly, so trust the coloured paths if a room looks different. Our 1998 guide to what comes after the Water Temple covers the next stop, and every remake guide is on our Zelda hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Longshot in the Ocarina of Time remake? In the Water Temple, in a chest in the room right after the Dark Link fight.
What water level do you need for the Longshot? The highest. Raise the water to the third floor, then take the locked west door.
Do you have to beat Dark Link to get the Longshot? Yes. The door to the chest room is on the far side of his misty room.
What is the easiest way to beat Dark Link? Din’s Fire, which he cannot block. The Biggoron Sword also makes short work of him.
Is the Longshot an upgrade to the Hookshot? Yes. It works the same way but reaches much further.
How do you get across Gerudo Valley’s bridge with the Longshot? Fire it across the gap to the far side. Jumping the gap on Epona is the other way over.