Skull Woods (A Link to the Past)

The Skull Woods is the third dungeon in the Dark World in A Link to the Past.

Entrance to the Woods
It is located in the northwest of the Village of Outcasts, in the area also known as the Skeleton Forest (the Dark World counterpart of Lost Woods).

Themes and Navigation
This dungeon is interesting because, instead of having a single main entrance, the Skull Woods contain multiple entrances and exits to the dungeon. Entrance is gained by various holes and pitfalls throughout, and the final entrance to the boss is gained by a huge skull head where the Master Sword is in the Light World. This makes it unique among the dungeons so far featured in the Zelda series, and the only other dungeon to reuse this idea is Forsaken Fortress in The Wind Waker.

In addition, the dungeon introduces the powerful Gibdos and it's one of the only two (the other being Misery Mire) where Link must open a very large space in a room. It also seems to be the first dungeon where a room has a fragile floor. The main treasure is the Fire Rod, useful to defeat enemies more quickly and to light torches faster. The end boss is Mothula, fought in a hostile and dangerous battlefield. After defeating it, Link will receive a Heart Container and the third crystal.