Beneath Hyrule Castle

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Not to be confused with the Hyrule Castle Underground.

Beneath Hyrule Castle is a location in Tears of the Kingdom, serving as both the first and final area of the game.[1] It is a forbidden zone that descends into the very deepest part of Hyrule's Depths. A Stone Tablet in the Royal Hidden Passage indicates that the area beneath the castle was originally accessible through the passage.[2] As the entrance evidently collapsed during the Upheaval, it can now only be reached through the Hyrule Castle Chasm.

Initial Appearances

Prologue

After Gloom started to seep out from below Hyrule Castle and made nearby people fall ill, Purah tasked Link and Zelda with investigating the source, which originated in a tunnel system deep Beneath Hyrule Castle.[3] Entry to the tunnels below the castle is forbidden to all, including the Royal Family of Hyrule, though the reason why has been lost to history.[4][5]

Upon arrival to the area known as the Forgotten Foundation, Zelda notes that the concentration of Gloom found Beneath Hyrule Castle is relatively mild in spite of the effects it has on the people of the Surface.[6] As they travel deeper, the Master Sword begins to glow, reacting to something dangerous in the area.[7] While investigating, Zelda discovers signs of Ruins belonging to the ancient Zonai people and excitedly documents her findings with the Purah Pad.[8][9][10] She eventually comes across a series of murals in the Forgotten Foundation, which she deduces must be about the origin of Hyrule Kingdom and the Imprisoning War that followed.[11] Once again, she uses the Purah Pad to take Pictures of their discoveries.[12] A series of murals to the right of the central relief are concealed by rocks, and so they cannot be viewed.[13]

Zelda and Link enter the Imprisoning Chamber

As they descend further down Beneath Hyrule Castle, the Gloom grows thicker.[14] Eventually, they enter the Imprisoning Chamber, where they stumble upon the mummified body of Demon King Ganondorf held in place by a Right Arm. This Arm releases its grip on the body when Zelda approaches, causing the Secret Stone on the back of its hand to fall to Zelda's feet. When she picks it up, Demon King Ganondorf awakens and attacks with tendrils of Gloom. While defending her against the Gloom, Link's Master Sword is heavily damaged and breaks. Before they can muster a counterattack against the Demon King, he launches a burst of Gloom upwards, tearing the earth surrounding most of Hyrule Castle and sending it into the Sky. This also causes the ground beneath the three of them to give way, sending them all into freefall. The Secret Stone in Zelda's possession begins to glow, causing her to disappear. Link is saved by the Right Arm, which Warps him away to the Room of Awakening atop the Great Sky Island.

The Imprisoning War

Rauru seals the Demon King

Beneath Hyrule Castle is seen again in "The Imprisoning War" Memory. In the distant past, Rauru leads the Six Sages in a battle against Demon King Ganondorf to bring an end to the Imprisoning War.[15] With no other choice but to sacrifice himself, Rauru relies on the Six Sages to distract the Demon King long enough to grab hold of his chest and bind his heart, simultaneously draining his Magic in the process.[16][17] This sacrifice traps both of them in place for millennia while Rauru waits for Link and Zelda to arrive in the Era of the Wilds, where they can destroy Ganondorf with the Master Sword.[18]

The room in which this occurs later comes to be known as the Imprisoning Chamber. The entire area beneath the castle is sealed off throughout the ages with access forbidden to all, including the Royal Family of Hyrule.[4][5]

Entrance to Beneath Hyrule Castle

Beneath Hyrule Castle is revisited for the final Main Quest, "Destroy Ganondorf". Demon King Ganondorf is convalescing Beneath Hyrule Castle in the Central Hyrule Depths, and can be faced here at any point after returning to the surface from the Great Sky Island. However, Link will only learn of the Demon King's location after defeating Master Kohga at the Abandoned Hebra Mine during the "Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan" Side Adventure.[19]

The destruction wrought by the Upheaval has collapsed the entrance in the Royal Hidden Passage, making it impassable. The only way to access the location is through the Hyrule Castle Chasm that has opened directly below the castle. A cave at the base of the chasm known as Gloom's Approach leads to the ruins and tunnels that make up the passage to the Forgotten Foundation.

Themes and Navigation

The Upheaval appears to have had a profound impact on the area; many passageways are blocked, Zonai-built structures have entered states of extreme disrepair, and an extremely high concentration of Gloom is prevalent all throughout. The Gloom has corrupted the many monsters that now inhabit the passage, turning the area Beneath Hyrule Castle into a long and dangerous gauntlet to its deepest depths.

As Link gets close to the Forgotten Foundation, any Sage Avatars he has unlocked will disappear, being unable to reach him.[20] In the central chamber of the Forgotten Foundation, the rocks covering a series of murals can be blown apart to reveal three additional depictions: the final battle of the Imprisoning War between the Sages and Demon King Ganondorf, Zelda with the Master Sword, and her transformation into the Light Dragon. A passage descends further to Imprisoning Chamber, where the ground has since given way leading to Gloom's Lair. A stone platform reaches over the void, and Link can dive from it to begin the final confrontation.

Rising out of the void is an enormous tree-like structure made out of Suspicious-Looking Red and Black Roots. The front of the tree bears a demonic face, with a mouth covered in covered in brightly glowing, pulsing, Gloom. When Link reaches a platform at the base, an all-out war will break out with Monsters forming the Demon King's Army being summoned in several waves. If Link has acquired the vows of any Sages, they will physically appear in-person to assist him in the battle. Following the battle, the mouth will open to reveal a passageway and Colgera, Marbled Gohma, Mucktorok, Queen Gibdo, Seized Construct, and Phantom Ganon are summoned to confront Link. If they have not been defeated during their respective Main Quests, Link will have to face the undefeated Bosses in succession before being able to proceed. If all Bosses have been previously defeated, the Sages will urge Link to proceed onward while each taking on a Boss, resulting in the passage caving in behind him.[21] At this point, the only way to move forward is to confront Demon King Ganondorf in the very deepest of the Depths, Gloom's Origin.

Areas

Minor Enemies

All enemies in this location after the Upheaval are Gloom-Wreathed.

Before Upheaval

After Upheaval

Raids

Demon King's Army

Bosses that Link has not yet defeated will be challenged here in succession following the previous waves.

Bosses

Trivia

  • Beneath Hyrule Castle is the deepest point in Hyrule, with the Z-axis coordinates for Gloom's Origin being -2500.
  • The music will change once Link reaches Forgotten Foundation, and its intensity will increase the closer Link is in distance to Gloom's Origin.
  • Gloom's Origin can only be visited during the final confrontation, though it is not possible to save the game, leave, or teleport away once this has begun.

Nomenclature

ZW Nomenclature Asset.png Names in Other Regions ZW Nomenclature Asset 2.png
LanguageNames
Japan
Japanese
ハイラルじょう城ちか地下
The Republic of ChinaThe Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of ChinaThe Macao Special Administrative Region of China
ChineseTR
海拉魯城堡的地下 (Hǎilālǔ chéngbǎo de dìxià)
The People's Republic of China
ChineseSI
海拉鲁城堡的地下 (Hǎilālǔ chéngbǎo de dìxià)
Canada
FrenchCA
Sous-sols du château d'Hyrule
The French Republic
FrenchEU
Sous-sols du château d'Hyrule
The Federal Republic of Germany
German
Schloss-Hyrule-Untergrund
The Italian Republic
Italian
Sotterranei del castello
The Republic of Korea
Korean
하이랄 성 지하
The Kingdom of Spain
SpanishEU
Cimientos del castillo de Hyrule
This table was generated using translation pages.
To request an addition, please contact a staff member with a reference.

See Also

References

  1. ↑ "Beneath Hyrule Castle" — Game Screen (Tears of the Kingdom)
  2. ↑ "Deep beneath this land, our mighty first ruler imprisoned the Demon King.
    To ensure the king's magic would hold, we erected a castle here to protect this sacred site.
    Without the castle in place, the site may be disturbed, allowing the Demon King's hatred and rage to be revived.
    The preservation of this castle is therefore tied to the prosperity of the kingdom.
    May it watch over an eternal peace.    " — Stone Tablet (Tears of the Kingdom)
  3. ↑ "A stairway leading deep beneath Hyrule Castle has been discovered. Even Princess Zelda didn't know about it, so it seems safe to assume it's a secret removed even from royal legend. We have confirmed that gloom emanates from that location, meaning something down there must be causing it. I appointed Princess Zelda and Link to investigate. Actually... It would be more accurate to say that Princess Zelda volunteered for the job before I had the chance. I know beyond a doubt there is no team more qualified for such a task, and yet... I can't escape this feeling of dread." — Purah's Diary (Tears of the Kingdom)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "When I was a child, I asked my father if there was anything below the castle. He told me there was, though seeing it for ourselves or even discussing the matter was forbidden. No one in our family knew anything more than that." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "I can recall what my father said, even now. "No one must ever venture beneath the castle—not even one of us." He said this warning had been passed down through my family for as long as anyone could remember." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  6. ↑ "People have been falling ill after coming into contact with the gloom drifting through these caverns. Though here it seems almost misty and not concentrated enough to harm us..." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  7. ↑ "Link! The Master Sword... It must be sensing something! I knew we had reason for concern." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  8. ↑ "Link! Look here! These are ruins from an ancient civilization. Wait... Something is written here. Might these ruins be...from the Zonai?" — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  9. ↑ "Oh! Look at this... These carvings... I'm sure they're Zonai in origin. I've seen designs like this in my studies. The Zonai are said to have lived long ago, in the time of earliest legend. They possessed godlike powers and had a prosperous civilization in the sky. Many history books tell us about the Zonai, but none gives us the full picture. Much is still unknown about them." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  10. ↑ "Is this what the Zonai looked like? They seem so different than us, and such large ears... How did the ruins from a civilization in the sky end up here beneath the castle? It looks like the path ahead goes even deeper. Let's continue, Link." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  11. ↑ "Look at these murals... The written histories of the royal family... include stories of a great war fought long ago. It was a conflict between allied tribes and someone only ever referred to as the Demon King. Is it possible? Do these murals depict the same legend? This is similar to the statues we saw earlier—a Zonai. And these figures look like Hylians. This depiction certainly suggests that the Zonai descended from the heavens. It is said that my ancestors—the first of Hyrule's royal family... were born from a union with gods who had descended from the heavens. These murals tell a similar story, and if they are accurate, then the gods mentioned were the Zonai... They must have forged a relationship with the Hylians of that time, working together to establish... the kingdom of Hyrule! This figure... He seems to be stealing something of incredible power from the young kingdom. This all aligns with what I've read during my studies. And then this... It shows the Demon King! And a fierce battle against him. If the creature depicted here really does represent the Demon King, then... Incredible! This mural must be the great war recorded in the royal histories! This is the Imprisoning War and the events that led up to it! Link! This is a huge discovery!" — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  12. ↑ "All right, then. Now to use this invention of Purah's. I'm glad I didn't leave it behind. It's so easy to record. You point it and click." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  13. ↑ "Oh, it looks like the rest of the murals are obscured..." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  14. ↑ "The gloom is growing heavier as we go. It's more and more unnerving..." — Zelda (Tears of the Kingdom)
  15. ↑ "Rauru then came up with a plan to turn the tide of the war. He entrusted secret stones to warriors with exceptional abilities. They became sages and united in an effort to finally defeat the Demon King. Rauru and the sages outnumbered the Demon King and should have been able to stop him. However..." — Mineru (Tears of the Kingdom)
  16. ↑ "The Demon King's power had grown far beyond anything we could have imagined. I was unable to withstand his strength... Our fight appeared all but lost. And then, Rauru... He committed himself to one final act." — Mineru (Tears of the Kingdom)
  17. ↑ "You bind my heart and steal my magic. You plan to hold me here... What a clever way to solve your problems. But are you ready to pay the price for this?" — Demon King Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom)
  18. ↑ "You're wrong. Years from now, someone will appear with the sword that seals the darkness. A swordsman with the power to defeat you—Link. Remember...this name." — Rauru (Tears of the Kingdom)
  19. ↑ "Count your blessings, Link! Your death will prove the Yiga Clan's might! Then I'll go take my rightful place... in the darkness below the castle, where the Demon King now dwells. Yes, where the end of all things will begin! In the deepest reaches of the Depths... Far beneath Hyrule Castle!" — Master Kohga (Tears of the Kingdom)
  20. ↑ "The power of a sage cannot reach you." — Game Screen (Tears of the Kingdom)
  21. ↑ "More obstacles in our path, but our foe is mistaken if he thinks this will stop us!" — Riju (Tears of the Kingdom)
    "We are fated to fight these beasts! Don't worry about us!" — Sidon (Tears of the Kingdom)
    "Link! We'll take care of this, goro! You ready to see the power of a sage?!" — Yunobo (Tears of the Kingdom)
    "We'll be fine! We already beat them once! This'll be a breeze for sure!" — Tulin (Tears of the Kingdom)
    "It is time, Link. The rest is up to you!" — Mineru (Tears of the Kingdom)
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