Dungeons in theLegend of Zeldagames are effectively giant puzzles. A series of interconnected rooms that are to be figured out using only cryptic clues. Like most game developers, the Zelda game designers have to tread a fine line between making puzzles challenging without being frustrating.

They get the balance right more often than not, but there have been a fair few that are closer to the frustrating side of the spectrum. With the games from back in the day, when the internet wasn't widely available, all the player could do was struggle along and hope to find the answers.

This article contains spoilers.

10/10 Joloo Nah Shrine In Breath Of The Wild Is A Test Of Nerve

legend of zelda breath of the wild Joloo Nah shrine

The Joloo Nah shrine consists of two puzzle-filled rooms, but the most frustrating has to be in the final room. Link has to light up every torch on different sides of a cube, which the player can manipulate.

Fountains pouring out water from either side of the cube, which can put out the flames, meaning the cube has to be spun around in just the right way for all the torches to remain lit. After spending enough time trying to light all the torches only to see them get repeatedly snuffed out with such ease, it can seem like an exercise in cruelty.

9/10 Jabu Jabu's Dungeon In Oracle Of Ages Is A Watery Nightmare

legend of zelda oracle of ages jabu babus belly

Even with a guide, Jabu Jabu's Belly inOracle of Ages can be very confusing and it's filled with challenging puzzles. One of the more frustrating aspects of it is that if Link falls down one of the black holes found throughout the dungeon, he'll have to start from the beginning and work his way back to where he was/

But since the flow of the water had to be adjusted initially, it's not easy to remember how to get back.

8/10 Bottom Of The Well In Ocarina Of Time Requires Time-Traveling Detective Work

legend of Zelda Song of Storms ocarina of time

For those who played Ocarina of Time on the N64, in a time without instant access to walkthroughs, this certainly wasn't an easy one to figure out. As well as requiring the player to be a time-traveling detective, this puzzle requires Link to learn a song as an adult and use it as a child in order to lower the water in the well in Kakariko Village to gain access to a mini-dungeon that holds a very useful item.

Once he's learned the Song of Storms, he has to go back to the past and play it to Guru Guru in the Windmill.

7/10 Mirro Shaz Shrine In Breath Of The Wild Requires A Lot Of Patience

legend of zelda breath of the wild mirro shaz shrine

This one is simple in practice, but a lot harder in execution. A sphere sits on a pedestal and Link has to use the Stasis Rune on the sphere, hitting it with the Iron Sledgehammer with just enough power for it to land on a platform in the middle of a platform that stands behind a fence in a body of water a good distance away.

Tempering the power of the Iron Sledgehammer is key as the receptacle is unforgiving, so the placement has to be just right.

6/10 Stone Tower Temple In Majora's Mask Is Super Tricky Even Without The Added Time Pressure

legend of zelda majora's mask stone tower temple

The Stone Tower Temple in Majora's Mask requires Link to go back and forth a lot, and the fact that the player has to work within a time limit adds unwanted pressure. There's no grace period with this temple, as shown in the first room in which Link has to hookshot up to a platform between falling boulders.

It's not easy to keep track of where to go, and if the player wants to find all the fairies, with all the exiting and re-entering they'll have to do they'll have to be prepared emotionally.

legend of zelda link's awakening turtle rock

Turtle Rock brings back some Nintendo hard of old, being that it's a remake of a 1993 Game Boy game. Probably the hardest dungeon in the game, it's very tough to work out where to go and what to do and it can take a good amount of trial and error.

It's a puzzle that just keeps going, room after room, with seemingly insurmountable obstacles at every turn. Whether it's paving over the floor or figuring out how to get around the ice blocks, there are enough puzzles here to make players at least slightly resentful.

4/10 The Guardian Statues In Twilight Princess Just Won't Cooperate

legend of Zelda twilight princess guardian statue

In order to enter a locked door at the Sacred Grove, Wolf Link will need to solve a puzzle involving two guardian statues. Every move Wolf Link makes will cause the statues to move as well, and after howling to activate the puzzle, he has to get the statues to stand on two specific platforms in front of the door.

Hours can be spent hopping around the platforms, just hoping that the statues will align and end the blood-curdling frustration.

3/10 Keo Ruug Shrine In Breath Of The Wild Is A Cryptic Constellation Conundrum

legend of zelda breath of the wild keo ruug shrine

Shrines in Breath of the Wild don't generally give obvious clues as to how to solve a puzzle, but the Keo Ruug shrine has to be one of the most cryptic. A sign above the stairs says: "Look to the stars for guidance. The constellations are the key." In front of the stairs is a wall adorned with constellations, but it's quite a leap from seeing the constellations to correlating them to the ones on walls to the left and right.

20 sphere receptacles are in front of each constellation, 10 on each side, with torches numbering one to five against the wall. Place a sphere inside the receptacle that corresponds to the number of times the constellations appear on the main wall of constellations to solve the puzzle and open the door or open a gate for a Knight's Claymore.

2/10 The Water Temple In Ocarina Of Time Still Upsets Players Today

Games legend of zelda ocarina of time water temple

The Water Temple in Ocarina of Time is infamous for infuriating Zelda fans with how complex and tedious it is. One of the major gripes with players of the N64 version of the game was that it required Link to pause to put on and take off his Iron Boots, as opposed to the 3DS version, in which the Iron Boots are a button item.

There's still a lot to appreciate about the dungeon in terms of design, and players who like a challenge will appreciate its non-linearity and lack of hand-holding, but for a lot of players, it was nothing short of tedious and annoying.

1/10 The Sacred Crest In Phantom Hourglass Is A Real Stamp Stumper

legend of zelda phantom hourglass link shocked

"Press the sacred crest against the sea chart to transfer it." The instruction sounds simple enough, and yet this is one of the most infuriating puzzles in the entire Legend of Zelda series. This one has seen many gamers furiously tapping and pressing and scribbling on their DS screen, only for the puzzle to be left unsolved.

In order to solve it, the player must open the sea chart and access the Southwestern Sea Chart, then close their DS. Upon reopening, the player will see the crest imprinted on their map. So simple it hurts.

NEXT: Skyward Sword HD: 10 Changes That Were Made From The Original