Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2) Guide: How to Unlock the Hidden 6th Empty Bottle in 30 Seconds (All 6 Locations)
While the original Nintendo 64 classic and the Nintendo 3DS version strictly capped Link's inventory at four bottles, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time officially raised that carry limit to 5 Empty Bottles. However, a clever secret tucked inside the remake's new Boss Rush mode actually makes a hidden 6th Empty Bottle available to unlock in mere seconds, without even having to win a single boss fight.
How to Unlock the Hidden 6th Empty Bottle in the Hall of Fallen Foes
Beyond the brand-new fifth bottle introduced early in the Hyrule Castle Town Potion Shop, the Nintendo Switch 2 remake hides a sixth Empty Bottle source inside its flagship new gameplay feature: the Hall of Fallen Foes.
Unlocking the Hall of Fallen Foes happens naturally along the main story path. After defeating Phantom Ganon at the end of the Forest Temple as Adult Link, return the Master Sword to its pedestal in the Temple of Time to travel back to your childhood for the first time, then enter Kakariko Village. The owl Kaepora Gaebora will appear and confirm that you can now visit the Hall of Fallen Foes whenever you want by sleeping in any usable bed across Hyrule (such as Link's bed in Kokiri Forest). Speaking of Kakariko Village and Castle Town's hidden gems, completionists wearing the Mask of Truth can also uncover the hilarious secret behind the Honey and Darling couple in Ocarina of Time on Switch 2 before Ganondorf's takeover.
Once you are inside the dream world of the Hall of Fallen Foes, follow these three quick steps to claim the secret bottle:
- Step 1: Examine Kaepora Gaebora's statue and start the very first Boss Rush challenge, the Trial of the Spiritual Stones.
- Step 2: As soon as you spawn inside the initial preparation room (facing the statue of Queen Gohma), look for the two Deku Business Scrubs standing on either side of the chamber and speak to the Business Scrub on the left.
- Step 3: The left Business Scrub rewards you with a free Empty Bottle just for talking to him. As long as you do not already hold the maximum of 5 Empty Bottles in your inventory, he tells Link he can keep it permanently!
The best part of this shortcut is that you do not even need to complete the Trial of the Spiritual Stones. The moment the Business Scrub hands over the bottle, you can immediately quit the challenge and wake up: the extra Empty Bottle remains permanently stored in your main inventory.
The 5-Bottle Inventory Cap and How It Affects the Biggoron Sword Quest
Why is there a sixth Empty Bottle if the Nintendo Switch 2 remake caps your inventory slots at five? Because the game actually provides 6 distinct ways to fill those 5 maximum bottle slots.
If you have already collected all five bottles from the main overworld before entering the Hall of Fallen Foes, you will not be able to carry a sixth one simultaneously. However, grabbing this hidden bottle right after clearing the Forest Temple is a massive time-saver that lets you lock in your fifth bottle slot without grinding through lengthy side quests like hunting all ten Big Poes across Hyrule Field. Similarly, if you pick up this bottle before finishing the Biggoron Sword trading sequence, the World's Finest Eyedrops given by the Lakeside Laboratory scientist will simply fill one of the bottles already in your pouch rather than granting an extra slot.
All 6 Empty Bottle Locations in Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Switch 2)
To help you plan your route efficiently, here is the complete breakdown of all six Empty Bottle sources in the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, and remember you can also use our corner trick guide to beat Talon's Super Cucco minigame in 30 seconds on your first visit to Lon Lon Ranch:
| Bottle | Location / Quest | Timeline | How to Unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottle #1 (New on Switch 2) | Hyrule Castle Town Potion Shop | Child Link | Speak to the panicked shopkeeper on the east side of Market Town and catch the escaped golden bug on the floor using his bottle; he lets you keep the bottle along with a Red Potion. |
| Bottle #2 | Lon Lon Ranch (Talon's Game) | Child Link | After waking Talon at Hyrule Castle, pay 10 Rupees inside his ranch house and find the 3 Super Cuccos within 30 seconds to earn a bottle filled with Lon Lon Milk. |
| Bottle #3 | Kakariko Village (Cucco Lady) | Child Link | Track down all 7 runaway Cuccos scattered around Kakariko Village, toss them into the pen next to Impa's house, and talk to Anju. |
| Bottle #4 | Lake Hylia (Ruto's Letter) | Child Link | Obtain the Silver Scale in Zora's Domain, dive to the bottom of Lake Hylia to retrieve the submerged bottle, and deliver Princess Ruto's Letter to King Zora. |
| Bottle #5 | Hyrule Field (Poe Collector) | Adult Link | Hunt down all 10 Big Poes across Hyrule Field on horseback using Epona and the Fairy Bow, then sell them to the Poe Collector in the ruined Market guardhouse (1,000 points). |
| Bottle #6 (Hidden Switch 2) | Hall of Fallen Foes (Trial of the Spiritual Stones) | Child / Adult | After clearing the Forest Temple and meeting Kaepora Gaebora in Kakariko Village, sleep in a bed, start the Trial of the Spiritual Stones, and speak to the left Deku Business Scrub (kept even if you quit right away). |
The Strategist's Take
While Chayane is still up past midnight waxing poetic about the dreamlike atmosphere of the Hall of Fallen Foes and psychoanalyzing the Castle Town lovers, my inner optimizer only has eyes for how much routing time this discovery saves. Locking in your fifth bottle slot in thirty seconds flat from a generous Deku Business Scrub without spending a single Rupee or chasing ten Big Poes across Hyrule Field completely streamlines the second half of the game. Whether you want to stock five Fairies before facing Bongo Bongo or haul multiple loads of Blue Fire through the Ice Cavern in a single trip, make sure to take a nap in your Kokiri bed right after clearing the Forest Temple, just in case Nintendo eventually patches out this wonderfully convenient loophole!
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Born and based in Montreal's Mile End district, Maëlle "Kaelen" became close friends with Chaya during their university software engineering years, bonding over late-night coding labs, campus LANs, and World of Warcraft raids alongside Grimtag and Heimdall. A game systems balancing consultant and lifelong theorycrafter, she cut her teeth in the early 2010s writing boss walkthroughs, frame-data breakdowns, and competitive meta guides for specialized French-language MMORPG and esports portals, including Mondes Persistants, as well as North American strategy collections. On Pro-Gamer, she leads in-depth walkthroughs, build optimization, and tactical esports coverage.
