- "I even tried to go into that well once myself... Strangely enough, though, I don't remember anything that happened there."
- — Pamela's Father
Beneath the Well is a mini-dungeon from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. It is located within the Empty Well in northern Ikana Canyon.
Dungeon[]
The mini-dungeon incorporates an extensive maze of rooms populated by various enemies, distinguished by the presence of a Gibdo guarding every door. Each door is sealed by bars, and the only way to progress is to don the Gibdo Mask and give the Gibdo an item they desire, allowing them to pass on – a system reminiscent of the Monkey Caves in EarthBound. The Gibdos' demands include Blue Potion, five Magic Beans, ten Bombs, ten Deku Nuts, three Bugs, one serving of Milk, two Fish, one serving of Spring Water, one serving of Hot Spring Water, and a Big Poe. In the 3DS remake, the Gibdos' only require one Magic Beans, one Bomb, and one Deku Nut; however, both Milk servings are required. Most of the items needed to complete the mini-dungeon can be found inside the dungeon itself; however, Magic Beans and Blue Potion must be collected from the outside world. In addition to Gibdos, Wallmasters are also prevalent in the corridors. If Link is caught by one, he will have to start from the entrance of the well.
The maze is vaguely divided into three distinct passages, the left and right paths being dead ends. However, in order to make it through the middle path, Link has to backtrack between each path to acquire the various items requested by the Gibdos. Notably, if Link manages his way to the far end of the north passage from the entrance, he will ultimately reach a Fairy Fountain, identical to those in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Although none of the Gibdos request a Fairy, the fountain serves as one of two locations where Link can restore his health, as there are no recovery hearts to be found in the maze – the other location being a chamber with a cow. After successfully traversing the middle passage, the Mirror Shield can be found at the end. From here, Link can leave the well through an exit that will lead him directly to the Ancient Castle of Ikana. At the same time, the castle can now also be entered through the secret passage found near the castle gate, using the Mirror Shield to reflect light from a Crystal Switch towards a Sun Block that obstructs the pathway. This way, if the player wishes to reset the three-day-cycle, Link can access Ikana Castle's courtyard directly, without having to traverse through the well again.