Chapter 01 · Child Link · Opening dungeon
Great Deku Tree Walkthrough
Climb the inside of the Great Deku Tree to get the Fairy Slingshot and Compass, drop from the top floor through the big web, burn your way across the basement with Deku Sticks, beat the three Deku Scrubs in 2-3-1 order, and stun Queen Gohma’s eye with the Slingshot before hitting it with your sword.
The route goes up first, then down: the upper floors give you the dungeon item, the basement holds the fire-and-web puzzles. The remake keeps that layout but swaps a floating platform for a wooden bridge that collapses, and Gohma now visibly covers her eye with her arms when she cannot be hurt. Defeating her gives a Heart Container, and the Deku Tree then hands over the Kokiri’s Emerald.
What changed in the remake
- Confirmed The floating platform on the way to the Fairy Slingshot is now a wooden bridge that collapses when Link steps on it.
- Single source The area around the Fairy Slingshot was altered and a ladder is now tied to a stone mechanism; sources do not spell out the exact difference.
- Single source Queen Gohma shields her weak spot with her arms while she is immune, making it clear when an attack will land.
- Confirmed A dedicated jump button replaces automatic ledge jumps, and Link can leap onto vine walls.
- Confirmed Motion aiming with an over-the-shoulder view is available for the Slingshot, which helps with wall Skulltulas and Gohma’s ceiling phase.
Before you go
Equip the Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield before Mido will let you pass. The sword is in the small training maze in the southwest of Kokiri Forest, and the shield costs 40 Rupees at the Kokiri Shop; there are enough Rupees in the village to cover it, and the remake’s starting wallet holds 200. The Fairy Slingshot is found inside the dungeon, so it is not an entry requirement.
Carry a few Deku Sticks. Their flame burns the basement webs, and the final web needs one carried across the room. The Deku Babas in the basement and in the torch room drop more if you run out, and the plants below the Scrub room supply Slingshot seeds.
Step-by-step route
- Kill the Deku Baba near the entrance ladder, climb up and follow the walkway around the trunk to the large chest with the Dungeon Map.
- Through the nearby door, raise your shield to send the Deku Scrub’s nut back at it, then talk to the stunned Scrub to open the way on.
- Cross toward the Fairy Slingshot chest. In the remake the old floating platform is a wooden bridge that gives way under you; if you fall, climb the vines back up to the chest.
- Shoot the ladder hanging over the doorway so it drops, then climb down and use it to leave the room.
- Back in the main chamber, shoot the three Skulltulas off the vine wall above the map chest, climb it, and drop onto the upper walkway on the right.
- Step on the floor switch to raise three platforms and cross to the Compass chest. The left alcove holds a Gold Skulltula and a heart chest; hit the switch again from the entrance ledge if you cannot reach it.
- Light a Deku Stick on the burning torch and touch it to the unlit one to reopen the exit.
- Kill the hanging Skulltula near the drop point (strike when its soft belly faces you), line up with the centre of the big web far below and jump. Landing near the edge may leave the web intact.
- In the basement pool, step on the ledge switch to reveal a torch. Light a stick, cross the shallow strip keeping the flame out of the water, and burn the web over the ledge door.
- Reflect the lone Scrub’s nut. It tells you the order for later: 2, 3, 1. Shoot the eye switch above the exit.
- Dive onto the underwater switch to lower the water, ride the moving platform under the spiked log, then kill the Skulltula and push the big block along its track until it stops. Climb it to the raised door.
- Light both torches in the next room, kill the hanging Skulltula, burn the web over the crawlspace and crawl through.
- You come out above the first pool. Push the block off the ledge as a shortcut, fetch a fresh flame from the torch, climb back up and roll onto the floor web so the stick burns it. Drop through.
- In the lowest room, reflect the three Scrubs’ nuts in the order middle, right, left. After the third, talk to the last Scrub and the boss door opens.
- Walk in and look up at the ceiling to start the Queen Gohma fight.
How to beat Queen Gohma
Keep moving and lock on. When Gohma’s eye turns red, fire a Deku Seed into it with the Slingshot, then run in and slash the eye while she is stunned. Stop attacking once she recovers and back away. In the remake, her arms covering the eye is your cue that she cannot be hurt yet.
When she climbs to the ceiling, track her with the Slingshot (motion aim helps) and shoot the eye the moment it glows to knock her down before she lays eggs. If larvae hatch, clear them before aiming upward again. The games.gg boss guide says three rounds finish her and describes the eye going green when she is stunned after a missed slam; FinalBoss describes the red-eye cue. Watch for whichever colour change you see in your game.
Take the Heart Container before stepping into the blue warp. The Deku Tree’s final scene gives you the Kokiri’s Emerald, which is what completes this chapter.
Common stuck points
The route seems blocked: check the last permanent shortcut rather than restarting. Burned webs stay open and the pushed block links the basement rooms. The Dungeon Map and Compass help with cleanup, but neither is needed to reach or beat Gohma.
The web will not break: you jumped near the edge. Aim for its centre from the top floor.
Your stick keeps going out: it is extinguished by water. Use the block shortcut and roll attack onto the web while the stick is still lit.
Gold Skulltulas: there are four here. RPG Site says all four can be taken on the first visit, with the last behind a web just past the torch room that you burn. FinalBoss mentions a bombable wall down the other webbed branch for a later return, so if the fourth is out of reach, come back with bombs.
Frequently asked questions
What do you need before the Great Deku Tree?
The Kokiri Sword and Deku Shield, both equipped. You collect the Fairy Slingshot during the dungeon.
Where is the Fairy Slingshot?
On the second floor, past the Scrub room, after the collapsing wooden bridge and a short vine climb.
How do you break the central web?
Jump from the top floor and land in the middle of the web. It gives way and drops you into the basement.
What is the Deku Scrub order in the Great Deku Tree?
Middle, right, left, which is the 2-3-1 clue from the earlier Scrub. Reflect each nut with your shield.
How do you beat Queen Gohma?
Shoot her eye with the Slingshot when it changes colour, then attack it with the sword while she is stunned. Repeat, including when she climbs the ceiling.