Ocarina of Time N64: 10 Secrets and Tricks That Work

With the remake on Switch 2, a lot of people are asking whether that bottle trick, the Golden Scale or the glowing sword still exists. Here are 10 secrets and tricks from the original N64 Ocarina of Time, each described by at least one reliable source (cited per item). I found no confirmed GameShark code in any source I checked, so none are listed.

Heads-up: these are tricks from the 1998 game. I haven't tested any of them in the remake, and Nintendo may have changed behavior like this. If you try them there, treat them as "might not work".

The 10 tricks

How do you get the Golden Scale as a kid?

Catch an 8-pound-or-heavier fish at Lake Hylia (the one that would give you a Piece of Heart) and, instead of handing it over normally, talk to the pond owner from the water while holding Z.

According to TheGamer, stand in the middle of the pond, make sure Navi isn’t hovering over a fish, and swim to shore holding Z. You get the Golden Scale instead of the Piece of Heart. Critical Hits describes the same trick.

Extra bottles

Catch something in a bottle (water, a bug, a fish) and press Start just before Link’s “I found something!” animation. In the inventory, swap the bottle onto an item you no longer need, like the Biggoron’s Sword receipt or spent Magic Beans. Sources: TheGamer and Critical Hits. Critical Hits warns you not to save right after, since you can lose equipment.

Infinite Gold Skulltula tokens

At the grotto near the tree at Hyrule Castle (where you wake Talon as a kid), kill the Gold Skulltula without touching its token, target it with Z and grab the token with the boomerang. Backflip into the exit portal before the boomerang returns: you keep the token and the Skulltula stays there to repeat (TheGamer).

Infinite sword glow

Near something with an action prompt, like a sign, press R (shield) and B (stab), then A mid-swing. If the timing is right, the sword turns white and damages whatever it touches without swinging. You can’t jump ledges while it’s active, and swimming or leaving the area cancels it (TheGamer).

Drinking a Poe soul

Instead of selling a Poe’s soul, drink it. The effect is random: it either restores hearts or leaves Link at one heart (TheGamer).

The shark in the Lakeside Laboratory

With the Iron Boots, put them on in the Lakeside Laboratory’s pool at Lake Hylia to sink and find a shark in a cage at the bottom (TheGamer).

Reflecting Ganondorf’s energy with a bottle

In the Phantom Ganondorf fight and the penultimate battle near the top of his tower, hit his energy balls back with an empty bottle. Link swings faster holding a bottle, so it works better than the sword (TheGamer).

Stealing the fisherman’s hat

Cast your line at the pond owner to hook his hat. You can return it or keep it, but leaving with it costs 50 rupees (TheGamer).

Freezing ReDeads

Play the Sun’s Song near a ReDead and it freezes (Critical Hits).

Fixing a broken sign

Play Zelda’s Lullaby near a broken sign and the pieces come back together so you can read it (TheGamer).

Gold Skulltula rewards

Not a secret, but the classic question for token hunters. According to Critical Hits:

The trick I don’t recommend

Critical Hits describes a debug mode triggered by slowly lifting the left side of the cartridge, and the page itself warns it can corrupt the cartridge. Wikibooks also cautions that some glitches risk the save, the cartridge and even the console. If you play on an original cartridge, it’s not worth it. To play the classic safely, KeenGamer points to Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack.

What’s next?

If you haven’t picked between the classic and the remake yet, read Ocarina of Time remake vs N64: what changed and is it worth it. For another Hyrule adventure, there’s Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and for the same generation of nostalgia, the definitive Super Nintendo guide. The share buttons at the bottom are there for that friend who swore the early Golden Scale was a myth.