Leave Clock Town for Southern Swamp. Rescue Koume in the Woods of Mystery, take the boat to Deku Palace and learn the Sonata of Awakening. Follow the shortcut toward Woodfall and activate its owl statue before entering the temple.
The way to the swamps – first Piece of Heart
Leave Clock Town through the south gate and follow the path through the Plains of Termina. Shortly before the actual swamp area you come to a narrower section with a large gnarled tree. Tatl remembers the time when the Skull Kid was still traveling with her and Tael.
The first Piece of Heart of this chapter is already on the tree. Several Keese circle the branches and can throw Link down as he climbs. Therefore, first eliminate them with the sword or Deku bubbles and then climb over the roots and branches to the top.
There is also a hole in the ground nearby. Jump in and open the chest there with 20 Rupees. We can use the money in the next section.
Tingle and the card from Woodfall
Follow the path further towards the swamp. Near the entrance, Tingle floats on his red balloon. Shoot the balloon with a Deku Bubble or later another ranged weapon and talk to him.
Buy at least the card from Woodfall. It costs 20 Rupees here. Additionally, Tingle offers the Pic Hiberna card for 40 Rupees; If your wallet is full, you can take this with you.
Also activate the owl statue near the swamp by touching it with the sword.
3D difference: In Majora’s Mask 3D you already meet the owl Kaepora Gaebora in this area and learn the Song of Soaring much earlier. On Nintendo 64, Link only gets the song later on the way to Woodfall.
Swamp Information Center – Certificate and Second Piece of Heart
In the actual swamp, the large building of the swamp information center is immediately noticeable. There is a Deku dealer right next to it. Put on the Deku Shell and talk to him. Then show him the certificate from Clock Town.
The dealer gives you the Swamp Title Deed and leaves his Deku flower. We will need this document later for the next step of the exchange transaction.
As Deku, climb into the now free flower and let yourself be thrown onto the roof of the swamp information center. Another Piece of Heart is waiting there. This part of the document exchange transaction has already been completed.
Then go into the building. The boat trip is currently unavailable due to the disappearance of Koume. Her sister runs the witch magic shop at the back of the swamp.
Witch Magic Shop and Woods of Mystery
Leave the information center and jump as Deku over the lily pads to the opposite bank. Follow the path up the slope to the Witch Magic Shop. There you will meet Kotake.
Speak to her and learn that Koume is traveling in the Woods of Mystery. The entrance is right behind the shop.
A monkey is waiting for Link in the forest. Follow him through the individual sections. The correct route changes depending on the day, but the monkey always runs in the correct direction. So stay close behind him and don’t try to guess the route by heart.
In the end you find Koume injured on the ground. Talk to her and Link will learn that she urgently needs a red elixir.
Return to the Witch Magic Shop and report it to Kotake. She gives you a bottle of red elixir.
This bottle then belongs to Link permanently and is therefore the first of the six bottles of the Nintendo 64 version. You can find all Locations on our bottles page in Majora’s Mask.
Rescue Koume and Keep the First Bottle
Go back into the Woods of Mystery and follow the monkey again to Koume. Talk to her and use the bottle with the red elixir during the conversation.
Koume drinks the potion, immediately recovers and flies back to the Swamp Information Center. The now Empty Bottle remains in Link’s inventory.
On the way back several monkeys block your way. They report about one of their friends who is being held captive in the Deku Palace. The Dekus believe he kidnapped their missing princess, while the monkeys are convinced of his innocence.
Our next goal is clear.
Boat trip and Pictograph Box
Return to the Swamp Info Center. Koume is now sitting at the counter and offers Link a free boat ride as a thank you. At the same time you get the Pictograph Box.
The Pictograph Box saves a single image on Nintendo 64. We need them already in the Deku Palace for a Piece of Heart and later for more Side Quests.
Get in the boat. Because of the poisoned water, you should not get out during this first trip. A large Octorok blocks the way, but the boat automatically removes it. At the end you will reach the Deku Palace.
3D Difference: In Majora’s Mask 3D, the Pictograph Box takes color images. The basic process with Koume and the boat trip remains the same.
Deku Palace – the captive monkey
Put on the Deku Mask in front of the entrance and talk to the guards. Only Dekus are allowed to enter the palace.
First run straight ahead into the royal hall. There you will find the Deku King, who wants to punish the captured monkey. The Deku Princess has disappeared and the king is convinced that the monkey is responsible.
Now take out the Pictograph Box and photograph the Deku King as completely as possible from the front. We need this picture for the photo competition before completing the Twilight Forest Temple.
Also talk to the monkey in the cage. A direct attempt to free yourself does not work. We have to reach them via the secret garden path.
Inner Palace Garden – Third Piece of Heart
Leave the King’s Hall and from the central corridor take the left path into the inner gardens.
There are several Deku guards patrolling here. If Link enters their cone of vision, he is immediately thrown back to the entrance to the palace. Wait behind walls and hedges until the guard turns away, then run to the next cover.
In the back area of the second garden there is a Treasure Chest. Open it and take the next Piece of Heart with you.
Then return to the entrance and this time take the right garden path.
Magic Beans
Sneak through the right palace garden to the back area. There is a hole in the ground there.
Jump in and you will meet the dealer for Magic Beans. Speak to him as a normal link. He explains to you how Magic Beans work and first gives you a sample or then sells more copies for 10 Rupees each.
Buy at least one additional Miracle Pea.
There is fresh spring water next to the merchant. Fill your Empty Bottle with it. Then plant a miracle pea in the soft soil outside in front of or on the side of the palace and water it with the spring water.
The plant grows into a moving platform.
Note: On the second day, it rains in many outdoor areas. A miracle pea planted there then grows without additional spring water. However, for a reliable route, the bottle of water is easier.
The Upper Palace Garden
Stand on the grown plant and let it carry you to the upper wall of the palace.
From here begins a longer flight section with the Deku shell. Fly from platform to platform and use the Deku Flowers there. Several leafies shoot you with Deku nuts. If necessary, wait in a flower until its missiles have flown past and then continue the flight.
After several sections you finally reach the area above the prison cell.
Drop down to the monkey.
Sonata of Awakening
Talk to the captured monkey. She explains that she and the Deku Princess tried to solve the mystery of the poisoned swamp. The princess is now in the Woodfall Temple, but the Deku King still believes that the monkey has kidnapped her.
The monkey asks Link to get out an instrument.
Put on the Deku Mask and use the Ocarina. As Deku, she becomes Deku Pipes again. The monkey teaches you the Sonata of Awakening.
This melody can be used to awaken certain sleeping or sealed things. We need it immediately to access the Woodfall Temple.
Trying to save the monkey directly with the song only makes the king angrier. Shortly before the punishment continues, the monkey explains the way to Woodfall.
Then leave the palace.
Photo Competition – fourth Piece of Heart
Before you go to Woodfall, let’s go back to the swamp information center. Show the previously taken picture of the Deku King to the man at the counter.
For a suitable photo, Link gets another Piece of Heart.
Alternatively, the competition also accepts a good photo of Tingle. However, since the Deku King is standing right in front of us during the palace visit, his image is particularly straightforward.
The competition only takes place while the swamp is still poisoned. Be sure to get this Piece of Heart before defeats the final boss of the Twilight Forest Temple. After that the competition ends.
Shortcut for Woodfall
Return to Deku Palace. Just before the entrance, lily pads lead to a ledge on the right. Use the Deku Flower there and fly to the raised platform.
Then follow the large mushrooms or platforms with more Deku flowers. Fly from point to point and pay attention to your flight distance; Instead of trying to skip several sections at once, drop straight into the next flower.
On Nintendo 64 you will encounter Kaepora Gaebora again here. Then examine the stone tablet on which the owl sat.
Link learns the Song of Soaring.
With this song you can now teleport to any owl statue that has already been activated. Within a temple, it also returns Link directly to the entrance.
3D difference: In Majora’s Mask 3D you already learned the Song of the Wings at the entrance to the swamps. This later learning step is omitted there.
Activates the owl statue in this area as well.
Woodfall – Path to Temple
Use the Deku Shell to fly over the last platform to the other side of the waterfall. Behind it lies the actual area of the Twilight Forest. The water is still poisoned, which is why you, as Deku, should move over lily pads, wooden walkways and Deku flowers.
First follow the right path. Several enemies block the walkways, including aggressive Dekus. Eliminate them with Deku Bubbles or jump out of a flower as Deku and land on them.
After several platforms you reach the central temple platform.
Be sure to activate the owl statue here.
Piece of Heart in Woodfall
Before we make the temple appear, we take another Piece of Heart with us. From the platform with the owl statue you can fly as Deku over several more tree trunks and platforms.
Follow the outer route until you reach a Treasure Chest. Inside is another Piece of Heart.
You can then either fly back the same way or use the Song of Soaring to return directly to the activated owl statue.
Awaken Woodfall Temple
Stand on the large Deku symbol in the middle of the central platform and put on the Deku Mask. Get out the Deku Pipes and play the Sonata of Awakening. The water begins to tremble and the massive Woodfall Temple rises from the poisoned swamp. Fly to the entrance with the Deku Flower and land on the temple platform.
We continue with the Woodfall Temple.