The Minish Cap Walkthrough – Cave of Flames

With the Deepwood Shrine now behind let’s make our way southward and reenter the Minish Village. Speak with the minish if you’d like, but then make your way to yellow roofed building at the northwest part of the village and speak with the Elder. The elder tells you that Mount Crenel is your next destination where you will meet up with a minish named Melari who can repair your broken Picori Blade. The elder will reveal an opening at the left side of the room, so exit the house.

Back within the Minish Woods, enter the orange house here and speak with the Picori. This Picori named Belari has heard that Link has acquired the Earth Element. Belari will help out by giving Link the Bomb Bag filled with 10 bombs. Exit the house and then use the nearby tree stump to revert back to human size.

To the north of the tree stump you will find a small statue known as a Wind Crest. These will act as warp points much later on in the quest, but it is a good idea to activate it now. Cross the bridge on the left and make your way to some boulders that are blocking your way. Blow them up using the bombs that we got from Belari and then exit the Minish Woods.

As you walk upwards, be careful of the Spiny Beetles that are hiding underneath the bushes. They can be defeated with two sword slashes. Go up a screen and you’ll come across a wall that can be bombed open. Place a bomb and then head inside to discover a treasure chest containing some mysterious shells. You’ll also encounter your first enemy Keese. These bat-like creatures can be defeated with a single sword slash. Exit the cave to get back outside.

Climb the steps and you’ll encounter some enemy Peahats. You’ll need to use the gust jar to bring down their propellers and then two sword slashes can defeat them. Continue up a screen and you can blow-up the boulders nearby with bombs to make passage through the Eastern Hills a bit easier. Exit to the west to reach South Hyrule Field.

You can now access all of South Hyrule Field and there are two things worth noting. You can head back to your house in the center of this region, but there isn’t much going on there at all. Just to the northeast of your house you will find another Wind Crest. Be sure to examine it to open up a future warp point. The other point of interest is located just to the west of the entrance to Hyrule Town. There is a staircase that leads to a bombable wall. You can head inside to collect some fairies and in general this is a very convenient pond to collect fairies from once we empty bottles. Afterwards head north to reenter Hyrule Town.

Right when you enter town you will be confronted by the Hurdy-Gurdy Man who is speaking about Kinstones. He will give you your free Kinstone Bag which will now allow us to carry Kinstone Pieces! Once you’ve collected Kinstone pieces, you can fuse kinstones with people throughout the land and doing so will open up a secret somewhere in Hyrule. The Hurdy-Gurdy Man will give you your first Kinstone and you can use it immediately to fuse kinstones with him. Doing so will cause a tree in South Hyrule Field to reveal a secret opening. You can immediately go and investigate the secret that opened. Make your way to the tree in South Hyrule Field and head inside to find Piece of Heart #5! Afterwards let’s return to Hyrule Town.

There are a few things that we can do here in Hyrule Town. Our first stop is at the wooden roofed house just to the west of the entrance from South Hyrule Field. Walk inside to meet up with Swiftblade. You can train with Swiftblade to learn the Spin Attack. The Spin Attack works just as it did in several previous 2D Zelda titles. Press and hold your sword button to charge up the attack and then release to perform the spin attack. Swiftblade will give you the first of eight Tiger Scrolls.

Our next stop is at the red roofed house near the south end of town. Enter this house that has a rupee on top of it. This is the Stockwell’s Shop and it is run by the owner Stockwell. For now the item we want to purchase is the Big Wallet, available for 80 rupees. If you don’t have enough rupees yet, I’d suggest returning to one of the field areas and grind away, collecting the additional rupees. The Big Wallet will allow you to hold up to 300 rupees, as opposed to just 99 rupees that the regular wallet allowed for.

Next we want to head to the center of Hyrule Town. In the location where we previously got the Small Shield you will find a pile of dust. Pull out your Gust Jar to clear up the dust and later on in the quest, a person will appear here to setup shop.

We now want to head to the north part of town, just east of the entrance to North Hyrule Field. Here you will find another Wind Crest, so be sure to examine it to create a future warp point. Other than that, there are several other quests we can start, but not complete here in Hyrule Town. You can play the cucco collecting game at the southeast corner of the town to collect some rupees, but we cannot get the grand prize yet. If you’d really like to grind away for rupees you could purchase the Boomerang from the shop for 300 rupees.

Once you are ready to progress head to the northwest part of the town. You won’t be available to leave since the guard is blocking your way. If you speak to him he states that he wants you to prove yourself by performing a spin attack. Do so and the guard will allow you to pass, so exit the town.

You will find yourself within the Trilby Highlands and you’ll immediately encounter a new enemy Keaton. This fox-like enemy will patrol the area with their sword in hand. Once Link tries to attack the Keaton, it will perform a dash attack which can be easily avoided. Deliver two sword slashes to defeat the Keaton. Afterwards climb down the ladder at the southwest part of this area.

Use a bomb to blow-up the wall on the right side of the cave. Use your shield to defeat the business scrub and then purchase an Empty Bottle from him for 20 rupees! Exit the cave to get back outside. Make your way through the Trilby Highlands and head west to reach Mt. Crenel’s Base.

Right when you reach Mt. Crenel’s Base, climb the vine at the far left to get 20 rupees. There is a bombable wall nearby and if you blow it up you will find a Business Scrub that gives you a hint about his fellow business scrub that has an empty bottle. This is the same bottle we just got, so no worries. Back outside there is some water at the bottom portion of the screen. Pull out your bottle and swipe at it to fill up some water. Use the water on the plant that is on the ground and it will instantly grow a vine.

Climb up the vine that we just grew and follow along to find an enemy Tektite. These spider like creatures will hop around and they can be defeated with two sword slashes. Continue westward and you will find another bombable wall. You can enter it to find some fairies as well as some extra rupees. Continue along this area and you can use the gust jar to clear up the dust that is in your way. You’ll find a bombable wall here, but you can ignore it for now. At the far left of this area there is a cave containing a business scrub, where he will sell you some bombs if you need some.

Back outside we want to head to the southeast portion of this area where you will find a sign stating that ‘blasting strictly prohibited’. Pull out your bombs and use one to blow a hole in the wall nearby. Enter the cave and you’ll encounter some Red ChuChu. These variations are almost identical to their green counterparts and can be defeated using regular sword slashes. Afterwards climb the ladder to get back outside.

Use a bomb on the right side to blow up the boulder that is in your way. Then jump onto the large stone and use it to shrink down to Minish size. Walk by the boulder we just blew up and make your way to that green liquid. Defeat the mulldozers found here to reach the green liquid. Pull out your bottle and scoop up some Mt. Crenel Mineral Water! Afterwards backtrack to the large stone and revert back to human size.

Jump off the ledge to the left and make your way westward. Blowup the crumbled wall and enter the cave. Defeat the Keese and then use the mushroom to slingshot your way across the gap. Climb the stairs and you’ll encounter an enemy Helmasaur. These creatures will take one hit in the backside before being defeated. However, you can use the gust jar to pull off their shell, and then defeating them with two sword slashes. Exit the cave on the right.

Jump into the whirlwind and Link will use Ezlo as a parachute to glide through the air. Glide to the second whirlwind and use the boost in height to reach the higher platform here. Make your way up a screen along the left side to reach the Mt. Crenel region. Place a bomb against the wall to reveal a cave here. There are three blocks that Link can bomb, so go ahead and do so. The treasure chest on the left contains a Blue Kinstone piece while the one on the right contains 50 rupees. The big prize is right in the middle and that is Piece of Heart #6. Exit the cave and head back down a screen.

Climb the ladder here and use the gust jar to clear up all the dust on the ground. Clearing the dust reveals a small hole in the ground along with a large stone. Use the large stone to shrink down to Minish size. Drop down the small hole that was uncovered when you cleared the dozen. Inside you can open the treasure chest to get a Red Kinstone piece. The Picori here will give you some advice on how to get the green beans to grow. Walk to the right end of this area and climb the wall to enter the minish-sized cave. Defeat the pesto enemies that are flying around and make your way to the next room to find a Blue Kinstone piece within the treasure chests. Afterwards, exit the cave.

Walk over to the northwest part of this area where you see the green bean. Walk into this area as a Minish and defeat the Pesto found here. You’ll see the large green been here and surprisingly you are able to lift it while in your Minish form. Carry it out of this area and then toss it into the hole against the wall just to the east. Run back to the large stone and revert back to human size. Now walk over to that green been again and pour the Mt. Crenel Mineral Water to cause the bean to grow. Climb the vine to reach the Mt. Crenel region.

Once you reach Mt. Crenel, turn to the right and defeat the red chuchu and tektites in this region. You’ll encounter a spiny beetle like we saw before, but this time it is hiding beneath a rock. You can lift the rock or use the gust jar to pull it away from the spiny beetle. Walk to the right and cross the bridge here. Place a bomb against the wall and then enter the cave that appears.

Defeat the enemies and open the treasure chest to get a Blue Kinstone piece. Walk up the stairs and you’ll encounter new Spiny ChuChu. This variation will create spikes out of its body from time to time. Wait until the spikes go away and then slash at its body. Alternatively you can use a bomb to stun the chuchu. Lift up the pots found here to get some extra bombs. Blow up the cracked blocks, push the other blocks out of the way and exit the cave.

Use the whirlwinds to get across the gap and then climb the ladder. Defeat the various enemies and walk to the right end of the screen. Use a bomb to blow a hole in the wall and enter the cave. Defeat the business scrub found here and he’ll sell you the Grip Ring for 40 rupees. Exit the cave and walk back to the west side of the screen. Go down the ladder and then jump off the ledge on the left. Walk over to the left and you’ll reach Crenel Wall. Using the Grip Ring you can now climb the wall.

Before you start climb the wall, to the right of the sign that labels this the Crenel Wall, you can place a bomb against the wall. Do so and it will reveal a secret cave. Walk inside to find some fairies and Piece of Heart #7!

As you climb the wall you need to watch out for the large Boulders that are trying to harm you. They can be quite hard to avoid at times, but just be patient while climbing. Once you start climbing, make your way to the right side of Crenel Wall and you’ll find a sign that reads ‘No bomb throwing!’ Pull out a bomb and place it against the wall here to reveal a cave. Go inside and then toss a bomb into the fairy pond. The great fairy will appear and ask if you threw in a golden bomb, a silver bomb, or neither. Don’t choose golden or silver, as the fairy will zap you and take away all of your bombs. However if you are honest and choose neither, the Great Fairy will award your honesty with the Big Bomb Bag, increasing the amount of bombs you can hold to 30!

Continue climbing Mt. Crenel and avoid the boulders. You’ll find a cave on the left side and while we can reach it, there isn’t much use at the moment. Once you reach the top of Mt. Crenel you will encounter Blue Tektites. These creatures are slightly stronger than their red counterparts and take three sword slashes to defeat. Defeat the enemies here and then use the mushroom to slingshot across the large gap.

It will start raining and the whole area turns a bit darker. Use the nearby stone to shrink down to Minish size. Take the path at the bottom of the screen and as you move right the raindrops become the size of huge boulders since we are Minish size. Carefully make your way through this area and revert to human size at the next stone.

Walk to the left and push the small boulder into the hole, allowing you to cross this area freely. There is another hole at the top of this area and there is a boulder right next to it. Unfortunately we cannot reach that boulder from here to push it in the hole. However, there is another boulder at the far right of the area. You will need to push that boulder all the way across the screen so you can drop it in the hole. Push the boulder left one, up two, left one, up two, left four, down one, left ten, up four, and right one to drop it into the hole. Now you can push the other boulder out of the way and head down the ladder.

Defeat the helmasaurs and you’ll see a series of blocks. Push your way through these blocks to navigate the area. The blocks are designed where you cannot really mess-up, so don’t worry about pushing the wrong blocks. There are five blocks at the very end of this cave and they can be a tad bit complicated. You need to push the block on the far right down one. Then make your way around and push the top block to the right. Then you push the three blocks on the left to clear a path and exit the cave.

Back outside you can defeat the enemies if you’d like, but then enter the adjacent cave on the right. Use the gust jar to pull the pots on the other side of the gap and then use the mushroom to slingshot across the gap. Go down the stairs and defeat the enemies here. There is a bridge with a switch on the other side. Toss a bomb across the gap and when it blows up it will hit the switch, extending the bridge across. Cross the bridge and exit the cave.

Back outside you can defeat the peahat, but then enter the cave to the left. There is another block pushing puzzle here. Push the boulder down one, left two, down two, left three, up one, left one, up one, and left one to drop it in the hole. Push the statue up and head down the stairs. There are plenty of blocks here but it’s actually quite easy to reach the chest. Push the bottom-most block to the left, and then the adjacent block upwards. Push the next block left and open the treasure chest to get a Blue Kinstone. Exit the cave.

Use the stone outside to shrink down to Minish size and then make your way left along the top path. Defeat the mulldozers and then head down to finally enter Melari’s Mines. You can speak with the various Minish that are found here and you’ll find that Melari and the seven apprentices can be found here in the mines. Go down to the lowest level and speak with Melari. He has heard about you already and agrees to forge the broken picori sword.

After speaking with Melari climb up on the left side and speak with the Minish found here. He’ll let you pass so exit the Mine. Use the stone to revert back to human size. Be sure to examine the Wind Crest found here as it will allow for easier transportation in the future when we get a special item. Once you are read head on up and enter the second dungeon, the Cave of Flames.

Lift the pots in the first room of the Cave of Flames and then head right a screen. You will find some new enemy Bob-ombs. Once you slash this enemy it will turn into a wild bomb, running around the room. Slash at it again to cause it to stop in place. After hitting a bob-omb twice, you can lift it up and toss it as if it was a bomb. Blast a hole in the wall and head up a screen.

Here you will find two spiked beetle enemies. These creatures cannot initially be harmed using your sword. You can defeat them by using your shield to flip them ever and then slashing away with your sword. Alternatively you can use bombs to defeat them. Afterwards collect the Compass from the treasure chest and head left a screen.

Pickup the rupees in this area but be careful of the enemy Rupee Like. This enemy will suck Link into his body and begin to steal rupees from him. Deliver some sword slashes to defeat the rupee like and then head down the stairs.

Follow the path to the left and defeat two bob-ombs before climbing the stairs. Make your way to the southeast part of this room and head through the passage. Defeat the enemies and then jump onto the minecart to ride to the room to the left. Make your way left and blowup the crack in the wall using a bomb.

Defeat the four helmasaur enemies found in this room and portal will appear, allowing you to shrink down to Minish size. Do so and then head right through the small gap. Make your way right a few areas, avoiding the spiked beetles and keese. Continue following the minish holes and head down a screen.

Jump off the ledge on the left side of the room and then resize using the portal. Cut down the flames in this room using sword slashes and open the treasure chest on the higher floor to get the Dungeon Map. At the bottom of this room, quickly run across the lava platforms and open the treasure chest to get a Kinstone Piece. Step on the nearby switch and the door at the south end of this room will open up. Make your way across the falling platforms, using the gust jar to clear the pots, and then head left a screen.

Wait until the moving platform comes over and then step on it to ride across the lava. Here you will encounter enemy Rollobites. These slow moving slug creatures will walk around on the floor and when Link slashes at them, they will roll into balls. Once they are in ball form, Link can slash at them to move them around, pick them up, or even suck them in with the gust jar. Place the rollobite balls into the various holes in this room and open the treasure chest to get 50 rupees. Climb the steps and use the two whirlwinds to make your way to the northeast corner of the room. Step on the switch and the door in this room will open up. Push the nearby block up and then push the treasure chest block all the way to the left until it falls into the hole. Open it to get a small key and then head up a screen.

Backtrack to the right portion of this room and jump on the mine cart once again. Once you arrive back at the earlier room use the small key on the locked door and head left a screen. Hit the lever with your sword and it will cause the track to change. Go back to the previous room and jump on the mine cart once again, this time taking you to a different area. Walk to the left part of the area and then head up a screen.

There are some spikes in this room that will try to squish when you walk by. Avoid the spikes and walk across the rail on the right. Lift up the pots here and place a bomb against the southern wall. Walk through the hole that appears and collect Piece of Heart #8, raising your total number of heart containers to six!

After getting the heart piece head up two screens and then jump off the ledge to take on the dungeon mini-boss of sorts. There are eight spiny chuchus found here and you can defeat them using your sword or some bombs. I’d recommend just using your sword and shield, always having your shield out to protect yourself. Afterwards open the treasure chest found to get the dungeon item, the Cane of Pacci. This item has the power to flip things over. Once you grab the cane, exit through the door to the left.

There are two platforms in the lava here, but the second one has spikes facing upwards. Stand on the first one and use the Cane of Pacci to flip over the second platform. Once you are on the other side, use the Cane of Pacci on the small hole and fall into it to jump to the higher platform. Step on the floor switch to create a blue warp portal and to open the door below. Go on through the door to get to a previous room.

There is a mine cart in this room but it is flipped over. Use the Cane of Pacci to flip it over and then jump into the cart to ride it along the rails. Push the treasure chest platform into the hole in this room and then open the treasure to get a small key! Afterwards jump back on the mine cart, head up a screen, use the small key, and then head down the stairs.

Use the stone in this room to shrink down to minish size. Carefully make your way across the spikes and head left a screen through the small hole. Make your way through the maze in this room and resize at the statue at the corner of the room. Walk back through the maze, but this time the enemy Chasers will activate and will try to spin towards you. You want to maneuver through the maze, using safe spots to avoid the moving spikes. Use the Cane of Pacci to flip over the mine cart and ride it to the previous room.

Back in this room, hit the lever to change the direction of the tracks and then jump on the mine cart to ride down two rooms. There are four rollobites in this room and there are also four holes in a row at the bottom-right portion of the screen. Hit the rollobites into balls and toss them into the holes in the ground. Grab the platform that the lever is on and pull it into the other hole at the north end of the room. Hit the lever to case the bars to drop down. Climb the staircase and head up a screen.

Walk to the north end of this room and jump off the ledge. Open the treasure chest to get a Blue Kinstone. Push the block to the right and then use the Cane of Pacci on the hole in the center of the room. Jump up and open the treasure chest here to get a Green Kinstone. Afterwards, walk to the right a screen.

In this massive room there are several moving platforms over the lava, some of which are flipped over and you’ll need to use the Cane of Pacci to put them right side up. There is a large treasure chest in the center of the room and we’ll be getting to that in just a bit. Move from platform to platform to get to the land area just east of the large treasure chest. Continue towards the top-right portion of the room, using the Cane to flip platforms, and then head up a screen.

Climb the stairs and then jump off the ledge. Walk to the right a screen and avoid the spike. Open the treasure chest to get a Green Kinstone and then head back left a screen. Use the Cane on the top hole to get back up on the ledge and then jump off on the left side. Use the cane on the whole to leap into the whirlwind and ride it to the platform to the north. Walk right a screen and use the whirlwind to get across the gap. Continue along this platform heading left and then down a screen.

There is a whirlwind here, as well as a series of whirlwinds over the lava. Our first destination is at the southeast corner of the room, so use two whirlwinds to reach the higher ledge and open the treasure chest to get 100 rupees. Jump down and use the Cane of Pacci to reach the whirlwind here. Land near the flames just to the left and then use the Cane of Pacci to get up to the higher platform. Use several whirlwinds in a row to reach the southwest corner of the room and open the treasure chest for a Green Kinstone. Use the Cane of Pacci on the hole nearby and use the whirlwinds to reach the large treasure chest near the center of the room. Open it up to get the Big Key!

Once you have the big key, jump of the ledge to the north and step on the switch to create a red warp portal. Afterwards flip the moving platform and go ahead and use the big key to enter the next room. Break the pots in the corner of the room to get some hearts and fairies, but once you are ready to take on the boss, fall down the hole in the center of the room.

The battle begins with Gleerok shooting fire balls at you. As long as you keep moving around, it’s quite easy to dodge these fire balls. Keep moving around Gleerok and once you have a clear shot, use the Cane of Pacci to flip over the shell on Gleerok’s back. The shell will land on him, stunning him in the process. Run up Gleerok’s neck to the small crystal on his back and slash like away with your sword. Slash away until and then quickly roll off of Gleerok as he will sink into the lava below. Repeat this same process until the crystal on his back disappears. Each time Gleerok sinks into the water, boulders will start to fall from the ceiling. Eventually once you hit the crystal enough times, lava will fill up the majority of the room. Just run around the edge of the room, trying to avoid the boulders that are falling and eventually the lava will recede and Gleerok will reappear.

During this next phase, Gleerok will shoot a continuous wave of fire on one side of the arena, leaving a whole pathway of flames. You can slash away at these flames and pickup some recovery hearts if you’d like. Gleeok will also move around a bit faster, shooting fire balls more frequently. The strategy remains the same and you want to avoid the fire balls by quickly moving around the room. Once you have that clear shot, deliver a strike with the Cane of Pacci. Once again climb Gleerok’s neck and slash away with your sword. Repeat this process until Gleerok once again fills the room with lava.

During this final phase, Gleerok will once again shoot a continuous wave of fire, but this time he’ll cover even more ground. Avoid the fire balls and the fire that is in the ground and once again use the Cane of Pacci to flip over its shell. Climb onto his neck and slash away at the crystal. Repeat this same process until Gleerok has been defeated.

After defeating Gleerok, the Fire Element will float down from the ceiling. Grab the full Heart Container that is left for you and then step into the green portal to warp out of the Cave of Flames.