How to get the Hookshot in Ocarina of Time

Published Nov 9, 2026, 12:57 PM EST This essential piece of gear is easy to overlook Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon Getting the Hookshot in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is the first and most important thing you do after opening the Door of Time. The Hookshot is essential for reaching the Forest Temple and solving other mandatory puzzles, not to mention reaching harder-to-find collectibles, but the game is quite vague about where to find it. It points you to Kakariko Village, though depending on how thoroughly you investigate, you might miss some of the contextual clues entirely. Below, we explain how to get the Hookshot in the Ocarina of Time remake. How to get the Hookshot in Zelda Ocarina of Time Sheik appears after you regain control of adult Link in the Temple Of Time, and he recommends visiting Kakariko Village before you set out for the Forest Temple. The item there will help you reach the temple, which is currently inaccessible after suffering structural damage. Make your way to the village when you're ready. Depending on the time of day, you'll see the two laughing men from Hyrule Castle Town either standing near a house or wandering around. Chat with them to learn about the ghost of gravekeeper Dampé luring people to his grave. Or you can just visit the graveyard yourself. There's another, much stronger — and also optional — clue in the gravekeeper's cabin. Read Dampé's diary to learn he found the Hookshot and took it to his grave. Graphic: Josh Broadwell/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon Head over to Dampé's Grave, the one near the soft soil spot. If it's nighttime, you'll see an eerie mist emanating from the grave, but you can interact with it regardless of the time of day (and change the time of day if you just want to see the spooky mist). Move behind the gravestone, grab it, and pull it back to reveal a hole. Hop inside. You'll land in a cavern and see the spirit of Dampé hovering near a gate. Chat with him to learn that he's offering the Hookshot as a prize if you win his race. The race takes you through a network of twisting tunnels, but you have to follow a specific path and move fast enough so Dampé doesn't lose sight of you. If he can't see you for a few seconds, it's back to the starting point. Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon He'll throw globs of purple fire that act as little guideposts, though the turns are sharp and frequent near the end of the race. We recommend holding ZL to enter targeting mode when you take a corner to keep from having to rotate the camera, and you'll also want to hold the A button so Link sprints and can keep up with Dampé more easily. You'll get the Hookshot once you clear Dampé's course, and the cave exit drops you in the windmill. Make sure to grab the Piece of Heart there before chatting with the angry crank-box man to learn the Song of Storms. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake is a little bit different than the original game, so if you need guides to help you through, we don’t blame you. We have walkthroughs for all the dungeons, from the Deku Tree to Ganondorf's Castle. We also have guides for the sillier, in-between parts of the game, like when you have to find Richard (the dog) or Cuccos. For those going for 100% completion, we also have guides on where to find every Piece of Heart, every Gold Skulltula token, and where to plant every Magic Bean.