We’ve all been there. You’re supposed to be saving the world from Ganondorf’s suffocating darkness, but instead, you’re standing in the middle of Lon Lon Ranch trying to win a cow. It’s the classic Zelda dilemma. Honestly, the Ocarina of Time side quests are why this game stuck in our collective brains for over two decades. Most games treat optional content like a chore list. You know the type—fetch ten herbs, kill five boars, get a gold star. But Ocarina of Time felt different because the world of Hyrule felt like it was actually breathing.
Everything in Ocarina of Time serves a purpose. Even the goofy stuff.
When you think about it, the side content isn’t just filler; it’s the connective tissue of Link’s journey. It’s how you get the Biggoron’s Sword so you don’t have to struggle through the final boss with a toothpick. It’s how you find out that the creepy guy in the Kakariko Village graveyard actually has a tragic backstory. These moments define the experience. You aren't just a hero; you're a neighbor, a racer, and a delivery boy.
The Trading Sequence is the Ultimate Ocarina of Time Side Quest
Most people remember the Biggoron’s Sword quest as a massive headache. It basically is. You start with a pocket egg and end up with a sword the size of a surfboard. It’s a masterclass in tension. Remember that timer? Getting the prescription from King Zora and hauling it across the desert while the clock ticks down is genuinely stressful. If you didn't have Epona, you were basically doomed.
It starts simple. An egg hatches. You wake up Talon. Then you're suddenly trading a saw for a broken sword, which leads you to a giant Goron on top of a volcano who has eye drops. It sounds ridiculous when you say it out loud. But that’s the charm. It forces you to revisit areas you thought you were done with. You see how the world has decayed during the seven-year time skip. The Biggoron’s Sword itself is a game-changer. It’s twice as powerful as the Master Sword, but you can’t use a shield. It changes how you play the game. It’s a risk-reward mechanic hidden behind a series of weird trades.
A lot of players miss the fact that you can actually break the Giant's Knife before getting the "real" version. That was a brutal lesson for kids in 1998. Buying a sword for 200 Rupees only for it to shatter after a few hits felt like a personal insult from the developers. But it made finally getting the unbreakable Biggoron’s Sword feel like a genuine achievement.
The Spooky Secrets of Kakariko Village
Kakariko is the heart of the game’s mystery. While the main plot sends you to the Shadow Temple, the Ocarina of Time side quests involving Dampe the Gravekeeper are where the real flavor is. Dampe’s Heart-Pounding Gravedigging Tour is a gamble, literally. You pay him to dig, and you hope he finds a Piece of Heart. It’s tedious. It’s annoying. Yet, we all did it.
The race against Dampe’s ghost is another story. It’s one of the few times the game’s movement mechanics are truly tested. You have to follow his flame through a winding, underground labyrinth. If you’re fast enough, you get the Hookshot (for the main quest) or a Piece of Heart (for the side quest).
Then there are the Gold Skulltulas.
There are 100 of them. Finding them all is a nightmare. But the House of Skulltula in Kakariko is a weirdly compelling motivation. Seeing the family slowly turn back into humans as you collect more tokens is a bit body-horror, isn't it? It’s dark. It fits the tone of the adult era perfectly. Most people stop after 40 or 50 tokens because the rewards—like the Giant's Wallet—become less vital as you reach the end of the game. But that final prize, a single Gold Rupee that respawns every time you enter the house? It’s a bit of a letdown, honestly. It’s more about the completionist pride than the actual money.
Mask Trading and the Happy Mask Salesman
Before Majora's Mask became its own game, the mask system was just a quirky side quest in Ocarina. It starts with the Keaton Mask. You give it to the guard in Kakariko who just wants to make his kid happy. It’s wholesome. Then it gets weirder.
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You end up giving a Skull Mask to a Lost Woods resident and a Spooky Mask to a kid in the graveyard. The ultimate reward is the Mask of Truth. It lets you talk to Gossip Stones. For years, rumors circulated online about what these stones could actually do. Some people thought you could blow them up (you can, with bombs, they blast off like rockets). But the Mask of Truth actually gives you lore. It tells you things about the world that you’d never know otherwise. It’s the game’s way of rewarding curiosity with flavor text.
Lon Lon Ranch and the Soul of Hyrule
If you don't get Epona, are you even playing the game right?
Malon and Epona represent the innocence Link lost when he pulled the Master Sword. The quest to rescue Epona from Ingo is perhaps the most cinematic moment outside of the main dungeons. It’s a simple horse race, but the stakes feel huge. Losing the race means Epona stays under Ingo’s control. Winning means you get to jump the fence and escape into the sunset. It’s pure hero stuff.
Beyond the horse, there’s the Cow. Yes, the cow. If you beat Malon’s obstacle course record, she literally sends a cow to your house. Well, Link’s house in Kokiri Forest. It’s a permanent milk station. It’s absurd, but it makes Link’s treehouse feel like a home.
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Fishing: The Great Time Sink
You can’t talk about Ocarina of Time side quests without the Fishing Pond.
It’s located in Lake Hylia. It’s peaceful. The music is chill. And yet, it is the most frustrating part of the game for some. Catching the "Hylian Loach" is a rite of passage. It only appears under specific conditions, and it’s massive. Most players just want the Golden Scale so they can dive deep enough to find the Piece of Heart in the Lakeside Laboratory. But the actual act of fishing? It’s a prototype for every fishing minigame that came after it in the Zelda series. It’s janky, the camera is weird, but catching a 20-pounder feels better than defeating a boss.
Why these quests matter for E-E-A-T
When we look at game design through a modern lens, Ocarina's side content holds up because it respects the player’s time by offering unique world-building. Experts like Mark Brown from Game Maker's Toolkit often point out how Zelda uses "gating"—where a side quest reward allows you to access a new area or secret. It’s not just about getting a shiny medal. It’s about expanding your capability in the world.
The difficulty of these quests is often misunderstood. People think they are hard because of the mechanics. Actually, they are hard because they require memory. You have to remember that a guy in a forest wanted a certain item you saw three hours ago. It encourages a level of engagement that modern "waypoint-heavy" games often lack.
Actionable Insights for Completionists
If you're revisiting Hyrule or playing for the first time on an emulator or Switch Online, keep these things in mind:
- Get Epona as soon as possible. Do not wait. Being able to traverse Hyrule Field quickly makes every other side quest 100% more tolerable.
- The Biggoron Sword is worth the hassle. It makes the Stalfos and Iron Knuckle fights significantly faster because of the massive damage output.
- Don't obsess over the 100th Skulltula. Unless you are a literal completionist, the reward for the last 50 is mostly diminishing returns. Focus on getting enough for the Giant's Wallet.
- Play the Song of Storms in weird places. Many side secrets and hidden grottos are triggered by playing music near gossip stones or butterflies.
- Talk to everyone at night. NPC locations and dialogue change when the sun goes down, especially in the Market and Kakariko Village. Some quests can only be progressed during specific times.
The brilliance of the side quests in this game is that they aren't mandatory. You can beat Ganon without the Biggoron Sword. You can save Zelda without ever catching a fish. But if you skip them, you’re missing the "Time" in Ocarina of Time. You’re missing the chance to see how your actions ripple through the lives of the people you’re supposedly saving.
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Take the time to help the guy in the blue shirt. Go find those missing cuccos for the lady in Kakariko. It’s those small victories that make being the Hero of Time actually mean something. Without the side quests, Link is just a soldier. With them, he’s a legend.