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Cave of Ordeals
General Information
Cave of Ordeals contains 50 floors, each with a unique enemy set or fairy. While CoO 100% ILs complete all 50 floors, full game 100% runs only need to obtain the three poe souls and thus only complete 43 floors, savewarping after obtaining the poe soul on floor 44. The equips shown are for the context of a typical full-game 100% run.
Great Spin, the 7th hidden skill, is extremely useful for progressing through the cave quickly as it deals a lot of damage. It requires full health to use, so players should aim not to take damage when possible. Health-replenishing bottle contents can be useful, and some floors contain dig spots with hearts. Floors will list strats with and without GS when relevant.
100% runs also collect rupees during CoO, as green, blue, and yellow rupee drops are possible from all enemies in the cave. Some floors also contain dig spots with higher valued rupees as well.
Abbreviations used on this page:
- CoO - Cave of Ordeals
- IL - individual level speedrun
- RS - rollstab(s)
- JA - jump attack(s)
- SA - spin attack(s)
- AS - autospin(s) (jump attack + spin attack)
- GS - great spin(s)
- BA - bomb arrow(s)
Floor by Floor
- [Double Clawshots / B&C] from Zant fight
Floor 1
1 blue bokoblin
If entering floor 1 as wolf (100%): Dash cancel or B attack into the cutscene trigger to aggro the bokoblin. Dash off the ledge and kill the bokoblin with one charge attack. Approach the door and transform into human immediately after the bokoblin explodes.
If entering floor 1 as human (100% IL): Move forward slightly on the ledge and BA the bokoblin. If preserving BA, roll and jump off the ledge and kill the bokoblin with a rollstab, jump attack, or spin attack (does not require GS). Approach the door and wait.
Floor 2
3 keese, 3 rats
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS, then kill remaining enemies. Keese will aggro from farther away than rats, so chasing a rat first often allows the keese to clump together and be killed in one SA.
- [Double Clawshots / Bomb Arrows]
Floor 3 (1 Heart)
3 deku babas on ceiling, 1 deku baba on ground
Stay up on the ledge and shoot the three ceiling babas (or the ceiling right next to each baba) with BA. Jump down and AS the ground baba, ideally landing just left or right of it so that only the SA hits the baba. Hitting the baba with the JA will knock it back and cause it to survive the full AS.
Floor 4
3 spiders
Jump from the left side of the ledge and AS to kill one spider. Either BA or roll and SA/RS the remaining spiders depending on how close by they are. (The spiders can wander around quite a bit.) If a spider has aggroed, facing away from it when using a SA can prevent it from blocking the attack.
Floor 5
3 bulblin archers
Jump from the center of the ledge with sword out and RS the center bulblin archer. Kill the remaining two bulblin archers with some combination of RS and BA (no scope) while avoiding their arrows.
Floor 6
9 torchslugs
Jump from the left side of the ledge and time an AS to land where the attack will kill 3 torchslugs at once. Kill the 4th torchslug with a running slash and the remaining torchslugs with the clawshot (or running slashes if desired). While killing the 5th-9th torchslugs, run to the places in the room that will cause them to fall from the ceiling. Note that the clawshot can pick up a rupee if it is between Link and the targeted torchslug.
Floor 7 (3 Hearts)
2 dodongos, 5 fire keese
Jump from the center of the ledge and immediately begin an AS, which will ideally kill 3 keese and a dodongo with GS. If the remaining enemies are far apart, travel in a circle around the room to find and kill them. If they are close together, chase them directly. Keese will die to any attack, and dodongos take 2 SA (1 with GS).
Floor 8
6 tektites
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS. Kill any remaining tektites with SA. The tektites wander significantly, so completely consistently avoiding landing on and taking damage from a tektite is not possible to do quickly and is surprisingly difficult even after stopping and surveying the room's layout.
Floor 9
2 bulblin archers, 2 lizalfos
Roll to the ledge with the control stick neutral to grab the ledge. Immediately press A to drop and B to initiate an AS that will recoil off of the ledge and kill one or both bulblin archers. If one bulblin archer remains, follow it as it retreats and GS to kill it and the oncoming lizalfos. Without GS, kill the remaining bulblin with a RS or SA and kill the lizalfos with 2 stabs and a SA.
Transform into wolf as soon as the last enemy has exploded to approach the fairy on floor 10 more quickly.
Floor 10 - Fairy 1
Jump from the center of the ledge and speak to the fairy to proceed. Completing this floor releases fairies to Ordon Spring. Further progression requires the Spinner.
Floor 11
rat king, 3 helmasaurs
Roll to the ledge with the control stick neutral to grab the ledge. Immediately press A to drop and time a B press (slightly delayed) to initiate an AS that will kill the rat king and potentially one helmasaur. Kill remaining helmasaurs with SA by dodging or avoiding their charges or stopping them with any kind of hit. Ride spinner to door.
- [Spinner / Bomb Arrows]
- [Double Clawshots / Bomb Arrows]
Floor 12
giant purple chu
Jump from the center of the ledge and find the chu, avoiding its attack if it is nearby shoot a BA at the ground near/inside the chu (shooting while targeting is unreliable) and SA all smaller chus. The door takes a while to begin opening after the floor has been cleared.
Floor 13
4 chuworms
Jump from the right side of the ledge and land without rolling. Clawshot a chuworm (or two if possible) and SA twice (or GS once) to kill. Repeat for remaining chuworms, killing two at a time when possible. Backflipping into an AS is a quick way to kill the chuworms after clawshotting them but can be risky when trying to kill two at once.
Floor 14 (Orange Rupee)
many bubbles
Jump from the center of the ledge and roll to the back of the room. SA to kill a few bubbles, then charge a SA near the center of the room. Wait for the remaining bubbles to fly within range and release the SA. Waiting too long to release the SA will allow the bubbles to aggro and deal damage.
There is a dig spot with an orange rupee (100R) near the door. Transform into wolf after the last enemy has exploded, and dig up the rupee while the door opens if needed.
Floor 15
many bulblins
If entering floor 1 as wolf (100%): Jump from the center of the ledge and use one or more charge attacks to kill all bulblins. It can be helpful to dash around the room before charging the attack to get the bulblins' attention. Transform into human after the last enemy has exploded.
If entering floor 1 as human (100% IL): Jump from the center of the ledge and SA or RS all bulblins.
Floor 16
many keese and rats
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS, then kill remaining enemies. Keese will aggro from farther away than rats, so chasing one or more rats first often allows the keese to clump together and be killed in fewer attacks.
Floor 17 (Poe 1/3)
many stalhounds, poe
With GS: Jump from left of center of the ledge while targeting, walk a few steps backwards, and then backflip AS to kill several stalhounds. Roll forwards and SA again to kill the rest of the stalhounds. One stalhound near the entrance sometimes survives the first SA; kill it now if it is alive. Once all stalhounds are dead, transform into wolf, kill the poe, and collect its soul. Dash to the door and transform.
Without GS, the strat above would require extra SA, though the movement would remain similar so as to spawn all of the stalhounds. Alternatively, the runner could transform into wolf before jumping from the ledge and charge attack all stalhounds.
Floor 18 (1 Heart)
leever circle
Jump from the left side of the ledge and time a JA. If done correctly, the leevers will all spawn very close together. Backflip AS to kill all leevers at once. If the leevers spawn in a wider circle, charge a SA and release it when the leevers get close enough to hit.
- [Empty Bottle / Bomb Arrows]
There is a dig spot under the entrance to this floor with 1 heart. If it is needed, stay wolf as the door to this floor opens, grab the ledge and drop straight down, and dig up the heart. Transform human and run to the center of the room to spawn the leever circle. Run to its center as the leevers are still spawning, then charge a spin attack and wait for them to come close enough to hit.
Floor 19 (Rare Chu)
many chus
Jump from the left side of the ledge and roll near the door to floor 20. Charge a spin attack and release it when the first wave of chus falls. Repeat this process clockwise around the room, stopping to bottle the rare chu jelly if needed. Avoid letting the chus coagulate if possible.
Transform into wolf when the door begins to rumble to approach the fairy on floor 20 more quickly.
Floor 20 - Fairy 2
Jump from the center of the ledge and speak to the fairy to proceed. Completing this floor releases fairies to Faron Spring. Further progression requires the Ball & Chain.
Floor 21
several blue bokoblins and ice keese
Swing the sword around when the door is half open to aggro the bokoblins at a favorable time. Jump from the center of the ledge and kill all enemies with the sword. Any attack will kill the keese, and the bokoblins take two slashes or one JA/RS/SA. Bokoblins stop and shriek when Link does an attack. Use the Ball & Chain to break the ice once enemies are dead.
Floor 22 (3 Hearts)
many keese, rats, and ghost rats
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS, then kill visible enemies until covered in ghost rats. Transform, SA to knock off ghost rats, and kill all remaining enemies as wolf. Transform into human after the last enemy has exploded.
There is a dig spot in the center of this floor with 3 hearts. If it is needed, dig it up after transforming and using an SA to rid Link of ghost rats. Ghost rats will often climb onto Link while digging, making them easy to kill with a SA while the hearts fall.
Note that killing a rat with a dashed B attack as wolf when there is a wall nearby on Link's right can cause the rat to fall out of bounds, preventing it from ever exploding and preventing further progress without savewarping and redoing the entire cave.
Floor 23
semicircle of stalkin
Jump from the center of the ledge, land without rolling, and charge a spin attack. Move around a little while the stalkin rise to make sure all of them will begin to rise. SA until the floor is cleared.
Floor 24
5 gibdos
With GS: Jump from the right side of the center of the ledge, charge a SA between the center and front-right gibdos, and release it once they are fully risen and vulnerable. Approach each remaining gibdo and GS without getting so close that it shrieks.
Without GS: Jump from the far right side of the ledge and land without rolling. Throw the Ball & Chain at each gibdo, hitting once on the throw and once on the pull to kill.
Floor 25
bulblin archers (one on tower), bulblins
Run across the center of the door frame from floor 24 right as the door fully opens, and only roll once Link is near the first jump from the door. This will cause fire arrow from the bulblin archer on the tower to miss. Roll off the 2nd ledge and AS to kill the bulblins crowded around the tower. BA the bulblin archer on the tower from below, then SA the remaining bulblin archers on the ground.
Floor 26
3 stalfos
Jump from the center of the ledge and BA all stalfos. BA during backhops if stalfos are too near. It is sometimes possible to kill multiple stalfos with one BA when they clump together.
Floor 27 (1 Heart)
3 hanging spiders, several bubbles
Before jumping down, BA the left and right spiders. Jump from the center of the ledge and JA the center spider's thread midair. SA all enemies.
Floor 28
2 lizalfos, 4 red bokoblins
With GS: Jump from the center of the ledge and AS lizalfos. Roll between the two bokoblins on the right and kill both with one SA. Repeat for the two bokoblins on the left.
Floor 29
2 stalfos, 4 fire bubbles, many stalkin
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS some stalkin and one bubble. Roll left and SA more stalkin and another bubble, then repeat for the back of the room. RS the remaining bubble on the right, then BA the stalfos. Any remaining stalkin can be killed with SA or BA.
Transform into wolf when the door begins to rumble to approach the fairy on floor 30 more quickly.
Floor 30 - Fairy 3
Jump from the center of the ledge and speak to the fairy to proceed. Link will take a stutter step while on the ledge before jumping down as floor 31 loads and the statues depress the switches. Completing this floor releases fairies to Eldin Spring. Further progression requires the Dominion Rod.
- [Dominion Rod / Bomb Arrows]
Floor 31
5 beamos, many keese
Do not jump down immediately. Stand on the very edge of the ledge and BA the tops of all 5 beamos. Jump down once all beamos are dead and SA remaining keese. Use the Dominion Rod to move the statues while the door is opening.
Floor 32
2 dodongos, several torchslugs and fire bubbles, many fire keese
Jump from the center of the ledge and initiate an AS as soon as possible to kill one dodongo and some other enemies. Roll and SA to kill the other dodongo, then roll around the room to spots where the torchslugs will fall and SA all enemies.
Floor 33 (Poe 2/3)
4 gibdos, poe
With GS: Jump from the right side of the center of the ledge and initiate an AS quickly to kill the front gibdo. Roll clockwise around the perimeter of the room to SA all gibdos without getting close enough for them to shriek. Transform into wolf and collect the poe soul.
Without GS: Jump from the far right side of the ledge and land without rolling. Move clockwise around the perimeter of the room throwing the Ball & Chain at each gibdo, hitting once on the throw and once on the pull to kill. Transform into wolf and collect the poe soul.
Floor 34 (1 Heart)
many chus and ghost rats
Jump from the center of the ledge as wolf and wait near the center of the room. Once the chus fall, JA all of them, then turn on senses and kill all ghost rats. Transform into human while the door opens.
There is a dig spot at the southwest edge of this floor with 1 heart. If it is needed, dig it up after killing all enemies, or at least all chus.
Floor 35
freezard, many ice keese
Jump from the right or left side of the center of the ledge to avoid landing on the freezard. Land near the freezard to cause it to attack, then roll twice to its backside and SA all or most keese. When not in danger of being hit by keese, use the Ball & Chain to break the freezard. Use GS or the Ball & Chain to kill the mini-freezards.
Floor 36
4 chilfos
With GS: Jump from the center of the ledge. AS or roll and SA chilfos, depending on where they are. Dodge thrown ice spears. BA can also be used for chilfos that are very far away.
Without GS: Roll to the ledge and release control stick to neutral to hang. Drop and throw the Ball & Chain at the nearest chilfos. Use the Ball & Chain and/or BA to kill all chilfos.
(One BA will break a chilfos's spear, and a second BA will kill it.)
Floor 37
many bubbles and leevers
Jump from the center of the ledge and initiate an AS right before Link reaches the ground to avoid taking damage from the spawning leevers. SA until all enemies are dead.
Floor 38
2 freezards, 4 chilfos, many ice bubbles and ice keese
Roll to the right side of the ledge and release the control stick to neutral to hang from the ledge. Drop and immediately initiate an AS to (hopefully) kill a chilfos and some smaller enemies. Roll around the room killing chilfos with GS, Ball & Chain, or BA (if far away), avoiding freezard breath and thrown ice spears. After the chilfos are dead, use the Ball & Chain to break the freezards and GS or the Ball & Chain to kill the mini-freezards. Kill any remaining enemies with SA or Ball & Chain.
Note that pressing L on floor 38 will usually target a smaller enemy and not a chilfos, so do not target when attempting to throw the Ball & Chain at chilfos if smaller enemies are still alive.
Floor 39 (Silver Rupee)
2 darknuts
Jump from the right side of the center of the ledge and roll to the right side of the right darknut. Stop the darknut with a running slash, then run to its backside and slash 5 or 6 times without completing a combo. Repeat the running slash and 5-6 slashes for a total of 11 slashes to remove all of the darknut's armor. Dodge the thrown sword, stop the darknut with a running slash, slash it twice from behind, and hit it three times with the Ball & Chain to kill it. Throwing the Ball & Chain makes getting a third hit possible most of the time. If done correctly, the second darknut will be too far away to interfere with killing the first darknut. Repeat this process on the second darknut.
There is a dig spot with a silver rupee (200R) near the center of the room. Transform into wolf immediately after the second darknut has exploded and dig up the rupee while the door opens if needed.
Floor 40 - Fairy 4
Jump from the center of the ledge and speak to the fairy to proceed. Completing this floor releases fairies to Lanayru Spring. Further progression is intended to require the Double Clawshots, but this requirement can be skipped.
- [Double Clawshots / Bomb Arrows] (may need to switch to a different bomb bag)
Floor 41
9 armos
Do not jump down immediately. Stand near the edge of the ledge and shoot BA behind all 9 armos to kill them. Move to the left side of the ledge and clawshot the visible sliver of the clawshot target over the door.
Floor 42
6 red deku babas, 6 red bokoblins
With GS: Jump from the center of the ledge and land without rolling. Target a bokoblin to raise the shield while waiting for the other bokoblins to approach the center. When they are all nearby, SA to kill all bokoblins. Run around the ring of deku babas and slice all 6 vines, then SA all deku baba heads.
Without GS: Jump from the center of the ledge and land without rolling. Nock a BA and wait for a bokoblin to attack Link to cause the BA to explode without knocking Link down. BA remaining bokolins. Run around the ring of deku babas and slice all 6 vines, then SA all deku baba heads.
Floor 43
6 bulblin archers, 3 lizalfos
Jump from the center of the ledge and AS the 3 lizalfos. Proceed around the perimeter of the room killing the bulblin archers with RS or bow (no scope, 1 arrow or BA per bulblin). Once all bulblin archers are dead, SA the remaining lizalfos without targeting so that they don't defend themselves.
For 100%, transform into wolf after the last enemy has exploded, as all that is needed on the next floor is the poe soul. If further floors need to be cleared, do not transform.
Floor 44 (Poe 3/3)
4 dynalfos, poe
If only the poe soul is needed, hang off the ledge and drop. Charge an attack while the poe approaches, knock it down with the attack, and savewarp while Link is backflipping from the soul collection.
If further floors need to be cleared, jump from the center of the ledge and nock a BA. Wait for the dynalfos to attack and cause the BA to explode, killing all of them. Transform into wolf and collect the poe soul, then transform back to human while the door opens.
Floor 45 (3 Hearts)
2 bulblin archers on towers, 5 gibdos, many chus
With GS (highly recommended - refill health after killing bulblin archers if possible): Do not immediately enter the door from floor 44. After it opens, shoot both bulblin archers with arrows or BA, then refill health if needed and possible. Jump from the left side of the ledge and AS the front left gibdo. Approach and GS the back left gibdo and then the center gibdo. Clean up any remaining chus, then GS the remaining gibdos.
Without GS: Same as above, but use Ball & Chain on gibdos. Either kill chus before they coagulate or wait for them to coagulate into one large chu, BA the large chu, and SA all the little chus.
Floor 46
2 freezards, 3 chilfos, many ghost rats
Roll to the right side of the ledge, release control stick to neutral to hang, then drop from the ledge. Use the Ball & Chain to break the front freezard and GS or the Ball & Chain to kill the mini-freezards. Kill all 3 chilfos with BA (one BA to break spear, one BA to kill), then transform into wolf and kill all ghost rats. Transform back into human. Use the Ball & Chain to break the back freezard and GS or the Ball & Chain to kill the mini-freezards.
Floor 47
rat king, 1 blue bokoblin, many stalkin
Roll to the ledge with the control stick neutral to hang. Drop and initiate an AS that will kill the rat king. Roll around the room to spawn all stalkin, then SA all enemies.
Floor 48
2 aeralfos, 1 darknut
Roll to the right side of the ledge, release control stick to neutral to hang, and drop. Target the right aeralfos and shoot a BA (must wait longer for aeralfos to be vulnerable, but saves 2 equips) or throw the boomerang to make it aggro. Clawshot it once the boomerang has hit it to pull it to the floor. Either (GS x3, shield bash, GS) or (slash x4, shield bash, slash x4, shield bash, slash) to kill it. Repeat for other aeralfos.
Stop the darknut with a running slash, then run to its backside and slash 5 or 6 times without completing a combo. Repeat the running slash and 5-6 slashes for a total of 11 slashes to remove all of the darknut's armor. Dodge the thrown sword, stop the darknut with a running slash, slash it twice from behind, and hit it three times with the Ball & Chain to kill it. Note that the camera will be low on this floor even after the aeralfos are dead.
Floor 49
3 darknuts
Jump from the center of the ledge, autoroll past the red and blue darknuts, and then roll forwards once more. Turn around and shoot 3 BA at the grey darknut's feet to attempt to knock some of its armor off while the blue and red darknuts close in on Link. Then, begin shooting BA at the floor between the red and blue darknuts to knock their armor off simultaneously. Once the grey darknut arrives, shoot at its feet, too. Dodge flung swords once the darknuts begin their second phases. Try to gather the armorless darknuts in a clump, then repeatedly greatspin them to knock them off guard and kill them.
Transform into wolf when the door begins to rumble to approach the fairy on floor 50 more quickly.
Floor 50 - Fairy 5
Jump from the center of the ledge and speak to the fairy to finish Cave of Ordeals. This fairy will fill one of Link's bottles with Great Fairy Tears as a reward and warp him to the Lanayru Spring.
