Chapter 6: Lanayru Desert
The Lanayru region was once a lush, green landscape, but due to the irresponsible actions of its past inhabitants, the natural resources of the area have been stripped dry. Now all that remains are sand as far as the eye can see, dangerous patches of quicksand, and other hazards.
A great sea was once located where Lanayru Sand Sea now exists. That body of water has since dried up, leaving only a vast Sand Sea behind.
Hundreds of years in the past, ancient working robots performed various tasks for the people of the region. Now they litter the mining facility, having broken down and fallen into decay long ago.
The Goron people that live in this area operate a rickery coaster that runs on rails around and inside the mining facility. Riders can tilt the coaster to speed up, but must be careful not to fall off the rail by going too fast.
Later Link must do battle with a formidable warrior named Scervo somewhere in the Lanayru Sand Sea. He will need to muster all of his skill for this intense one-on-one sword fight.
The Clawshot is a useful item that lets Link aim and launch a hooked chain at a target. Once successfully hooked, the chain recoils, taking Link along with it to that location. There is a hook for each hand, allowing Link to explore faraway distances by launching each hook in sequence and swinging along.
The boss here is a massive sea monster called Tentalus that once ruled ancient seas with its towering height and menacing tentacles. Adventurers will have a tough time fighting him, as even when those tentacles are cut off, they grow back after a short time.
Lanayru Mine
Before going on ahead into the mine, check behind where you climbed down the ladder to find a Goddess Cube. Then head inside and push down the cart that’s in your way. Push it all the way against the opposite wall in the pit so you can use it to climb up the cliff on the other side. In the area up ahead, hit the big crystal in the middle to reverse time. Every time you hit one of these crystals, the area surrounding it will reverse to its past state. Hop into the cart here to go through the right door and open the small chest for a red rupee.
Then go back into the mine where you came from, where time is still untouched. Push the cart on the left into the time shift zone and hop into it to go through the left door. Blow up the boulders in the cave ahead to reveal another blue crystal. Hit it to reverse time in the cave and check the wall with the strange statue holding some kind of basket. Take out a bomb and throw it into the basket to reveal another area behind the wall, with more statues. Throw bombs into the statues here as well so you can cross the quick sand river (you’ll need to dash through the sand if you don’t want to sink). One of the statues hides a chest containing another red rupee, which you may want to grab also.
You’ll then get to an area with a larger pool of quick sand. Dash from one platform to the other and go around to the left until you get to the other side. Go up to the cave ahead and look on the left for a stream of quick sand. Take out a bomb and roll it into the quick sand to blow up the boulder in the middle. Roll down another bomb to blow up the boulders on the other side of the quick sand afterwards. Then use the beetle or slingshot to shoot the blue crystal to reverse time. Kill off the plants by rolling bombs towards them, then follow the tunnel to reach a chest with a treasure, that you probably noticed before. Jump down and run to the mine cart at the other end. Push it into the time zone, then hop into it to go through the door leading outside to the desert.
Lanayru Desert
Run down past the enemies and climb up the collapsed wall to find a chest containing a Tumbleweed. From here, jump on top of the cage next to the wall. You’ll see there’s a hole in the other cage next to this one. Take out a bomb and throw it into that hole to blow up a boulder inside the cage, which was hiding a crystal. Throw another bomb into the hole to hit the crystal and reverse time around that area. Defeat the two Technoblins to open the cages and talk to the robot inside one of them, who will upgrade your beetle to the Hook Beetle. With it, you can grab bombs and drop them wherever you want. Now you can use this tool to cross the quick sand on the left, by getting ahold of a bomb atop the tree in the sinksand with the Beetle, and then dropping the bombs inside the baskets held by the statues on the walls.
Cross the sand pool once the statues are down, then do the same thing with the next quick sand pool, but this time, drop the bombs on the snail enemies. Their shell will remain in the sand, so you can use them as platforms to cross. Repeat the same process with the snail on the left so you can reach a Goddess Cube, then use the shell again to cross over to the other side, where a save statue awaits. Use the hook beetle again to grab a bomb and drop it on the enemy. Cross the sand using the shell, then do the same with the second enemy on the other side. This time, stand on the shell and wait for it to go down the sand river. When you get close enough to the next platform, dash across and go left to find the exit.
You’re now in the Temple of Time grounds. Walk to the first mine cart and use the beetle or slingshot to hit the crystal on top of the rock column to the right. Then ride the cart to the next platform. Use the beetle to go inside the rock formation in the middle (with a dried up tree atop) and hit the switch on the left side to open a gate. Then use the beetle again to grab the bomb on the cactus next to you and fly to the top of the dried up tree this time. Drop the bomb inside the tree trunk from the hole above to hit the time crystal inside.
Next, ride the cart to the other side of the tree to reach the entrance to the Temple of Time. Use the beetle once again to grab a bomb nearby and drop it on one of the boulders atop the rock columns. One of them hides a time crystal. Hit it with the slingshot or beetle to reverse time, then defeat the two Technoblins. Talk to the robot in front of the mine cart so he fixes up your map with one from the past. Then look on the right to spot a crystal in the cliff across the chasm. Shoot it, then push the cart and ride it into the new time zone. While you are on the cart, slash the Goddess Cube atop the cliff. You’ll need to charge up the sword before. Then move forward to the exit leading back into the desert.
The Three Generators
Fi will inform you as you move forward that there are submerged paths beneath the sand, so it’s possible to walk on them to cross the quick sand without sinking. You can check where these paths are if you look at the map. Walk over to the other side of the sand and climb up the collapsed wall in the center. If you head for the red x on your map, you’ll find a strange stone device on the wall. Blow up the boulders nearby to reveal a crystal and hit it to reverse time. Defeat the Technoblins, then speak with the robot to learn about the power generator. You’ll need to find three other generators around the desert to activate this one.
The first generator is very close by. If you turn around and look in the direction you came from, on the left, you’ll notice two statues in the wall that are holding a basket. Check your map for the submerged path to get there and use the beetle to drop bombs in them. Then blow up the crack in the wall on the left to reveal a crystal. Hit it to reverse time, then go back in the room to the right and thrust your sword into the generator. Tilt it to the left, then push it in to activate it. Now go back to the main generator as a landmark.
For the second generator, go left from the main one and check the western wall for a crack. Blow it up with a bomb to reveal the entrance to some kind of facility. Blow up the boulders inside to reveal a crystal in the middle. Hit it to reverse time and change back the room to its original aspect. There are two treasure chests to get if you look around the room and defeat the Technoblins. When you’re done, go to the back of the room to find a device which requires a source of energy. When you changed the room back in time, the snail enemies should have turned into little balls full of electricity. You can carry them for a little while, so pick up the closest one and bring it to the device. Roll it into the hole inside it while standing on the pressure pad to power up the device and open the gate. Go in to find the second generator and do the same thing as with the other one to activate it. Now you can get out of here and return to the desert.
To get to the third generator, you’ll need to go to the northern part of the desert. Go north from where you came out for the second generator and cross the quick sand ahead, by looking at the map for the submerged path. Go to the back of the area and you should find a door that connects to the entrance of the desert. Pull the lever to open it, creating a shortcut for later use. Then look around for a save statue and another facility entrance. Inside this one, you’ll find another crystal in the middle of the room if you blow up the boulders. However, before hitting the crystal, blow up the snail enemy near the crystal so you can use its shell to cross the sand. Let it carry you to the far end of the room, on the other side of the quick sand.
Then climb up on the left and walk across the ledge to find a chest containing a treasure. Push down the block behind it to create a shortcut for later. Now return to the back of the room where the device and locked gate are and use the beetle or slingshot to hit the crystal from across the sinksand. Then launch the beetle again and fly to the other side of the chasm. Grab the closest snail enemy that turned into an electric ball and carry it back across the chasm. Now pick it up and roll it into the device while standing on it to turn it on and open the gate. Get the chest inside for a treasure and activate the last generator. Then go back across the room and get the two chests, before heading out.
Now you may return to the main generator to activate it. (On your way back, you can grab a Piece of Heart hidden in the north-eastern wall; check the map for a curved path and bomb the cracked wall on the left side; see below.) To activate the generator, you’ll need to first take a look at your map. See where the three symbols are located. This indicates the position you’ll need to set the different markers into. The blue marker should be placed into the second node from the left, the red marker into the last node on the right, and the yellow marker into the top node in the middle. Set them into the correct position, and the mining facility will emerge from the sand. Make sure you have the iron shield before going in, you’ll need it.
Heart Piece
In the north-eastern part of the desert, if you check the map, you’ll notice a curved path. Follow the submerged pathway under the sand to get to the right side of the curved path and blow up the cracked wall with a bomb to reveal a passage leading to a chest containing the Piece of Heart.