Ocarina of Time
Morpha
Fight strategies
Standard fight
- Hookshot Morpha into a corner
- While facing the corner and targeting Morpha, slash it fully into the corner until you are comfortable to jumpslash
- After the jumpslash, crouch stab until Morpha is dead.
Water Medallion Cutscene Skip
There are various methods to skip the Water Medallion cutscene. Each has its own unique uses depending on the situation.
Bomb OI cutscene skip
From top of arena (harder)
Setup by CountLG
Bomb OI is faster than backflip OI because it doesn't require dropping and catching a bottled item. However, because bomb OI involves a frame perfect input, backflip OI is easier, and it even ends up faster if you pause buffer more than 3 times for bomb OI.
- Prepare by damaging down to 1.25h (safer) or 1h on the spikes during the fight (see notes below)
- After Morpha dies, hold down for facing angle 0x0; if you lose the initial camera angle, you can target a wall and turn to get 0x0
- Go near the corner left of the door
- Spin attack and cancel with ESS or shield (ESS recommended as it begins the next step)
- 5x ESS right to facing angle 0xd00b (facing roughly middle of spikes on left side of opposite wall)
- Backwalk into the corner (costs a quarter heart; see notes below)
- Once Link is in the corner, quickly sidehop right and stab
- Pull hookshot (see notes below) and hold target and up
- Pull bomb, continuing to hold target and up
- Bomb OI (looking for the first frame that the explosion fully conceals bottom of screen if buffering)
- Once the camera settles, hold right and press B to cancel OI
- On the first or second frame of turning, hold target and shield (see notes below)
- Once Link starts walking, release shield
- Pull bomb to die; continue holding target and right until Link lands
Notes:
- If you end the fight with more than 1.25h, simply damage down some more on the spikes before beginning the setup.
- If you end the fight with exactly 0.75h, this alternative setup still works, as it doesn't involve taking a quarter heart of damage.
- If you end the fight with 0.5h or less, use the bottom of arena setup or a backflip OI setup
- In step 6, slide against the spike on the way to the corner rather than against the wall. If you're too slow, you'll get interrupted by the spikes. Stopping the backwalk before sidehopping actually changes your position slightly, but should still work anyway.
- In step 8, pulling out hookshot quickly before Link settles from the stab changes your position, but still works. If you did this you should wait at least 4 frames after pressing hook before holding up/pulling bomb, to make sure Link's position updates again on the bomb pull frame. (It also won't update if you shield flick or similar, which does not work for the setup, so be careful.)
- In step 12, shield can be pressed anywhere between 1f prior and 2f after target, for a total of 4 frames.
From bottom of arena (easier)
Setup by Kaeru & Reaper
This setup does not take damage from the bomb OI, so it can be done at 0.5 hearts or less.
- Fall to the lower part of the arena after the fight
- Align in the southeast corner of the room facing the right wall (0x8000)
- This is the corner where most Morpha fights usually end, x=432, y=-432
- Sidehop left, neutral roll, keep target held
- 1 ess turn right
- Crouch stab
- 2 sidehops left
- Z + hook to pull third person hook
- Start holding down and then press Bomb to pull bomb and backwalk
- Bomb OI on the 11th explosion frame
- Hold left during the blue warp cutscene
- B to cancel the OI after the camera spins back around to Link
- On 1st or 2nd frame of turning left, input Z + Right + Bomb and keep Z + Right held until Link lands after dying
Backflip OI cutscene skip
Setup by bakeneko
Backflip OI is slower than bomb OI because it requires dropping and catching a bottled item. However, because bomb OI involves a frame perfect input, backflip OI is easier, and it even ends up faster if you pause buffer more than 3 times for bomb OI.
- Prepare by damaging down to 0.5h or less on the spikes during the fight
- Head to the lower corner left of the boss door; this setup only works from this corner
- Drop and catch fish/bugs
- Target the left wall of the corner
- 4 sidehops left
- 2 backflips
- 1x ESS right (facing angle 0x78f8)
- Backflip
- Sidehop right + sideroll
- Backflip OI
- Once the camera settles, hold up and press B to cancel OI
- Pause on any of 3 frames (frames shown in video)
- Buffer target, right, and bomb and continue holding target and right until Link lands
See video for additional notes. This alternative setup (uses fish + sword and shield) involves a 2f window after canceling OI instead of a 3f window, but because the control stick direction doesn't change, it's more feasible to do without pause buffering.
Sun's Song cutscene skip
This method of the Water Medallion cutscene skip requires Down A in combination with a blank B button which allows Link to use restricted items. If there is an item equipped to the B button, you can activate Down A underwater with a Bombchu before triggering the Morpha fight in order to use restricted items. Since your sword is not equipped or disabled, the Megaton Hammer is required to defeat Morpha. After defeating Morpha, use the Ocarina just as Link steps on the edge of the blue warp. To play the song properly without Link unintentionally using the C-button items, either hang on a ladder or hold Z + R.