The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past #31 - Skull Woods
Skull Woods - Walkthrough
- 1. Travel to the Skeleton Woods
- 2. Drop into Skull Woods
- 3. Obtain the Compass
- 4. Locate the Map
- 5. Collect the Big Key
- 6. Grab the Fire Rod
- 7. Enter the dungeon’s third section
- 8. Find the boss’ pit
- 9. Defeat Mothula
1. Travel to the Skeleton Woods, Skull Woods
As you are heading out of the Swamp Palace, head into your inventory and select the Magic Mirror. Currently there is no contiguous route from the Swamp Palace to Skull Woods that runs strictly through the Dark World. So instead you will have to warp out to the Light World and warp back in. In the Light World, step away from the portal and then pull out your Flute, naturally the fastest path between two points. Use it, and then select Point #3 when the duck picks you up.
This will plop you down directly in front of the statue where the duck used to live. From the statue, head north and eventually up the staircase up the side of the cliff when you reach it. Turn left at the solitary tree and head all the way past the short pink trees until you find a pathway into the outskirts of the forest.
Discover one of the eight Warp Tiles to the Dark World just outside the Lost Woods.
There will be a few Soldiers patrolling this narrow inlet into the Lost Woods, three in fact. they will probably be in your way, so you might as well kill them before attempting to proceed. Eventually you will find an opening into the thick woods, so head on in.
The trip into the actual Lost Woods will not be very long. Very early on you will see a fork that heads to the right, blocked only by a single bush. Head along that fork, clearing the bush out of your way. Once you finally reach another fork with a log heading north and an exit to the forest south, head through the exit back to the outskirts. If you continue along this corridor, you will eventually find a small fenced off area protected by stakes. Use the Magic Hammer on the stakes, and eventually you will find a Magical Warp Tile that takes you back into the Dark World.
2. Drop into Skull Woods, Skull Woods
The dungeon is very close now. Seeing as you cannot head south due to the ultra-heavy stone, head northward, clearing your way through the bushes and skirting past the skeletal Cucco. Enter beneath the canopy overhead to enter into the Skeleton Woods.
The third Dark World dungeon spans the entirety of the Skeleton Woods.
Beware of the Pikit as you approach the first dungeon entrance.
This dungeon is actually spread out over a large area. It does not feature just one primary entrance to the dungeon but instead eight separate entrances—four of which are caves that you can walk into and four are holes that you can drop down into. Many of the doorways between rooms are unidirectional, meaning that many rooms only can be reached from a single entrance of the dungeon. It also means that this dungeon is divided into three discontinuous separate segments.
Fall into the pit; it is the only way to get the Compass.
As you enter into the woods, you will first see a Ropa at the ready to attack. Kill that and begin heading to the right. After you get rid of the bushes and skulls in your way, head further to the right carefully as there is a Pikit at the next intersection, and you will want to be careful around it lest you lose your shield now. Unfortunately, it is difficult to attack the Pikit given the multitude of petrified skulls nearby, so just skirt around it and head north. It will not be long until you will soon find a pit in the ground. This is one of the eight entrances to the dungeon, so fall on in.
3. Obtain the Compass, Skull Woods
you will fall into a dead end, and immediately you will have Bari and Hardhat Beetles on all sides of you. The Hardhat Beetle is of course the bigger threat, so dispatch it as soon as possible. Then you can get rid of the Bari in case it gets in the way later. As you walk south, two more Beetles are going to swarm you further along. Once you are passed the three Beetles, you will need to avoid the rotating Guruguru Bar before heading off to the east.
This room seems simple enough; there is only two Hardhat Beetles and a Guruguru Bar to worry about. Kill the two Beetles and then start wandering north. you will find a treasure chest halfway up the room. Open it up, and you will have the Compass in your possession.
The Compass is not far away, but you will need to deal with Hardhat Beetles before you get there.
4. Locate the Map, Skull Woods
However, there is one more surprise that comes with the Compass. Somehow, it will be as if you stepped on a Star Switch because a myriad of pits will open in the floor the moment you open the chest. You technically have a choice about whether to head north or east from here; both rooms will get you to where you want to go. However, the room to the east is slightly easier to traverse, so head that way.
The door will seal behind you as you enter. A few immobile Traps are strewn about the room, so be careful as you wander about. However, you will want to keep moving as you will encounter two new enemies in this room. First, there are the Gibdo; Gibdo are extremely resilient enemies; it will take a lot of damage to kill them. there are actually very vulnerable to the dungeon item, but, since you do not have it yet, you will just have to make do with what you have. Secondly you need to face the Wallmaster. Every so often, a shadow will appear on the floor, and perhaps a second or two later an orange hand will drop from the ceiling to that spot. You will not want to be caught in that hand when it comes down; if it catches you, you will not lose damage, but you will be returned back to the entrance of the dungeon that you entered into. there are pretty tough, taking multiple sword hits to kill, and even killing them will not get rid of them permanently as they will respawn.
Gibdos are more difficult to defeat, but Wallmasters are more devastating.
Wait for the Wallmaster to leave before getting this key so you will not get caught.
Navigate around the blocks and Traps, and if you head to the right when you reach the Bumper, you will see a treasure chest with three skulls in front of it. Wait for the Wallmaster to drop before you make a rush for the chest to give you plenty of time since it is close quarters in that narrow gap. Once you have your opportunity, grab the chest for a Small Key, which is exactly what you will need to get out of this room. As soon as you can, leave the narrow gap and then head to the northeast corner of the room. Unlock the door and head through.
you will meet two Hardhat Beetles in the next room. Get rid of them before trying to go for the chest in the corner. Once you have a chance, you will notice that the chest is surrounded by black pits. Wander up and hit the Star Switch to reposition the pits, and this should enable you to get the chest. Open it up and discover the Map.
The Star Switches will not let you proceed north, but that is okay; you are only here for the Map.
5. Collect the Big Key, Skull Woods
The Big Key, unfortunately is not in this section of the dungeon, so you will have to leave in order to get it. Head through the door to the west, and in the next room you will see both the Big Chest and one of the entrances to the dungeon. Avoid the red Bari you find and head out the door; you will have to come back for the dungeon item.
Exit the dungeon, and then follow the path up and to the left around the 3×3 block of bushes.
Head up and then back down through the tunnels of bones.
The entrance to the second section is on the other side.
Faced with a myriad of enemies.
Once the enemies are defeated, reveal the switch in the center of the room. Note that the Wallmaster will continually respawn.
Shift the statue on the east side of the room toward the switch. Wait for the Wallmaster before dragging it northward.
The switch will only open the door if it is actively depressed, so drag the statue onto the switch.
You do not need to defeat the enemies and traps to get to the chest. Watch out for the Rabbit Beam beneath the skull; it will temporarily negate the effects of the Moon Pearl, turning you back into a rabbit.
head into the center of the room to get the Big Key.
6. Grab the Fire Rod, Skull Woods
With the Big Key in your hand, it is time to head back to collect the Fire Rod. But you will have to head back to the first section of the dungeon. So head south from the current room and then immediately out the front door to head back outside. Alternatively, you could use the Magic Mirror to return to the dungeon entrance, or you could even allow yourself to be captured by a Wallmaster, much to the same effect.
it is okay to be captured now. The Wallmaster works like the Magic Mirror.
you will have to traverse the two sections of bone tunnel until you arrive back in the initial area, but this time you will have to jump into a different section of the dungeon. Look for the 3×3 square of bushes that you ignored earlier, and cut them down with your sword to reveal a secret hole under the center bush. you will want to fall down straight into that pit.
Three sneaky tricks block your way from getting the Fire Rod.
Back in the dungeon, you will fall into a ring of skulls protecting you from the Hardhat Beetle and the Helmasaur rushing at you from outside. You can use the skulls to defeat them both quite handily. Once the two are destroyed, head over to the crack in the western wall. Place a Bomb on it to blow it open. Before entering the room, however, if you have not accidentally done so already, press the topmost Star Switch to reorient the pits in both this room and the next.
It will look as if you have reached a dead end, but there is a curious little Pull Lever set into the wall. Yank it back, and you will unleash a powerful explosion that will blow open the wall to the south of you. Beware as two Mini-moldorms will rush forward, now free from their pen around the Big Chest. Get past them and soon you will be able to claim the Fire Rod for your very own.
7. Enter the dungeon’s third section, Skull Woods
You need to escape the dungeon, but unfortunately you cannot just head out the door right away, even if it is right there in the room with you. you will have to head back up through the door you came in. you will then have to travel south through the gap in the room, hitting every Star Switch as you travel south. you will enter the room with the Map and the two Hardhat Beetles. You can totally bypass them on your way through the exit door to the west. Once you are there, you are back to the entrance and can head outside.
Of course, now you will have to head back to the second section as it is the only way to get back to the last third. So you will need to head back through the two sections of bone tunnel and re-enter the door you entered when getting the Big Key.
This time, you do not need to worry about dealing with any of the enemies, though you can deal with them if you would like. Once you are ready, head back to the west. The next room has a single Hardhat Beetle and the Winder (at least on your side of the divider). You can safely dodge these guys and continue on westward.
Collect the Small Key before leaving the second section.
you will see another dungeon exit in the next room, but before heading out the door, there is one Small Key that is worth getting. You technically can get a key later in the third section of the dungeon, but that key requires much more work to get, so you might as well grab this one. Kill the Hardhat Beetle as quickly as you can and beware for the Wallmaster in this room. you will need to lift up the skull in the upper-left of the room, and you can find the Small Key there. Once you have got the key, you have clearance to leave.
Outside two Ropa will stand guard around the exit to the dungeon. Kill them with your sword and then head northward through the westernmost bone tunnel off to the left. If you picked the correct one, you will eventually find a large skeletal spine that is resting in front of a large skull with a gaping wide mouth. Take the Fire Rod out of your inventory and hurl a fire blast towards the tip of the spine. The spine will disintegrate, giving you access to the final third of Skull Woods. Enter if you dare and prepare for the final gauntlet.
Only the Fire Rod can defeat this pesky skeleton.
8. Find the boss’ pit, Skull Woods
The final section of the dungeon is a long gauntlet to reach the boss. Not only will you have many enemies that will attempt to thwart you, but you will have several traps and puzzles as well. Worst of all, the entirety of this section of the dungeon is haunted by Wallmasters. Getting caught by one will reset you to the very beginning of this section; every room you conquer will make being caught by those sneaky Wallmasters all the more perilous, so as you continue deeper and deeper, you will need to be all the more careful. In general, if you have to choose between taking damage or getting trapped by a Wallmaster, almost always it is preferable to take the damage.
Provided you picked up the key at the end of the second section, dash down the catwalk in the long corridor past the Mini-moldorms; the only thing beyond that is a Winder. Unlock the door at the end of the hall.
A room filled with a large number of pits and Star Switches. Pressing a Star Switch swaps the floor with the pits.
Press the Star Switch, providing a path to the next Star Switch. Press that one to return the room to the original configuration.
Continue making your way across the room, minding the Wallmasters and the Baris within the room. Make your way to the far door.
The next room is filled with Gibdo and Wallmasters. Use the Fire Rod to burn them up with just one hit.
Remove the two skulls guarding the torch on the right-hand side. Use the Fire Rod to light each of the torches as quickly as you can. Using the Lantern will not be fast enough as the torches will extinguish themselves.
Mini-moldorms, a Gibdo, and a Rabbit Beam. You do not have to defeat them, but you will have to defend yourself.
There is a secret passageway behind some of the vines.
Defeat the Helmasaur and the Hardhat Beetle first, then the Gibdo, and then the Moldorm. Defeating all the enemies will get you a key to unlock that door.
At the end of the line, you will find a pit. Pick up one of the skulls to help you bypass the Traps. Then fall down to B2 to Mothula’s lair.
9. Defeat Mothula, Skull Woods
Mothula is a gigantic butterfly that will flutter about the room. To be honest, other than its rather erratic flight pattern, the only real attack it has is spewing out a trio of energy beams every once and a while. But generally it will occupy the northern half of the room, leaving Link the lower half of the room to freely move.
Mothula proves to be a rather chaotic boss between its own attacks and the many Traps.
Use the Fire Rod as long as you have magic. When you run out, use your sword.
The fight starts with a series of Traps all bordering the edge of the room. However, before long the floor will start to slide randomly, both horizontally and vertically. Thus if you are not always on the move, you will invariably be pulled into one of the Traps or Mothula itself. However even if you are moving, the Traps themselves will start to move from their spots across the room, so you are almost guaranteed to take damage from them whether you like it or not.
Mothula is most susceptible to the Fire Rod; not only is it really vulnerable to fire but it also allows you to keep your distance from it, not having to worry about the effects of the moving floor. However, the Fire Rod consumes a lot of magic; if you have not gotten the Double Magic upgrade, you will probably run out before the end of the battle. Should you run out, you will have to resort to using your sword. It’ll take a while, but eventually Mothula will run out of steam and erupt in a fire.
