Forsaken Fortress

The Forsaken Fortress is located in the far Northwest quadrant of the Great Sea in the Wind Waker, and it's where Ganondorf has constructed his temporary lair. It's an evil-looking island, and most people tend to avoid it. The stone fortress is well-guarded with cannons, searchlights, and hordes of Miniblins and Moblins, who patrol and attack any would-be invaders. The Helmaroc King (seen below) has made his home on the Forsaken Fortress as Ganondorf's servant. It is also the place where Link's sister, Aryll, is held prisoner, along with Mila and Maggie.

Here's a Walkthrough for the 1st Time:

Another scene will follow. You've arrived at an enemy fort, and the giant bird is there, so Aryll probably is too. We should check it out. Tetra has a plan on how to get you in there, a fairly humorous one at that. Sadly, you lose your sword in the process. We worked hard to get that thing, too. Even worse, you're in no condition to fight enemies now, so you need to be stealthy. When I think stealth in gaming, I think Metal Gear. When I think Metal Gear, I think of sneaking around in cardboard boxes. We don't have any of those on hand, though. What to do? Turn to your right and approach the stairs. Your pendant (that you didn't know you had) will talk to you. It's a way for Tetra to communicate with you. Walk up the stairs to the first landing where we find barrels. These will do nicely. Pick one up with the A button, and start walking. Go up the next set of stairs to another landing. This one is larger and has spotlights roaming on it. When one approaches you, stop until it passes you by, the lookout no doubt going "Ho-hum, just another barrel." Use this method to gather rupees if you wish, and when you're done, enter the door (there's only one you can reach).

Screw stealth for the moment and head left from this room. Continue until you see some huge moblins with lanterns, and let one of them see you. You'll get caught and thrown into a jail cell. Get on the table, and then jump over to the top of the bookshelf. Get rid of the vase there to expose a hole. Crawl into it (move while holding R), and follow this little tunnel to the end, which is conveniently outside of the cell. Go the only way you can, around the corner and down to a chest containing the map. Yay. Turn to the right and use that lantern to swing across to the other platform. Take the left door. If at any point your controller starts vibrating, hit A because the amulet wants to talk some more. Luckily this isn't as frequent as Navi from Ocarina. In this hallway, go into the little alcove on the left and climb the ladder there. Around to the left is a jar. Try and stay out of sight of the bokoblin until you can get to it (the easiest way is to go to the right and then come back around). Pick it up and smash it, and there are staves inside. Pick one up with A, and now you have a makeshift weapon. Use it just like a sword to kill the bokoblin controlling the lights. If he hits you, you will drop your staff and need to pick it up again, which can't be done while you're locked onto him. Just so you know. Go back down the ladder and back into the room you just left.

This time, take the other door. This is a little hallway that has openings to the left and right. Take the left one, and turn left again to head up a ramp. At the top of the ramp are a landing and a ladder. Climb it. Another bokoblin, light, and jar. Do the same as before. That's two of the big lights down. Head back down the ladder, down the ramp again, and when you reach the hall, turn left (so you're heading in the direction you were back when you first entered) and go through the door at the end. Over to your right and behind two barrels is a chest with a compass. Swing across to the other side and take that door. Another hall. Again, go to the left, up the ramp and the ladder, and kill the bokoblin. No more lights. Go back down the way you came, and go almost straight into the hall, again going in the same direction you were when you first got here.

Now you're actually in the very first room again, except up top this time. Swing over to the other side and through that door. Neither branch in this hall is important, so continue through the door in front of you. More stealth. There's a barrel to your left, so grab it and sneak past the buff moblin up the little set of stairs there and out the door. Almost there now. Follow this staircase around until you reach a landing with a barrel. Grab it and play the sneak-past-the- moblin game one last time. Go to the left and up the ramp. Eventually you'll come to a break in the path. That's too far to jump, but we're not stuck yet. Get Link against the wall and facing it, and using the L button to position the camera so you are looking right at him. Hold up and hit A and he should get flat against the wall. Keep holding A, and now go left along that narrow little ledge to the other side. Around the corner, there is another ledge so do the same thing. Go up the stairs to a bokoblin... and your sword! Grab it and wail on him (the A counter attack where your sword turns green works nicely). Enter the door he was guarding and you find Aryll! And some other girls that don't really matter much (yet). Sadly, this rescue and tearful reunion are cut short by that stupid giant bird! I hate him so very very much. He carries you off to a mysterious man with red hair (Hmm...) who apparently doesn't think you are good enough, because he tells the bird to throw you back. Right into the ocean!

And the 2nd Time:

Our next destination is (1,7), the fortress from back at the very beginning of the game. You may run into the giant tornado on the way. If so, get caught in it and then shoot the pink guy (Cyclos) at the top three times with your arrows. Do it quickly or you'll be teleported. He'll teach you the Ballad of Gales for your troubles... Sort of. He doesn't give it to you as blatantly as some of the other songs, he gives you a hint, though. The song you want to play is Down, Right, Left, Up. Personally, I encountered him on this trip in square (2,6). You may have different results, I dunno. Whatever the case, if you get the song, ignore it for now. It's just one of those "if you see him, you might as well get it now" things. Plus, once you do it, he doesn't appear anymore, so no more random teleports. Yay.

In the center of the south wall of the island is a giant wooden door. We've got the Master Sword now, stealth is for suckers. Watch out for fire from the turrets surrounding the door and blow it up with the cannon (two or three shots). Head inside.

King drops you off at much the same place you started the last time you were here. Like I said, stealth has gone the way of the dodo (or Gleeok for a Zelda reference), so don't worry about barrels. Besides, there aren't any to be found out here. Head up the stairs to the big courtyard dealie and a mini-boss.

If you fought Ganondorf in Ocarina of Time or Aghanim in Link to the Past, this will be a piece of cake. This black floaty guy (Phantom Ganon) is a big pong fan, so let's play with him. Use your sword to bounce his fireballs back at him (he may bounce them back at you too, so stay alert). Eventually, one will hit him, which stuns him. Run over to him (take off your lock-on targeting while running, you move faster) and whack the hell out of him with the sword. Repeat until dead. Open the chest for the hammer. Yay. Head in the only door you can reach.

Head in the door on your right.

Walk through the little hall to the end where there are these spiky post things. In case it wasn't obvious, whack them with the hammer to pass. Take the door ahead of you and to the right.

If you get caught by moblins this time, it isn't necessarily your demise, so kill these guys and continue. At the end is a jail cell. Move the barrels to find the switch that will open it and get the chest for a heart piece. We've got 4 now, which makes a complete extra heart. Yay. Head back through the door, smack the posts, and back through that door to the first room.

This time take the other door, which is past some posts and a trio of moblins. Head around the corner and watch out for what appears to be a black hole in the floor. These are floormasters (cousins of the wallmasters from previous games), and they are nasty. As you walk close, they will grab you and pull you into the hole. If they do so, you get warped somewhere, usually the beginning of the dungeon. The trick here is the same you use for every other enemy, boomerang then sword. You can only get in one sword hit safely before they need to be stunned, though, so be on your toes. After six or seven hits it will die. Continue around, kill a moblin, and go into the door.

There is a moblin bust above the door that will fire lasers at you, so hug the right wall. Get the chest on one of the bunks, then climb up. Head through the door on the right.

By the way, you could have gotten the heart and the rupees the last time you were here, but why? It's much easier with the sword. If you want tactical espionage action, go play Metal Gear Solid instead, okay?

As you pass through the hall, there will be an alcove on the right. Inside is a ladder. Climb up and take out the light bokoblin. Yes, we have to do this again. After you do that, look to the right of the ladder before you climb down. There is a break in the wall here that lets us jump to a ledge below and get at another light bokoblin. Two in one shot! Nice! Climb back down the ladder and head down the little ramp here. Enter the hallway when you get a chance, and take the door to the left.

Kill the bokoblin. The last time we were here, we could swing to the other side on a light. Apparently they wised up and took the light out. No matter. Use the leaf to make the jump across, pound the posts, and continue. If you don't make it, there is a ladder on the bottom that will let you climb back up and jump right to the target ledge anyway.

What's a hall without alcoves? Take the left, up the ramp, ladder, take out the last light bokoblin. Yay. Back down both ladder and ramp, left into the hall, take the door.

Again, the light we were friends with has gone AWOL, so glide across and take the door.

Neither alcove is of particular importance, so take the door.

Head around, killing the moblins if you care to, and take the stairs to the same door we took the last time we were here.

Up the sets of stairs which are now infested with imps (miniblins, really, but I call them imps). Kill any that get in your way, but they spawn infinitely, so keep moving. Go left at the landing and continue up. Pound the posts and move on. Shimmy across two ledges, go up some stairs, smack the post there, and into the door.

Finally! With the help of Tetra (who takes particular note of your sword (and it takes note of her too, apparently)), we've saved Aryll! After only about 22 pages of walkthru. And that stupid bird didn't stop us! Oh wait, he must have heard me, because here he comes now. Luckily, Aryll and the other girls are safe, because the room starts flooding and they probably would have drowned. There are a series of ramps along the walls of the room. Run up them. The bird will both attack you and the ramps periodically. If the way becomes smashed and you can't cross, wait for the water to rise high enough for you to swim across. Work your way to the top of the room, ignoring all the bokoblins. If need be, boomerang them and get away. If you stay and fight, the bird will have time to break more ramps, which is bad. If you see him getting ready to attack, roll out of the way. It's faster. At the very top of the ramp, the bird will land and not let you pass. I'm getting sick of this guy, aren't you? Smack him in the face with the hammer to knock him down in the water. Go up the last bit of ramp and climb out onto the roof. Boss fight!

BOSS: Helmaroc King