After defeating Goht, complete the Powder Keg test and win the Goron Race for Gold Dust. Use a fresh cycle to forge the Gilded Sword, visit Romani Ranch and prepare for the journey to Great Bay.
Razor Sword – first step to the Gilded Sword
Return to the Mountain Village and enter the forge of Zubora and Gabora. In spring the forge will be functional again. For 100 Rupees, the two offer to strengthen Link’s sword. Give them the sword on the first day. The work lasts until the following morning, so Link has to make do without a normal sword in the meantime; However, our next tasks will be completed almost exclusively as a Goron Link or with the Hero’s Bow.
On the morning of the second day you can pick up the Razor Sword. This intermediate level is significantly stronger than Link’s original sword, but has two major disadvantages: After about 100 hits, it loses its additional sharpness and reverts to its original state, and traveling through time with the Song of Time also reverses the improvement. The Razor Sword is therefore merely the necessary intermediate step. Using gold dust from the Goron race, Zubora and Gabora can then use it to craft the durable Gilded Sword.
powder keg test
While the forge is working, you teleport to the Goron village. In spring, the large block of ice that previously blocked access to the rock face disappeared. Behind it you will find the big Goron, who makes powder kegs. Address him as Goron Link. A powder keg has a much greater explosive power than normal bombs, but can only be bought and carried after passing the test.
The Goron gives you a powder keg and tells Link to use it to blow up the rock in front of the Goron racetrack. Pick up the barrel as a Goron Link and carry it out of the cave. Since you can’t jump up steep ledges with the powder keg, you have to throw it up each step, then roll it up yourself and pick up the keg again. In this way, work your way back through the Twin Islands area towards the Mountain Village. Shortly before the transition to the Mountain Village, a side path leads up over several ramps. The son of the Goron elder is already waiting there in front of a huge rock.
Places the powder keg directly in front of it. The fuse is slowly burning down; you can hit them with an arrow if you don’t want to wait. The explosion destroys the rock and opens the Goron Racecourse. Then return to the powder keg dealer and speak to him as Goron Link. You have passed the test and can now buy powder kegs yourself. In the Goron Village they cost 100 Rupees, in the bomb shop of Clock Town later only 50 Rupees. Link can only have one powder keg at a time. This license is permanent and remains after traveling through time.
Win the Goron Race for Gold Dust and a Bottle
Return to the open racetrack and speak to the elder’s son. The race can only take place as long as there is spring after Goht’s defeat. Transform into Goron Link and stand at the start. As soon as the race begins, you start rolling and maintain the speed until Goron Link extends his spikes. Magic is required for the entire course; There are therefore several green magic jars on the route. Try to hit them early, because the competing Gorons can also destroy them.
The route requires less perfect memorization than clean line selection. Stay on the inside in the corners, avoid the bomb plants and don’t try to aggressively ram every opposing Goron. Clashes often cost more time than they give you. Especially on the last straights, the other drivers stay very close to Link and sometimes adjust their speed. Therefore, just before the target, have enough magic ready for a full spike roll and take the target line as directly as possible.
As the winner, Link gets one Bottle with gold dust. The bottle itself is now permanently part of the inventory and is ours in the Nintendo 64 version second bottle. We need the gold dust directly for the Gilded Sword, which is why you should not sell the contents or use them for other purposes.
3D Difference: In Majora’s Mask 3D there are a total of seven bottles instead of six. Due to the changed bottle rewards, the numbering may therefore differ from the N64 route; the Goron Race continues to reward Link with a bottle of gold dust.
Gilded Sword
On the morning of the second day you pick up the finished Razor Sword from the forge. Immediately afterwards, speak to Zubora and Gabora again and show them the gold dust from the Goron race. The blacksmith now offers to improve the Razor Sword a second time. No additional amount of rubies is required for this; you just give them the Razor Sword and the gold dust. The gold dust is used up, but the Empty Bottle is of course retained.
The second job again lasts until the next morning. On the third day you return to the forge and get the Gilded Sword. Stronger than Link’s original sword, it never loses its sharpness and remains permanent even after time is turned back. This means Link’s regular sword is fully upgraded.
Since the forge works until the next morning, you have to start this process on the first day at the latest: first day order the Razor Sword, second day pick up the Razor Sword and hand it back together with gold dust, third day pick up the Gilded Sword. If you only start the first forging process on the second day, you no longer have enough time for lasting improvement in the same cycle.
Romani Ranch open on first day
The powder keg license also opens the next important story section. To do this, start a new cycle on the first day if you are already on the second or third day. Withdraw at least 50 Rupees from the bank, buy a powder keg in the bomb shop of Clock Town as Goron Link and leave the city towards Milk Road. There a huge rock blocks access to the Romani Ranch. Normally it is not eliminated until the third day; With the powder keg we can get through on the first morning.
Place the powder keg in front of the rock and wait for the explosion or shoot the fuse. Behind it the path leads directly to the ranch. First activate the owl statue and then go to the little girl in the field. Romani tells of strange characters who appear every first night and take the ranch’s cows with them. This is also where Epona, who Link lost at the start of the game, is finally located.
Romani allows Link to ride Epona and begins a short training session. As you ride across the ranch, you have to hit all the balloons with arrows within the time limit. Don’t use the carrots all in a row; If possible, always leave at least one left so that Epona is not completely exhausted. Once you have completed the target practice, Romani will teach Link Epona’s song. From now on you can summon Epona with the ocarina at any time in suitable outdoor areas. This song is necessary for the rest of the main story because Epona can jump over the high fences on the way to Great Bay and Ikana.
The First Night – Defending the Ranch
Then promise Romani to help her at night. Be there soon at the latest 2:30 a.m back at the ranch; Romani comes out of the house around 2:00 a.m. As soon as the strange creatures appear, the real defense begins. Several glowing figures slowly move towards the barn from different directions. If even one of them reaches the building, the task fails and Romani and the cows disappear for this cycle.
With the Inverted Song of Time, not only the world time becomes slower, but also the movement of the attackers. This makes the task much more relaxed. It’s best to stay close to the barn and turn completely around regularly because several creatures are coming from behind or from the sides. The map shows their positions as dots. Shoot any enemy that approaches the building, always prioritizing the one with the shortest distance to the barn. Epona is not absolutely necessary; On foot you often have a calmer shooting position.
Hold on until 6:00 a.m. The figures disappear and Romani gives you one as thanks Bottle with milk. On Nintendo 64, after Koume’s Bottle and the Bottle of Gold Dust, this is ours third bottle. You can drink the milk or sell it; the Empty Bottle remains permanently.
Second day – Cremia’s milk transport and Romanis mask
After the ranch has been successfully defended, you can complete the second half of the side quest on the second day. During the day, speak to Cremia, Romani’s older sister. She wants to bring milk to Clock Town in the evening and asks Link to accompany her. Be with her at 6:00 p.m. and get on the car.
The normal path on the Milk Road is suddenly blocked, so Cremia takes a detour via the Gorman brothers’ racetrack. There, two masked riders attack the wagon and try to destroy the milk jugs. You have unlimited arrows during this scene. Constantly turn back and forth between the two sides of the car and hit the attackers as soon as they get close enough. Every hit pushes her back. At least one pitcher must achieve Clock Town; The easiest way is to hit the two riders alternately and not leave either of them unattended for a long time.
If delivery is successful, Cremia Link will give away Romani’s Mask. With it, the bouncer at the milk bar “Latte” recognizes Link as a member and lets him in at night. This mask will be needed later for other masks and side quests.
Garo’s Mask – Race against the Gorman Brothers
Since Epona is now permanently available via Epona’s Song, we’ll go straight to the Gorman Brothers race track. Call Epona on the Milk Road and ride to Gorman Racecourse. Speak to one of the brothers while Link sits on Epona. For 10 Rupees they challenge you to a race.
Stay as close to the inner track boundary as possible and don’t waste your carrots immediately after the start. The biggest time losses occur due to the mud fields and obstacles; ride around wide areas of mud instead of riding through the middle. There should be at least one carrot available in front of the fences so that Epona has enough speed to jump. The Gorman brothers try to push Link away, especially on the home straight, so keep your distance and only use the last carrots in the last few meters.
Win the race and you will get Garo’s Mask. It is later mandatory to reach the upper area of Ikana Canyon and also causes the mysterious Garos to appear in certain locations.
Stone Mask – Nintendo 64
With Epona we can now also use the eastern exit of the Termina Field. First, take a bottle of red elixir; Kotake sells it in the Swamp Witch Magic Shop, alternatively you can buy it in Clock Town. Then ride through the eastern exit and jump over the high fences with Epona on the way to Ikana.
After the last fences, descend at the small stone circle on the side of the path and use the Lens of Truth. This causes a previously unseen injured soldier named Shiro to appear. Talk to him and give him the red elixir. After he regains his strength, he gives Link the Stone Mask out of gratitude.
With this mask, Link will not be noticed by many common enemies and especially by certain guards. It is extremely helpful for the later Pirates’ Fortress, as the patrolling pirates largely ignore Link.
3D difference: This Location only applies to the Nintendo 64 or GameCube version. In Majora’s Mask 3D, Shiro was moved directly to the Pirates’ Fortress. The Stone Mask can therefore only be obtained there during the Great Bay section.
Which mountain heart parts are actually accessible now
With spring, several new possibilities appear in the Mountain Village, but not every Piece of Heart visible there can be completely completed. The frog in the pond in front of the blacksmith shop is part of the chorus for Don Gero’s mask. For the associated Piece of Heart, a total of five frogs must be gathered: at the Laundry Pool in Clock Town, in the swamp, the former Gekko of the Twilight Forest Temple, the later Gekko in Great Bay Temple and the frog in the Mountain Village. Since the Great Bay Temple is still ahead of us, this Piece of Heart can only be fully completed afterward.
The Piece of Heart in the water of the Mountain Village can only be safely retrieved once Link has the Zora Mask, and the Piece of Heart on the way to the Snowhead also requires the later Hookshot or the Scarecrow route. We collect these two at their first complete point in time instead of incorporating incomplete detours now. This prevents Side Quests that have already been completed from having to be written again later.
Continue towards Great Bay and Ikana
With Epona’s Song, the western part of Termina is now accessible for the first time. At the same time, we already have Garo’s mask for Ikana and the Stone Mask on Nintendo 64. For a complete walkthrough, a short detour to the Ikana cemetery is recommended before the Great Bay, because another bottle, the Captain’s Hat and an important song can be reached there. However, this content belongs in its own coherent section and is not squeezed into the Goron Race.
The next part of the solution therefore first leads to the eastern region of Terminas and to the Ikana cemetery, before we then tackle the Great Bay completely.