Dodongo Guide

Latest posts by Justin Caldwell (see all)

The Legend of Zelda has no shortage of unique enemies. Want to square off against an electric bull? Check out Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. What about a blob of water? That one is in Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. A giant plant, you say? Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker. It goes without saying, the developers of The Legend of Zelda games come up with original and exciting enemies.

One such enemy is the Dodongo. While you’ll find Dodongos in several Legend of Zelda games, it’s only a boss in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. What is a Dodongo? Read our Dodongo guide below to learn all about these dragon-like beasts.

Description

Typically, you’ll find a Dodongo near volcanoes or in caverns. However, you’ll discover there are exceptions. These reptilian-like monsters appear as something like a cross between a rhinoceros and a Triceratops in both Ocarina of Time and Major’s Mask. In Twilight Princess, they look more like large geckos.

These ferocious monsters are known for their tough hides, which are often ribbed with yellow or green scales. Behaving as an extra layer of protection, these scales make defeating a Dodongo a challenge. Another interesting feature that you’ll discover in Dodongos is their incredibly large mouths.

When compared with their bodies, a Dodongo’s mouth is very large. With their large mouths, they can suck in tremendous amounts of air, which allows them to spit out flames. It’s the main offensive weapon of any Dodongo and does a fair amount of damage. However, when their mouths are open, Dodongo’s are vulnerable to attack.

Vulnerabilities

Dodongo Guide

As the Dodongo goes to draw in a breath, Link can throw a bomb down their massive throats. The bomb will detonate from within the beast, doing considerable damage to it from the inside. As a result, if you know you’re going to fight a Dodongo, try to stock up on bombs beforehand. One exception is Twilight Princess, which will allow Link to shoot arrows into its mouth, or use bombs, to inflict maximum damage.

If you’re not able to get your hands on bombs, you can also hit the end of the Dodongo’s tail. You’ll have to move quickly, though, since these beasts will quickly retaliate with a tail strike of their own, turning around to find their attacker. A hit from the Dodongo’s tail will knock Link onto the ground, causing damage. The good news is that Dodongos move slow, so it’s easy to sneak around behind them and hit their tails.

Size

The size of the Dodongo will change drastically depending on which game you’re playing and the region. For example, when you’re playing Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, you’ll find Dodongo’s of two sizes roaming the fields in Termina. Link will come across small versions of the beast in the Northeast part of Termina Field, while larger versions are found in the Northwest sector.

If you’re playing Majora’s Mask and you’re in need of Rupees, take out a few Dodongos to earn some cold hard cash. Bigger Dodongos drop Purple Rupees while the smaller ones give you Red Rupees. You’ll also encounter a pair of large Dodongos close to the Ikana Canyon entrance. They’re located in a Secret Grotto.

Find them and take them out, and you’ll get a Piece of Heart and 100 Rupees. Not bad for defeating a pair of Dodongos. Even though these beasts are dangerous, their hides have value. In Ocarina of Time, the Gorons have used Dodongo to create Goron Tunics that can withstand high levels of heat. Additionally, there are Bomb Bags made from Dodongo stomachs that allow Link to carry bombs around with him anywhere he goes.

Dodongo Allies

The cool thing about Dodongos is that they’re not all bad. There are actually some Legend of Zelda games in which they’re not hostile to Link. For example, in the Oracles of Ages and Oracle of Seasons, Link has an ally in a Dodongo named Dimitri. Throughout the games, Dimitri offers Link help in Labrynna and Holodrum.

This is because Dimitri lives in the river and has the ability to navigate waterfalls and other areas with deep water. As a result, Link uses Dimitri to get to areas he couldn’t get to without his help. Since he resides in the water, Dimitri does not spit fire like his land roaming counterparts. However, he does have a very large mouth. Fortunately for Link, Dimitri uses his mouth to consume his enemies.

Legend of Zelda Appearances

Here are the Legend of Zelda games in which you’ll encounter Dodongos.

Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

When Link is a child, his journey will take him to Goron City, near Death Mountain Trail. Just below Goron City, he’ll have to enter the Dodongo Cavern. Within Dodongo Cavern, he’ll find several Dodongos, including the Dodongo King, which we’ll speak about momentarily. These creatures will slowly amble toward Link, shooting fire at him as they do.

As they’re spitting fire, they’ll stay in place, which gives Link the opportunity to move around them and quickly strike their tails. This is the easiest way to dispatch these Dodongos, as striking them anywhere else won’t do any damage to their hard scales.

Move out of the way after you hit them, though, as they’ll quickly spin around and knock Link off his feet. Doing so causes damage to him. There’s also the option to throw bombs into their mouths as they breathe in, but this is a little more difficult with the smaller Dodongos.

Dodongo Cavern

Cavern

Dodongos Cavern is a cave Link that comes across almost halfway to Death Mountain Trail. Before the events that led to Ocarina of Time, Ganondorf approached Darunia about the Goron Ruby. However, the Goron Chief refused to give it to him. As a result, Ganondorf filled the cave with Dodongos and sealed it up.

Using a bomb plant, Link can blow up the boulder that blocks the entrance to the cavern. This lets him access the cavern, where he’ll navigate through it and ultimately face off against King Dodongo. As he makes his way through, he’ll have to defeat creatures and solve puzzles to get to the final boss.

There are two floors in the Dodongo Cavern, which include raising platforms and a bridge that spans the main room. Some of the rooms throughout the dungeon are filled with fire keese, so have your slingshot at the ready. There are also rooms that require the use of a bomb flower, so pay attention to cracks in the wall.

Young Link will need to find ways to activate switches, defeat enemies, and avoid laser beams as he makes his way through the Dodongo-infested cavern. Finally, in the main room of the Dodogno Cavern is the giant skull of a Dodongo. Link has to figure out how to open its mouth to move further into the cavern and take on the King Dodongo.

King Dodongo

king

King Dodongo is the boss of Dodongo Cavern. Link must defeat him to get the Fire Emerald from Darunia. Once you enter the cavern where King Dodongo resides, you’ll have to avoid him as he rolls around the outer edges of the room. Link has to stay here as well to avoid the lava pit in the middle of the room.

Move to the side of the path and let King Dodongo roll around you. If you’re worried about getting hit, pull out your Hylian Shield so that you have some protection as he goes by. Now comes the fun part. Watch him as he rolls around, and eventually, he’ll bump into one of the walls and turn toward you.

As he takes a deep breath, preparing to shoot fire at you, grab a bomb and throw it into his open mouth (you can use either bombs from your bomb bag or grab one from a nearby bomb flower). If you’re up to the challenge, try to do this without locking onto King Dodongo. Otherwise, just lock onto him and throw the bomb forward.

Once he ingests the bomb and it explodes within him, he’ll be stunned and drop to the ground. Quickly run toward him and start slashing at him. When he recovers, move out of the way and wait for the process to start over. Doing this a few times will eventually result in his demise. Keep in mind that if you happen to miss when throwing the bomb, you’ll want to move out of the way, so you don’t get burned.

When he’s defeated, he’ll roll around for a bit, then wind up in the middle of the lava pit, where his head will freeze, and a heart container will appear. Grab these, speak with Darunia, and get the fire emerald, the second spiritual stone Young Link needs.

Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

As previously mentioned, you’ll find Dodongos roaming throughout Termina Field in the Ocarina of Time sequel Majora’s Mask. The first ones you’ll find are moving back and forth near the entrance to Snowhead. These Dodongos move slowly, which gives you plenty of time to move around them and strike its tail. Quickly move out of the way, so you don’t get swiped and continue the process until they’re eliminated.

Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

Zelda

Dodongos take on a different appearance in Twilight Princess. Instead of the slow, ambling creatures in previous Legend of Zelda games, these Dodongos have a more Gecko-like appearance. You’ll find these Dogodongos in some of the Lantern Caverns, in the Cave of Ordeals, and of course, in the Goron Mines.

While Link can defeat these Dodongos the same way he can in previous Legend of Zelda games, there is an alternative in Twilight Princess. Throw bombs into their mouths if you have them, or you can shoot arrows into their mouths when they breathe in, which is a little easier.

FAQs

Dodongos appear in several Legend of Zelda games. However, there are still plenty of questions about them. Here are some of the most commonly asked ones.

Question: Do Dodongos Have Eyes?

Answer: While Dodongos do have eyes, they’re very small and difficult to see. They’re located on the top of their heads, near their horns.

Question: What do Dodongos Eat?

Answer: Dodongos are known to eat bombs. In fact, they’re often found near bomb flowers in Twilight Princess. It’s possible that they also eat other things, but this hasn’t been confirmed.

Question: Are Dodongos Intelligent?

Answer: This is a difficult question to answer. They don’t appear to be very intelligent, but they are cunning enough to avoid bombs and other attacks.

Question: What is the Origin of Dodongos?

Answer: The origin of Dodongos is unknown. They first appeared in the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, but their origins are never revealed in the game. It’s possible that they’re just creatures that have always existed in Hyrule or that they were created by Ganondorf or another evil witch or wizard.

Question: Do Dodongos Have a Weakness?

Answer: Dodongos are weak to bombs. Throwing a bomb into their mouths will cause them to explode from the inside out.

Conclusion

While they aren’t an enemy common to most Legend of Zelda games, Dodongos play their part in Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Twilight Princess. These large, horned lizards are typically found in fields and caverns and can be difficult to defeat. However, they have a weakness to bombs, which makes them relatively easy to take down if you have a stock of them. With that being said, Dodongos are still an enemy worthy of your attention and should not be taken lightly.

Continue reading:

Zelda Bosses Guide – Everything You Need to Know

Zelda Races Guide – Learning the Many Races of Creatures

Amazing Zelda Tattoo Ideas

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