Quick answer · Switch 2 remake

All Empty Bottle Locations

The original game had four Empty Bottles, and remake guides report a fifth: the Potion Shop errand in Castle Town, the Kakariko Cucco Lady, Talon’s Cucco game at Lon Lon Ranch, Ruto’s Letter in Lake Hylia, and the Poe Collector in the adult-era Market.

Updated November 9, 2026 · OoT Remake Walkthrough

Four of the five can be collected as child Link, and the Ruto’s Letter bottle is part of the main story, so you cannot miss it. The Poe Collector bottle requires adult Link, Epona and the Fairy Bow to hunt Big Poes in Hyrule Field. Remake guides say five Big Poes are now enough for that bottle instead of ten.

What changed in the remake

• Confirmed A new fifth bottle comes from the Castle Town Potion Shop: the shopkeeper lends a bottle to recapture an escaped bug, and you keep it.
• Confirmed The Poe Collector gives his Empty Bottle after five Big Poes (500 points) instead of ten; reaching ten now earns a Gold Rupee.
• Single source Many earlier guides and news posts still describe four bottles and a ten-Poe requirement, which reflects the N64 version.

Empty Bottle locations and why they matter

Bottles are some of the most valuable items in the game. They carry fairies that revive you when you fall, potions that refill health or magic, Blue Fire for melting red ice, bugs for soft soil spots, fish, Lon Lon Milk and Poe spirits. Two bottles are effectively required for progress: one for Ruto’s Letter, and one for Blue Fire as adult Link.

If you remember four bottles, that is the N64 count. Two remake guides, from GamingBolt and FinalBoss, both list five, adding a Potion Shop errand in Castle Town. An older VGC guide covering the original still lists four. The steps below cover all five.

Bottle 1: Potion Shop errand, Castle Town (new)

1. As child Link, enter the Potion Shop in the Hyrule Castle Town Market during the day.
2. Talk to the shopkeeper. One of his bugs has escaped, and he asks you to catch it. Agree to help.
3. He hands you an Empty Bottle. Catch the loose bug inside the shop with it.
4. Give the bug back. He rewards you with a Red Potion, and the bottle stays yours. Drink or use the potion later to free up the bottle.

Bottle 2: the Cucco Lady in Kakariko Village

1. As child Link, talk to the woman standing by the empty Cucco pen near the Kakariko entrance. She has an allergy and cannot catch her birds.
2. Find all seven escaped Cuccos around the village. They are scattered around the village, including behind fences and up on raised spots, so look carefully along the edges.
3. Carry each one back and throw or drop it into the pen. Do not enter a building or leave the village mid-task, because that resets the Cuccos.
4. Talk to her once all seven are home to receive the Empty Bottle.

Bottle 3: Talon’s Super Cucco game at Lon Lon Ranch

1. Wake Talon at Hyrule Castle first, using the Cucco that hatches from Malon’s egg. He returns to the ranch.
2. As child Link, go into the ranch house at Lon Lon Ranch and talk to Talon.
3. Pay 10 Rupees to play. You have 30 seconds to find his three special Super Cuccos among a crowd of ordinary ones.
4. Win to receive a bottle of Lon Lon Milk. Drink both servings and you keep the Empty Bottle.

Bottle 4: Ruto’s Letter in Lake Hylia (story)

1. After Dodongo’s Cavern, go to Zora’s Domain and win the diving minigame to earn the Silver Scale.
2. Dive into the underwater tunnel at Zora’s Domain or walk to Lake Hylia, and dive near the spot where that tunnel exits into the lake.
3. Pick up the bottle lying on the lake bed. It contains a letter from Princess Ruto.
4. Show the letter to King Zora. He moves aside to open the way to Zora’s Fountain and lets you keep the bottle. You will need it right away to carry a fish into Jabu-Jabu.

Bottle 5: the Poe Collector (adult)

1. As adult Link, with Epona and the Fairy Bow, ride around Hyrule Field. Big Poes appear in fixed spots, often near trees and rocks, and flee when they see you.
2. Shoot each Big Poe from horseback, chase it down and finish it, then catch its spirit in an Empty Bottle.
3. Take the spirits to the Poe Collector in the Ghost Shop, inside the ruined Castle Town Market. Each Big Poe is worth 100 points.
4. According to remake guides, reaching 500 points (five Big Poes) earns the Empty Bottle. Continuing to 1,000 points pays out a Gold Rupee rather than another bottle.

Tips and stuck points

The Cucco hunt is easier if you grab the Cuccos closest to the pen first and leave the tricky ones on ledges until last, so a mistake costs you less.

For the Super Cucco game, the three special birds tend to move differently from the rest. Throwing ordinary Cuccos out of the way thins the crowd and makes the special ones easier to spot.

Big Poes are much easier with a full set of bottles. Each one fills a slot until you sell it, so collect the child bottles first. The new five-Poe threshold means fewer trips than the original, but bring the bow and some arrows each time.

If Lake Hylia’s bottle is not there, check that you have the Silver Scale. The Bronze Scale from your first diving win does not let Link reach the lake bed.

Frequently asked questions

Related

Sources

• finalboss.io
• gamingbolt.com
• videogameschronicle.com