Shield Upgrades
- 1 Forge the Shield upgrade
- 1.1 Obtain the Blue Ore
- 1.2 Find the Red Ore
- 1.3 Melt the ores together
- 1.4 Visit the Subrosian Smithy
- 2 Redeem the Shield secret
- 2.1 Meet the Ghini on the coast
- 2.2 Visit the Master Librarian
- 2.3 Redeem the secret with Farore
1 Forge the Shield upgrade
Requirements: Magnetic Gloves
There are two upgrades for the Shield in Oracle of Seasons. However, only one of them can be performed in a normal game as one of the two upgrades requires a password in a linked game. However, if you are playing a linked game, you can technically do these upgrades in either order. Whichever method you complete first will give you the Iron Shield, and the latter will grant the Mirror Shield. However, we’ll assume that you’ll get the Iron Shield from the in-game sidequest.
1.1 Obtain the Blue Ore
Head to Subrosia, preferably either via the Horon Village portal or the Mt. Cucco portal (though any portal will do in the grand scheme of things). You’ll first want to head all the way over to the house near the Horon Village and Mt. Cucco portals where you met the Subrosians that forced you to play the hide-and-seek game. Don’t enter their house; the Blue Ore is hidden in a different area.
Head north, west, and north. Use Roc’s Feather to jump over the potholes. Quickly head west and south to get away from the grumbling volcanoes. You’ll see a long row of potholes in the ground. With north polarity, pull yourself over the gap with the Magnetic Gloves. From there, head east one screen. Open the chest to find the Blue Ore.
-
- You can find the Blue Ore on the far west side of Subrosia once you get the Magnetic Gloves.
1.2 Find the Red Ore
Pull yourself over the long string of potholes via the Magnetic Gloves. The Red Ore awaits on the other side.
While the Blue Ore is in western Subrosia, the Red Ore is all the way in eastern Subrosia. Escape the woods the way you came in, and then head southeast, past the Mt. Cucco portal, and then passing the staircase that ultimately leads to the Tower of Autumn. Use Roc’s Feather to jump over the lava rivers and then the Magnetic Gloves to pull yourself over the gap. If you head north, this will place you at the Subrosian shop.
From the Subrosian shop, head east three screens. On that last screen, you’ll need to reuse the Magnetic Gloves to pull you across (though a Pegasus Seed will also do the trick). Once on the other side, head south, and then use the Magnetic Gloves once more to pull yourself over the gap.
Enter the cave on the other side, and then simply walk upstairs. The Red Ore will be in the chest waiting for you.
1.3 Melt the ores together
These two ores can’t be used on their own; they need to be melted together. Exit the cave, and then use the Magnetic Gloves to repel you back over the row of potholes. Head east, jump over the lava river, and then head east again. This will place you at the Sign-loving Subrosian’s house. If you head northwest from there, you’ll arrive at the Subrosian Great Furnace.
Head to the far back and talk to the blue Subrosian with a band around his head. Talking to him will allow you to fuse the two ores together into the Hard Ore.
-
- The Great Forge of Subrosia is the place to go for all your metallurgy.
-
- Take the Red and Blue Ores and create a much better ore.
1.4 Visit the Subrosian Smithy
It’s time to head to the Subrosian Smithy to get your shield. To get there from here, head east, south, west twice, and then north. Repel yourself over the long gap, and then head west and north to enter the Temple of Seasons district. Hop over the lava river, ascend the steps heading left, and then head west four times, passing an active volcano as you do so.
Inside you’ll talk to the Smithy. If you have the Shield and the Hard Ore in possession, the Master of the smithy will offer to upgrade your Shield. When asked what you want to say to the Master, specify “Do whatever.” (The former dialog choice will merely insult the Master.) He’ll immediately get to work, and you’ll have the Iron Shield in your possession in mere moments.
-
- The Subrosian Smithy is found on a long peninsula in Subrosia.
-
- The Smithy is eccentric. Just let him do what he wants; it’ll be right.
2 Redeem the Shield secret
Requirements: Playing a Linked Game, Ancient Ruins completed, Pirate Ship moved into position
The second of the two shield upgrades is performed via a linking secret between Oracle of Seasons and Ages.
2.1 Meet the Ghini on the coast
Once you’ve managed to help out the pirates by getting them out of the sand and onto the sea (and then subsequently back to shore), not to mention reuniting Queen Ambi with her pirate cap’n, exit the ship via the western plank. Then immediately head north two screens to find a lone cottage.
Enter it, and you’ll find a small ghost haunting the place. Talk to the Ghini, and it will tell you about a secret about a library long ago in history. It will give you a five-character password that will take you on an epic quest in Labrynna’s past.
2.2 Visit the Master Librarian
Use a Gale Seed to warp to the past-era Zora Village. Head north two screens, and then take the narrow channel eastward out to sea. Travel eastward two more screens, go ashore, and then go east once more to reach the library. Go inside, and then immediately head back to the back room.
You need to talk to that Master Librarian. Unfortunately for you, he’s behind that great long invisible walkway. And even with your advanced weaponry, there’s no easy way to shortcut this. You have to go around the long way. Read the books to remember the pathway around the library. Once you reach the Master Librarian, give him the code you got from the Ghini. In order to buy your silence to not spread that scandalous secret, he’ll upgrade your shield. If this is your first upgrade, you’ll get the Iron Shield. Otherwise, it will be the Mirror Shield.
-
- Have fun retreading the invisible walkway to the Master Librarian.
2.3 Redeem the secret with Farore
Naturally, to get the extra shield upgrade back to Holodrum, listen to the Master Librarian’s secret. Then head back to Horon Village, and enter the Maku Tree. Deliver the secret to Farore, and she’ll hook you up.
