Every Final Dungeon in The Legend of Zelda Ranked

The Temple of the Ocean King from “Phantom Hourglass” gets a lot of hate from many “Zelda” fans…and for good reason. Link visits it multiple times throughout the story, and each time, he has to retread floors he’s already completed. Granted, you can earn some treasure and unlock shortcuts as you gain new items. But it’s still a tedious process. Even looking at the final section on its own, which thankfully allows Link to kill those annoying Phantoms with his newly powered-up Phantom Sword, there isn’t much to offer in terms of puzzles, or interesting environment, or anything really, beyond a bit more treasure and some ship parts. The climax with Bellum is fine, but this dungeon left a sour taste in everyone’s mouths.

When it comes to dungeons in “Four Swords,” they’re more centered around multiplayer combat challenges than puzzles or atmosphere. The finale, Vaati’s Palace, is mostly based around wind navigation, with the Links using Roc’s Cape to fly across moving platforms and breakable floors. It also recycles themes and bosses from previous areas, though it can be a bit hard to judge given the game’s procedural generation. Still, much like the rest of the game, there isn’t much depth to be found here, making it easy to rank it rather low. Vaati himself provides a decent fight, but it’s still the weakest of his three appearances in the series.

Ranking “Link’s Awakening” low on a list just feels plain wrong, given how oddly charming the majority of the game is. But, when it comes to a final challenge, venturing inside the Wind Fish’s Egg doesn’t measure up to most other climaxes in the franchise. There are really only two parts. The first is a maze, the correct order of which requires reading a specific book in the library with the Magnifying Glass, earned through the trading sequence. After that, it’s the final boss. DethI does provide one Hell of a fight, and the ending that follows is a beautifully bittersweet one. But, simply put, the Wind Fish’s Egg is barely a dungeon.

Onox must’ve drawn the short straw, because his final dungeon isn’t nearly as interesting as Veran’s from “Oracle of Ages.” It mostly consists of a few rooms with enemies for Link to fight. And while one of them is the mini-boss, Facade, who’s always a good time, there isn’t really anything that interesting about the rest of it. Onox himself is a great final boss, using Din as a shield and transforming into a massive dragon for his second phase. But the bit that leads up to him is pretty forgettable, both from a design and worldbuilding perspective.

One of the few titles referred to as black sheep of the “Zelda” family, “Tri Force Heroes” still manages to have a decent final stretch. The Sky Temple pits the three Links against a variety of enemies. What makes it fun is that you have to fight on different terrain, with different enemies and items relegated to them. This gives the combat challenge a neat spin as opposed to just throwing enemies at you. The final boss, Lady Maud, also makes good use of the game’s totem feature. It’s nowhere near as good as a traditional final “Zelda” dungeon. But it’s a suitable finale for this type of game.

Like “Phantom Hourglass,” “Spirit Tracks” makes Link return to the Tower of Spirits multiple times throughout the game. The difference is that you don’t have to go back through the same rooms over and over again, making it a fair bit better. The final floors before facing off against Malladus and Chancellor Cole are also the strongest, and definitely the hardest. Link must get Zelda to possess multiple types of Phantoms, traveling between different rooms to solve puzzles, including one that’s pitch black and another with sand pit traps everywhere. It’s a sizable challenge, but a satisfying one that fully utilizes Zelda as the companion.

Like I said, the final dungeon of “Oracle of Ages” is a fair bit stronger than its “Seasons” counterpart. Part of that comes from the fact that it’s just longer; it’s still mostly combat-focused, though there’s a maze of staircases you need to find your way through unless you want to do a lot more fighting. But another reason the Black Tower ranks higher is the role it plays in the game’s story. In the past, it was built by Queen Ambi, until the villain Veran goes back in time and convinces her to build it to the heavens. She then makes time stand still, forcing the builders to continuously work on it for an endless day, earning its new name from the townsfolk.

The original game is undeniably hard, and the final dungeon is the apex of that difficulty. Also simply known as Level 9, Death Mountain is Ganon’s lair and therefore comes with swarms of enemies packed inside nearly 60 different rooms. Yeah, no wonder it’s shaped like a skull. For the time “The Legend of Zelda” was released, this was a proper final challenge, amping up the difficulty and ensuring players deserved to reach the end. It can be frustrating, of course, but it acts as the crescendo of everything this game did. Link’s first fight against Ganon is especially iconic, as he turns invisible, teleports around the room, and gives away his location only by shooting fireballs at you.

By far the strongest final dungeon in a multiplayer entry, the Palace of Winds in “Four Swords Adventures” features plenty of obstacles and a grandiose design. There are strong enemies like Ball & Chain soldiers and Hinoxes and treacherous paths to navigate, many of which make great use of the GBA as a second screen for puzzles. That’s not to mention two pretty stellar fights; the Wind Mage, Vaati, acts as the penultimate boss. Clearly though, the star of the show is Ganon, who includes elements from past appearances as well as new ones that tie in with this entry’s specific gameplay.

Diving below Hyrule Castle to the deepest of the Depths in “Tears of the Kingdom” is appropriately thrilling. With gloom covering nearly everything, including every single powerful enemy Link comes across, players would be wise to watch their step. There aren’t really any puzzles, it’s quite linear, and it lacks originality in its design from the rest of the Depths. But what it lacks there, it makes up for thematically. As you face off against Ganondorf’s army, and the Sages come to your side (as long as you’ve completed their questlines), it’s a moment of pure heroism and comradery. Plus, the fight against the actual Demon King is one of the best in the series, with incredible music and fantastic gameplay.

If you thought Death Mountain’s forces were tough, the enemies of the Great Palace make them look like a bunch of wimps. It’s a truly massive final area, at least in terms of NES games. There are several floors Link reaches via elevators, which have many paths full of hardy foes, deadly traps, and secrets lying within the walls. Like the original game, it’s a fitting challenge that requires full understanding of the game’s combat, as well as use of Links resources and spells. On top of that, you get two boss fights in the Thunderbird and the now-iconic Dark Link. Plus, no one can deny how much that theme song slaps.

The final leg of “Majora’s Mask” earns a lot of points for its atmosphere. After Link is sucked inside the Moon, he’s transported to a surprisingly serene field with a lone tree, under which several masked children play. You can skip right to the final boss from here. But four of the children offer obstacle courses designed around each of Link’s forms. None are particularly long, and you’re required to have all masks before completing them. But they are nice final offerings to say goodbye to the various gameplay elements before facing the big bad. And each child offers existential questions that tie in with the game’s themes. Then you have Majora’s Mask itself, an intense, bizarre, and incredibly fun final encounter, whether using the Fierce Deity Mask or not.

Like the Moon, the final dungeon in “Wind Waker” earns credit for its wonderfully tense atmosphere; an imposing tower under the ocean whose barrier Link must literally stab to earn entry. It features rooms designed around four previous dungeons, each one ending in a rematch against previous bosses. You then get a maze of rooms full of Phantom Ganons, whose sword hilt points Link in the right direction. Finally, it’s the excellent one-two punch of boss fights in Puppet Ganon, the hardest in the game, and Ganon himself, a confrontation that both gives more insight into the villain’s desires and provides incredible combat.

When it comes to “Skyward Sword’s” Sky Keep, what makes it stand out from many others is how it’s navigated. It’s essentially one giant puzzle box; at certain points, Link can slide around tiles that represent the different rooms, changing their order. It’s a really novel concept, and one that’s mostly pulled off really well. Additionally, the rooms are themed around other dungeons, but are original enough to keep them fresh. Unfortunately, it’s disconnected from the final climax with Ghirahim and Demise, and doesn’t have its own boss, so we can’t rank it any higher. But it does have two mini-bosses, one of which is another robot pirate, a great sword duel. Plus, its lore of being Link’s final test left by Hylia that earns him the full Triforce gives the Sky Keep a monumental feeling.

The last dungeon in “The Minish Cap” does just about everything right. In terms of atmosphere, Hyrule Castle being altered by Vaati’s magic, and its denizens turned to stone, turns the once magnificent setting into something far more sinister. It has fantastic puzzles and navigation obstacles that take Link through sprawling floors, and even on the outside of the castle. There are plenty of tough enemies for you to take on as well, including multiple Darknuts. The fight against Vaati is also one of the best in the entire franchise, featuring three distinctly fun and challenging phases, together which use most items and abilities Link has learned across the game.

The original version of Ganon’s Tower is the epitome of classic, much like everything else in “A Link to the Past.” It’s a test of your skills in every type of trap, enemy, puzzle, and even a few bosses from the rest of the game. However, this isn’t just a retread. Those bosses have newly-designed arenas, while traps and obstacles are made even more precarious than they were before, and puzzles are just a bit trickier to figure out. It can be easy to get lost or overwhelmed by it on a first playthrough. But we can’t deny how well-designed it is. That’s not to mention the two bosses in Agahnim and Ganon, the latter of which is so good, multiple top-down entries have expanded on it for years.

The wall merge mechanic of “A Link Between Worlds” never grows old. And the way that Lorule Castle uses it in tandem with classic elements seen in past top-down entries is truly remarkable. Like other final dungeons, Link has to beat previous bosses to progress. But in between each fight are stellar puzzles, like an invisible path that only reveals itself in darkness. The music plays a bigger role than that of nearly every other final dungeon, including a reversed Hyrule Castle theme and adding more instruments the higher Link climbs. The final boss, an unholy fusion of Ganon and main villain Yuga, also blends classic elements with that of this new installment. Like everything else about the game, Lorule Castle builds off of its predecessor extremely well.

Whether you skip right to it or follow the rest of the story first, this iteration of Hyrule Castle is a huge endeavor. It’s perhaps the biggest version of the famous setting we’ve seen so far, with a wealth of rooms crawling with strong enemies and plenty of worthy loot, including the Hylian Shield. From an atmospheric perspective, Nintendo also knocked it out of the park. Wandering through the desolate halls with everything in disarray, while twisted versions of classic “Zelda” tunes blended to form the soundtrack, it was a worthy conclusion to this particularly groundbreaking installment. While Ganon was a bit weak, especially if you completed the Divine Beasts, the overall dungeon was anything but disappointing.

Of course, it’s also great seeing a Hyrule Castle that isn’t crumbling into ruin. “Twilight Princess’” version is, so far, the only 3D one that both acts as a final dungeon and shows off the fortress’ pristine architecture. It’s highly memorable in its design and art style and a great final challenge for the game. Both inside and out, there are tantalizing secrets, plenty of wonderful combat encounters, and puzzles and obstacles that make great use of Link’s human and wolf forms. Meaning, it’s not only an incredibly well-constructed dungeon, it’s also a well-balanced one. Naturally, the final confrontation with Ganondorf is momentous and cinematic, showcasing this game’s signature flair across four wonderful phases.

Genius. Pure genius. Call us nostalgic purists, but there’s something about Ganon’s Castle in “Ocarina of Time” that just hits different. Rooms themed around each area of the game feature their own unique puzzles, traps, and uses for items, but never feel quite like retreads of what you’ve already experienced. It’s also impeccably designed, giving off its own sense of self that many other final dungeons in the series lack. Climbing the spiraling staircase afterwards instills both dread and excitement; there are tough enemies to face, but the ever-growing-louder organ version of Ganon’s theme, revealed to be played by the villain once you reach the top, creates a mood so powerful, we’ve never forgotten it. We haven’t even mentioned the fight against Ganondorf yet, a two-phase bout with a thrilling escape from the crumbling fortress in between. It’s a fantastic finale from both a gameplay standpoint and a storytelling one.

What do you think is the peak of “Zelda’s” final dungeons? Share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!