Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening – Tail Cave Guide
Once you have the Tail Key it is time to head to the Tail Cave. This area is the first real dungeon you will encounter during Link’s Awakening. To help you complete this dungeon, use our Tail Cave guide below.
Tail Cave Overworld Location
The Tail Cave is located to the southeast of Mabe Village on the Toronbo Shores. Here you will find a group of three statues. One of the statues has a keyhole in it. Use the Tail Key to open the door leading into the Tail Cave.
Tail Cave Guide: Items and Boss Locations
This map above shows you the locations of the different items and bosses you will find in the Tail Cave. Read more about each item and boss in more detail below.
Finding the Compass
From the starting room make your way to the left. Knock the two Harhat Beetles of the edge in this room to get a Small Key. Continue heading to the left into the next room. Take out the four Zols here then interact with the chest to receive the Compass. Make your way back to the entrance room.
Finding the Tail Cave Map
In the starting room make your way up into the next room. Kill the enemies in this room and step on the white switch. A chest will appear containing a Small Key. Grab it then head to the room on the right. Kill the 2x Stalfos and 2x Keese in this room to make a chest appear. Inside the chest is the Tail Cave Map.
Finding the Stone Beak
NOw that we have the map we can start navigating this dungeon a little more freely. From the map room make your way up through the turning door. Take out the Stalfos and Keese in this next large room and head through the locked door on the right using a Small Key. Take out the Stalfos in this room then head up.
Inside this room you will see a beakless owl statue and three Three-of-a-Kind enemies. To complete this room hit the Three-of-a-Kind enemies so they are all frozen on the same suit (ie all hearts). Doing this causes a chest to appear with the Stone Beak inside. You can insert the Stone Beak into the statue to receive the following tip: “Turn aside the spined ones with a shield.” Leave the Owl Statue room and head left back into the big room.
Finding Roc’s Feather
Make your way to the left in the big room and you will see a chest being orbited by a Mini-Moldorm. Take out this enemy to receive another Small Key. Head to the left and you will see another Mini-Moldorm. Take this one out to trigger a chest which contains 20 Rupees. Head up from here and open the locked door.
Head through this long room until you reach a seemingly locked door. Move the closest square to the right to open this door. Go into the next room to run into a two Spiked Beetles. Use your shield to when they rush you to knock them over and attack when they are on their backs. Defeat both to make stairs appear in this room.
Walk through the long corridor to reach a chest. Open the chest to find the Roc’s Feather. This item makes your body feel a lot lighter (aka you can jump).
Finding the Nightmare Key
Make your way all the way back to the large L-shaped room. Head to the upper right corner in this room and you will find a Spiked Beetle beside a gap. Jump over the gap and use a key on the locked block on the pathway. Go up the stairs here to reach a chest containing the Nightmare Key.
Miniboss: Rolling Bones
With the Nightmare Key in hand its time to finish this dungeon. From the L shaped room head through the exit on the right. In this room where we went up to get the Stone Beak, we are going to head to the right using Roc’s Feather to jump the gap. Upon entering the right room you start the boss fight with Rolling Bones.
The moment you enter this room be ready to jump. Rolling Bones will send a rolling spike at you. To beat Rolling Bones you need to avoid the rolling spike log it sends at you using the Roc’s Feather. Once you’ve dodged the rolling spike, hit Rolling Bones. Upon defeat of Rolling Bones a Warp Portal will appear. This portal takes you back to the start of the dungeon.
Boss: Moldrom
From the Rolling Bones room make your way up into the next room. Inside this room you will see the boss door and some stairs. If you need health, go down the stairs and complete the side-scrolling portion to get 3x hearts. Return to the previous room and enter the Nightmare Door.
Inside the Nightmare Door you will come face to face with the first boss Moldrom. Moldrom is a large snake like creature with a red bulb on its tail. When this red bulb appears, hit it to deal damage. This causes Moldrom to turn invulnerable and rampage around the room. During this point hold up your shield to avoid taking damage. Repeat this process a few times and Moldrom will fall. Grab the Heart Piece it leaves behind then head into the next room.
Instrument of the Sirens: Full Moon Cello
In the next room you will find the first instrument which is the Full Moon Cello. This instrument is needed to wake the Wind Fish. Pick up the instrument and will return you to the outside of the dungeon. As you leave the area the Owl will appear to give you a tip on where to go next – Goponga Swamp to the north.
