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Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is an action-adventure puzzle-heavy role-playing game (RPG), and it is just one of the many games in the long line of titles belonging to the Legend of Zelda franchise.
It was released initially in 1993 for the Game Boy and later released for the Game Boy color in 1998 under The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. The game recently acquired another remake for the Nintendo Switch in 2019, for good reason!
Link’s Awakening is a great Zelda title, with lots of little collectibles and mini-quests that can be done. One of these collectible items would be the Secret Seashells, which I will be aiding your search for today in this Link’s Awakening Seashells Guide.
The Ocean Floor: Secret Seashell Overview
The Secret Seashells in Link’s Awakening are… well, seashells. They can be found throughout the map in various locations and with multiple methods.
Keep in mind that some of the Seashells only start becoming available after the progression of the story. You need certain items for some found throughout the various dungeons (or bought in the Store), and others don’t show up until a particular dungeon is completed.
What Items Will You Need to Collect All the Seashells?
- Deluxe Shovel. You can buy the shovel from the Store for 200 Rupees.
- Bombs. You can buy bombs right at the beginning of Link’s Awakening at the Store (10 Bombs for 10 Rupees) and find them in jars and pots after completing Key Cavern (third dungeon).
- Pegasus Boots and Roc’s Feather. The Pegasus Boots (unlocked during Key Cavern, third dungeon) give Link a sprinting ability, providing access to many Seashells. Allowing Link to dash into trees can knock some loose, and combining it with Roc’s Feather (jumping ability), allows Link to jump longer distances than before.
- Power Bracelet. The Power Bracelet is found in Bottle Grotto (The L-1 Power Bracelet). An upgraded version is found in Face Shrine (sixth dungeon), known as the Powerful Bracelet (also called the L-2 Power Bracelet), although we don’t need this version for the Seashells.
- Flippers. The Flippers are obtained during Catfish’s Maw (fifth dungeon), allowing Link to swim and dive underwater.
- Hookshot. The Hookshot is also gained during Catfish’s Maw and allows us to “jump” farther than we could before. By shooting it into a crate, chest, or similar surface, this item can fling Link from where he currently is to where we shot it.
- Magnifying Glass. The Magnifying Glass is grabbed after we complete the Trading Sequence Quest (which ends with putting the Mermaid Scale in the statue). It shows us things that we previously couldn’t see.
- Ocarina. The Ocarina is… very vital in this game; it makes traveling more effortless, and it’s part of the main story progression. We can grab this item by beating the Dream Shrine.
The Fabulous Rewards: Seashell Mansion
Secret Seashells can be turned into the Seashell Mansion, which is found north of Catfish’s Maw and northeast of Ukuku Prairie).
There is a warp point to the right of the Mansion and two trees that will talk to Link in front of it. Once the Moblins on patrol in front of the Seashell Mansion are defeated, the trees will inform Link that it is a good idea to place bombs at hollow walls.
The Seashell Mansion will give Link rewards after he turns in a specific number of Seashells.
The Mansion is haunted by an entity referred to as The Spirit of the Mansion. The Spirit immanently greets Link when he enters to tell him that he should collect the Seashells and return them here to banish the darkness.
The main allure for gathering the Seashells would be upgrading Link’s Sword to the Koholint Sword (which the Spirit mentions when you first enter it). However, there are more rewards given before and even after!
Tell Me the Secrets: Seashell Overview
There are 50 Secret Seashells in Link’s Awakening to gather in the Nintendo Switch remake. In both of the Game Boy editions, there are 29 Secret Seashells to find. For this guide, I am focusing on the Nintendo Switch version.
Rewards
The 2019 edition of Link’s Awakening for the Nintendo Switch introduces many rewards for the Secret Seashells and many more of them to find.
It is worth noting that the 1993 version for the Game Boy and the DX version for the Game Boy Color only reward the Koholint Sword, for which you only need 20 Seashells (out of the 29 possible).
The rewards from the Seashell Mansion are as follows (for the 2019 Editon):
- 5 Secret Seashells: Piece of Heart
- 15 Secret Seashells: Seashell Sensor
- 30 Secret Seashells: Chamber Stone
- 40 Secret Seashells: Koholint Sword
- 50 Secret Seashells: +Rupees Chamber Dungeon Modifier
So… What Are These Rewards, Exactly?
Piece of Heart
The Piece of Heart is self-explanatory, following the same trend as the other Legend of Zelda games. Obtaining it gives you one-fourth of a heart container, and once you collect four of them, you gain a new heart in your health bar.
Seashell Sensor
This gift from the Seashell Mansion is quite handy! It sounds like a little jingle whenever there is a Secret Seashell nearby. It’s a step-in for the role BowWow would have filled at the beginning of the game when we went through Goponga Swamp.
Like BowWow would woof and hop around when there was a Secret Seashell nearby, the Seashell Sensor will play a tone. It’s not very directional, but it does its job well.
Chamber Stone
The Chamber Stone is used in Dampé’s Chamber Dungeons. After you present Dampé with the stone, he will craft a new chamber for you to use in the Dungeon Builder. This is useful, especially because Dampé does reward Link with a Seashell after completing one of the Chamber Challenges, Fill Up Your Hearts.
Notably, the Chamber Dungeons are only present in the Nintendo Switch version of Link’s Awakening.
Koholint Sword
The Spirit of the Mansion promises this massive payoff the moment you enter. The Koholint Sword is an upgraded, more powerful version of Link’s starting Sword.
The Koholint Sword doubles the damage of the original Sword.
+Rupees Chamber Dungeon Modifier
This is another one for Dampé’s Chamber Dungeons. This time, it’s a modifier instead of a dungeon tile. The Dungeon Modifiers are used in the Chamber Dungeons for specific effects or items to occur frequently. In this case, it’s +Rupees, which means that doing the Chamber Dungeons with this modifier will make it rain rupees throughout the dungeon.
Related Quests
Where to Find the Secret Seashells
For ease of collecting them as you play through the game, I will organize these based on which dungeons you should be at before you can collect these Seashells and their location.
Tail Cave
Mabe Village — Seashell(s) #01, #02, and #03
- Secret Seashell #01: The first Seashell, and one of the easiest to find accidentally, would be this one. You can find it by pulling up or cutting down the tall plants between the Store and the Trendy Game.
- Secret Seashell #02: This Seashell can be collected by playing the Trendy Game. The first can be collected through the Trendy Game, although the second requires further story completion.
- Secret Seashell #03: You need the Shovel for this Seashell, which is obtainable early in the game if we’re willing to grind grass for Rupees.
Toronbo Shores — Seashell(s) #04
- Secret Seashell #04: This Seashell is found by traveling down to Toronbo Shores, where we will find a log facing the water. We need to dig in the lowest leftmost corner, next to the wall, for this Seashell.
Bottle Grotto
Tabahl Wasteland — Seashell(s) #05
- Secret Seashell #05: This one is buried along the eastern side of the graveyard area, with all the funky trees. If we have BowWow or the Seashell Sensor, it makes it slightly easier to locate. Just dig up the Seashell to grab it!
Mysterious Forest — Seashell(s) #06 and #07
- Secret Seashell #06: This Seashell can be found in the center of a square of flowers in the forest, near where we can grab the Sleepy Toadstool. We need to dig and grab it.
- Secret Seashell #07: This one is found after digging in a circle of leaves near Mr. Write’s house (to the south of his house).
Koholint Prairie — Seashell(s) #08
- Secret Seashell #08: This Seashell can be found surrounded by lily-pad-looking shrubbery and some grass, below where we find Ghost’s grave. We need to dig in the center and pick up the Seashells.
Tail Cave — Seashell(s) #09
- Secret Seashell #09: There is a bombable wall in Tail Cave near the area where we pick up the Nightmare Key. After we put the bomb down and blow up the wall, we can enter the room, open the chest, and snatch the Seashell.
Key Cavern
Seashell Mansion — Seashell(s) #10
- Secret Seashell #10: We can cut down some shrubbery next to the Seashell Mansion and its warp point. After we hit the one in the upper right corner, we can grab the Seashell.
Mysterious Forest — Seashell(s) #11
- Secret Seashell #11: After we obtain the Power Bracelet from Bottle Grotto, we can move a boulder from in front of a log in this area; this can be done both after completing Bottle Grotto and during it.
Angler’s Tunnel
Richard’s Villa — Seashell(s) #12
- Secret Seashell #12: This Seashell is found after giving Richard all five Golden Leaves. He gives you access to a tunnel system beneath his villa, and we can deviate from the path a little. Push the rock before this chest into the abyss, jump over, and open it to receive this Seashell.
Ukuku Prarie — Seashell(s) #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, and #18
- Secret Seashell #13: This Seashell is found in the stone maze of Moblins in Ukuku Prairie. There’s one lone bolder at the edge of the labyrinth; all we have to do is pick it up to gain the Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #14: There is a bombable wall in the Moblin Maze, so we must blow that up and go through the tunnel. After we exit the tunnel, we’ll come out on a higher area with an Owl Statue; we need to dig to the southwest of the statue.
- Secret Seashell #15: This Seashell requires us to have the Pegasus Boots. We must dash into the tree next to the Telephone Tree just east of Mabe Village.
- Secret Seashell #16: We must blow up a skull-shaped rock for this Seashell, and after the fireworks, we need to dig in the center of where the stone used to be.
- Secret Seashell #17: This Seashell requires us to dig in the center of a patch of grass just north of Key Cavern’s entrance.
- Secret Seashell #18: This Seashell is just west of Tail Cave; one tree will be away from the others. We need to use the Pegasus Boots to dash into it to free our prize.
Martha’s Bay — Seashell(s) #19
- Secret Seashell #19: This Seashell is hidden underneath a plant surrounded by grass in Martha’s Bay, just east of the Telephone Tree. We need to cut down the grass to find the Seashell.
Goponga Swamp — Seashell(s) #20
- Secret Seashell #20: This Seashell lives under a rock near Bottle Grotto’s entrance. We need to pick up the stone slightly away from the other two that block the path to the Grotto to unearth this one.
Toronbo Shores — Seashell(s) #21
- Secret Seashell #21: This Seashell is hidden up a palm tree south of Mabe Village. It’s the tree closest to the stairs, away from the rest. We must dash into the tree to knock our Secret Shell loose.
Catfish’s Maw
Martha’s Bay — Seashell(s) #22
- Secret Seashell #22: This Seashell is unmissable; it’s part of a requirement for completing the mini-quest that Ghost provides us. They demand that Link takes the Seashell before departing their home.
Tal Tal Heights — Seashell(s) #23
- Secret Seashell #23: For this Seashell, we just need to send a bomb down the hole next to the warp point in Tal Tal Heights.
Ukuku Prairie — Seashell(s) #24
- Secret Seashell #24: This Seashell requires the Flippers to get to. After swimming to the small island, we can either slash or pull up the plant that the shell is resting under.
Goponga Swamp — Seashell(s) #25
- Secret Seashell #25: This Seashell is near Mr. Write’s house and Goponga Swamp. To unearth this one, we must dig a small dirt spot beside a long grass line.
Yarna Desert — Seashell(s) #26, #27, and #28
- Secret Seashell #26: This Secret Seashell is buried in the sands in the Yarna Desert. We need to locate the funkily laid out cacti and dig in their middle opening to find this Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #27: This Seashell is chilling underneath a bolder in the Yarna Desert, down a long pathway.
- Secret Seashell #28: After returning from the Yarna Desert, we need to stop at the spot where we previously met the walrus. We need to play The Ballad of The Wind Fish we learned from Marin on our Ocarina, and the walrus will return and give us a Secret Seashell.
Face Shrine
Dampe’s Shack (Chamber Dungeons) — #29
- Secret Seashell #29: Dampe will have new Chamber Dungeon Challenges for us after completing Catfish’s Maw. One of these will be a challenge named Fill Up Your Hearts, and after we finish this dare, Dampe will reward us with a Secret Seashell.
Animal Village — Seashell(s) #30 and #31
- Secret Seashell #30: This Seashell is given to Link in conjunction with the Trading Quest. After giving Christine’s letter to Mr. Write and letting her know we did what she asked, she will provide us with a Secret Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #31: After completing the entirety of the Trading Quest and putting the Mermaid Scale in the Mermaid Statue, we will receive a Magnifying Glass. This allows us to see things we couldn’t previously, including one of Animal Village’s residents, a Zora. This little guy gives us a Seashell as proof of his peaceful will.
Ancient Ruins — Seashell(s) #32 and #33
- Secret Seashell #32: Near the center of the ruins, we can find two Armos statues. Tap the lower Armos to awaken it and reveal a staircase below it; go down the stairs, and open the chest to gain this Secret Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #33: In the northeast area of the Ancient Ruins, there’s a stone maze where we can find one bolder in the corner. Lift the rock to obtain this Seashell.
Martha’s Bay — Seashell(s) #34 and #35
- Secret Seashell #34: This Seashell is another that needs the Flippers to get to. Just east of Catfish’s Maw, there’s an island with an Owl Statue on it. Swim over to the island, and use the shovel to dig next to the statue to find this Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #35: Once again needing the Flippers, this Seashell is located on a tiny island just south of Martha’s Bay. Swim down and around, cut down the plant, and the Seashell will reveal itself to us.
Mabe Village — Seashell(s) #36, #37, and #38
- Secret Seashell #36: This Seashell is the second Seashell obtained at the Trendy Game. We can only get this one after completing Catfish’s Maw.
- Secret Seashell #37: This Seashell is obtained after catching our first Blooper at the fishing pod in Mabe Village. We can tell there’s a unique fish in the pond if it has a glowing spot in the overworld.
- Secret Seashell #38: Seashell obtained another fishing reward after catching our first CheepCheep.
Kanalet Castle — Seashell(s) #39 and #40
- Secret Seashell #39: This Seashell requires the Flippers. Swim around the moat at Kanalet Castle, and dive under the leftmost waterfall to get this Seashell.
- Secret Seashell #40: Once again near Kanalet Castle, this Seashell requires the Hookshot to obtain. There’s a long line of bottomless pits near Kanalet Castle, and all we need to do is Hookshot to the stump on the other side. Afterward, we go down the stairs and open the chest for reward.
Rapids Ride — Seashell(s) #41 and #42
- Secret Seashell #41: This Seashell is obtained during the Rapids Ride and is best obtained during the Rapids Raid setting. There’s an island on the left side of the rapids map that appears to have nothing on it. We must use the Hookshot to grapple our way there and dig up the Seashell from the top right corner.
- Secret Seashell #42: This Seashell is a reward from the Rapids Race. We must complete the race in under 35 seconds to win this Secret Seashell. I recommend getting familiar with the Rapids map by doing Rapids Raid several times before trying to get this Seashell.
Face Shrine — Seashell(s) #43
- Secret Seashell #43: This Seashell is found while we’re completing the Face Shrine. We can take up some stairs in one of the dungeon’s rooms that put us on this closed-off island in the rapids map. Open the chest to loot this Seashell.
Eagle’s Tower
Tal Tal Heights — #44, #45, #46, and #47
- Secret Seashell #44: This Seashell is found by diving under a waterfall in Tal Tal Heights after traveling far enough to the east to reach some deep water next to a tall ladder.
- Secret Seashell #45: This Seashell is one that we have to toss a bomb down a pit for. Throw a bomb down the lower hole that we can’t climb to, near the Hen House, and the Seashell will be spat out.
- Secret Seashell #46: This Seashell is hidden under a rock east of the Hen House. It’s the corner most rock in the configuration of three.
- Secret Seashell #47: We find this Seashell in a chest after blowing up a wall in a cave on our way to Eagle’s Tower.
Mt. Tamaranch — Seashell(s) #48 and #49
- Secret Seashell #48: After traveling west of the Hen House, past the falling boulders, we will find a series of rocks to pick up. This Seashell is tucked under the stone in the northeast corner.
- Secret Seashell #49: This Seashell is found after digging in the center of a circle of rocks just east of the entrance of Turtle Rock.
Eagle’s Tower — Seashell(s) #50
- Secret Seashell #50: The final Seashell is one that we find while completing Eagle’s Tower. After defeating the Red Hinox miniboss, we can fall a hole in the left side of the room and head up a screen from where we landed to find the chest holding this Seashell.
FAQs
Question: What do you get for all 50 Secret Seashells?
Answer: Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening rewards us with a rain of Rupees (foreshadowing…) and a Chamber Stone for our troubles after collecting all 50 Secret Seashells. The Chamber Stone is the Rupees+ Modifier, making Rupees rain while completing a Chamber Dungeon.
Question: How do you use the Seashell Sensor in Link’s Awakening?
Answer: The Seashell Senor isn’t something that we need to put any brain power out to use. It sounds off automatically whenever there’s a Secret Seashell nearby.
Question: How many seashells do you need to get the sword in Link’s Awakening?
Answer: We only need 40 Secret Seashells to get the Koholint Sword in Link’s Awakening.
Link’s Awakening Seashells Guide: Conclusion
The Secret Seashells in Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening can be rather cumbersome to collect, but it is ultimately worth it. If we disregard an obsession with collecting Rupees (…and completionism), however, it’s likely only worth getting the 40 Secret Seashells required for the Koholint Sword.