In the grand scheme of things, masks in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask are more time consuming to get than they are difficult. The act of getting the mask is often simple enough, but the journey there can be long, arduous, and at times obtuse. Being the hardest of the 3D Zelda games, Majora’s Mask is not interested in handholding anyone who doesn’t own a 3DS.
Not much in Majora’s Mask actually comes down to being in the right place at the right time, but piecing together how everyone and everything fits together in a 72-hour calendar is admittedly tough and overwhelming. Getting used to Termina enough to navigate and find masks on your own is something that needs to be built up to. Until then, suffer for those masks.
10 Goron Mask
The Goron Mask is the only of the main transformation masks to require Link put in effort, and not just a little either. There’s a good bit of gameplay that goes into actually getting the Goron Mask. Aside from having to traverse just about all of North Termina save for Snowhead, players need to jump across invisible platforms, get the Lens of Truth, and follow Darmani back across the area.
It’s not really all that hard, but it’s nice to see The Legend of Zelda pepper its main content with some actual challenge. Getting to the Lens of Truth isn’t that easy, and a careless player might find themselves out of magic by the time they need to climb up some invisible ladders. It makes getting the Goron Mask far more dynamic than the Deku or Zora.
9 Stone Mask (3DS)
Of all the asinine changes Nintendo could have made to Majora’s Mask, moving Shiro from Ikana Valley to the Pirate Fortress was just… why, Aonuma, why? To get the Stone Mask, players need to spot Shiro with the Lens of Truth and then give him a Red Potion. Simple enough and incredibly easy in the N64 more.
As the Pirate’s Fortress has no pots for magic, and Zora Swimming now requires magic to function as intended, it’s entirely possible for players to reach Shiro with no magic to see him. Worse yet, the Stone Mask is now considerably less useful. Where it was once a clever workaround to the Pirate Fortress, players are now forced to stealth through at the very least the first half.
8 All-Night Mask (N64)
While triggering this mask is simple enough, actually getting your hands on is a different matter entirely. Save the old woman from Sakon on the night of the first day (around midnight) and the All-Night Mask will appear in the Curiosity Shop after 10 pm on the night of the final day. Uh-oh, problem, the mask costs 500 Rupees and players are locked at a max of 200 until the Great Bay is unlocked.
Getting the Giant’s Wallet requires finding all 30 Gold Skulltula Tokens in the Oceanside Spider House on the first day, in one day– on the Nintendo 64 version at least. Should Link fail to complete it on that first day, he won’t get the wallet. The 3DS version, mercifully, makes it so Link can get the wallet regardless of which day he finished the Spider House.
7 Don Gero’s Mask
After soothing the Goron Chief’s son, Link will be able to light the torches inside of the Goron Village. Upon doing so, the center chandelier will spin and Link will be able to crash into parts of the chandelier to potentially drop down some rock-meat. It’s basically the center urn puzzle from Ocarina of Time, but with a twist.
Upon grabbing that meat, Link has to carry it across the village and through aggressive enemies to deliver it to a hungry Goron. Link moves very slowly and he has no way of fighting back. It’s possible to get through without taking any damage, but it requires knowing the lay of the land and enemy patterns based off how they’re spawned.
6 Mask Of Scents
If there’s one mask that’s guaranteed to go unused by most players, it’s the Mask of Scents. Not only is its use incredibly specific– albeit useful since it nets Mushrooms for Blue Potions– the Mask of Scents’ purpose isn’t immediately clear and getting it isn’t all that simple. After finishing Woodfall Temple, Link can challenge the Deku Butler to a race.
With the Bunny Ears, it’s perfectly manageable if occasionally tense. Without them, get ready to sweat. It’s surprisingly easy to lose complete track of him, and going too fast with the Bunny Ears can be equally damning. It’s a race about patience and going fast enough to keep up while slow enough not to plummet Link to his death.
5 Mask Of Truth
As it can be entered before the Oceanside Spider House, logic dictates the Swamp Spider House would be easier. It isn’t. It’s not hard, but it requires players to actually be prepared. As a few Skulltula are easier reached with the Hookshot, and a certain jump is made far less tricky with Bunny Hood, entering too early will require players to put in a lot of effort for one mask.
Without the Hookshot, Link will need Magic Beans and Spring Water, along with Bugs and Arrows for his bow. It’s possible, but it’s a pain and players really are just better off returning later on in the game. It does, unfortunately, mean missing out on a lot of Gossip Stones, though, so there are benefits to powering through and getting the Mask of Truth early.
4 Postman’s Mask
What makes the Postman’s Mask particularly hard to get is the fact that it’s: A) tied to the end of a very lengthy and challenging side quest; and, B) completely out of Link’s path. To get the mask, players need to exit Sakon’s hideout after getting the Sun Musk, head back to Clock Town, and– against all better judgment– give the Postman a piece of mail players were specifically told to deliver to Kafei’s mother– who kick starts this whole quest.
It only makes narrative and thematic sense for Link to give the letter to Madame Aroma, but finding the Postman instead nets Link a mask and a subsequent Heart Piece. It’s baffling and challenging, but details like these make Majora’s Mask the masterpiece it is. All these minor characters exist with their own arcs.
3 Romani Mask
The Romani Mask is tied to two fairly involved side quests, the second of which easier but still not necessarily easy. The first side quest requires Link come to Romani Ranch, complete Romani’s minigame, tame Epona, and then return to help defend the barn from aliens for a few hours. It’s tense and slowing downtime will only drag things out. Pro tip: wear the Bunny Hood, do not ride Epona.
After defeating the aliens, Cremia– Romani’s older sister– will offer to drive Link back to Clock Town on the evening of the second day. Accompany her and the Gorman Brothers will ambush the carriage. Link will then have to fight back with arrows, but he thankfully has an infinite amount for this sequence. After all this work, indulge in some Chateau Romani courtesy of the Romani Mask.
2 Couple’s Mask
The ultimate reward for completing the incredibly long Anju & Kafei sidequest (called Anju’s Anguish in the 3DS remake), the Couple’s Mask will require players knock out a chain of events over the course of an entire three-day cycle, ending roughly an hour before the Moon falls by the time it’s truly over.
It’s long and one little error means restarting, but it’s a dynamic quest that demands players understand the time system, how characters interact with the world, and the schedules of all the main players. It’s incredibly rewarding to fulfill and Sakon’s Hideout gave fans control of someone who wasn’t Link for the first time.
1 Fierce Deity’s Mask
When it comes down to it, the mask that requires players to get every other mask in the game is a pretty safe bet for “hardest to get.” To finally get the Fierce Deity’s Mask, players need to collect every map, finish the genuinely challenging Moon Dungeons, and then challenge Majora with only their transformation masks left.
Thankfully, the Fierce Deity’s Mask tears through Majora easily. That might be disappointing to some, but the Moon Dungeons really are far and away harder than anything in the game. The Gyorg one in the 3DS remake is a particular nightmare, arguably one of the hardest areas in a 3D Zelda.
NEXT: The Legend Of Zelda: The 10 Worst Things That Happened To Link, Ranked
