Chapter 08 · Adult Link · Main dungeon
Fire Temple Walkthrough
To clear the Fire Temple, wear the Goron Tunic, free the jailed Gorons for their Small Keys, grab the Megaton Hammer near the top of the temple, then smash your way back down to Volvagia.
The first half is a climb through the lava hall, the rolling-boulder maze and the fire-wall maze, with a Flare Dancer guarding the way to the Hammer. Once you have it, the Hammer opens face blocks, rusty switches and the totem that leads to the Boss Key. Volvagia goes down to Hammer hits on its head followed by sword swings.
What changed in the remake
- Single source Lava now kills Link on contact, and hot rooms chip away at your health directly instead of showing a countdown timer.
- Confirmed Dungeon order, key items and the overall Fire Temple layout match the original; no remake guide reports a reworked room here.
- Confirmed Four D-pad shortcut slots let you swap between the Hookshot, Hammer, Bombs and Bow without opening the pause menu.
- Confirmed A dedicated jump button replaces automatic ledge jumping, which matters on the narrow lava-hall platforms.
- Single source Bosses are described as easier overall, though Volvagia is not singled out for specific changes.
Before you go
You need adult Link with the Goron Tunic. Get it in Goron City by stopping Link the rolling Goron with a Bomb, then put it on before you enter Death Mountain Crater. Sheik teaches the Bolero of Fire at the crater, which gives you a warp straight to the temple entrance for later trips.
Bring the Hookshot, the Bow, a full Bomb Bag and the Song of Time, because blue Song of Time blocks guard one Small Key and a Gold Skulltula. The Scarecrow’s Song is optional but unlocks a Gold Skulltula and a 200-Rupee chest; you learn it at Lake Hylia by playing a custom tune to the scarecrow as a child and again as an adult. A bottled Red Potion or fairy is cheap insurance for the boss.
One remake guide says heat now drains your hearts directly and lava kills on contact, instead of the N64 countdown. We have only seen that from one source, so treat any lava as deadly and never take the Goron Tunic off in here.
Step-by-step route
- Climb the entrance stairs and take the left door into the room where Darunia is pacing. Step on the floor switch to open the nearby cell, free the Goron and take his Small Key.
- Back in the entrance hall, unlock the door straight ahead to reach the huge lava room with the bridge. Follow the left wall to free a second Goron and collect his key.
- Work around the edge of the same hall, bomb the cracked wall and free a third Goron for another key. On the upper level you can play the Song of Time at a blue block to reach an optional Gold Skulltula, with a Like Like nearby.
- Move the block that lets you ride the lava lift upward, climb the wire fences and bomb the crystal switch to open the higher door.
- Enter the rolling-boulder maze. Two more Goron cells sit along its lanes and open via switches; cross between boulders rather than racing them. A bombable alcove on the outer wall hides a Gold Skulltula.
- Head into the narrow bridge room and shoot the eye switch to open the route to the map. Don’t fall from the bridges, as the drop dumps you back in the main lava hall.
- Climb into the upper maze for the next cells. If you know the Scarecrow’s Song, play it at the end of the chasing-flame corridor and Hookshot up for another Gold Skulltula, then continue to the next room from above for one more.
- In the fire-wall maze, invisible tiles raise walls of flame, so walk slowly. Grab the compass, step on the floor switch that drops the big fire barrier, and bomb the fake door to find the real exit.
- Defeat the first Flare Dancer, then bomb the crystal switch in the next room. Hit the floor switch and sprint up the narrow stairway to the chest with the Megaton Hammer; if you fall, redo the timed run.
- Smash the face blocks to drop down through the temple. Carry a crate onto the blue switch to hold a door open, and use the Song of Time plus a rusty switch to reach the last Goron cell key on this side.
- Hammer the big face pillar into Darunia’s room. It falls and becomes the platform that leads to the boss door.
- Return to the entrance hall’s lower level and flatten the totem blocking the locked door. Clear the rooms, including a Like Like near the final Gold Skulltula, and beat the second Flare Dancer.
- Hammer the rusty switch to free the last Goron. The large chest in his cell holds the Boss Key. Cross the lowered pillar to the boss door and go in.
How to beat Flare Dancer
Flare Dancer is surrounded by fire for most of the fight. Hookshot its core to knock the flames off, then rush in with sword swings before it reignites. Keep moving between attempts, because it dashes around the arena and leaves fire trails behind it.
How to beat Volvagia
Volvagia hides in the arena’s lava holes. Watch for the hole that bubbles longest and stand beside it, not in front; one boss guide warns that it fakes out a couple of holes before committing. When its head pops up, hit it with the Megaton Hammer, then follow up with as many sword strikes as you can before it retreats.
When it flies out and breathes fire, run sideways out of the stream rather than backwards. Later it rises out of sight and rocks rain down; follow the shadows on the floor and keep moving. Repeat the Hammer opening until it falls, then take the Heart Container and step into the warp for the Fire Medallion.
Collectibles worth grabbing
The Fire Temple has five Gold Skulltulas, a count two remake guides agree on: the Song of Time block in the lava hall, the cracked wall in the boulder maze, the Scarecrow’s Song ledge, the room you reach from above after it, and the Hammer-only room near the entrance. You can get all five on the first visit if you already have the Scarecrow’s Song. No remake guide lists a Heart Piece inside this temple.
Common stuck points
If you can’t find the fire-maze exit, look for the door that looks fake and bomb it; the real doorway is behind. If you are out of keys, check that you freed every Goron along the boulder maze and the upper cells. If the boss door seems unreachable, you still need to Hammer the pillar so it drops into Darunia’s room. And during the upper climb, don’t leave a cell by its lower door, or you lose your height.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Megaton Hammer in the Fire Temple?
It sits in a chest at the top of a narrow stairway past the first Flare Dancer. Bomb the crystal switch, hit the floor switch, then run up before the path resets.
Do I need the Goron Tunic for the Fire Temple?
Yes. Without it the heat hurts you quickly, and at least one remake guide says lava kills on contact. Stop the rolling Goron in Goron City with a Bomb to get the tunic.
How many Gold Skulltulas are in the Fire Temple?
Five. Two of them need extra tools: one needs the Scarecrow’s Song and another sits behind blocks only the Megaton Hammer can break.
How do you get to the Fire Temple boss door?
After getting the Hammer, smash the large face pillar so it falls into Darunia’s room and forms a platform. Then get the Boss Key from the last Goron cell and cross that platform.
Is the Fire Temple different in the Switch 2 remake?
The layout and route are the same as the original. The reported differences are harsher heat and lava rules, D-pad item shortcuts and a jump button.