Fans praise the The Legend of Zelda series for its sprawling dungeons with interesting puzzling elements, and the game's Water Temples are often at the forefront. Water dungeons tend to be the most difficult in each game, due to the mechanics often associated with water-based puzzles in Zelda.
Often, Link will have to raise and lower the water level of a temple in order to open up new areas to explore, while subsequently shutting off previous areas as a consequence. It's a trial and error process that's often even more challenging than it sounds, but these kinds of interconnected puzzles are what make the Legend of Zelda series unique and interesting. In that sense, Zelda's water dungeons are the perfect representation of what the series is all about.
13 Jabu Jabu's Belly (Oracle of Ages)
Oracle of Ages was built specifically with difficult puzzles in mind, so perhaps it makes sense that there are two water dungeons in the game. The second of these dungeons, and arguably the less interesting one, is Jabu Jabu's Belly.
The single most unnecessary aspect of Jabu Jabu's Belly is the fact that players have to repeatedly tap the D pad in order to swim in a given direction. Simply control issues such as that only reinforce the fact that both Oracle games are beyond overdue for modern remakes in the same vein as Link's Awakening for Switch.
12 Divine Beast Vah Ruta (Breath of the Wild)
Breath of the Wild often takes a lot of slack from fans for its dungeons, but when taken at face value for what they are, the Divine Beasts actually had some of the most interesting puzzles in the series. Generally, they all function the same, as giant puzzle boxes that Link has to move around in order to reach and active five terminals.
Unfortunately, BOTW's Divine Beasts were bogged down by mundane themes and boss battles that set them apart from the traditional Zelda dungeons fans came to love. Vah Ruta in particular is one of the easiest of the dungeons in BOTW, making it overall pretty underwhelming.
11 Jabu Jabu's Belly (Ocarina of Time)
Jabu Jabu's Belly is the third dungeon Link must complete during the child timeline in order to receive the final Spiritual Stone that unlocks the Temple of Time. The overall concept and vibe of Jabu Jabu's Belly is very creative, though the dungeon itself isn't overly complex and is pretty straightforward.
While it does a great job of presenting its atmosphere, it's far from the best dungeon in Ocarina of Time, let alone the Zelda franchise at large. Ruto is one of the most beloved characters in the game in retrospect, but her first appearance in Jabu Jabu's Belly as an entitled and annoying puzzle-piece doesn't present a great first impression by any measure.
10 The Swamp Palace (A Link Between Worlds)
A Link Between Worlds is known for being a bit on the easy side as far as the Zelda series goes, and most Zelda games aren't exactly Rogue-likes in terms of difficulty to begin with. The same generalization applies for The Swamp Palace, ALBW's version of a water dungeon.
As a "sequel" to A Link to the Past, it's only natural that ALBW would have a Swamp Palace of its own just as the original game does. While it could never hope to be as groundbreaking and revolutionary as that dungeon was in the context of the Zelda franchise, the Swamp Palace nevertheless does its job and is a solid dungeon in what many consider an underrated Zelda title.
9 Mermaid Cave (Oracle of Ages)
Mermaid Cave is one of the most interesting dungeons in Oracle of Ages. It requires players travel between the ages to fully explore and complete the dungeon, which can make it a somewhat frustrating challenge. However, it also happens to be one of the more fleshed out dungeons in the game.
It also helps that this dungeon has a fan-favorite theme in the soundtrack. In comparison to the game's other water dungeon Jabu Jabu's Belly, Mermaid Cave has a much healthier mixture of the swimming and traditional exploration.
8 The Swamp Palace (A Link To The Past)
The Swamp Palace is the second dungeon the developers expected Link to complete after arriving in the Dark World in A Link to the Past.
A Link to the Past pretty much invented the dungeon formula that every Zelda game would follow up until BOTW, and that includes its token water dungeon, The Swamp Palace. Whether fans hate or love the dynamic of the water dungeons in the Zelda franchise, they only have ALTTP's Swamp Palace to thank.
7 Temple of Droplets (Minish Cap)
Minish Cap's Temple of Droplets is unique to most other Water temples in the Zelda series in that it doesn't necessarily focus on water as much as it does on ice. That aspect of it can be somewhat decisive for fans, especially considering that it includes the infamous sliding ice mechanic used in so many RPG dungeon puzzles.
Like everything in Minish Cap, the design in the Temple of Droplets itself is pleasing to the eye. It also has some great music, and both those aspects go a long way in making this dungeon an endearing one aside from the relative ease of its challenge.
6 The Water Temple (Tears of the Kingdom)
The lead up to Tears of the Kingdom's Water Temple is one of the highest points in the game -- both literally and figuratively. Players begin in a mysterious cavernous area, only to make their way up to the sky islands to access the temple in a giant hurricane.
TOTK's Water Temple is full of antigravity areas that see Link doing what can only be described as a moon walk through strange Zonai architecture and technology. While its actual puzzles aren't very difficult, it has nearly unparalleled exploration in the sense that players make their way through multiple parts of the map to complete it, and it culminates in a great boss battle against a unique version of a classic Zelda enemy.
5 Angler's Tunnel (Link's Awakening)
Link's Awakening is all about life on an island, so it's only natural that it would have a great water-themed dungeon. Angler's Tunnel is the fourth dungeon Link faces in LA, and must be completed in order to get the Surf Harp.
Angler's Tunnel has a notoriously easy boss by way of the Angler Fish, though it's at least slightly evened out thanks to the Cue Ball miniboss. Combat aside, in terms of dungeon design, theme, and overall atmosphere, Angler's Tunnel is one of the most well-balanced water dungeons in the series that isn't overly difficult but still enough of a challenge to make completing it satisfying.
4 Great Bay Temple (Majora's Mask)
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The Great Bay Temple is widely regarded as one of the most difficult dungeons in The Legend of Zelda series. Its dynamic of requiring players to adjust a system of valves and pipes to move water through the dungeon is both challenging and confusing, but also proves highly rewarding when players make it through.
The overall look and feel of the Great Bay Temple is also a standout moment for Majora's Mask, and swimming through it and the surrounding area as a Zora is easily one of the coolest gameplay elements of any Zelda game.
3 Lakebed Temple (Twilight Princess)
Twilight Princess' Lakebed Temple is a gigantic labyrinth that many players find it easy to get lost within. Like many water temples, Lakebed is not only one of the most difficult dungeons in its respective game, it's widely considered to be one of the most frustrating in the series at large.
Despite its difficulty, Lakebed is a beloved dungeon due to its aesthetic: something that shouldn't come as a surprise to any fan of Twilight Princess. Morpheel, the dungeon's boss, also fits in well with the larger-than-life atmosphere of the rest of Lakebed Temple. Thankfully, Morpheel isn't exactly difficult, offering a welcome respite after navigating through the rest of this perilous dungeon full of monsters.
2 The Water Temple (Ocarina of Time)
The Water Temple in Ocarina of Time is one of the most infamous in the series due to its difficulty. That being the case, it's largely hit or miss among fans with some either loving it or hating it because of that.
That divisiveness is warranted, but when looked at purely for what it has to offer, The Water Temple is the pinnacle of what a classic Zelda dungeon is all about. Many fans to this day are still convinced that it’s possible to "break" the Water Temple by spending a key on the wrong door early on, and that misconception pretty much sums up just how complicated and confusing Ocarina of Time's Water Temple can be.
1 Ancient Cistern (Skyward Sword)
Skyward Sword has a strange status among the Zelda pantheon. In one sense, it's heavily criticized for its motion controls which turned a lot of players off. On the other hand, Skyward Sword has one of the best storylines in the Zelda series, as well as some of the very best dungeons in the franchise as well.
Among those beloved dungeons is the Ancient Cistern, which is itself a masterclass in Zelda dungeon experiences. A huge draw of the Cistern is its aesthetic appeal, which consists of jarringly different moods between the upper and lower floors. Additionally, it has what may be the best boss fight in the game other than Demise himself: Koloktos. While water dungeons are usually hit or miss among Zelda players, most agree that the Ancient Cistern is at the very least not terrible -- and insofar as water dungeons are concerned, that says a lot.