You finally got the Gerudo Membership Card. You’ve snuck past the guards, rescued the four carpenters who were—let’s be honest—terrible at their jobs, and earned the respect of a warrior race. Now what? Most players head straight for the Haunted Wasteland. Big mistake. You're missing the Gerudo Training Ground in Ocarina of Time, a mini-dungeon that is essentially a love letter to every mechanic you’ve learned over the last forty hours of gameplay.
It's weird. It's optional. It's frustratingly easy to break your own progress if you aren't paying attention.
Honestly, the first time I walked into that lion-headed entryway, I thought I was just in for a quick combat trial. I wasn't ready for the absolute gauntlet of elemental puzzles and backtracking. This isn't a dungeon in the traditional sense; there’s no boss waiting at the end to scream at you before dissolving into blue light. The "boss" is actually your own inventory management and your ability to remember that the Lens of Truth exists.
The Ice Arrow Prize: Is it actually worth it?
Let's address the elephant in the room. The reward for clearing the Gerudo Training Ground in Ocarina of Time is the Ice Arrow.
Is it good? Sorta.
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Compared to the Fire Arrow—which you need for actual progression—or the Light Arrow—which is literally the only way to beat the game—the Ice Arrow feels like a bit of a decorative trophy. It freezes enemies. That’s it. It doesn't melt ice (obviously), and it doesn't open specific doors in the Spirit Temple. But, if you’re a completionist, that grayed-out circle in your inventory is going to haunt your nightmares. There is something deeply satisfying about freezing a Tektite mid-jump, even if it uses up a chunk of your magic meter for very little tactical gain.
The real value of the training ground isn't the arrow. It's the challenge. This is the only place in the game where the developers throw everything at you at once: timed combat, Silver Rupee hunts, heavy block pushing, and underwater navigation. It's a final exam. If you can beat this, Ganon’s Castle is going to feel like a walk in the park.
Don't mess up your keys
The biggest trap in the Gerudo Training Ground isn't the fire walls or the Beamos. It's the Small Keys.
There are nine keys hidden throughout the complex. You only need seven to reach the Ice Arrow if you’re clever about which doors you open. However, if you start unlocking doors at random in the central hub, you can actually run out of keys before reaching the chest. It’s one of the few places in Ocarina of Time where you can genuinely feel like you've soft-locked yourself, though technically you can always find more.
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I remember a specific run where I spent twenty minutes looking for the ninth key. It’s notoriously hidden. You have to use the Lens of Truth in the room with the moving floor and the fire slugs (Flare Dancers). There's a fake wall. Classic Nintendo. They hide a key behind a wall that looks perfectly solid, just to see if you’re still paying attention to the tools you found back in the Bottom of the Well.
The rooms that will drive you crazy
- The Silver Rupee Rooms: One of these requires you to use the Longshot and the Hover Boots with precision that the N64 controller wasn't always built for. You’re sliding around, trying to grab a floating coin, while a timer ticks down in your ear.
- The Wolfos Fight: It’s simple combat, but the time limit makes you sloppy. You end up slashing at their front guards instead of waiting for the turn.
- The Hammer Room: You have to smash those statues in a specific order. If you’ve forgotten where the Megaton Hammer is mapped on your C-buttons, you’re dead meat.
- The Underwater Segment: You need the Iron Boots and the Zora Tunic. If you haven't finished the Water Temple yet, don't even bother coming here. You’ll hit a literal wall.
Why this dungeon feels different
Most dungeons in Ocarina of Time have a theme. Forest, Fire, Water—it's all very elemental. The Gerudo Training Ground in Ocarina of Time is a mishmash. It’s a remix. It’s like the developers had a bunch of cool puzzle ideas that didn't fit into the Great Deku Tree or the Shadow Temple and decided to cram them all into one optional basement.
It feels more like a "Master Quest" prototype. The difficulty curve is jagged. One room is a joke, and the next requires you to shoot an arrow through a torch to light a brazier while standing on a rotating platform.
It also adds a ton of flavor to the Gerudo culture. They aren't just thieves; they are elite warriors who value versatile skill sets. Nabooru’s people don't just want someone who can swing a sword; they want someone who can use magic, archery, and logic. It’s world-building through level design.
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Technical glitches and "Broken" keys
There’s a long-standing myth that you can permanently lock yourself out of the Ice Arrow. While it's extremely difficult to do so, there are some weird interactions with the keys. If you use a key on the "wrong" side of the locked-door circle, you might find yourself wandering back through the entire dungeon just to find the one entrance you missed.
Speedrunners actually skip the keys entirely. Using a trick called "hovering" or specific clipping methods, they just bypass the locked doors. But for those of us playing the game the way Eiji Aonuma intended, we have to deal with the hunt.
Finding the hidden key in the ceiling of the "lava" room (the one with the Titititit-ing Beamos) is usually the breaking point for most players. You have to look up. It sounds simple, but in 1998, looking up wasn't a natural instinct in 3D gaming yet.
Actionable steps for your next playthrough
If you're jumping back into Hyrule on the Switch or an old N64, here is the most efficient way to handle the training grounds without losing your mind:
- Wait until the end: Don't try this as soon as you get the membership card. Wait until you have the Longshot, Silver Scale/Iron Boots, Megaton Hammer, and Lens of Truth. You literally cannot finish it without all of them.
- The Statue Eye: In the room with the rotating platform, you have to shoot the eyes of the statue. Use the Fairy Bow quickly. If you miss one, the whole thing resets.
- Check the "Fake" Walls: Every time you enter a room that feels empty or "finished," turn on the Lens of Truth. There are chests hidden in plain sight that contain the keys you need to progress.
- Save your keys: When you get to the central hub with all the locked doors, pick a direction (left or right) and stick to it. Don't open doors on both sides simultaneously. You want to create a path, not a maze.
- The Scarecrow’s Song: There is a specific spot where Pierre the Scarecrow can be summoned. If you’re struggling with a jump, pull out the Ocarina. He’s often the "secret" solution to getting a high-up Silver Rupee.
The Gerudo Training Ground in Ocarina of Time remains one of the most interesting "extra" pieces of content in gaming history. It doesn't hold your hand. It assumes you're a Master of Time. Whether the Ice Arrow is worth the headache is up for debate, but the bragging rights of clearing the gauntlet are undeniable.
Go get those keys. Just remember to look up.