Legend of Zelda: The Twilight Princess
Walkthrough — VI. Lakebed Temple

Swim through the tunnel northward until you surface into the room with the door to the Temple proper. Dispatch the Chu Chus and leap from the raised area to the chain hanging from the ceiling to open the gate. Head through the door to the next room.

Here step out onto the ledge and take Midna's advice by using Bomb Arrows to take out the stalactites (target the fat hanging part, not the stalk) and run down to the opposite of the room to head through the door there while taking out the Helmasaurs along the war.

On the bridge charge forward and dispatch the Lizalfos with ease and enter the tower. In here, run down the stairs and around the right to another door. Avoid that, but rather continue rounding the room until you find a lever. Jump onto it and pull it down to rotate a staircase. Drop down, run up the stairs, head to the right and pull down the next lever you find which will rotate the staircase again. Run down these stairs and grab the Dungeon Map from the chest and head through the door.

Dash past the Helmasaur and through the door ahead. In the next room, take out the two stalactites with Bomb Arrows and use the tunnel on your right to head over to the central area. Ride the stalactite that dropped on the geyser to cross to the chest and grab the small key from the chest. Double back to the rotating staircase room and head up to the top floor (aka. 2F) of the room and exit out the locked west door. Pass the Helmasaur here and continue ahead to the next room.

Run along to the right and take out the stalagmite above the vines to give you a stepping stone to climb the wall. Shimmy rightward and drop down on top of the gate. Grab the lever and you'll open the gate. Continue to a large boulder which a Bomb Arrow will make quick work of, and then pass through the Helmasaurs to the west door.

Here dispatch the mantis-in-a-blob with a Bomb Arrow and a few slashes. Then, head out the south east door and follow the corridor all the way down to find a chest with a small key in it. Now, double back through the circular room in the middle of the area you're currently in to where you found the mantis. Unlock the door on the west wall and enter the water source room. Climb the ramp here all the way to the top, passing several Tektites on the way. At the summit, plunder the small chest for Bombs and climb the ladder to find a lever. Grab it to start the water's flow.

Slide down the wet ramp to the pool below. Swim out the island in the middle with the lever, which you should then grab to release the water into the path that goes to the large circular room which will activate a system of water wheels and rotate those platforms in the room where you found the dungeon's first small key. Drop down to said room and climb up the platforms and ride them to the ledge on the north wall.

Pass through the door there and circle to the left where a chest with a small key awaits. Grab that and return to the previous room and ride the platforms to the west door. Run straight ahead and through the locked door.

You'll find yourself in a water tunnel, so strap on those Boots and plod forward past the Baris until you'll find a boulder. Blow it up and continue straight ahead and out of the tunnel. Surface in a large room with two tadpoles attacking you.

Look up.

MINI-BOSS: Momma Frog

The pattern on this guy is very simple: (1) tadpole attack, (2) jumps in air, (3) you avoid the shadow and the fall stuns the frog, (4) slash the tongue. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Once the fight is over the frog with vomit a chest in its death throes. Plunder said chest for the Claw-Shot.

Double back to the rotating stairs room. You need to head around the bottom of the two floors here (ie. 1F) and use the Claw-Shot on a target spot next to the east door to align the stairs so that the water flows down them and through the east door. Follow the water to the hallway, dispatch the Tektite, and duck under the water wheel to the other side.

In the next room, use the Claw-Shot to attach to the target above platforms, and then lower yourself down to the chest with the Bombs inside. Claw over to the vines, maneuver onto the ledge, claw to another vine wall, and basically make your way up and over to the door on the east wall.

Once through that door, dispatch the mantis-ala-blob with the Claw and a few slashes and make your way over to the gate. A stalagmite is just waiting for a dislodgin' up above, so accede to its desire and use the geyser to ride up above the gate. Dispatch the two Tektites below and continue on the ledge. Claw over to the door and head on through.

The next room is another water source, and by now you know the drill. Climb to the summit and start the water works. You can use the Claw to get through the waterfall and grab the Compass from the chest. Once that's done, activate the lever on the island in the pool below. Head through the left door (rather than the way you came to get into this room) and circle around and into the room with the two sets of spinning platforms (but above the action where all you can see are the wheels). Maneuver over to the door on the same wall that you arrive in the room from. Take out the two Lizalfos as you cross.

In the next hallway exit the west door to double back to the rotating stairway room. Deal with the Tektite and pull down the lever to rotate the staircase in front of you. Rush down it and to the door on the west wall.

You'll be back in the room where the first small key was taken and now that the water level has risen sufficiently the bridge rises up, giving you a path to the south. Head over to that side of the room and step on the button. Without getting off the button, grab the target through the gate using the Claw and kill the Lizalfos in the alcove. Grab the Heart Piece from the chest and double back through the floating staircase room to the 1F and to the platforms were recently caused to spin (where we found the two Lizalfos above), while making sure to rotate the staircase to diver the water westward.

In this room use the Claw on the target of the undersides of the wheel to cross to the door on the opposite side of the room. Proceeding through, dive in the water and swim to a sunken boulder blocking passage on the south side. Use a Bomb to dislodge it, and then sink to the bottom of the area beyond. Another boulder begs another explosion and beyond that you can swim up to a door. Enter there and use the Claw on the target on the ceiling. A manhole opens and you can lower yourself to a chest below. Inside the chest is the Big Key.

Now, double back to the rotating staircase room and you can hop into the central area with the pillar that the staircase rotates on. Unlock it with the Big Key and you can drop down through the hole for the boss fight.

BOSS: Twilit Aquatic, Morpheel

Morpheel is taken in two different stages, and yes, each stage is a much more satisfying length than Diababa was back in the Forest Temple. Unfortunately, the first stage, while of satisfying length, is not of satisfying speed. After doing the dungeon itself at a nice speed, Morpheel's first form seems ridiculously slow-paced. Still recalling Morpha, the strategy to getting Morpheel is to target the eyeball with your Clawshot, pull it out, and slash away. However, also like Morpha, if you stay in one place for too long, a tentacle will reach out and snatch you. Once you have the eyeball, slice away. You'll normally only get one chance to attack the eyeball, due to the fact that water greatly slows your sword swing.

Upon retrieving its eye, Morpheel will release a group of Real Water Bombs. This makes it much more difficult to target the eye, but feel free to Clawshot some Bombs and then swim away to help even out the odds. Once you've gotten the eye twice more, Morpheel will disappear beneath the sand for a few moments. And then . . . the fun begins. Out of the sand emerges Morpheel in its true form, that of an enormous sea monster. The part we've already seen was only its head; now you've got to dodge its body, which could easily span the entire room and then some. As Midna will quickly inform you, there's another eyeball imbedded in its back. You know what she means: weak point alert!

How the heck are you supposed to get within striking range? Why, with your good friend Clawshot, of course. You're going to have to swim as fast as you can to get within range of the eye, target it, and grab it. The trick to this fight is staying away from Morpheel's mouth. Get too close and it will start drawing in water, and you won't be able to escape getting sucked in unless you quickly put on the Iron Boots. So coming in from the front is not advised. Instead, swim close to or even alongside its back, steadily gaining ground . . . er, water? . . . until you can Z-target and Clawshot it.

You'll be pulled right onto Morpheel's back, where Link can deal several sword strikes to the eye. After four or so hits, Morpheel picks up so much speed that Link is thrown off. Rinse and repeat two more times, and Morpheel will lose its ability to see, after which it will ram into a weak section of the wall at full speed.