So, you’re in the Key Cavern. Honestly, this is where Link’s Awakening stops holding your hand and starts playing mind games. Most people breeze through Tail Cave and Bottle Grotto, thinking they’ve got the rhythm down, and then they hit this place. It’s a maze of conveyor belts, teleporting birds, and a weirdly high number of locked doors that make you feel like you've definitely messed something up.
You haven't. Or, well, you probably haven't. The Key Cavern is just designed to make you feel like you're constantly running out of keys.
Getting Through the Door
Before you even step inside, there’s the whole ordeal with Richard and his gold leaves. If you’re stuck outside, basically you need to head to Kanalet Castle, find those five leaves, and trade them for the Slime Key in Pothole Field. It’s a lot of legwork. Once you actually have the key and open the gate, you have to circle around the lake to get to the entrance. Don't forget your Roc’s Feather; you’ll be doing a lot of jumping over those little islands.
Once you’re in the first room, the door slams shut. Classic Zelda. Just grab one of those pots and chuck it at the door. It feels a bit like vandalism, but it works.
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The Small Key Nightmare
The big thing about Key Cavern is, unsurprisingly, the keys. There are actually more keys than you technically need in the Nintendo Switch remake, but that doesn't stop people from panicking when they hit the "four-door room" in the basement.
Here is the thing most people get wrong: you don't have to do the rooms in a specific order, but some rooms are a total waste of time. When you head down the stairs to that central hub with the four locked doors, you’re looking for a way to progress.
- The Top Door: This is the one you actually want. It leads to a Crystal Switch and the Stone Beak.
- The Left and Bottom Doors: These are "replacement" rooms. You use a key to get in, kill some enemies, and get a key back. It’s like a circular economy of frustration.
- The Right Door: This leads toward the rest of the dungeon.
If you find yourself one key short, you probably missed the room with the "hidden" Zols. There's a room on the first floor where nothing seems to happen. You have to walk into the corners to trigger the green slimes to pop out. Kill them all, and a key drops. If I had a rupee for every time someone thought their game was glitched because of those slimes, I’d be able to buy that expensive bow in Mabe Village.
The Pegasus Boots and the Real Boss
The mid-boss battle against the Dodongo Snakes is pretty straightforward—if you have bombs. You just have to place a bomb in their path so they swallow it. Three bombs each and they’re toast. This unlocks the chest containing the Pegasus Boots.
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These boots change everything. You aren't just walking anymore; you're a heat-seeking missile. You’ll need them to dash across long gaps and to take out those annoying Pairodds—the birds that teleport away the second you get close. Pro tip: if you don’t want to waste time, just dash into them. They can’t react fast enough to your new speed.
Finding the Nightmare Key
The Nightmare Key is hidden behind a bombable wall. Look for the room with the giant floor tiles shaped like an arrow pointing down. It’s not subtle, but in the heat of a dungeon, it’s easy to overlook. Bomb the wall the arrow is pointing at.
Inside, you’ll have to use a combination of the Pegasus Boots and Roc’s Feather. It’s a "dash-jump." You hold the dash button, get some speed, and then hit the jump button at the very edge of the pit. If you mess up the timing, you’re falling. Take your time. The chest at the end of this platforming gauntlet holds the Nightmare Key.
How to Kill Slime Eye Without Losing Your Mind
The boss of Key Cavern is Slime Eye, and it’s a bit of a weirdo. When you walk into the boss room, there’s nothing there. It just taunts you.
- The Reveal: Dash into any of the walls using your Pegasus Boots. The vibration will knock the giant eye off the ceiling.
- The Split: Hit the eye with your sword until it starts to stretch. It’ll look like it’s being pulled apart like taffy. This is the part people mess up. You can’t just keep hacking at it. When the middle part gets thin, you have to dash straight through the center of the "bridge" connecting the two eyes.
- The Final Phase: Now you have two smaller eyes jumping around. This is where it gets chaotic. Every time they land, they shake the floor and stun you. You have to jump right before they hit the ground. While they’re grounded, just wail on them with your sword.
Honestly, the hardest part is just the jumping. If you have the Roc’s Feather equipped alongside your sword, you can stay airborne and avoid the stun entirely.
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What to Do Next
Once you grab the Sea Lily’s Bell and leave the cavern, don't just wander off. Your next destination is the Angler’s Tunnel, but you can’t get there directly.
- Check the Dream Shrine: Now that you have the Pegasus Boots, you can finally finish the Dream Shrine in Mabe Village to get the Ocarina.
- Upgrade your Bombs: Go visit the Manbo fish near Angler's Tunnel (you'll need to swim eventually, but keep it in mind) or look for the Mad Batter to increase your carrying capacity. You used a lot of bombs in Key Cavern; you're going to want more for what's coming.
- Head to Animal Village: You’ll need to navigate through the southern path toward the desert to find the Walrus that’s blocking the way. This is the start of the next major quest chain.