How to Unlock the Color Dungeon in Link’s Awakening Switch

The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on Nintendo Switch isn’t the game’s first remake. It received a DX version for Game Boy Color that, obviously, replaced the black-and-white color tone of the original with vibrant color. But it also included a secret, color-themed dungeon, complete with two exclusive power-ups.

The Color Dungeon returns for Link’s Awakening on Switch, but there’s a bit of a process involved for accessing it. Here’s everything you need to know.

How to Unlock the Color Dungeon in Link’s Awakening

The Tools You Need for the Color Dungeon

The main tool you need is the Power Bracelet. That’s the item Bottle Grotto is built around, so the earliest you can get to the Color Dungeon is after clearing the second dungeon.

If you want to break the sequence and don’t mind missing out on some of the game’s worldbuilding, you can go ahead to the graveyard to start the process.

If you want to unlock the Color Dungeon the way the game intends you to, though, you’ll actually want to finish Key Cavern to get the Pegasus Boots first.

Using the Pegasus Boots to Unlock the Dungeon

Mabe Village Library

If you go the Boots route, head back to Mabe Village after clearing Key Cavern. Go to the Library, which is the bottom-left most building in the village, near where the kids usually play.

There’s a book on top of a shelf at the back of the library, and now’s the time to finally get it down. Use the Pegasus Boots to dash into the shelf and knock the book down.

The book describes a strange world underneath the graveyard and, more importantly, tells you how to access it: there’s a specific order you need to move a set of gravestones in.

The Gravestone Shuffle

Leave Mabe Village through its east exit, then go north. Go up the stairs, and use the Power Bracelet to remove the rock blocking the way. Then, you can head east into the graveyard.

The area you want here is the southeast (bottom right) portion, where there’s a set of five graves.

Like always in Zelda games, you’ll first want to touch the gravestones to awaken the ghost enemies, called Ghinis, so you can defeat them before they get in the way of moving the gravestones.

From there, follow these orders:

1. Move the bottom-right gravestone down.
2. Move the bottom-left gravestone left
3. Move the upper-left gravestone up
4. Move the upper-middle gravestone right
5. Move the upper-right gravestone up

Moving the last gravestone reveals a staircase heading down into the Color Dungeon.

There’s a little bit of scraped earth showing you where each stone should be moved. However, should you make a mistake during the sequence, you can enter the nearest house to reset the stones; the Witch’s Hut is the closest, just to the west of the graveyard’s entrance.

What Do I Get for Completing the Dungeon?

After you defeat the Color Dungeon’s boss, you meet the Fairy Queen, who gives you access to two new sets of clothes — but you can only take one.

The Sturdy Blue Mail is a blue tunic that increases Link’s defense, while the Powerful Red Mail is a red tunic buffing Link’s attack power.

Regardless of which you choose, you can return at any time to swap tunics or revert back to Link’s traditional green garb.

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Check out our other guides for The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening on the Nintendo Switch!