Quick answer · Switch 2 remake
Where to Get the Lens of Truth
The Lens of Truth is the reward for beating Dead Hand inside the Bottom of the Well in Kakariko Village, which you can only enter as child Link after draining the well with the Song of Storms.
Learn the Song of Storms from the windmill musician as adult Link, return to childhood, and play the song inside the Kakariko windmill to empty the well. Work your way down to Dead Hand’s room, defeat it, and open the chest that appears. The Lens reveals fake walls, hidden floors, invisible enemies and secret chests, and you need it to get through the Shadow Temple, the Haunted Wasteland and Gerudo Training Ground.
What changed in the remake
- Confirmed The Lens of Truth has been redesigned as a pair of glasses or goggles instead of the original magnifying glass.
- Single source Pre-release footage shows the Lens assigned to one of the four new D-pad shortcut slots, so it does not have to occupy a main item button.
- Single source Song of Storms is played with L, R, X, L, R, X on the Switch 2 layout.
What you need first
The Bottom of the Well is a child-only mini dungeon, but the song that opens it is learned as an adult, so this item sits in the middle of the time-travel loop. In practice most players pick it up after the Forest, Fire and Water Temples, when Sheik points them toward Kakariko and the Shadow Temple.
Before heading in, make sure you have the Song of Storms, Zelda’s Lullaby, Bombs and a few Deku Sticks. The FinalBoss remake walkthrough also suggests equipping the Hylian Shield if you own it, because Fire Keese inside can set a wooden Deku Shield alight. Having the Magic Meter matters too: the Lens drains magic every second it is switched on, so a full or doubled meter makes later dungeons far less stressful.
How to get the Song of Storms
- As adult Link, go into the Kakariko windmill and talk to the musician cranking the music box (Guru-Guru).
- Take out your ocarina when prompted; he teaches you the Song of Storms. On Switch 2 the notes are L, R, X, L, R, X.
- Many players learn it on the same visit as Dampé’s race, since the race exit drops you into the windmill’s upper level.
Step-by-step: getting the Lens of Truth
- Return to the Temple of Time and put the Master Sword back to become child Link.
- Go to Kakariko Village, enter the windmill, and play the Song of Storms inside. The windmill spins faster and the village well drains.
- Climb down into the well, crawl through the low opening and drop down the ladder inside.
- Kill the Skulltula hanging near the entrance. The wall beside the skeleton is an illusion, so walk straight through it.
- Find the Triforce mark below the stone face that spills water and play Zelda’s Lullaby. The central pools drain.
- Head back toward the false wall and drop into the now-dry pit. Bomb or open the nearby chest, crawl through the small gap behind it and climb up to the door of the miniboss room.
- Defeat Dead Hand (strategy below). A chest appears when it dies.
- Open the chest to receive the Lens of Truth. Assign it to an item button or, if your setup allows it, a D-pad shortcut.
- You can leave the well right away if you only need the Lens. Use it to find the invisible chest behind the reward chest for a 200 Rupee bonus, and revisit later for Gold Skulltulas and other loot.
How to beat Dead Hand
Dead Hand hides underground while its long pale arms stick out of the floor. The trick is to let one of the arms grab Link on purpose. That pulls the body out of the ground and it shuffles toward you.
Mash to break free, turn to face it and wait for it to lower its head. When the head comes into sword range, slash it repeatedly. After a few hits it retreats underground and pops up somewhere else, so step away from the spot to avoid the shock as it digs in. Repeat the cycle until it collapses. Deku Sticks deal good damage here if your sword feels slow.
What the Lens of Truth is used for
Switching the Lens on shows things that are present but hidden: fake walls you can walk through, floors that look solid but are not, invisible platforms, concealed chests and invisible enemies. It runs off magic, so switch it on to scan a room, then switch it off again.
The biggest use is the Shadow Temple, which is full of invisible spikes, fake floors and hidden walls, and whose boss Bongo Bongo is much easier to track with the Lens active. A second Dead Hand also appears in that temple. The Lens is also how you follow the ghost guide across the Haunted Wasteland on the way to the Spirit Temple, and Gerudo Training Ground has rooms that rely on it. If you skip the Bottom of the Well, you will hit a wall at the Shadow Temple.
Tips and stuck points
If the well will not drain, make sure you played the Song of Storms inside the windmill itself, not outside in the village, and that you are child Link. Adults cannot enter the well at all.
If you cannot find a way forward inside the well, the answer is almost always another fake wall or a pool that needs Zelda’s Lullaby. Remember that before you have the Lens you have to rely on sound and shadows; afterwards, a quick scan clears up most confusion.
Running out of magic mid-room is the most common problem later on. Carry a Green or Blue Potion in a bottle, pick up magic jars from pots, and pursue the magic upgrade from the Great Fairy in Death Mountain Crater.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lens of Truth in Ocarina of Time?
In a chest that appears after you beat Dead Hand, the miniboss of the Bottom of the Well beneath Kakariko Village.
Can adult Link get the Lens of Truth?
No. The Bottom of the Well can only be entered as a child, after the well is drained by playing the Song of Storms in the windmill.
Is the Lens of Truth required?
Yes, in practice. The Shadow Temple, the Haunted Wasteland crossing and parts of Gerudo Training Ground all depend on it.
Does the Lens of Truth use magic?
Yes. It drains magic continuously while active, so toggle it on only when you need to check a room.
What does the Lens of Truth look like in the remake?
It has been redesigned as glasses or goggles rather than a magnifying glass, and footage shows it on a D-pad shortcut.