Introduction

The Forest Haven (F6) is where Red was leading us. This place looks like a giant tree trunk sticking straight out of the water, and across from it lies the Forbidden Woods: a forboding, dark mass of vines and bad feelings. It seems like Ganon might have already beaten us here.

Red will bring you up to the coast where you can set your feet on dry land again. Without delay, hop off your boat and climb up the ledges ahead. Head right after climbing the top ledge and follow the path. You’ll have to deal with Boko Babas, giant man-eating plants that are prevalent in the Forest Haven and Forbidden Woods.

Enemy: Boko Baba Boko Babas may look intimidating, but their mouths are larger than their attack range; in other words, keep your distance and they won’t be able to damage you with their bite attack. To sort them out, either wait for them to attack while staying just outside their attack range, or hit them with the Grappling Hook to stun them briefly, which will open them up for attack (plus, you can grab a Boko Baba Seed from them by using the Grappling Hook). Hit them enough times and they’ll stick their heads straight into the air, leaving their stem completely exposed. A single hit to the stem and you’ll have one less weed to pull. Oh! And every time you defeat a Boko Baba, it leaves behind a Deku Stick.

At the end of the path is a dead end with another Boko Baba stationed on top of a dry dirt plot (you’ll know it when you see two waterfalls ahead of you). Dead ends don’t mean much to true heroes, so don’t let this slow you down. Instead, pull out your Grappling Hook and look straight up to find a post sticking out of the wall. Use your Grappling Hook to swing to the small island covered in grass ahead (you may need to adjust your position on the Grappling Hook to make sure you don’t fall into the water surrounding the small plot of land).

After landing on the small island, immediately hold out your shield—hold the Button while your sword is out—to deflect the projectile launched from a River Octorok’s mouth, just upstream. If you deflected it before getting hit, the projectile will bounce back and hit the River Octorok instead, defeating it on contact.

Enemy: River Octorok River Octoroks are pretty uncommon, mostly residing in the Forest Haven and Forbidden Woods sector (F6). They can be defeated pretty easily by deflecting their projectiles back at them with your shield or by hitting them with your sword. A single hit with its own projectile will put this killer calamari out of commission.

After defeating the River Octorok, hop onto the plot of land to your left. A Boko Baba resides there, so take it out before moving on. Head onto the next small island on your right in the middle of the stream, climb up the ledge, and jump to the platform ahead. There’s another River Octorok ahead, so defeat it before moving on.

After defeating the second River Octorok, pull out your Grappling Hook and look straight up to find another post. Swing and jump into the pool of water that the River Octorok was in, then head into the passage to your right to officially enter the Forest Haven.