Vaati's Palace

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Vaati's Palace,[1] also known as the Palace of Winds,[2] is the fourth and final stage of Four Swords.

Features and Overview

Vaati's Palace is a fortress drifting in the sky above Hyrule.[3] Once called the Palace of Winds, it is occupied and used as a stronghold by the Wind Sorcerer Vaati.[2][1]

During the game's introduction, Princess Zelda is kidnapped and taken deep into the Palace by Vaati. It is also where the Links eventually defeat and re-seal Vaati within the Four Sword.[4]

Entrance to the Palace

The Palace first appears once all three Silver Keys have been collected by the Links.[3][5] The entrance holds three color-coded doors, each pertaining to an increasing level of difficulty and special set of keys.[6][7]

Initially, only the silver and golden doors are visible, and can be unlocked using the Silver or Golden Keys via the central pedestal. Once each of the Hero's Keys have been obtained, a shutter will open to reveal the third and final door. Placed between the sliver and golden doors, it is unlocked with the Hero's Keys.

Themes and Navigation

Vaati's Palace is generally a wind-themed Dungeon with a focus on using the Roc's Cape. Being in the sky, many Holes are present throughout the area, often in combination with narrow flooring, Cracked Floor Tiles, and moving Platforms. Puzzles and Enemies are also notably more difficult than in previous Stages.

The Silver and Golden Key doors each have three levels, including the Boss fight with Vaati on the third level. While the silver door's levels are entirely wind-themed and set within the sky, the golden door's second level may have the appearance of the Sea of Trees, Talus Cave, or Death Mountain.

The Hero's Key door consists of twelve levels and incorporates elements from all three of the previous Stages.[7] Each of the Stage Bosses also make an appearance, with either Big Manhandla, Dera Zol, or Gouen being present every three levels. This culminates with Vaati on the twelfth level.

Regardless of the door selected, the final room of Vaati's Palace is a floating platform surrounded by Cracked Blocks. A central statue sits between four Bomb Item Podiums and is used by Vaati to initiate the first phase of the Boss fight.

Items

Minor Enemies

Trivia

  • The symbol present on Warp Zones within Vaati's Palace resembles that of the Wind Element.
  • In Four Swords, Vaati's Palace appears without a message once unlocked, simply drifting into the Stage-Selection Screen screen. This was changed in Four Swords Anniversary Edition.[5]
  • In Four Swords, the Silver Key door doesn't have an unlocking animation, unlike the Golden and Hero's Keys. Instead, the screen transitions directly to the stage itself. This was changed in Four Swords Anniversary Edition to be consistent with the other keys.

Nomenclature

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Gallery

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 153
  2. 2.0 2.1 Hyrule Historia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 83
  3. 3.0 3.1 "You all seem to have collected the three Silver Keys. Vaati's palace of winds is a great castle that floats in the sky. Now that you have gathered the keys of the Fairies of Forest, Ice, and Flame, the palace shall appear. Onward, young heroes! You must save Princess Zelda!" — Great Fairy of Flame (Four Swords)
  4. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 262
  5. 5.0 5.1 "Vaati's Palace has appeared!" — Stage-Selection Screen (Four Swords)
  6. "At last all of you have collected the three Golden Keys. You can now choose the path to Vaati's Palace. That path will likely be much more dangerous than any you've seen yet. And yet onward you must go, great heroes!" — Great Fairy of Flame (Four Swords)
  7. 7.0 7.1 "At long last all of you have gathered the three Hero's Keys. You should now be able to choose the path to Vaati's Palace. It is a path of 12 levels, all more dangerous than those you've seen. Yet onward you must go, great heroes!" — Great Fairy of Flame (Four Swords)