Link’s Awakening guide: Angler’s Tunnel walkthrough

Find the compass, map, keys, special items, and instrument

By Jeffrey Parkin Sep 20, 2019, 12:00am EDT

Part of Link’s Awakening guide and walkthrough

Our Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel walkthrough shows you how to find the dungeon entrance, navigate every room, solve every puzzle, and beat every boss. We’ll also direct you to any useful items — like the compass, map, keys, chests, special items, and the instrument — along the way.

Angler’s Tunnel takes a bit of work to get to — so much, in fact, that we broke it out into its own guide for finding the Angler Key in Yarna Desert.

Go to the waterfall

Link’s Awakening path to the waterfall north of the Witch’s house — There is a small path that leads east to the waterfall north of the Witch’s house.

To use the Angler Key, you’ll have to get to Tal Tal Heights. There are any number of ways to get there, so just use the map above to guide you. You’re looking for a small path that’s just to the east of the entrance to Bottle Grotto.

Link’s Awakening path to the Angler’s Tunnel keyhole — Path to the Angler’s Tunnel keyhole.

Follow that path east. When you come to a boulder blocking your path, lift it, continue east, and climb down the ladder. Keep heading right along the top side of the path until you come to a big, fish-shaped keyhole.

Use the Angler Key here. Now we just need to find our way to the door you just opened.

Find the Angler’s Tunnel entrance

Link’s Awakening path to caves in Tal Tal Heights — Path to the caves in Tal Tal Heights.

Before you leave, head to the right to power up the Tal Tal Heights warp pad.

Now, go left all the way back to the ladder. Climb up and lift the rock again. Go up and then left, past the apple tree, and look for the sign that points down to Dampe’s Shack. Climb the ladder just to the right of it to find the entrance into the Tal Tal Mountain Range (or the caves inside the range, at least).

Pick up one of the rocks, and head inside.

Tal Tal Mountain Range

Link’s Awakening Tal Tal Heights path to the Heart Piece and the stairs — Move the rocks (and smash the crystals) in this order to open a path to the **Heart Piece** and the stairs.

From the first room, head to the right.

Shove the first rock in your way up to make a path through to the right.
Push the next rock down.
Loop up and smash the purple crystal.
Push the third stone up.
Stop just before the stairs, and push the second stone from the right down.
Push the third stone from the right to the left and collect a Heart Piece.

Go down the stairs, and keep heading right along the bottom of the screen.

Take the first door you find along the bottom to step outside quickly for 50 rupees. Go back up into the cave.

Link’s Awakening Tal Tal Heights hard to see exit — Exit through the hard-to-spot door along the bottom of the screen.

Continue right and watch for another (hard to see) exit along the bottom of the screen. We missed it several times, so we’ve added an arrow in the image above.

Link’s Awakening Tal Tal Heights go back inside to find a way up to Papahl — Go back into the cave underneath Papahl.

Step down into the water and continue right. Take the first doorway up and back into the caves. Fight your way north along the hallway and climb the stairs at the end.

The chest contains a Green Zol, so open it at your own risk. Keep heading down and back outside.

Meet Papahl — Trading sequence: Pineapple for Hibiscus

You’ll meet the oddly prescient Papahl from Mabe Village. Talk to him, and give him the Pineapple you got from Chef Bear. He’ll give you a Hibiscus.

Walk up and a little left to find a spot where you can drop off of the roof to get back down to the shallow stream.

Find the Angler’s Tunnel entrance

Link’s Awakening Tal Tal Heights Angler’s Tunnel entrance — You’ll find the Angler’s Tunnel entrance right below you.

Back in that shallow stream, keep going right past the cave that led you to Papahl. You’ll pass a small waterfall, and then come to an area where the guardrail along the bottom is missing. Drop down there to find the entrance to Angler’s Tunnel.

Angler’s Tunnel item and boss locations

The map above shows an overview of the Angler’s Tunnel dungeon. We’ve marked the locations of the important items like the compass, Stone Beak, and map, as well as the Flippers. We’ve also marked the boss fights.

Find the Angler’s Tunnel map

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path to the Map — Path to the Angler’s Tunnel Map.

Once you’re inside the dungeon, go up. Handle the enemies that greet you, and then go left to pick up some bombs. Return to the right.

Climb the steps, and turn right. There’s a walkway that goes up along the top of the screen. Follow that all the way to the end to find a chest and the Angler’s Tunnel map.

Find the Stone Beak

From the chest where you found the map, go down the stairs just below you. Long jump to the right, and then continue right.

Plant a bomb next to the cracked block, and then shove the other block to the right to free the chest. Open it for a Small Key.

Head up and through the passage at the top.

Dodge the Anti-Fairies in this room, and plant a bomb next to the three cracked blocks. Open the chest for another Small Key.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path from the top right to the Stone Beak — Path from the Small Key chest to the Stone Beak.

Head all the way back down and to the left to return to the long jump gap. Jump across to the left.

Climb the stairs. Follow the walkway down to the end, and turn right.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel Stone Beak location — The Stone Beak is in the chest.

Take the stairs down and open the nearby chest to find this dungeon’s Stone Beak.

Find the compass

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path from the Stone Beak to the Compass — Path to the Compass.

From the chest where you picked up the Stone Beak, go back up the stairs and to the left until you come to the first set of stairs you climbed. Go down, and then turn right.

Go one room over and handle the enemies in this room while you dodge the Spark. Open the chest to the right to pick up the compass.

Get to the Cue Ball mini-boss fight

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path to the Cue Ball mini-boss fight — Path to the Cue Ball mini-boss fight.

From the compass, go through the hard-to-see door at the bottom of the screen.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel smash the purple crystals for a Small Key — Clear the crystals to open the chest for a Small Key.

Use the platform you can jump to to smash all the purple crystals. Open the chest for another Small Key.

Go back up one room, and through the locked door on the right.

Continue up to the locked door at the top right corner.

Go up, past the chest on your left, and long jump north across the gap you come to. Continue up.

Unlock the block, and shove the block above it up to open a path to the left.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel defeat the two Red Zols and a Small Key will drop through the floor — Defeat the two Red Zols to … not get a Small Key.

Defeat the two Red Zols and a key will drop … straight through a hole in the floor. Go down, past the Owl statue (The glint of the tile will be your guide …) to the bottom of the room, and then turn left.

Continue left along the narrow walkway into the next room. Head up and through the passage above the chest — it only contains a Green Zol. Ignore the puzzle in this room (for now).

Go right, and grab the Small Key out of the chest while dodging the Spark and the fireballs from the statues.

Go back to the left, and retrace your steps down, right, and up — back to the room with the two Red Zols and the two holes. Use your new key to unlock the door at the top.

Cue Ball mini-boss fight

Stick close to the island of rock in the center of the room, and you’ll be faster than Cue Ball. Keep chasing it until you get close enough to deliver a blow.

After several hits, Cue Ball will get a little more unpredictable. If you have them, just drop a bomb at your feet as you’re running. With a little luck (it worked almost every time for us), it’ll explode while Cue Ball is close enough to take damage.

Your reward for defeating Cue Ball will be a fairy and a portal back to the start of the dungeon.

Find the Flippers

From the Cue Ball mini-boss fight, go up. Grab the lever that is slowly retracting on the right side of the room. Pull it back all the way, and then dash to the left through the door.

Take out the Red Zols, and open the chest to find some Flippers that will let you maneuver through deep water.

Find the Nightmare Key

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path to the Nightmare Key — Path to the Nightmare Key.

From where you picked up the Flippers, go down and take out the enemies. These Iron Masks (that look like an Alexandre Dumas version of a Cubone) only take damage from behind.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel Iron Masks and a puzzle — follow the blue orb to solve it — Take out the Iron Masks, and follow the blue orb to solve the puzzle.

Kill them, and follow the blue orb to touch the panels on the floor in order.

Exit to the bottom on the right side, and then go through the deep water on the right.

Go another screen to the right, and walk down the stairs.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel retrieve the Small Key from under the water — Now you can pick up that Small Key you missed earlier.

In the sidescroller area, ride the platform to the left, and then use your new Flippers to retrieve the Small Key from the water.

Back up top, head back to the left. Shove the block out of your way and go left again.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel step on the tiles in the order the blue orb showed you — Repeat the pattern the blue orb showed you to solve the puzzle.

Repeat the pattern on the tiles. Ours was in an E shape (or a sigma shape, really): top right, top left, middle, bottom left, bottom right. Step on them in the right order, and a set of stairs will appear.

Downstairs, dodge the first Spiked Thwomp. Trigger the second one, and then quickly climb the ladder to the left to jump on top of it. Ride it up, and then climb the ladder out.

Head down to find a chest and the Nightmare Key.

Get to the Angler Fish boss fight

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel path to the Angler Fish boss fight — Path to the Angler Fish boss fight.

From the Nightmare Key, head up. Drop off the platform, and take the right path through the deep water.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel swim to the switch to open the door — Use the switch to open the door.

Now that you have your Flippers, you’ll be able to climb out onto a landing you couldn’t reach before. Step on the switch to open the door, and go through.

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel unlock a block to open a chest and reach the stairs — Unlock the block to get to the chest and the stairs.

At the top of the next room, unlock the block. Shove the top right block to the right, and swim around to open the chest for 50 rupees. Head back to the left and down the stairs.

Swim left through the tunnel (slashing the Cheep-Cheeps with a sword is super effective — Mario just hasn’t been using the right tools, apparently) and climb out.

Climb out, and go left.

Shove the block in your way to the left, and then handle the Red Zols. Go up to unlock the Nightmare door. Go down the stairs.

Angler Fish boss fight

Hit the light dangling off of its forehead. A lot. That’s really all there is to it. Yes, you’ll have to dodge some boulders, but really all you need to focus on is whacking that light.

Pick up your Heart Container, and return to the surface.

Pick up the Surf Harp

Link’s Awakening Angler’s Tunnel Surf Harp instrument — Retrieve the Surf Harp.

Back upstairs, head up and through the door to retrieve the Surf Harp. You’ll get transported back outside afterward.

(There’s still one chest we didn’t lead you to. It’s easy to get to with your Flippers — and it’s on your map. Go pop it open for 50 rupees.)

Link’s Awakening guide: Angler’s Tunnel walkthrough

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Table of contents

Go to the waterfall

Find the Angler’s Tunnel entrance

Tal Tal Mountain Range

Meet Papahl — Trading sequence: Pineapple for Hibiscus

Find the Angler’s Tunnel entrance

Angler’s Tunnel item and boss locations

Find the Angler’s Tunnel map

Find the Stone Beak

Find the compass

Get to the Cue Ball mini-boss fight

Cue Ball mini-boss fight

Find the Flippers

Find the Nightmare Key

Get to the Angler Fish boss fight

Angler Fish boss fight

Pick up the Surf Harp

Link’s Awakening guide and walkthrough

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