Zelda Phantom Hourglass Walkthrough, Start to Finish in Play Order
This zelda phantom hourglass walkthrough follows the game in the order you play it, so you can jump straight to the temple or section that has you stuck. Each part covers the early island, the temples and the bosses.
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This Zelda Phantom Hourglass walkthrough takes you through the game from start to finish, in the order you play it. Phantom Hourglass is a Nintendo DS game, so the steps here are written for that version.
A fan-written walkthrough is also divided into numbered parts, which makes it easier to find your spot [1].
If you get stuck, skip to the dungeon or section you are on rather than reading from the beginning. Each part covers one stretch of the game, so you only need the one that matches where Link is now. Then you can keep moving.
How do you get through the opening on Mercay Island?
The opening on Mercay Island is split into numbered parts, and the first one covers the island village. [1] Start there, then follow the parts in order: the village, the trip to the harbor, and your first visit to the Temple of the Ocean King. [1]
Part 1: the island village
Keep your eyes on the corners of the village, not just the main paths. One chest near the start holds a Pearl Necklace, and it is easy to walk past. [2]
- Step back outside and head directly left to find a chest in the corner. [2]
- Open the chest to get the Pearl Necklace. [2]
- Now, head right and read the tombstone sign. [2]
Once the chest is open and the sign is read, the village part is done. You should now have the Pearl Necklace before you move on.
Part 2: the trip to the harbor
Part 2 covers the trip from the village to Mercay Island Harbor. [1] It is a separate stop, so finish the village first. Don't skip ahead to the temple, because the harbor comes between the two.
Think of the harbor as the bridge. If you reach the water and the walkthrough still has you in the village, go back and check the corners you missed, since the chest with the Pearl Necklace is the only item this early section gives you. [2]
Part 3: your first visit to the Temple of the Ocean King
Part 3 is your first visit to the Temple of the Ocean King. [1] This is the last step of the opening. Once you are inside, the walkthrough continues from there in the same order, so keep following the numbered parts instead of jumping around.
If you are stuck at any point in the opening, go back to the last step you completed and read it again. Working through each part in order keeps you from missing items you would need later.
What do the early temples ask you to do?
Early temple progress runs through the game's on-screen map, and you work on it with the stylus. Keep the map open as you explore, because some puzzles are solved there rather than in the rooms themselves. [3]
Drawing the hourglass
Some puzzles require drawing a specific symbol, such as an hourglass, on the map. You draw the shape directly on the map with the stylus. [3]
The strokes follow a set path, so do not improvise. The hourglass starts at the northwestern corner, and you draw a line from there to the northeast. [3] From that point the path continues to the southwest and southeast, so follow each stroke in the order given.
If the shape comes out wrong, redraw it from the beginning instead of adding lines to a partial drawing. Patching a crooked symbol usually takes longer than starting clean.
Follow the order
Work through the temple in the order the walkthrough lists. Each step sets up the next, so jumping ahead can leave you stuck. Skipping a step is also how you miss a key, and a missing key can hold up the rest of the temple.
When a room is finished, look over the map for any puzzle you walked past. Going back for it later costs more time than dealing with it on the spot.
If you get stuck, find the matching point in the walkthrough and read only that step. That keeps the rest of the temple's surprises intact while you move forward.
Which dungeons come next, and what do they require?
Each later dungeon is harder to finish than the one before it, so you need to keep track of what you picked up along the way. Treat the walkthrough as a chain: an item from one temple is often what opens the next one. If you skip ahead, you can end up at a locked door with no way through.
The walkthrough is split into numbered parts, and the numbers follow the order you play. One community walkthrough starts with "Part 1 -- Introduction and Mercay Island Village · Part 2 -- Getting to Mercay Island Harbor" [1]. Find the part that matches where you are now and start reading there.
Either way, the labels show your place in the story. Match your position to the matching label, not to a dungeon name you remember.
Before you enter a new temple, note the boss at the end of the one you are leaving. Each boss is the gate to the next area, so knowing which one you just beat tells you where to look next. A simple routine works well:
- Finish the dungeon and defeat its boss.
- Write down the new item you received and what it might open.
- Open the next numbered part of the walkthrough and read only that section.
Reading one part at a time keeps the puzzles fresh. It also means you won't spoil a temple you haven't reached yet.
How do you beat the bosses and find the optional extras?
Boss strategies sit inside each dungeon
You don't need to hunt for a separate boss chapter. The Zelda Dungeon walkthrough includes strategies for all of its bosses [4], and each plan lives in the dungeon section where you reach that boss. When you arrive at a fight, the advice you need is right there.
Read the boss section before you walk into the room, not halfway through the fight. That way you know what the boss does before it starts, and you can prepare the items you'll need.
Optional extras: heart containers and treasure maps
The same guide covers the optional extras, which are heart containers and treasure maps [4]. These are the two extras most players want to track down during the main story.
Try to collect them as you go through each dungeon instead of planning a return trip later. Here is how the guide's coverage breaks down:
- Dungeons: the main route through each temple
- Heart containers: optional collectibles listed alongside the dungeons
- Treasure maps: a second set of optional extras
- Boss strategies: one plan for each boss fight
Using a 100% complete guide for every collectible
The Zelda Dungeon Phantom Hourglass walkthrough is described that way, covering all dungeons, heart containers, treasure maps, and boss strategies [4]. That makes it a better fit for completionists than for a quick run through the story.
Plan to go through every dungeon section, not only the parts that move the plot forward. Optional items are spread across the game, so skipping a section can mean missing a collectible. Once the main story is done, you can go back and use the same guide to pick up anything you passed by.
Where should you go after this walkthrough?
The one thing to keep in mind is that you only need the part you are stuck on. Find your current dungeon in the play-order list, then open just that section so the parts ahead of you stay fresh. Each chapter is numbered, so match your place to the right one. [5]
When the main story is done, come back for the optional extras. If you want every collectible, the 100% complete guide covers all dungeons, heart containers, and treasure maps. [4] Your next step is simple: open the section for where you left off and keep sailing.