Ocarina of Time Inside the Deku Tree Walkthrough: Slingshot

Inside the Deku Tree is the first dungeon and a tutorial for climbing, carrying fire and diving through webs. For where it sits in the story, see the full walkthrough and dungeon order.

What do you need before Inside the Deku Tree?

Mido blocks the path to the Great Deku Tree until you equip both the Kokiri Sword and a Deku Shield. Nothing else is required.

How do you get the map and the Fairy Slingshot?

1. Clear the Deku Babas in the main room. Lunging ones drop Deku Nuts; withered ones, or a lunging one you stun and cut at the stem, give Deku Sticks. Note the web over the floor.
2. Climb to the second floor and head right. Take the ladder or vines up and follow the ramp. The Dungeon Map chest sits between two vine walls near the top; leave the vines alone for now, as Skullwalltulas knock you off.
3. Beat the Deku Scrub behind the door. Raise your shield to send its nut back, then chase it down. It gives you a tip about rolling after long falls, and the door ahead opens.
4. Jump the crumbling platform for the Fairy Slingshot. The platform falls away once you cross. Vines on the left lead to a small chest with a Recovery Heart.
5. Shoot down the ladder above the door. The way back looks cut off; one Slingshot shot drops the ladder so you can climb back out.

Where are the Compass and the first Gold Skulltula?

6. Shoot the three Skullwalltulas and climb. Back in the main room, clear the vine wall behind the map chest, climb to the third floor and head right to the lone door.
7. Press the switch and cross the rising platforms. Three platforms rise for a short time, so move quickly. The chest at the far end holds the Compass.
8. Take Gold Skulltula #1 in the left alcove. From the entrance, the alcove on the left hides a Gold Skulltula and a small chest with a Recovery Heart. A Skulltula drops from the ceiling as you approach.
9. Light the unlit torch to leave. Set a Deku Stick alight on the lit torch and touch it to the dark one; the door unlocks.

How do you break the big web?

10. Beat the Big Skulltula at the railing. On the top floor, wait for it to turn and show its soft underside, then strike.
11. Jump into the centre of the web. Leap toward the heart floating over the middle of the room. Landing near the centre breaks the web and drops you into the basement pool; landing on the edge bounces you off, so climb back and try again.

How do you clear the basement?

12. Collect Gold Skulltulas #2 and #3. One crawls on the vines leading back up to the first floor: shoot it and climb for the token. The other clings to the bars near the water gate: shoot it, then jump over from a switch ledge.
13. Step on the floor switch. The torch behind you lights and burns a web, revealing a small chest with a Recovery Heart.
14. Carry fire across the shallow water. Light a Deku Stick and burn the web covering the door on the far side.
15. Get the code from the second Deku Scrub. Reflect its nut and chase it. It tells you the order is 2, 3, 1. Then shoot the eye switch above the locked door.
16. Lower the water under the spiked log. Dive and press the timed switch on the bottom, then ride the floating platform across. Crouching behind the Deku Shield also gets you under the log.
17. Push the block under the high door. Slide it into place, climb it and go through.
18. Light the two unlit torches. Use a burning Deku Stick again; the next door unlocks.
19. Deal with the Gohma larvae. A Skulltula drops at the entrance. From the doorway, shoot the three egg sacs on the ceiling before they hatch.
20. Burn the web over the crawlspace. This room has two webs. One leads to a dead end with a cracked wall (Gold Skulltula #36, later); the other opens a tunnel back to the basement.
21. Push the block into the water. The tunnel exits on a high ledge. Shove the block off the edge to make a bridge for the return trip.
22. Burn the floor web with a lit stick. Cross the block, light a Deku Stick at the torch, hurry back and swing or roll over the web. You fall to the lowest level.
23. Stun the three Scrubs in 2-3-1 order. Counting from the left, hit the middle Scrub first, then the right, then the left. The last one reveals that Queen Gohma must be struck while stunned, and the boss door opens.

How do you beat Queen Gohma?

24. Look up to start the fight. The room seems empty; look at the ceiling from the centre and she drops down.
25. Shoot her eye when it turns red. A Slingshot hit stuns her for about 5 seconds, a Deku Nut for about 2.
26. Attack while she is stunned. Deku Sticks do twice the damage of the Kokiri Sword, so jump attacks with a stick end the fight fastest.
27. Stop her egg-laying on the ceiling. After a hit she climbs up. Shoot her eye there for the longest stun, about 8 seconds; if you miss, she drops three eggs, so break them before they hatch into larvae.
28. Take the Heart Container and the blue light. The warp takes you back to the meadow.

What are all the chests in the Deku Tree?

Where are the Gold Skulltulas in the Deku Tree?

Numbers follow our Gold Skulltula checklist.

What happens after the Deku Tree?

The Great Deku Tree tells you about the man from the desert who cursed him, gives you the Kokiri’s Emerald and then dies. Saria sees you off at the forest bridge with the Fairy Ocarina. Your next stop is Hyrule Castle, and the next dungeon is Dodongo’s Cavern. Come back with Bombs and the Boomerang for Gold Skulltula #36, and track Pieces of Heart as you go.