Ocarina of Time Remake Hyrule Castle: Stealth Walkthrough

This chapter follows the Nintendo Switch 2 remake from the forest exit to the end of the first castle visit. Finish the Great Deku Tree chapter first: you should have the Kokiri Emerald and the ocarina Saria gives you just past the forest exit. Your goal here is Zelda’s Letter and Zelda’s Lullaby. Shopping, shooting games and ranch errands can wait.

How do you reach the castle from the forest?

1. Cross Hyrule Field toward the walled town and the castle. Finish the owl’s conversation near the forest exit, then follow the road toward the castle skyline. The fenced ranch in the middle of the field is a side trip, not the entrance to Castle Town.
2. Cross the town bridge and walk through the gate. Follow the main street to the fountain plaza. Continue past the fountain toward the castle road; you do not need to win a minigame or buy a new shield to meet the princess.
3. Talk to Malon beside the milk wagon on the castle road. Agree to help find her father and finish the conversation until you receive the egg. Carry it with you: it will hatch into the Wake-Up Cucco needed shortly. The front gate is guarded, so look for the climbing route beside the wagon.

The town’s shops are useful later. For now, keep your rupees and follow the castle route; the next chapter covers the preparations for Death Mountain.

How do you get over the wall and across the first garden?

4. Climb the vines near Malon, then the tree on the upper ledge. Use the tree to reach the vines on the castle tower and climb onto the stone rampart. If you fall back onto the road, return to the same vines beside the wagon.

5. Take the ladder down through the square opening in the rampart. You reach a small room with pots. Its lower doorway leads to the castle garden. Break pots if you want supplies, then leave the room.

6. Leave the exposed road and use the planted side of the garden. Climb the low ledge into the flower beds and move along the gaps between the hedges. Keep the hedge between Link and the soldiers; do not run across the open path in front of them. Work toward the building and the lawn with a palm tree.
7. Optional: roll into the palm tree beside the building. A Gold Skulltula is hidden here. Deal with it and collect the token before moving on. This is a collection stop, not a condition for meeting Zelda.
8. Climb the ivy at the end of the garden and cross to the water channel. Follow the channel around the corner toward the sleeping man and the wooden crates. If you swim along the channel, use the stone stairs at the far end to get back onto the paved bank.

How do you wake Talon and reach the drain?

9. Use the hatched cucco beside Talon. Equip it and activate it next to the sleeping man. Complete the conversation after he wakes; he runs off to find Malon. If your inventory still shows an egg, let it hatch before trying this step.
10. Push a wooden crate along the paving to the drain wall. Line it up beneath the low arched opening with water pouring out. Climb onto the crate, reach the lip of the drain and use the entrance prompt. Keep the crate on this paved route; you do not need to drop two crates into the water.

11. Follow the drain and climb the ladder at its end. You emerge inside the castle grounds. This is another guarded area, not yet the princess’s courtyard.

How do you pass the inner guards and the cellar?

12. Use the stairs and raised route beside the first courtyard. Climb onto the wooden walkway above the planted area, cross it and continue up the stone stairs. Pause at each edge to locate the next soldier before dropping or crossing an open section.
13. Cross the upper garden behind the guards. Use the stone balustrade and flower beds as cover, moving when the nearby soldier faces away. Your destination is the shaded archway at the far side, which leads indoors.
14. Crouch behind the long storage counter in the cellar. A soldier patrols beside the shelves and sacks. Stay behind the counter while he faces your side, then move around its end and through the far doorway when the route is clear. Follow the vaulted corridor toward the bright exit.

Take the guards one at a time. If one notices you, stop trying to cross in front of him and use the nearby cover; after a failed attempt, identify where the game returned you before repeating the route.

What must you do in Zelda’s courtyard?

15. Speak to Zelda by the window and finish the story conversation. Follow her to the window when prompted, then continue until she hands over Zelda’s Letter. The optional questions give background; they are not additional items you need to find inside the castle.

16. Meet Impa at the doorway and learn Zelda’s Lullaby. Follow her demonstration with the ocarina. With the displayed button layout, the sequence is Y → X → A → Y → X → A. Wait for the song confirmation rather than leaving after the first conversation.
17. Talk to Impa again to leave. Finish any optional questions for Zelda first. Impa escorts you out and points toward Death Mountain and Kakariko Village at its foot.

What should you have before the next chapter?

From Castle Town, return to Hyrule Field and head for Kakariko Village at the foot of Death Mountain, the mountain Impa points out from the castle. Continue with Death Mountain and Dodongo Cavern. It covers the village gate, the return to the forest for the required song and the approach to the next dungeon. The walkthrough hub keeps the chapter order and version status together.

Where can you watch this route?

Video walkthrough

Hyrule Field and Hyrule Castle — Switch 2 — YouTube