Eastern Palace (A Link to the Past)

The Eastern Palace, also known as the East Palace, is the second dungeon in. Link enters the palace as part of Sahasrahla's test to see if he can overcome it and obtain the Pendant of Courage.

Entrance to the Palace
The Eastern Palace is found in the eastern side of Hyrule, inside a rocky canyon.

Themes and Navigation
The dungeon's puzzles and obstacles are not too complex, but can appear daunting at first. The first major obstacle in particular involves huge rolling Balls sent down a main corridor, with some of them being bigger than others; Link must walk very carefully and get out of the way when a ball is approaching. This trap appears in a slightly different form deeper inside the dungeon, with balls appearing from all sides of the room. Eyegore, originally known here as Rocklops make their first appearance and provide a stiff challenge for an inexperienced player. The main treasure item is the Bow, which is located near the center of the dungeon in a large room filled with Stalfos, and Link will need it to defeat the Red Rocklops to reach the Dungeon Master. At the end of the dungeon, Link must fight six Armos Knights for the Pendant of Courage and a Heart Container.

Upon besting the palace, Sahasrahla will explain more about the Master Sword and the Knights of Hyrule, and will encourage Link to find the remaining pendants so that the Blade of the Evil's Bane can be claimed (the pendants' locations will be marked on the map as well). He also gives Link the Pegasus Boots.

A Link to the Past Comic
In the A Link to the Past comic, Link travels to the Eastern Palace after being told by Sahasrahla's Friend where Sahasrahla can be found. There, he finds the descendant of the wise men, and although he is puzzled as to how someone so young like Link could be searching for the Master Sword, he tells Link he must recover the Pendants of Virtue to claim the legendary weapon. Sahasrahla reveals that he can help Link by giving him the Pendant of Courage, but since the task to finding the remaining two pendants will not be an easy one, he asks whether he will be able to accomplish said task, to which the young hero confidently says yes both for Zelda and his deceased uncle. Just as Sahasrahla hands the Pendant of Courage to Link, the Castle Soldiers pursuing Link find him. Empowered by the pendant, he easily dispatches their leader and sends the rest fleeing. The young hero, amazed at the power of the pendant, promises to find the remaining two pendants and leaves the palace to search for them.