The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds owned by Nintendo.
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Main Walkthrough

Poor Mother Maiamai! Her babies have flown the coop, and she doesn't have the wherewithal (or energy, it seems) to look for them herself. Link will have to scour Hyrule and Lorule to find all one hundred Maiamai children and return them to their bereaved mama. This guide will help you locate all one hundred Maiamai, as well as provide details as to the prizes you receive for tracking them down.
The Maiamai map provided by the game separates both Hyrule and Lorule into distinct areas which you can search for Maiamai. I don't always abide by the distinctions on the map, as they're not always specific enough. Nevertheless, this guide will take you to all of the Maiamai.
Hunting Maiamai
Want to find these critters on your own? Here are some tips to get you started.
- First, Maiamai appear in Hyrule and Lorule alike.
- Second, Maiamai are loosely tallied by location on your map if you hit the Maiamai toggle. This is very helpful for narrowing down your search areas.
- Maiamai are hidden in many places, but they seem to like using similar tactics for remaining put. Many Maiamai hide under rocks, bushes, or skulls; others cling to walls, and can only be pulled free if you merge with the wall and pop out behind them; yet others hide in trees or on statues, and must be dislodged by dashing into their perch and tossing them onto the ground. Some hide in water and require Zora Flippers to reach; a few even hide in sand, and must be dug up using the Sand Rod.
- All Maiamai, regardless of their hiding spot, emit a high-pitched cry. This is a sure sign that a Maiamai is on your current screen. The closer you are to the Maiamai, the louder the cry.
- Last, very important for narrowing down your searches, Maiamai are not found indoors. Not in caves, not in dungeons, not in houses. They're always outside. You may have to go through structures to get to a Maiamai, but it will, ultimately, be outside. Fortunately, this means that you will never find a Maiamai in a dungeon, nor will a dungeon ever lead you to a Maiamai.
Hyrule Maiamai
Hyrule Castle
- There's a Maiamai latched onto the back of Link's House.
- One screen west of Link's House is a grove of trees. Dash into the lone tree on the right side of the screen, within view of some apples, to knock a Maiamai out of hiding.
- Look on the right side of the rock field to the east of Hyrule Castle. A Maiamai is sitting atop the eastern-most rock. Knock it down with a dash.
- Dash into the tree on the northwest side of the Castle to find a Maiamai.
- Head north to the Sanctuary. To the left of the entrance, stuck to a cliff, is a Maiamai.
- Southwest of the Castle entrance is a series of tiles planted into the grass. Whip them up with the Tornado Rod to find a Maiamai.
Kakariko Village
- Grab a cucco and use it to fly from the elder's house to the house with the purple roof, down and to the right. On the roof is a rock. Lift it to find a Maiamai.
- There's a small sand pit in the yard behind the cucco shed. Use the Sand Rod on it to find a Maiamai.
- South of the grove near Kakariko Village is a cliff ledge you can only access via a crack in Lorule. Go through and you'll find yourself near a giant rock. Heave it up to find a Maiamai beneath.
- There's a Maiamai in the tree to the right of the Cucco Ranch.
- There's a Maiamai in the two bushes along the small river running from north to south beside Kakariko.
- Play Rupee Rush and check the southern wall of the play area for a Maiamai.
- Use the Tornado Rod on the tiles beside the Blacksmith's House to reveal a Maiamai.
- One screen north of the Blacksmith's House is a cluster of trees. Bash into a tree on the south end of this screen to find a Maiamai.
- North of Kakariko is a Fortune Teller's Tent. A Maiamai clings to the left side of the Tent.
Great Swamp
- Beside the buidling with the treasure hunter puzzle is a pool. At the bottom is a Maiamai.
- In the north is a cluster of nine statues, and sitting on the middle statue is a Maiamai. Smack into the statue with a dash to bring the Maiamai down.
- In the southeast corner of the Swamp are two statues set against a cliff wall. Blow up the wall between the statues with a Bomb to reveal a cave. Inside is a pool, at the bottom of which is a Maiamai.
Eastern Palace
- Check the grounds of the Eastern Palace for a line of posts blocking off a cache of rupees. North of here is a wall to merge with. It leads to a Maiamai.
- One screen south of the Eastern Palace, on the northeastern edge of (but not accessible from) Lake Hylia, is a canyon. You can merge with the wall by the entrance to this area and shimmy south to find a large rock. Hurl this rock aside to find a Maiamai.
- One screen north of the rock field beside Eastern Palace is a watery route with a bridge. At the base of the bridge, in the water, is a Maiamai.
- One screen south of Eastern Palace is a line of trees. Dash into the right-most tree to find a Maiamai.
- Head south towards Lake Hylia. Before getting there you'll find a tree with a Maiamai sitting on top.
Zora's Domain
- One screen west of the Witch's Hut is a watery crossroads. Jump into the water and swim north to find a Maiamai clinging to a wall.
- Enter the Witch's Hut and you'll find a Maiamai attached to her wall.
- Just south of the cave that's the official Zora's Domain is a small pool of water. A Maiamai sits at the bottom.
Lake Hylia
- A Maiamai is sitting right outside the cave where you first get the quest, attached to the wall.
- In the east end of Lake Hylia, just south of the Eastern Palace, is a small dock you can use to leap into the water. To the left of it is a Maiamai lounging in the deep water. Dive to retrieve it.
- Check the tile behind and to the right of the House of Gales. Use the Tornado Rod to reveal a Maiamai beneath.
- South of the House of Gales, lounging about in the water, is another Maiamai.
- Travel to the perch where the Hyrule Hotfoot starting point waits, on the eastern end of Lake Hylia. Merge with the wall and travel south to find a big rock. Use the Titans Mitts to pry it free and you'll find a Maiamai underneath.
- Look one screen north of Lake Hylia, near the bridge leading into the rocky fields east of Hyrule Castle. There's a Maiamai in the water beside the bridge.
Lost Woods
- There's one just south of the Miner's Shack, clinging to the cliff wall.
- Just south of the southern entrance are two stones blocking a path. Pick up the right one to find a Maiamai.
- Check the right entrance, north of Kakariko Village. Atop a tree here is a Maiamai. Smack into the tree with a running dash to knock it down.
- In the southwest of Lost Woods is a clearing, just north of the westernmost entrances to the area. Take the right path back onto the world map to find a small, fenced-in area. Use the Hammer (or, coming from Kakariko Village, Titan Mitts) to get inside. The Maiamai is under a rock.
- Southeast of Lost Woods is a screen with a small water pit. At the bottom of the pit is a Maiamai.
- Beside the signpost in the Woods is a tree. Smack into the tree to find another Maiamai.
Zora's Domain
- North of the Eastern Palace, along the shortline leading to Zora's Domain, is a pit. The Maiamai is hanging above the pit.
Death Mountain
- On your way up Death Mountain from the Lost Woods area, you found a large rock you couldn't bypass in the initial tunnel. Toss it aside later to find a path to a Maiamai.
- Look across the bridge a short ways southeast of the local weather vane. There's a Maiamai hanging out under a solitary rock.
- On the eastern side of Death Mountain there's a path made of logs. Traverse it carefully to the west to find a patch of land covered in rocks, beside a bridge. The Maiamai is under the northmost rock.
- East of the Tower of Hera, past the entrance to Rosso's Ore Mine, is a treasure hunter challenge in a cave on the northeast edge of Death Mountain. A Maiamai is attached to the side of the cave.
- Go through the Rosso's Ore Mine platform challenge, high over a lake of lava. Ride to the platform with the fire-breathing monsters, then merge with the southern wall and use the platforms headed that direction. When you emerge from the cave you'll wind up near a rock. Lift it to find a Maiamai.
- Go through Rosso's Ore Mine so you're at the base of the east end of Death Mountain. Across a rickety set of platforms in the south and to the west are numerous rocks; beneath the northern-most rock is a Maiamai.
Desert of Mystery
- Look for the large stone pedestals bearing interdimensional cracks. A little ways north are stairs. The Maiamai is buried in the sand near the stairs, and will have to be dug up with the Sand Rod.
- Head southeast and climb up onto the grassy bluffs. Create a sand path to the stone pedestal to your left, then make another one north that stops between the two rocks bearing cracks. Hop off onto the right one and make one more sand path to your right to access a cave. Inside is a fairy fountain with three Fairies to capture.
- At the base of the platform where you activate the weather vane is a small stretch of sand. Use the Sand Rod on it to unearth a Maiamai.
- There's a canyon to the east of Desert of Mystery that's basically a dead end on land. Uproot the huge rocks here to find a Maiamai.
Lorule Maiamai
Lorule Castle
- There's a Maiamai stuck to the left side of the Castle's front gate.
- There's another Maiamai in a tree on the east side of the screen where the front gate is located, on the border between screen transitions.
- One screen west of the Abandoned House (Link's House, more or less) you'll find a large rock nestled amongst some trees. Look beneath it for a Maiamai.
- Speaking of Link's House, there's a Maiamai sticking to the cliff at the rear.
Thieves' Town
- Check the left side of the Blacksmith's House for a Maiamai.
- Southeast of Thieves' Town is the Octoball Derby. Check the skulls here to find a hidden Maiamai.
- Bash into the first tree you see in the southeast corner of town. A Maiamai will fly out.
- In the southwest corner of town is an abandoned hut. There's a Maiamai clinging to the inner wall of the hut.
- Play Rupee Rush in Lorule and check the rear wall of the courtyard. There's a Maiamai waiting to suck up your time.
- Go through the crack in the wall south of the forest clearing in Hyrule. You'll appear on a cliff edge in Lorule. Merge with the wall and wander west to find a Maiamai lodged to a wall.
- Blow up a Bomb Flower while it's still in the patch. A Maiamai is hiding beneath it.
- North of Thieves' Town is a Fortune Teller. Under one of the rocks outside the Fortune Teller's tent is a Maiamai.
Great Swamp
- In the northwest corner of the Swamp is a pond. A Maiamai hides in its waters.
- There's another Maiamai a short distance east of the first, stuck to the wall near the northern exit.
- Another Maiamai sits atop a statue in the southeast of this area, not far from the entrance to the area dungeon.
Skull Woods
- In the south of this area is a house you can use to warp between Hyrule and Lorule. Attached to the left side of this house is a Maiamai.
- Look in the portion of Lorule where, in Hyrule, you'd find the Fortune Teller's Tent. Attached to one of the southern walls is a Maiamai to pry free.
- Check the pit in the southest corner of this region. A Maiamai waits inside.
- One screen north of the previous Maiamai is a grove of trees shaped like a V. In the middle are flowers to rip apart. Amid them is a Maiamai.
- Just south of the shack with the warp crack in the north is a tree. Hidden in it is a Maiamai.
- Inside the Woods themselves, to the east of the warp crack splitting the stone monument, are two small bushes. A Maiamai hides in one of them.
- In the northwest corner of the Woods is a skull sitting amid several bushes. It hides a Maiamai.
- One of the southern entrances to Skull Woods is blocked by a huge rock. Lift it to find a Maiamai.
Misery Mire
- Check the large rocks near the crack that serves as an entrance to Misery Mire. A Maiamai hides beneath one of them.
- Clinging to a wall just below the weather vane is a Maiamai.
- Swim to the far west end of Misery Mire. There's a Maiamai submerged in the water.
Lake Hylia
- After emerging from the crack into Lorule, climb the cliff to your right. Merge with the wall and travel west to find a lone skull on a tall perch. Beneath it is a Maiamai.
- Travel one screen south of the eastern crack in the world. Attached to the cliff face as the path turns westward is a Maiamai.
- South of the item Shop on Lake Hylia is a cliff edge to merge with. You'll find a Maiamai here.
- In the southwest corner is a giant rock on the shore. Lift it to find a Maiamai.
- Check the waters east of Turtle Rock. A Maiamai is submerged beside one of the outlying platforms leading back into the dungeon.
Dark Palace
- On the same screen where you infiltrate Lorule via Hyrule, in the south of Dark Palace, is a cave. Merge with the wall in the north to reach the cave. Along the way you'll find a Maiamai to pop off of a wall.
- South of Dark Palace is a line of five trees. Dash into the left tree to reveal a Maiamai.
- There's a Maiamai stuck to a hedge maze wall north of the left entrance to the Dark Palace grounds.
- Shortly after finding a two-tiered guard-and-platform puzzle in the hedge maze you'll see a Maiamai stuck to the hedges.
- South of the rock field that's west of Dark Palace is a gap in the land. On the north side of this gap is a tree. Dash into it to find a Maiamai.
- In the rock field itself is another Maiamai, hanging out atop one of the rocks.
- North of the rock field is a water source. Follow it east until you see a Maiamai in the depth, then jump in.
Death Mountain
- To the left of the Death Mountain interdimensional crack is a ledge. A Maiamai is hiding beneath a skull on that ledge.
- In the south of Death Mountain is a bridge connecting the two sides. Beneath a large rock on the west side of the bridge is a Maiamai.
- At the top of Death Mountain, west of Treacherous Tower, is a thin stretch of land requiring the Hammer to cross. A Maiamai is hiding under a rock up here.
- East of the Death Mountain weather vane is a tunnel. Merge with the wall south of the tunnel and keep going south to find a Maiamai.
- As you're ascending up the ice tunnel towards the Ice Ruins, you'll find a large platform with an icy gargoyle. Destroy it, then take the large moving platform headed west. Use the Tornado Rod to ascend similar platforms until you're outside. A Maiamai is hiding under a skull out here.
- A Maiamai is attached to the rear of the entrance to Ice Ruins.
Graveyard
- Look to the left of the entrance to Lorule's Sanctuary. A Maiamai hides under a rock here.
- One screen east of the Sanctuary grounds is the graveyard. Attached to the northern cliff here is a Maiamai.
- Climb the aforementioned cliff and go through the crack at the top. A Maiamai is attached to the cliff on Hyrule's side, and can only be pried free from up here.
- Walk as far east as you can. Near a chest is a tree. Dash into the tree to reveal Maiamai.
Zora's Domain
- North of the crack used to access this area is a river running west. Follow it to find a Maiamai at the edge of a waterfall.
- There's a Maiamai in the grass on the plateau above the crack. Use the ladder to the left of the crack and merge with the wall to reach the grass.
- On the northern-most screen of this area is a waterfall. Southeast of the waterfall you'll find a Maiamai lounging in the deep water.
Rewards
For every ten Maiamais you return to their mama, Mother Maiamai will bless one of your formerly-rented items (in other words, one you've bought from Ravio) with an upgrade in power. This can mean greater attack power, longer-lasting effects, greater range of use, or a combination of the above. Either way, it's well worth getting these upgrades, as they turn some mediocre items into fantastic weapons.
What's that? There are only nine weapons to upgrade? Too true. If you manage to return all of Mother Maiamai's babies, she'll instead upgrade Link's Spin Attack to the Great Spin. It has a significantly larger range, and turns from an okay attack to devastating against most opponents. Enjoy!

Main Walkthrough