You’re standing on the peak of Death Mountain. The air is thick with red haze, and the heat is supposed to be killing you, but you’ve got that red Tunic on so it’s fine. You hand over a tiny eye drop bottle to a giant Goron who is literally the size of a small apartment building. He uses them. He sighs in relief. And then, he gives you a claim check.
That right there? That’s the peak of 1998 gaming.
The Zelda Ocarina of Time Biggoron Sword isn't just a weapon. It’s a rite of passage. If you played the original on N64 or the 3DS remake, you know the Master Sword is cool and all, but it’s basically a butter knife compared to this thing. The Biggoron Sword deals double the damage. It makes Ganondorf look like a chump. But getting it? That’s where the real nightmare begins. It’s a massive, multi-stage trading sequence that sends you sprinting across Hyrule like a madman, often with a timer ticking down at the top of the screen just to make your palms sweat.
Honestly, it's kind of ridiculous when you think about it. You're the Hero of Time. You've got the Triforce of Courage. Yet, here you are, delivering a blue chicken to a guy sleeping in the woods.
The Absolute Pain of the Trading Sequence
Most players start this quest without even realizing how deep the rabbit hole goes. It starts with a pocket egg. You hatch it. You wake up Talon. Simple enough, right? But then it spirals. You’re trading a "Cozy Lady" chicken for a blue one named Cojiro, which leads you to a weird guy in the Lost Woods who looks like he hasn't slept since the Great Deku Tree was a seedling.
The sequence is legendary for its cruelty.
Take the Odd Mushroom, for example. You get it in the Lost Woods and you have exactly three minutes to get to Kakariko Village. If you try to warp? Forget it. The mushroom spoils. The game forces you to actually know the map. You have to ride Epona like her life depends on it, vaulting over fences and praying you don't get snagged on a stray pixel of geometry. It’s a test of spatial awareness that most modern games would just skip with a fast-travel mechanic.
After the mushroom comes the Odd Poultice, then the Poacher's Saw, then a broken Goron's Sword. Every step feels like you're just one mistake away from having to restart the whole damn segment. And the stakes? They're weirdly high because the reward is the only thing that makes the final boss fight feel like a fair fight.
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Why the Giant's Knife is a Total Scam
We have to talk about the Giant's Knife.
Medigoron—the brother who hangs out in Goron City—will sell you a "Giant's Knife" for 200 Rupees. For a kid playing this in the late 90s, that felt like a fortune. You save up, you buy it, and you feel like a god for about five minutes. Then, you hit a wall or a shield too hard.
Snap. It breaks. It becomes a pathetic little stump that’s shorter than your starting dagger. It’s one of the greatest "trolls" in gaming history. The developers basically put a fake version of the ultimate weapon in the game just to see who was lazy enough to buy it instead of earning the real deal. The Zelda Ocarina of Time Biggoron Sword is unbreakable. That’s the distinction. It’s the difference between a cheap knock-off and actual craftsmanship.
Navigating the Final Stretch to Death Mountain
The final legs of the quest are the most iconic. You have to get a Saw to a carpenter in Gerudo Valley, which requires jumping the broken bridge with Epona. Then, you take a broken sword to Biggoron. He’s got eye irritation because of the volcano's eruption. Of course he does.
So, you go to King Zora. He gives you a Prescription. You take that to the Lake Hylia Scientist. He makes the Eyedrops.
This is the part everyone remembers: the four-minute timer. You have to get from the bottom of the map (Lake Hylia) to the very top of the map (Death Mountain Summit) without warping. If you warp, the eyedrops lose their potency. It's a grueling trek. You're dodging boulders. You're avoiding Tektites. You're praying Epona doesn't get stuck on a fence in Hyrule Field.
Once you deliver them, Biggoron is happy, but he’s not fast. He gives you a Claim Check. You have to wait three days. You can play the Song of Sun to speed it up, but there's something more poetic about just wandering Hyrule for three days, knowing your masterpiece is being forged in the fires of the mountain.
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Mechanical Nuance: Two Hands vs. One
Using the Biggoron Sword changes how you play Zelda.
- Damage Output: It deals exactly $2x$ the damage of the Master Sword. That's massive.
- Defense Trade-off: You cannot use your shield while holding it. Link uses both hands.
- Reach: The blade is significantly longer, allowing you to hit enemies before they even get close to you.
- The Crouch Stab: In the original N64 version, there was a glitch where the power of your last swing was saved to your crouch stab. If you swung the Biggoron Sword and then spammed crouch stabs, you were essentially a walking meat grinder.
Most people don't realize that the lack of a shield is actually a blessing in disguise. It forces you to learn how to dodge. It turns Ocarina of Time from a "wait and block" game into an aggressive action game. You stop playing defensively. You start hunting.
A Masterclass in World Building
What makes the quest for the Zelda Ocarina of Time Biggoron Sword so special isn't just the stats of the weapon. It's how it uses the entire world. To get this sword, you have to interact with almost every major race and region in Hyrule. You're talking to Gorons, Zoras, Gerudo, and Hylians. You're visiting the woods, the volcano, the lake, and the desert.
It makes the world feel connected. It isn't just a series of isolated levels; it's an ecosystem. The carpenter's saw matters to the giant smithy on the mountain. The fungus in the woods matters to the scientist by the lake.
It’s also a lesson in patience. In an era where "pay-to-win" or "instant gratification" is the norm, the Biggoron Sword stands as a monument to the grind. But it's a good grind. It’s a story you tell your friends. "Man, I made it to the summit with only two seconds left on the clock." That's a core gaming memory.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
If you're playing through this right now, don't be the person who loses their mind because they forgot one detail.
- Epona is Mandatory: Don't even try the eyedrop run without the horse. It's technically possible with some crazy movement tech, but for a normal human? Get the horse.
- The Warp Restriction: Seriously, do not play the Bolero of Fire or the Minuet of Forest. The game treats the "loading" of a warp as time passing that ruins the items.
- The King Zora Mweep: When you go to get the prescription, King Zora has to move out of the way. It takes forever. He scoots. Mweep. Mweep. Factor those ten seconds into your mental health prep.
The Legacy of the Blade
Even in Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, the Biggoron Sword returns as a legacy item. It’s usually found via Amiibo or hidden in the Depths. But it never feels quite as earned as it did in Ocarina of Time.
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There’s a specific weight to it in the N64 version. When Link holds it over his head and that iconic "item get" music plays, you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something. You aren't just carrying a legendary blade because a prophecy said so. You’re carrying it because you ran across a continent, cured a giant's eye infection, and did the chores no one else wanted to do.
It’s the ultimate reward for the ultimate Zelda fan.
How to Optimize Your Run
If you want to grab the sword as fast as possible, you should start the quest the second you turn into Adult Link. Don't wait until the end of the game. Having that double damage for the Forest Temple or the Fire Temple makes the entire experience much smoother.
First, head to the Cucco lady in Kakariko. Get the egg. Wake Talon in the center of the village. Then, head to the Lost Woods. From there, it's a straight shot. If you've already rescued Epona from Lon Lon Ranch, you're golden. If not, go do that first. Ingo is a jerk, but Epona is the key to the whole operation.
Once you have the sword, practice the jump-attack. The jump-attack with a Zelda Ocarina of Time Biggoron Sword deals insane damage—essentially $4x$ the power of a standard Master Sword swing. It can one-shot many mid-tier enemies and makes Stalfos look like jokes.
The Biggoron Sword is more than a weapon; it’s a testament to the era of gaming where secrets were hard-earned and the journey was just as important as the destination. Go get it. Your 10-year-old self will thank you.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Verify your inventory: Ensure you have the Pocket Egg from the Kakariko Cucco Lady to trigger the chain.
- Secure Epona: Complete the Lon Lon Ranch racing quest before attempting the timed Eyedrop run.
- Clear the path: Kill the enemies on the path to Death Mountain before you start the timer to ensure a clear run.
- Master the dodge: Practice backflipping and side-hopping, as you'll be giving up your shield for the remainder of the game.