Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake on November 5, 2026, for Nintendo Switch 2, updating aquatic exploration for players revisiting the kingdom of Hyrule. In this Zelda OOT Remake guide, mastering water depth is necessary to reach submerged items and advance through story dungeons. Link begins with shallow diving skills. Gaining the Silver Scale and the optional Golden Scale changes how Link explores rivers and lakes, turning simple swimming into an expansive adventure tool across Hyrule [2].
Diving Lessons in Zora Domain
Divers preparing for water trials must first travel along Zora River to reach the entrance. A massive waterfall blocks the entrance until Link stands on a round stone tablet marked with the royal crest and plays Zelda’s Lullaby with the controller sequence Y, X, A, Y, X, A to open the passage [6].
Inside the cavern, King Zora De Bon the XVI sits on his throne and worries about his missing daughter, Princess Ruto. The ruler assumes Link is a royal messenger, but the king can’t search the deep floor of Lake Hylia on his own. Link needs better diving gear. To prepare for the search, Link lights eight unlit torches with a Deku Stick from the throne room down to the lower waterfall, which spawns a chest with a Piece of Heart. He then walks up the stairs to an upper ledge where a Zora diving instructor offers a training minigame for a small fee [6].
The diving coach throws five scales into the deep pool below. Link jumps from the high cliff to gather every single scale before a 40-second timer runs out, though 9To5Gaming reported other walkthrough guides describe a one-minute window for collecting the items [4]. Success awards the prize.
Silver Scale Guide for Zelda OOT Remake Players
The coach warps Link back to the upper ledge to collect his reward once the timer expires. He hands over the Silver Scale, which automatically equips to Link’s gear inventory and replaces his old three-meter diving limit with a deeper six-meter capacity [4]. Link now dives deeper.
Link dives into the deep water basin at the center of Zora Domain to locate a hidden underwater tunnel. This submerged archway leads directly into the open waters of Lake Hylia, bypassing the overland trail on Hyrule Field while connecting two distant regional areas without delay. At the lake exit, a glass container rests on the floor where normal diving can’t reach. Link dives down six meters to retrieve Ruto’s Letter sealed securely inside a glass bottle. The message reveals that the giant fish Lord Jabu-Jabu swallowed the young Zora princess after a band of Gerudo shouting Ganondorf’s name fled the domain [3].
This Zelda OOT Remake guide tracks how the scale unlocks necessary story progression. Presenting the letter to King Zora prompts him to slide his heavy body aside, uncovering the mountain pathway into Zora Fountain without further delay. Link keeps the empty glass bottle [3].
Lake Hylia and Lord Jabu-Jabu
Lord Jabu-Jabu needs live fish. Link swings his new bottle through the shallow waters of Zora Domain to scoop up a small fish swimming along the rocky shoreline. He carries the wriggling catch up the stone steps behind the throne room into Zora Fountain, presenting the offering to open the cavern [6].
Link drops the bottled fish into the stone basin, prompting the giant patron to inhale both the snack and the boy to start the third major dungeon in the adventure. The reservoir holds other secrets. Link rolls into a solitary tree near the right bank to knock loose a Gold Skulltula token that drops right to the grass. A cracked boulder stands nearby. Gamer Guru reported that destroying the rock uncovers a hidden Great Fairy fountain where players can buy the Farore’s Wind magic spell for 100 rupees [6].
While earlier milestones centered on mountain trials and Goron City challenges in the Ocarina of Time remake, the aquatic branch shifts Link’s focus to deep underwater exploration. Walkthrough coverage from IGN explained that the remake organizes these adventures through the new Threads of Time quest log system [2].
Golden Scale Fishing Guide for Zelda OOT Remake Explorers
While the Silver Scale finishes main story requirements, the Golden Scale remains an optional upgrade reserved exclusively for Adult Link. Young Link can’t earn it. Adult Link plays the Scarecrow Song at the Lake Hylia cliff entrance to summon Pierre the scarecrow, then uses the Hookshot to reach the porch of the fishing hut [1]. Preparation makes the climb easy.
Jake Fillery of GameRant wrote that entering the hut costs 30 rupees to rent a rod. Players cast their line near the center by pressing the ZR button on the controller. They tap down slowly on the left control stick to attract nearby fish without scaring them away. When a fish strikes, pressing ZR hooks the prize. Reeling in takes real patience. Players tilt the analog stick in the exact direction the fish swims, wearing down its stamina before holding ZR to haul the catch onto dry ground [1].
This Zelda OOT Remake guide outlines the exact weight required for the top prize. Link must catch a heavyweight fish measuring at least 60 centimeters or weighing 13 pounds or more from the central depths of the pond. Ryle of 9To5Gaming reported landing a 67-centimeter fish near the middle of the pond, which earns the Golden Scale and unlocks nine-meter diving [4].
Lakeside Laboratory Rewards and Pieces of Heart
Across from the fishing hut sits the Lakeside Laboratory, where an eccentric scientist studies aquatic depths inside a massive stone pool. With the Golden Scale in hand, Link dives straight to the bottom of the pool floor, touching the flagstones to satisfy the scientist’s research goal [1]. The researcher hands over a Heart Piece. The deep plunge pays off.
Young Link earns a Piece of Heart by catching a ten-pound fish during childhood. Game8 reported that the game’s official text calls the Golden Scale a brilliant Zora artifact that lets Link plunge into great depths [5]. Reviews praised these minigames, with OpenCritic recording a 95 average score from reviewers. Jake Fillery of GameRant wrote that exploring the laboratory remains one of the most satisfying diving secrets in the entire reimagined adventure [1].
The remake doesn’t alter core puzzle solutions, but modern controls and updated camera angles make landing record fish far more approachable on Nintendo Switch 2. Earlier previews of Zelda remake screenshots revealing Hyrule showcased how updated lighting transforms aquatic landmarks. Both diving scales give players complete access to every sunken grotto and hidden underwater reward tucked across the waterways of Hyrule [4].
- ONLINE NEWS Fillery, J. (2026, November 5). How to Get the Golden Scale in Zelda Ocarina of Time. GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Graeber, B., Stewart, S., Schneider, P., Guzman, L., & Rad, B. (2026, November 5). Walkthrough – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Guide. IGN. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Fillery, J. (2026, November 5). How to Find Ruto in Zelda Ocarina of Time (Remake). GameRant. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Ryle. (2026, November 7). The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake Ocarina. 9To5Gaming. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE The Legend. (2026, November 6). Golden Scale Location and How to Get | The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Remake). Game8. [Article Link]
- WEBSITE Gamer Guru. (2026, November 5). Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake Walkthrough – Chapter 9: Zora Domain and Zora Fountain. Gamer Guru. [Article Link]
