_____ _ _ _ __ |_ _| |__ ___ | | ___ __ _ ___ _ __ __| | ___ / _| | | | '_ \ / _ \ | | / _ \/ _` |/ _ \ '_ \ / _` | / _ \| |_ | | | | | | __/ | |__| __/ (_| | __/ | | | (_| | | (_) | _| |_| |_| |_|\___| |_____\___|\__, |\___|_| |_|\__,_| \___/|_| |___/ _____ _ _ |__ /___| | __| | __ _ / // _ \ |/ _` |/ _` | o / /| __/ | (_| | (_| | o /____\___|_|\__,_|\__,_| __ _______ / \ . . | | \ __ __ __|__ | __ __ _ | __ \__ / \ | \ / \ | | | \ / / | / \ |/ (_ \ | | | | | | | | | | | |\ \ \ |\__/ | | | \_/ | | \__\ \_/ | \ __/ \ | | \___/ | =============================================================================== Table of Contents =============================================================================== [INTRO] Introduction [BASIC] The Basics [WALKT] The Walkthrough [HEART] Heart Containers [STAMP] Stamp Stations [QUEST] Frequently Asked Questions [VERSN] Version History [COPYR] Copyright [CONTC] Contact Information Navigation tip: Use the Find feature (Ctrl-F) to find what you're looking for. For example, search for [WALKT] to jump to the main walkthrough. =============================================================================== Introduction [INTRO] =============================================================================== At long last, a VinnyVideo guide for a brand new game! That's something I've never done before. It's for a game so new, I'm writing this guide before the game has even been released in most of the world. Not only is that kind of exciting, I'm sure it'll mean it'll get a lot more hits than I've ever gotten before. The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is a Zelda game. That means there's a bunch of dungeons you have to go through to reach a boss at the end, where you get some prize that you keep collecting to reach the end of the game. There's a bunch of neat items you collect, and a semi-interesting story along the way. You can expect a combination of RPG and adventure elements, with varying quantities of puzzles, action, fighting, and exploration. You get the picture. Spirit Tracks continues on a similar theme and uses the same engine of 2007's Phantom Hourglass, except the ship is replaced by a train. The graphics are cartoony and cel-shaded - more Toon Link - in the style of Wind Waker and Phantom Hourglass. This style continues to provoke controversy, since some players prefer the more realistic look seen in Ocarina of Time or Twilight Princess. Personally, I like this look for a portable Zelda game, but my opinion isn't going to silence the endless debate on the issue. Some people just don't like Link's eyebrows to be drawn over his bangs. The storyline is a little deeper - and darker - than in Phantom Hourglass. I thought the music was more interesting than the tunes in Phantom Hourglass, which projected a decent ambiance but weren't very exciting in their own right. Much of the music is reminiscent of country and Western. The MIDI-based tunes sound quite good, although a few orchestrated pieces would've been really nice. The controls are about the same as they were in Phantom Hourglass. If you don't like using the stylus, you won't like this game. This game is slightly longer and harder than Phantom Hourglass, which wasn't all that tough most of the time. Still, if you know what you're doing and you skip the often-lengthy sidequests, you can beat this game pretty quickly. My biggest complaint is that the train is too slow, and navigating the overworld can take an annoyingly long time. Some players complained about the often-silly dialogue in the game, but I thought the comic relief was fun and funny. Overall, what I've seen convinces me that Spirit Tracks is a solid addition to the Zelda franchise, but it doesn't have quite the thrill as Ocarina of Time or A Link to the Past did. And one more important note: I don't include any details on cutscenes or other major spoilers, and I have tried to avoid mentioning future game events in the guide. However, if you read ahead, you might get spoiled a little bit, since you'll find out about future bosses, sidequests, and other things you haven't seen yet in the game. =============================================================================== The Basics [BASIC] =============================================================================== Almost all of the gameplay involves the use of the stylus, and the controls shouldn't be very difficult to figure out using your bare intuition. ---Moving--- To move, drag the stylus in the direction that you want to go. The farther you hold it from Link, the faster you'll go. Hold it close to your character to move slowly over precarious areas. To roll attack, touch twice near the edge of the screen in the direction you're moving. It won't work if you're going slowly. This move has been improved greatly since Phantom Hourglass, where rolling didn't work very well. To pick something up, tap it. While you're holding an item, you can throw it away by tapping in the direction you want it to go. ---Talking and Reading--- Tap people to talk to them. Touch the arrows to move through messages. The same goes when you want to read something on a sign. ---Operating the Train--- While operating the train, there's a big lever on the right side of the screen that affects the four speeds of the train; from top to bottom, Fast, Slow, Stop, and Reverse. Remember that it takes a bit of time to stop or change speeds because of the train's momentum. Also, it's occasionally useful to go in reverse for a long time (which, incidentally, changes the music). At the top-right corner, pull the whistle to make your trademark "Choo! Choo!" sound. This is useful for scaring away enemies that might block the road and cause damage to your train. Touch any other part of the screen to fiddle with the camera angle. Often a high top-view tilted slightly to the side makes it easier to see certain things. Whenever you reach an intersection, a lever will appear at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to change tracks. Unless you're trying to avoid other trains, however, this isn't usually useful except at the start of the game. Once you've become an engineer, you can trace a path using your stylus to set the path your train will follow. You'll still be able to jump tracks if you change your mind about where you want to go, however, and you can draw a new route any time you choose. When you reach the end of the route you drew, the train will keep going in the direction indicated by the dotted line on the map - it won't come to a stop like in Phantom Hourglass. If you hit an enemy on the tracks, your train will sustain damage (which is separate from Link's energy meter). If you run out of hearts, it's Game Over. Any damage to your train is repaired automatically whenever you stop at a town or other station, so if your train is badly damaged on a long trip, you may want to make a quick pit stop at the nearest town. ---Swordplay--- Touch an enemy or certain other objects to attack them. If you're standing far away from the enemy, you'll perform a jump attack, which does more damage. Use your stylus to draw a line around Link in a half-circle to swing your sword in that direction. Draw a line straight toward Link to make a jab attack. Draw a circle around Link for a spin attack. Don't do this too many times consecutively, though, or you'll get dizzy. ---Items--- Most of the items are pretty easy to figure out and will be explained when you obtain them. To pull out at an item, tap the icon on the top of the screen, and tap it again to put it away. You'll withdraw your item automatically if you get hit by an enemy while using it. ---Menus--- Press START to pause your game, giving you the option of saving, and if you want, quitting. Tap the Menu button on the bottom of the screen to access four options: * Save: Allows you to save the game * Collection: Displays items you've collected, including treasures, letters, and train parts. Tap items to see their names. Touch the DS-shaped button in the middle to switch the top and bottom parts of the screen. * Map: Shows the map of the current area. Tap "Memo" to draw notes on the screen, and "Erase" to remove marks you've made. The Map feature isn't used as often as it was in Phantom Hourglass. * Rail Map: Shows the overworld map. Touch a particular spot to see that location's map (including towns and other stations). As you collect more Rail Maps, more of the world map will come into view. ---Button Shortcuts--- If you don't like using your stylus for some things, the following buttons perform these functions: D-pad Left allows you to change characters in certain situations where you're controlling Link and Zelda at the same time. Press Right or Y to access the Menu screen. Press SELECT to access the Collection screen. Press Down or B to view the map of the current area. Press L or R to take out the current item. =============================================================================== The Walkthrough [WALKT] =============================================================================== ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting Started ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Insert the Game Card and turn the game on. Really. Watch the opening sequence and touch the screen to get to the file select screen. Choose Slot 1 or Slot 2 (there's only two save slots, like in Phantom Hourglass) and enter your name on the on-screen keyboard. Then choose whether you're left-handed or right-handed. This option only affects the way messages and menus work; your hero will be a lefty regardless of your selection. Then watch the opening scene of the game! Again, I'm not going to spoil much of it, but since it's the start of the game, I don't think it would hurt to say that Link is being promoted from an apprentice to a true engineer, and he's heading off to the castle for Zelda to confer that honor upon him. Soon you'll get to control Link. Drag the stylus to control him, and touch the pots to pick them up and tap somewhere to throw them in that direction. Then head south out the door. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aboda Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Apparently we're in a place called Aboda Village, which seems to lie on the coast. Talk to the people who live in the village, and grab the rocks and throw them for Rupees. One house is surrounded by boulders. Break all of them and talk to the girl to receive a Red Rupee, worth twenty. You'll also meet her brother, a naughty boy near a beehive. Roll into the tree to knock down the hive and send a swarm of angry bees after you. Occasionally you'll find a Bee Larvae when you knock down the hive. Ignore the kid's advice about jumping into the water, and seek shelter in someone's home. Then find the lad again and you'll receive a collection item, a Stalfos Skull for me. These aren't incredibly useful, but they're worth collecting for your future benefit. You can find many of the lesser collection items under pots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Choo, Choo! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you've done enough exploring, head north to the stairs, where Alfonzo will teach you how to operate the train. You have 300 seconds to get to Hyrule Castle, which shouldn't be too tough unless you're playing a ROM (in which case you'll probably be stuck now). Check the Basics section of the guide if you need further help using the train. Early on a Moink will block the tracks; blow your whistle to make it get out of the way. When you reach a crossing, you'll have to use the lever to decide whether to go left or right. Watch the map and make your choice depending on how the other trains are moving. Obviously, it's best not to collide with them. Eventually, you'll reach the Hyrule Castle Town station. Alfonzo will teach you how to stop - set the lever to the third-lowest setting. If you overshoot the mark, set it to reverse. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hyrule Castle Town ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now we're talking! This is the first major action scene we've come to so far, and there are lots of people and houses. I like to talk to everybody, but you won't find anything very interesting at this point. Check the shop - you probably won't have enough Rupees to be able to buy anything, but you might notice a little surprise on the shelf. Check the mailbox for a visit from the postman, who will hand you a letter. Read it on the letters section of the Collection screen, but it's nothing spellbinding. When you're ready to advance in the game, head north to Hyrule Castle. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hyrule Castle ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bet you're excited now. You can explore the castle and break a few pots for random collection items, but most of the areas of the castle are blocked off by guards (as usual). Keep heading north to meet Princess Zelda, who gives you a certificate and another letter. Once you're ready, check the collection screen to read Zelda's note. Now we have to meet Zelda in her room. This can only be accessed from the outside part of the second floor. There's a map on the wall that shows you how to do it, but it involves walking down a narrow platform on the northeast part of the building. Then go talk with her and she'll ask you to escort her out of the castle. You'll also get dressed up in something a little spiffier. Make sure you understand how controlling both Link and Zelda at the same time works. To move Zelda, tap her icon and draw the path you want her to follow. Zelda will follow you - slowly - if you don't control her manually. Tap "Call" if you want her to come to Link. Press Left on the Control Pad to change between the two characters. Anyway, you're trying to guide Zelda out of the castle without being seen by the guards. It's OK if a guard sees Link, but if Zelda is spotted by security, you'll be sent back to the beginning of the room. The first room isn't much of a problem and is a good way to get used to controlling both Link and Zelda. Just draw a path that keeps Zelda away from the two guards, and guide her to the exit door to the east. Now we're outside, and we've got another group of guards to avoid. This is probably the hardest spot in the first sector of the game. Jump down the wall and have Zelda move down the left side of the corridor. She'll be spotted by the guard, however, unless you talk to him while making him face away from Zelda. Head south and there's another guard. Again use the same strategy; make him face left while Zelda circles around and hides behind the cover of the hedge. Zelda warns you that the final guard is a bit more dedicated and isn't going to look away to speak with you. Grab one of the boulders and throw it to the north of the guard. This will startle him and make him look away for a while. Then quickly have Zelda sneak around the wall and out the castle gate. There's a fourth guard, but making him look away requires no special tricks; just stay far out of his line of vision. Leave Hyrule Castle Town, and the key cutscene of the game will ensue. You'll be back in the castle. Go through the northeast staircase on the second floor to return to Zelda's room, where you will be presented with the Spirit Flute! Something gives me the impression that this pan flute will be important to our quest someday. Head through the northwest staircase on the second floor. Break the pots to reveal several collection items, and take the Red Rupee from the chest. Talk to the guard, who won't let you leave quite yet. This is a good time to explore the castle, now that most of the guards are gone. There's a treasure chest with an item outside, and assorted other collection items under pots. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Recruit's Sword ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head east through the area on the first floor to visit the guards' training grounds. Talk to the guard captain to receive the Recruit's Sword. You won't be allowed to use it, however, until you pass a few simple training exercises. If you need more help with basic swordplay, check the Basics section of my guide or the game manual. First, perform a couple of targeted attacks on all three of the guards. Because they'll try to defend themselves with their spears, it might take a few extra attempts. The guards will stoop down when they're defeated. Second, do two side slashes on all of the trainees. Again, it might take several tries. Finally, carry out a spin attack on each guard, and you'll have that sword for keeps. Now head back to the northwest door that the guard was blocking. He'll finally move now that you have a weapon, and you'll be in a secret passage behind the castle. A guard is being assailed by Spinuts here; use targeted attacks to beat the enemies and save him. Talk to the guard and head up the steps. See that bomb in the ground? It's a Bomb Flower, and you can pick it up and throw it at things to blow them up. Throw it at the middle part of the wall to open a secret tunnel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tunnel to the Tower ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the first cavern of the game. Many weak Red ChuChus inhabit this area; these meanies are easy to defeat using targeted attacks. The bats - Keese - are speedier and slightly more dangerous. You might prefer using side swipes or spin attacks against them, as they're harder to target. Read the inscriptions if you wish, and get rid of the enemies. Step on the switch to open a door nearby, but when you step off, the door slams shut. What to do, what to do. Touch the block to the south and tap the arrows to drag it toward the switch to the north. This block will hold the switch down and allow you to access the treasure chest. Inside is a Small Key. Remember passing by a big locked door? Now that you have a key, you can tap the door to open it (at the expense of your Small Key), giving you access to a new section of the cave. Bop the enemies and read the messages on the tombstones if you want. There are a bunch of water-filled gaps in the floor; if you run, you will skip right over all of the gaps. Open the chest at the end of the corridor for a 20-Rupee chest, and grab the Bomb Flower and throw it at the blocks to destroy them. Dispose of the enemies in the way and you'll meet a new puzzle. There are four crystal switches that must be hit in a specific order: right, top, bottom, and then left. Use targeted attacks to hit them. You have to be pretty fast, though, because they only stay activated for a short time. When you've finished this puzzle, a door opens. Head through to a room full of Keese, and Zelda will be attacked (more like annoyed) by a pair of rats. Slash them and move on. Bash the pots for heart refills and a few collection items, and head on over to the Tower of Spirits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch the cinema, and when it's finished, head north up the stairs in the main room of the tower. Make your way up the stairs to Room 1; ignore the lift, which takes you back to the start of the tower. Head forward and - yikes! It's a Phantom! It'll attack you (no way around it), and after a cutscene, return to the main room and talk to Anjean again. Return to the room with the Phantom and watch its pattern on the map. It moves slowly and can see only the area in front of it. If it sees you, run to one of the blue safe zones, where it can't hurt you. And just to clear things up for Phantom Hourglass veterans, there's no timer of any kind here. Anyway, head west and grab the first Tear of Light. Then take the second Tear of Light to the north. For the third and final tear, hit the crystal switch in the northeast corner, circle around to the center of the room, and quickly cross the bridge before it retracts for the final Tear of Light. Now find a safe zone and wait for the Phantom to pass by. Then use a targeted attack to strike him in the back. An amusing cutscene begins. The Phantom can be controlled the same way you controlled Zelda at the castle. Have both characters push against the door, which can be opened only with teamwork. This is Room 2. Control the Phantom and draw a path over the spikes (harmless to the Phantom) and to the crystal. The Phantom will activate the switch, making the spikes retract and allowing Link to pass over. Beat the Spinuts to the southeast and have both characters stand on the floor switches at the same time to open the door. Beat the rats and push the block in front of the hole. Now take control of the Phantom and cross the spikes. Head past the other Phantom (Phantoms will never hurt Phantoms) and hit the crystal to lower the spikes. As a Phantom, talk to the Phantom on guard duty and make him face left. This will allow Link to slip by to the stairs to the north. Climb up the pedestal and get the Forest Rail Map! This restores the tracks to the main part of the overworld map. Take the blue portal back to the lobby and talk to Anjean. One irrelevant note: If you save and quit while playing the Tower of Spirits, all progress will be saved except for collecting Tears of Light. So if you save and stop playing while in the tower, next time you'll have to find the tears again and "repossess" a Phantom. Doing so is rarely the most time-consuming part of the tower. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whittleton ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We're back on the tracks. Now follow the path leading into the forest. On the way there, you'll meet some new enemies - birds that will fly around you and try to attack. Use the whistle to scare them off. When you reach the forest, you won't make it very far - they're the Lost Woods, and you'll get, well, lost! You'll find yourself back in the overworld pretty soon. Draw a path to the small forest icon to the east - it's a small town called Whittleton. First, head to the shop; you should now have enough money to buy a Shield, which costs 80 Rupees - assuming you haven't already purchased one. The Shield automatically protects you from frontal attacks from weaker enemies. It also allows you to stun a few meanies as well. Anyway, head to the Chief's house to the north and talk to him. Then talk to everyone else for a few clues on navigating the Lost Woods. Ignore the game area to the north (you can't use it yet) and return to your train. Talk to Zelda and you'll be back aboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lost Woods ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to the Lost Woods now. Whenever you reach an intersection, follow the path that the small tree branch points to. Repeat until you reach the fourth crossing; go in the opposite direction as the tree suggests. You'll now arrive in the Forest Sanctuary. Note: The route is different every time you enter, unlike previous Lost Woodses. Just use the trees as your guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forest Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This place reminds me of the Sacred Forest Meadow of previous Zelda games. Dispose of all the enemies in the vicinity - the irritating crows and the less irritating ChuChus - to make life a lot easier. Head northeast up the stairs to an area with a bridge and a Bomb Flower. Grab the Bomb Flower, jump down, and throw it at the blocks to the west to destroy them and create a little shortcut. Then head back to where you got the Bomb Flowers. There's a crystal switch that forms a bridge when hit, but the bridge will retract too quickly for you to take a Bomb Flower across and destroy the blockade to the west. Instead, pull one Bomb Flower, place it by the crystal (giving you a bit of extra time before it explodes and activates the switch), and head back and take another Bomb Flower. Take it west and hurl it at the blocks to break them. Beat the Red ChuChus and look at the tile in the middle. Connect dots representing the two statues that face each other: the north-northwest and east-southeast statues. Connect them to make a door open. Go through to meet Gage (not Saria!), who will teach you how to play a song on your Spirit Flute. Slide the stylus left and right to move the pipe you want to play to the center of the screen, then blow into the microphone to play it. Kind of neat. You don't need to blow extremely hard, and don't get too close to the mike, or it'll play a note every time you breathe. In addition, be sure to blow, not whistle. Many players, myself included, find these sequences difficult. If you're not sure whether you're getting the notes right, on a good note a bubble will appear and pop, leaving many small bubbles. You might want to practice a few times as you get the hang of this new way of playing Zelda-style music. Anyway, after Gage plays his notes, blow into the three rightmost pipes (going left to right, matching the colors shown at the top) in a steady rhythm. Repeat twice. When you're done, you'll play the end of the song automatically, and you'll henceforth be able to access the Forest Temple from the overworld map. On the way back through the Forest Sanctuary, you'll find a strange statue emitting colored bubbles. Pull out your flute and play the notes in the colors it suggests and you'll learn the Song of Awakening and receive a hint. A new statue will also appear. You can use the Song of Awakening when standing near similar statues in dungeons and other places to receive various hints. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Forest Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the overworld map, take the tracks through the woods to the temple to the north. You'll be assaulted by a few Skulltulas (spiders) along the way; slow down and pull the whistle as you approach them, and they should go away. Soon you'll roll into the Forest Temple. At the start, head north and you'll find another funny statue. Use your Spirit Flute to play the same notes it does and you'll learn the Song of Healing. This allows you to replenish your health once from the Collection screen. And it's not really one-time use, either; just exit the temple and you can use it again. Anyway, head up the stairs into the main part of the temple, which has some pretty neat background music. Head northeast and pick up one of those nuts. Throw it across the gap to hit a crystal switch, forming a bridge. Cross it and head south. The door will shut. Beat all the enemies to re-open the doors and reveal a chest, which contains 100 Rupees. Go up the staircase to the second floor. Snake north through the poison gas and the door shuts again. These spider Enemies, Vengas, are easy to beat using targeted attacks, but watch out; they release poisonous gas when defeated. When they're all gone, open the big chest for your first item - the Whirlwind! To use it, equip it from the menu screen, click its icon on the top of the screen, and blow into the microphone to send a tornado flying in the direction Link's facing. You can also use the stylus to change Link's aim while the item is in use, making it easier to target enemies and other things. Go back to the area with the poison gas and use the Whirlwind to reveal a chest with a petty treasure inside. Then head back to the area with the big chest and stand in front of the windmill. Use the Whirlwind to make it spin and open the western door. Break the pots for items and hearts, then use the Whirlwind to dispel the poison gas blocking the door. We're now in the northwestern part of the first floor. Stand in front of the key and blow it north using the Whirlwind, allowing you to pick it up. Head east and step on the floor switch to open the door, forming a shortcut. Head to the northeastern part of the room and blow away all those poisonous fumes, ignoring the stamp station (it's useless right now). In the corner is a floor switch that reveals a chest. It's got a Big Green Rupee inside. Go back and open the locked door in the middle part of the room. Head south for a battle with a pair of Poison Bubbles. These skull-like enemies are speedy and a bit tricky. Stand in a safe corner, take out your Whirlwind, and use the tornado to stun them briefly. Then slash to defeat them. When they're both defeated, go through the southwestern door. Beat the spiders, then head north to the third floor. Blow a nut to the switch to reveal a chest containing a Small Key. Return to the second floor and unlock the door in the middle part of the room. This is a mini-boss, Mothula. It flits around the room moderately quickly. Target it using the Whirlwind, and when it shoots a Bubble at you, use the Whirlwind to deflect the Bubble back at it, stunning it. This is your chance to slash it with your sword. Repeat to win this easy battle - easier than the Poison Bubbles earlier! If you run low on energy, try slashing the grasses in the area. Head north to the main part of the third floor. Go south and you'll see the Big Keyhole. Go southeast and you'll find an explosive slug, known as Blastworm. Hit it with your sword to stun it, and then use the Whirlwind to blow it to the rocks, which causes an explosion and breaks them. Blow away all the poisonous gas in the area, and step on the switch to create a chest. Inside is a Ruto Crown. Then hit the crystal switch to open the southwest door. Go over there and prepare for one of the trickier parts of the dungeon. Use the explosive Blastworms to destroy the blocks across the gap and activate the switch, opening the northeast door. Don't let the two slugs hit each other, or they'll both explode. Remember that they'll come back when defeated (a good thing here). If you run low on energy, you can refill with the pots to the north or with the grasses back on 2F. Anyway, head northeast to the Big Key. Take note of the sign on the wall, and take out your map. Draw the pathway onto your map. This way, you won't be attacked by the Key Masters (represented by the skulls on the map), which want to reclaim the Big Key. Carefully follow the path you drew and touch the Big Keyhole to open the way. On the fourth floor, break the pots for heart refills, and read the tombstone to form a blue portal that connects to the beginning of the dungeon. If you're ready, go forward and face our first boss. -----STAGNOX, ARMORED COLOSSUS----- Not very difficult, I must say, despite his enormous size. At first, run around the arena and you'll stay ahead of his headbutt attacks. When he strikes, run around to his backside and use the Whirlwind to blow away the poisonous gas on his rear end (yuck). Then slash away using targeted attacks from your sword. Repeat. Eventually, Stagnox may start spinning for a while. When this happens, just blow away the poison on his backside and strike again. Stagnox takes the air, and Phase 2 of the bout commences. A trio of Blastworms will drop into the ring. Slash one, and when the boss swoops in for an attack, use the Whirlwind to send a bug flying in its direction, which will stun the boss if executed properly. While he's down for the count, step forward and slash away at his rear. Repeat and this boss will be history! By the way, there are hearts in all the pots scattered around the ring, but you shouldn't need them. When you've won, a green jewel appears. Open the big chest for a new Heart Container, and step into the blue portal to return to the entrance of the dungeon. Talk to Zelda and get all aboard. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quick Bucks in the Forest Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This paragraph is optional but lucrative. Now that you have the Whirlwind, return to the Forest Sanctuary and head west. Remember seeing a Cucco on a high ledge with a chest? Use the Whirlwind to knock down the chicken. Then pick it up, ascend the steps, and make a Cucco-assisted jump to the chest. Inside is a Big Red Rupee, worth a whopping 200. Now go on your merry way. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits, Part Two ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Our next stop is the Tower of Spirits - again. This means a nice long train ride. However, there are again two trains on the tracks, and they don't seem very nice. Avoid them by changing tracks or reversing as necessary; if you hit them, it's Game Over. Head to the tower in the northwest and talk to Anjean. Go up the stairs to the north, and head up both flights of stairs. There's a new part of the tower we can visit! Head past the cannon when it temporarily stops emitting flames, avoid the Phantom, and head to the safe zone. Use your Whirlwind to blow the Tear of Light from around the pit, allowing you to collect it. Make your way past the obstacles to the big chest (which contains a Ruto Crown) in the east and take the tear in the safe spot to the northeast. Then head west and retrieve the tear you just dislodged. Keep going west, and stay away from the Phantom's line of vision. Wait for the fire wall to go away, and collect the last Tear of Light to your southwest. Now that your sword is charged up, find a Phantom and strike him in the back. Again, you'll now be able to control him, and Link can even ride him over lava pits. While riding a Phantom, double-tap to the side to dismount. Head southeast to a huge lava pit. Have your Phantom puppet step down into the lava, and tap to make Link hang on. Go across the pit, dismount, and head north up the stairs to Room 5. There's another lava pit, dealt with in the same fashion as before, but there's also Keese flying around. Don't forget that you can still use any of your regular attacks while you're riding the Phantom. Head west to a treasure chest containing a yummy Big Green Rupee, worth 100. Back in the lava, notice the two windmills in the area - one to the west, and one north. Stand on the Phantom and activate both of them with the Windmill to open the door. Go through and head southwest. There's an enemy running around the area, but you can't attack it because it flees when it sees you. Have both characters corner it so it can't escape, then beat it for a Small Key. Use this key to unlock the door to the north. Have your Phantom escort Link across the lava, and go up the stairs and prepare to face Room 6. Uh-oh - a Geozard. These things were nasty in Phantom Hourglass, and they're pretty irritating here, too. Have your Phantom fight him from the front, while you sneak behind and hit him a few times in the back - his weak spot. If you don't have a yellow cursor on the lizard knight, however, your Phantom won't attack him. Also keep in mind that your Phantom has unlimited energy. After beating this toughie, the doors will open. Head south through the corridor, smashing the pots for some much-needed energy refills. Ignore the Miniblin riding the Armos Statue and have your Phantom stand in front of the fire cannon, allowing Link to pass by safely. Move Link north to the top of the staircase, and, as suggested, have him jump onto the Phantom from the side. Go east past the wall of fire, and don't pass the second fire cannon until it stops - it's the only one that can hurt you while you're riding the Phantom. Pass the third fire cannon and use the Whirlwind to knock down the Small Key. Take it (you can collect it while riding the Phantom) and go back west. Head north in the central part of the room and attack the Miniblins if you please, assuming you're still riding the Phantom. Hop down and open the locked door. Go forth and enter Room 7, which holds the Snow Rail Map! Yay! Step into the blue portal to return to the entrance, and have a quick chat with Anjean. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cannon and the Stamp Book ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leave the tower and ride toward Hyrule Castle Town. Along the way, you'll be harassed by a few wild boars, called Bulbos. You may take considerable damage, but you'll be relatively safe if you go at top speed. Stop at the big city and head north to the mailbox, where there's a letter from Alfonzo waiting for you. Go to Hyrule Castle and when you're inside, turn left and go north. Talk to Alfonzo, then leave the room and talk to Zelda's teacher. There's a new mini- game available for play in Hyrule Castle Town, but for now I'll stay on the main quest (the mini-game is discussed in the next paragraph). Also, I cover the newly-available Take 'Em All On mini-game in the FAQs. Leave Hyrule Castle Town now and ride south to Aboda Village. This is where we started the game, as you may recall. Alfonzo will make a little adjustment to your train. While he's working, visit Niko at the southwestern house and he'll give you a Stamp Book. Wherever there's a stamp station, you'll be able to add a new stamp to a page in your book (turn the pages using the stylus if you want to stamp a different page). Believe it or not, good things happen if you accumulate enough stamps. You can get your first stamp in the northwestern part of Aboda Village. Now return to the northern building and talk to Alfonzo, who has added a cannon to your train! To use it, just tap wherever you want to fire. Your cannon allows you to attack enemies on the rails and destroy boulders, which often yield Rupees. Don't press the stylus too hard, or you'll change the camera angle instead of shooting. Also remember that the cannon's range is somewhat limited, and that it's usually easier to shoot at a high camera angle (at least when it comes to ground enemies). Lastly, if you go into the forest, remember that red Skulltulas will require two hits to defeat (as do the Bulbos). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Swordfighting Minigame ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Want a new Heart Container? Of course you do! Go to Hyrule Castle Town and then into the castle. Turn right and head north into the training room. Talk to the guard captain and agree to pay 20 Rupees to play a mini-game. You'll face off against three guards, and you're trying to hit them as many times as you can using your sword. These guys all have spears, and if they hit you, you'll get hurt. If you get hit three times, the game will end. Score at least 60 hits on them and you'll receive a new Heart Container. A few tips: There are different strategies for playing this game. Some players like to run away from the soldiers and then slash the nearest guard a few times before running away. Others stand in the middle of them all and whack them in a rotation. I try to get in a couple of slashes after each time a guard strikes. Whenever a guard pulls his spear back, get out of the way so you won't get poked. And whatever you do, try to stay away from the corners, where it's easy to get trapped. Thankfully, there will never be more than one guard attacking at any one time. For your information, my best score is 90 hits. If you achieve 999 hits, I've heard that the soldiers will bow down at your feet! There's little point in trying for this, though. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rabbitland Rescue ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Keep going west across the rails, using your cannon to dispose of any enemies along the way (remember that the wild boars take two hits). Head through the Lost Woods (you don't have to watch the branches any more) and go toward the northwestern part of the map. Here there's a big boulder blocking the road; eliminating it requires several shots from the cannon. Just after that is the site of an optional but fun sidequest. Stop at the nearby station to reach Rabbitland Rescue. Talk to the guy in the rabbit suit (not really an overgrown hare) and you'll receive the Rabbit Net. In the overworld, you'll now occasionally see a bunny hiding behind a rock. Shoot its hiding place (usually a rock) and you'll have a chance to catch it in a quick mini-game; just tap the quick-moving rabbit and you'll catch it. Watch the path it follows and aim a little ahead of the bunny. The time limit is pretty narrow, though, and if you run out of time, you'll have to try again some other time. If you catch a bunny, be sure to take it back to the Rabbitland Rescue man at some point; you'll be rewarded with Rupees or occasionally a Goron Amber. And once you've caught five bunnies, you can go here for a new Heart Container. Also in Rabbitland Rescue, head up several sets of steps until you're slightly northeast of the small island. Jump down and west, and if you do it just right, you'll land on the island. It may take several attempts. Open the chest for a Pearl Necklace. And thankfully, a bridge forms, allowing you to return. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Quick but Optional Backtrack ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that we have the Stamp Book, go back to the Forest Sanctuary and head west and up the stairs until you come to a stamp station. Also, return to the Forest Temple and visit the stamp station as detailed in my guide (in the northeast part of the first room; use the Whirlwind to blow away the poisonous gas). These two sidequests are completely optional, but now is a convenient time to do them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anouki Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From Rabbitland Rescue, keep going north and you'll be on a new part of the world map: the Snow Realm. Ride your train toward the mountain icon and stop at the station. This is Anouki Village. Talk to all the Anouki people, who you might remember from Phantom Hourglass. See that odd statue? Play your Spirit Flute using the notes indicated by the statue to learn a new song, the Song of Discovery. The statue will also leave behind a chest with a Red Potion inside. This appears on the Collection screen and allows you to refill your energy when it's low. If you'd like a stamp for your Stamp Book, circle south and head to the northeast corner of the area. Scurry around the trees to find the stamp station. Once you've talked to everybody, head to the north central house, the home of the village's leader. He'll ask you to find a partner for all of the Anoukis. Talk with everyone again for some clues, and when you're finished, return to the head honcho. He'll ask you to decide which Anoukis are compatible with one another by drawing lines connecting the pairs. You can use logic, or you can use my solution: Upper left-lower right Upper middle-lower left Upper right-lower middle. If you answer correctly, you'll be rewarded with a Red Rupee. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ginormous Snow Monster ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the rails, follow the path to the north and east and you'll enter a tunnel. This is where you'll meet up with a "ginormous" one-eyed monster, who looks a lot like Gohma from previous Zelda games. Keep shooting its eye - its only vulnerability - to damage it and push it back. If you don't shoot fast enough, it'll pounce on you and damage your train. After a number of hits, you'll defeat it, and it won't bother you in this tunnel again. Then you'll arrive at the Snow Sanctuary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the teepee to the east if you'd like to check out an Anouki-run store. A really expensive Heart Container (too expensive to afford) is for sale, as well as a bunch of less exciting items. Go west to meet a trio of White Wolfos. These wolves appear out of nowhere and will circle you and strike. If you have a shield, they can't hurt you unless they get behind you. Spin attacks work great against them, or you can use plain old targeted attacks. Climb up the stairs and go up the nearby ramp to a stamp station. Get your book stamped and resume heading east, where you'll meet three more wolves. Up more stairs, you'll find some Ice ChuChus. If they touch you, you'll be frozen and will have to rub the stylus back and forth to thaw out. Use the Whirlwind to stun them, and slash them while they're stunned. Head west along the narrow walkway and go inside the main Snow Sanctuary. Step on the switch to the floor to make a door open. It'll close, however, if you run out of time or if you step into the sight of one of the statues. It's very hard to explain without a map, but head straight north at first, and then turn east (and slightly south) and circle around to the door. You'll meet a sagacious character named Steem, who will teach you how to play a new song that opens the way to the Snow Temple. If you're having trouble playing it, check the strategy for the previous song. Again, all the notes are adjacent to each other, although now you have to repeat a four-note sequence instead of three. It just takes a little practice; keep trying and you'll get it right. Once you're finished, go back and get on board the train. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blizzard!!! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the overworld, draw a path to the temple to the north. Use your cannon to defend yourself against the snowmen along the rails - shoot the heads they hurl at you, and shoot their bodies to zap them for good. Soon, however, you'll reach a blizzard and will wind up at the start of the newer trails. Return to Anouki Village and talk to the head honcho. He'll tell you about a man named Ferrus who can assist you. Back on the rails, head east and hit the rock the rabbit is hiding behind if you want to catch a bunny. Go all the way east and watch out for the many snowmen (and enemy trains) in the area. When you reach a station, stop. This is Wellspring Station. Go up to the house and check the map in the hut. This shows you the three places Ferrus might be - you might want to note this on your rail map. Find Ferrus at one of those three locations (probably the south one), and stop the train and chat with him. He'll give you a dusty-looking map that doesn't seem too useful. However, if you blow into the microphone, the dust will disappear and the map will come into view. It shows the special path you must take to get through the blizzard. Definitely copy this onto your rail map. Back on the rails, draw the special route that will take you to the Snow Temple (go back to Anouki Village if you're going in reverse). This long ride has a few snowmen along the way, but they shouldn't be too much trouble. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snow Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the entrance, head north and break the pots for heart refills and collection goodies. Then go through the door to the main part of the dungeon. Be careful here - much of the floor is icy and VERY slippery. Zap the Keese and head forward. Take notice of the bell here. Push it forward and read the message. Slash the bell twice to open the door to the southeast. If necessary, beat the Ice ChuChus after stunning them with the Whirlwind, but watch out for the icy floor, which can send you sliding into enemies. Head through the newly-opened door and push the block right, down, left, up, right, and up so it serves as a platform. Run up the stairs, across the newly- relocated block, and south to an area full of Octives - weird sea monsters that blow bombs every few seconds. Use your Whirlwind to deflect one of these bombs to the crystal switch, which forms a bridge. Take it west to a staircase. This is Basement 1. Push the block into the water and run onto it. Just like in Super Mario Sunshine, you can use your Whirlwind as a propulsion device for your "boat." Activate the windmill with the Whirlwind to open a door. Beware the Octive and go north to a new block you must push into the water and use as a boat. This can be tricky! Blow a bomb back at the Octive to defeat it, and maneuver south to a chest containing a Red Rupee. Head north and defeat two more Octives. Go up and head west, where the door shuts for a mini-battle. Use your Whirlwind to stun the Keese, then slash away while they're immobile. When they're defeated, open the big chest for the Boomerang! To use it, take it out and use the stylus to draw the path you want it to follow. Head back east and break the pots for heart refills, then throw the Boomerang so it will hit both of the switches across the gap. When both are activated, a bridge will appear, allowing you entrance to the next area. This door takes you to the northeastern part of the first floor. Check the sign for a vague clue, then head south and take out the Ice Keese with the Boomerang. Then draw a circular path so the Boomerang hits the crystal switch, making a switch appear. Open it for a Pirate Necklace. Hit the crystal switch again to open a door. Go back north and push the bell down and left into the main room. From here, push it up, left, down, right, down, left, and south into the slot. Now that it's in place, pull out your Boomerang so it hits the center bell once and circles to hit the other bell TWICE, then hits the center bell once more. This procedure opens the southwestern door. Go through and you'll find yourself in a room full of torches. Pull out your trusty Boomerang and draw a path that goes through the lit torch and lights all of the other torches. It won't activate the door, however, because you'll realize that the torches have to be hit in a certain order, as indicated by the dots on the floor. These dots were covered by the snow until you melted it with your Boomerang. Now you should know what order to light the torches in, but if you need extra help, it's northeast, southeast, northwest, and southwest. Doing this opens the door, but first break the glass plants blocking your way using the sword. Go through to a tough area. Here, you must use your Boomerang on the icy torch to create an icy path over the water. This ice is slippery and breaks after a little while. Create an ice bridge to the east and nab the Small Key. Head back west and unlock the door. The door slams shut, where you'll be faced with icy-shelled Octoroks. Throw your Boomerang through the torch and into the enemies to hit their shells, melting them. After being melted, these slow-moving enemies will become agile rock-shooting Octoroks, so be careful. After beating them all, the door to the east will open. Boomerang the fire torch while standing in the battle zone and let it melt the block of ice to the north. This reveals a windmill. To activate it, you must create an ice bridge, and from there you can activate the windmill with the Whirlwind. This opens a new door to the northeast. Go north and beat the sea monster, then prepare for a tricky area that requires more wizardry with ice creation. Use your Boomerang on the ice torch to create a series of ice bridges as you make your way northeast. Every time you see an unlit torch, use the previous torch to light it. Get your entry in the stamp book in the northeast corner of the room. From here, make your way west, beating all the sea monsters along the way. If you beat them all, a chest will appear in the northwest, with a Big Green Rupee (worth 100) inside. At the end of this area, head up the stairs to the northwest. Break any pots for an energy refill, and head all the way south. Beat the Fire Keese with your Boomerang, and draw a path through the torch and over the snow to reveal a clue (unneeded if you have a guide). Return to the room to the north and create an ice bridge along the south wall. Head east and step on the switch to open a very important door. Go back west and create a bridge in the northeast part of the room; it leads to a chest with a Red Rupee inside. Now comes the hardest part of the dungeon. See that bell? Push it right, down, left, up, right, down, left, and then up. If some of these moves don't work, you'll have to create an ice bridge along the edge of the water so you can push the block from its right. From here, create an ice bridge leading east and push the bell across. If it goes into the water, it'll return to its previous location. Light the unlit torch with the ice torch from the west. Here's another tricky part where you must push the bell onto the platform. The only way you can do that is by using the Boomerang the ice torch to create an ice bridge that covers ALL of the water to the south; draw a wide zig-zag pattern. Then quickly push the bell down, left, and down again onto the platform. From here, just push it left, up, and right into the slot. Ding, dong... time to jingle the bells again with your Boomerang. As the clue suggested earlier, hit them in the order of left once, center twice, right once, and center once to open the northern door. First light the other unlit ice torch in the room to reveal a chest. It contains a Red Rupee. Go forward, ignoring the ice-covered Octorok, and go up the stairs. Go south and take out the Ice ChuChus (stun them first with the Boomerang). Pass by the big keyhole and check the sign on the wall for a clue. Return northwest and draw a Boomerang path so it goes through the torches in this order: ice torch, upper middle torch, upper right, lower middle, fire torch, upper left, lower left, and lower right. The torches will go out unless you make one neat, efficient throw. Once all the torches are lit, a door to the east will open. Go through and you'll be trapped in a room with four White Wolfos. Use targeted attacks or a spin move to beat them without too much hassle. When they're gone, go through the east door, breaking the pots if you need hearts. Step on the floor switch and use the Whirlwind to dislodge the Big Key. Carry it west across the bridge and touch the big lock to open it (there's nothing that will try to take the key, either). Use the Boomerang to break the pots across from you for some heart refills, keeping in mind that you must be on the upper level to break the higher two pots. Read the inscription to form a handy portal leading to the beginning of the dungeon. Then go forward and get ready to rumble! -----FRAAZ, MASTER OF ICY FIRE----- This boss is much harder than the first dungeon boss; in fact, it's one of the toughest in the entire game. At first, Fraaz floats around the room, occasionally launching an ice ball or a succession of fireballs at you, depending on whether he's blue or red. Keep moving away from him to avoid the attacks. To stun him, throw the Boomerang so it flies through the opposite element torch as Fraaz and hits him. In other words, if Fraaz is fiery, throw the Boomerang so it goes through the icy torch and hits the boss; if he's icy, melt him with a Boomerang through the fire torch. This will stun him, allowing you to get in a few hits with your sword. Repeat this process about two more times. Remember that Fraaz doesn't always change elements after every attack. At this point, the boss splits into two smaller versions of itself. One of these is icy, and one is fiery, as indicated by the skull icons on the map. To attack them, line up a Boomerang shot so it goes through the ice torch and hits the fiery mini-Fraaz and then goes through the fiery torch and hits the icy Fraaz. You can also hit the fiery half first. And while you're lining up your shot, they're still shooting small fireballs and ice balls at you, so remain alert. After hitting both halves, Fraaz recombines and destroys the torches. At this point, you're basically doing what you were at the start of the fight, except now you have to use remnants of his previous attacks in lieu of torches. Also, you'll have to hit him a couple of times with the same element before he'll be stunned (make the Boomerang hit the flame once and then circle around so it hits the boss twice). Then slash away until he inflates again. Repeat once or twice. Fraaz splits apart again. Do what you did earlier when he split, except now you're forced to use the leftover fireballs on the ground instead of torches. Stay reasonably close to the boss, as otherwise it's tough to get an accurate shot. After hitting both halves, Fraaz combines for one last stand. Again it's similar to the first phase, but now it'll take three consecutive attacks to stun Fraaz and attack him. After beating Fraaz, a silver jewel will appear. Open the big chest for your fifth Heart Container (possibly more than that), and then take the blue portal out of here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bridge Worker's Home ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the overworld map, ride around the Snow Temple tracks (the blizzard will be gone) if you want to catch a new bunny. Chug on over to the southeast corner of the map - a convenient way to get to the tower. On the way there, you'll find a new station. Stop there to check out the Bridge Worker's House. Visit the house and talk to the man a few times, although he can't help you yet. Then check the mailbox for a letter. Go back in the house to reset the mailbox, and you should be due for another letter. From the Snow Realm, just go southeast into the Tower of Spirits if you don't want to do the next sidequest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beedle's Shop ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beedle is a slightly zany personality who peddles merchandise of varying utility and shares Tingle's uncanny ability to travel across time without explanation. After you get his letter in the mail, he floats around in a hot- air balloon in the overworld; his location is indicated on the map. To visit him, get near his balloon and toot your whistle. He'll land, and from there just stop near his balloon and you'll be able to visit his shop. At this point, I recommend that you buy the Bomb Bag for 500 Rupees. It's a lot of dough, but the Bomb Bag is required to get a lot of valuable goodies later in the game. Plus, it's a lot more convenient than having to rely on Bomb Flowers whenever you feel the urge to blow stuff up. Also, if you have enough money, buy a membership card for 100 Rupees. As a member, you'll earn points for every 10 Rupees you spend at his shop (but not other shops). These points will later earn special rewards from Beedle. Once you buy a membership, the Beedle Club Card will arrive the next time you check a mailbox. A quick word about these "special rewards": Earn 200 points (spending a total of 2,000 Rupees) to become a Silver Member (which gives you a 10% discount on anything you buy from Beedle's Shop and a one-time-use Freebie Card), and when you earn 500 points, you'll become a Gold Member and get a new Heart Container. For that reason, it's best to do most of your shopping for Potions and other things at Beedle's shop, since it's the only place in the game where you can accrue points. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits, Part Three ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roll into the tower and talk to Anjean. You guessed it - there's a new part of the tower we can explore. Go north up the stairs and keep climbing until you can't go any farther. It's dark in here, so your on-screen map isn't going to help you very much. Use your Boomerang to light the unlit torches in the area to the north, and keep lighting more torches with ones you lit previously. A few ghosts (a variant of the old-fashioned Ghinis, known here as Nocturn) inhabit this room; they aren't extremely dangerous, even though they can't be defeated yet. Also keep in mind that they won't come near a lit torch, as they aren't particularly fond of light. Pick up the Bomb Flower in the alcove to the east and throw it at the north wall to reveal a room with a big chest. Inside is an Ancient Gold Piece, an expensive jewel. Return to the previous room and go south down the hallway. See those two tiles by the wall near the staircase? If you have the Bomb Bag, you can blow up the wall and reveal secret room. There you'll find another big chest containing an Ancient Gold Piece. You can't open this room with the Bomb Flower; it's too far away. At the end, head up the stairs to the southeast and you'll emerge in Room 9. Part of this room is under the patrol of special Torch Phantoms, whose flaming swords light up the room. Ignore the message on the wall (you'll know where to go even if you don't blow out the northeast light). Keep lighting the torches as you make your way west and then north, and head northeast into the area patrolled by Phantoms. There's a Tear of Light in a safe zone in the middle. Go west into an area with some ghosts, again lighting the torches. At the end you'll find the second tear. Return east to the safe zone with the Bomb Flower. Watch the movement of the Phantoms, and when they're in a good position, run east with the Bomb Flower and drop it by the torch in the northeast corner. It'll blow open a room with the final tear and a few pots containing hearts and goodies. Now that your sword is powered up again, hit the Torch Phantom of your choice in the back and have Zelda take over. Assuming you've lit all the torches in the northwestern part of the room, head back south and take the narrow bridge west. Draw a line between your Phantom and an unlit torch to light it. The Torch Phantom can also defeat ghosts. When all the torches are lit, go up the southwestern stairs to Room 10. There are two switches to the east; have your left-handed elf stand on one, and make your princess-possessed mechanical monster stand on the other. Doing so opens the door to the north. Read the inscription (because of the darkness, you can read it only if the Phantom is standing near you) for a clue. Stand near the Phantom to keep safe from the ghosts, remembering that the Phantom can defeat them. Take note of the symbol on the floor and head northwest. Get rid of the rats (Zelda hates those) and open the big chest around the bend for a Dark Pearl Loop. Light the adjacent torch while you're at it, just for fun. Now head southeast to a big red door. Touch it and you'll be prompted to draw the symbol you saw on the floor. It's the letter Z. Draw it in one continuous stroke and the door will open. This is where the Big Key is. However, the key is electrified and Link can't touch it. Instead, have your Phantom approach the key and pick it up. When you do that, a bunch of Key Masters will appear on the floor. These aren't incredibly dangerous, but if they touch a key-carrying Phantom, they'll send the Big Key back to its starting point. Call your Phantom, but have Link a good distance in front. Go north, hugging the east wall and avoiding the pits, and slash away at the first Floor Master. There's another Floor Master or two around the big lock. Have your Phantom approach the lock, and tap it to open it. Go through to Room 11. It's a big red knight - a Geozard Chief. This looks bad. Fight him the same way you fought the green Geozard - have the Phantom engage him from the front while you sneak around and slash him a few times in the back. However, the red knight has several new tricks: First, an arena full of holes; second, the ability to jump around; and third, the ability to shoot flames in all directions every so often. Use the pots or the Song of Healing if you run low on energy - and you might. When he's KOed, open the big chest for a Palace Dish, then go forward and up the stairs to the Ocean Rail Map! Yay! We won't be able to use it quite yet, though. And no, Zelda, it's not getting easier. Go through the portal and have a talk with Anjean. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Newly-Accessible Goodies in the Tower of Spirits ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This paragraph is very skippable, but I feel compelled to inform you that now that we have the Boomerang and Bombs, we can access some new items on the earlier floors of the tower. In Room 1, head to the northwest corner and Boomerang the crystal across the gap to reveal a chest containing a Goron Amber. At the start of Room 2, use the Whirlwind to blow the Phantom across the gap. Make the Phantom step on the switch to form a bridge. Cross over and open the chest for a Mystic Jade. Then take the Phantom west until you reach the end of the ledge. Have Link jump aboard the Phantom, and then go south so Link can reach the high chest in the middle, which has a Goron Amber. In the northwestern corner of Room 2, bomb the wall to reveal a hidden room with an Ancient Gold Piece inside. You don't need a Phantom to get there. In the northern part of Room 5, stand on the north-central staircase in the lava pit and throw your Boomerang at the crystal to the north to lift the northeastern door. Go east and use your Phantom to block the lava cannons to the north so Link can pass safely. Bomb the northeastern wall to reveal a secret room with a Palace Dish inside. Then return and go south down the eastern corridor to a previously-inaccessible part of Room 4. Use the Whirlwind to blow the Phantom across the gap. Hold down the floor switch to keep one of the torches lit; throw a Boomerang through it and light the opposite torch to form make a bridge appear. Head north to a wall of fire. Throw a Bomb at the Phantom and carry it north and west to the blocks. When your Phantom approaches, you'll drop it and blow them up. Step on the switch to remove the flames, allowing Link to access a chest with an Ancient Gold Piece. Now return to Room 5, re-cross the bridge, and go up to a new part of Room 6. Here you'll face two Geozards (DANGER!), who are easier to beat if you remove their shields with a later item. Once they're gone, go south to an area with a Palace Dish and a bunch of lesser treasures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loot and Stamps in Hyrule Castle Town ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Hyrule Castle Town, assuming you have the Bomb Bag, head to the northeast corner of the main town and bomb the blocks in your way. Head up the stairs and go south to a Red Rupee chest around the southeast turret. Then make your way around the lookout area until you reach the northwest corner, where there's a stamp station. Then go south to another Red Rupee near the southwest tower. There are a few more chests we can access, too, although reaching these may prove difficult. One of the western buildings has a Cucco on top; chase it from the east side of the building so it moves to the west side of the building. Make your way to the western wall of the fortification (don't stand on the turret; stay downstairs from the turret), and use the Whirlwind to blow down the Cucco. Then jump down to the ground, pick up the Cucco, and use it to hover from the walls to reach the chests on the southeast house (a Dragon Scale) and the southwest house (a Star Fragment). The chest on the northwest house is much harder to reach; head to the northeast wall, use the Cucco to hover south onto the northeastern building, jump west to another house, and skip across the lion statues to get onto the roof with the Ancient Gold Piece. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Repairing the Bridge ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head to the southeast corner of the Forest Realm, and just before you reach the bridge (which is out), you should stop at the station. At the Trading Post, head south to a small store. Again, I'll keep spoilers to a minimum, but talk to Linebeck III and he'll tell you how you can get the bridge fixed. Now we have to go back to the Bridge Worker's Home in the Snow Realm. The easiest route is through the Tower of Spirits in the northeast. Talk to Anjean and say you want to go to the Snow Realm. From here, the Bridge Worker's House is just around the corner. Go up to the house and talk to him. Then head back to your train and talk to the man's son. He tells you five rules to follow for transporting his dad: 1. Blow the whistle whenever you reach a yellow sign. 2. Slow down or speed up whenever you pass a sign telling you to do so. 3. Don't get hit by enemies. 4. Don't use reverse as a brake while going fast. 5. Stop precisely at stations (don't go past the stop signs). Follow these rules the best you can so he'll stay happy (indicated by the face displayed on the passenger car) and keep riding with you. Actually, you should do these things whenever you have a passenger riding with you. Take him back the same way you came (through the Tower of Spirits) and back to Linebeck's shop. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Song of Light, or Why the Economy Is So Bad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to Linebeck and the bridge worker for a fun cutscene. Then read Linebeck's letter for a hint - and consider saving. The cave to the southwest is now open. Go inside, but watch out for - gasp - the Like Likes! These guys will try to suck you up, and you'll have to rub the stylus really fast to escape without them gobbling up your shield. You can buy a new one at any shop. Run by the Like Likes after stunning them with your Boomerang and climb the northern stairs. Note: If you have a Bomb Bag, skip west across the platforms by the stairs and bomb the cracked block. This will give you access to the stamp station for the Trading Post. We're now outside and north of the train tracks. Defeat the enemies and head to the statue. Play the same notes it does using your Spirit Flute to learn the Song of Light. In addition, there's now a beam of light where the statue was. Take out the Boomerang and hit the crystal switch on the island to the northeast. This forms a bridge. Go east and grab one of the Bomb Flowers. Run across the bridge and throw it at the fissure to reveal a cave. Inside this cavern, dispose of the Octoroks (you might want to Boomerang them first to stun them) and DON'T open the chest - it's a Like Like that wants to gobble up your shield. Play the Song of Light by the two diamond pedestals to form two lights. As suggested by the letter you received from Linebeck III, go four steps north and six steps west of where the lights cross (the northwestern stone). Play the Song of Discovery at this spot to reveal a chest. Inside is the Regal Ring! Save your game if you still have your shield, and make your way back to Linebeck III's shop. Now the worker will have the bridge fixed, and Linebeck III will open up a shop where you can trade your otherwise-worthless collection items for Rupees or train parts (the only place in the game where you can conduct either form of transaction). If you ever want to change train parts, talk to Alfonzo in Aboda Village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Papuchia Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that we're finished with repairing the bridge, return to the tracks and head east into the Ocean Realm. Ride east and stop at the first station you come to, which is Papuchia Village. As usual, it's not a bad idea to talk to all the village residents. Skip west across the platforms to reach the item shop. The largest house on the map is the home of the village clairvoyant. This fortune-teller will ask you a few questions about the player (you must answer using the mike), but it's not mandatory, in case you feel that talking to a video game is stupid. Tell the girl in the northeast house she's cute and you might earn a treasure. Lastly, skip west across the platforms to the northeast to reach a chest containing an insignificant collection item. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ocean Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When you've had enough fun at the village, leave and head to the easternmost station on the Ocean Realm map - the Ocean Sanctuary. Along the way there, shoot the floating barrels and the Biris (jellyfish) for Rupees, and for amusement, try tooting your whistle to make the dolphins jump and give you hearts. When you arrive, head northwest to meet a new enemy - a crab that can't be passed, called Lobarrier (looks like a Yoshi's Island Clawdaddy). To defeat it, throw your Boomerang so it circles around and hits the crab in the back, knocking it out for a few seconds. From here, you can pass by safely and optionally defeat it using your sword. Keep going and throw the Bomb Flower across the gap to destroy the rickety block. Then throw your Boomerang so it circles around to hit the crystal, which creates a bridge across the gap. Head north past the crab to a new area. First go to the southeastern corner and head south. Step on the switch to create a shortcut leading back to the main part of the Ocean Sanctuary. Then return north to where you were previously. (The rest of this paragraph can be skipped with this guide.) Head north along the east side, taking note of the statues. You may want to note the direction they face on your map. Get rid of the crabs to the north and head up the steps in the northeast corner. Grab a Cucco and jump south to the island. Stand on the switch to reveal a bridge leading back. On the west side of the main landmass, head north and use your Boomerang to stun the Octoroks shooting on the island to your left. Hit the crystal switch with your Boomerang as well so you can defeat all those Octoroks with your sword. Go to the red door in the middle of the area and tap it. You saw something like this back in the Tower of Spirits. Draw the following shape, as suggested by the statues, to open the door: /\ /\ / \/ \ \ /\ / \/ \/ Go through and read the sign. Unfortunately, Carben isn't home right now. Take the shortcut you created earlier back to the beginning of the Ocean Sanctuary. Then ride back to Papuchia Village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Song of Birds ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head to the southern part of the village and you'll see Carben floating around. Now go see the fortune-teller. If you feel silly talking into the microphone, don't worry; this one time, your fortune will be told even if you don't say anything. Go outside and play the Song of Discovery by the palm tree to reveal a hidden statue. Repeat the notes it plays to learn the Song of Birds. Carben will hear you and ask that you take him to the Ocean Sanctuary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Attacked! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chug back to the Ocean Sanctuary. When you reach the bridge, however, you'll be approached by a pirate ship, and pirates will begin to attack the passenger car! During this battle, you're trying to protect Carben from the never-ending stream of Miniblins that come in through the windows. These enemies are slow and weak and take just one targeted attack to defeat. What makes them dangerous is their shear quantity. If any one gets too close to Carben for too long, it'll toss out a cage and kidnap him - and that means Game Over. After a while, two and then three pirates will come out of each window, and eventually three will come out of every window at the same time. Focus on the ones nearest Carben. After they first onslaught is gone, a huge club-wielding Moblin (similar to Donkey Kong Country 2's Klubba/Kudgel) will enter the ship. Big Blin is kind of tough - slash him a few times, then run away before he swings his club at you. If he hits you, you'll be knocked out and will have to rub the stylus to regain your senses. During that time, Big Blin will get a lot closer to Carben. Worse, Miniblins are still streaming in through the windows (at a slower pace, fortunately), so every time you retreat from the boss, be sure to go back to Carben to make sure he isn't about to be grabbed by a Miniblin. There will be one, two, and then four Miniblins appearing after about every quarter of damage taken by Big Blin, although some Miniblins will be eliminated by the boss's club. As the battle progresses, the boss will make two swings with his club - not one - so don't be too quick to lunge in with another attack. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back to the Ocean Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After the battle is over, Carben will give you a Force Gem, which makes a new track appear in the Forest Realm. Now go back to the Ocean Sanctuary and have Carben teach you the latest tune. It's a little trickier this time, as you have to slide a bit farther to the final note. Still, you shouldn't have much trouble if you have the right rhythm and are blowing the right way. After you learn the song, you'll receive a Force Gem that unlocks a warp zone in the southeast corner of the Forest Realm (shoot the jewel on top of the arch and toot your horn while going through to activate the warp), as well as a letter showing a hint about unlocking the Ocean Temple. You might want to copy the numbers shown on the letter to your Rail Map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Opening the Ocean Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's now a whole bunch of new tracks in the Ocean Realm. Head east from the Ocean Sanctuary and hit the barrel with bunny ears behind it to begin a rabbit chase. Many bunnies live in this area, including those floating around the northwest and southwest corners of the new tracks. Anyway, head east and you'll spot someone - Ferrus - rapidly shooting photos of the tracks. Brake and speak to him for a clue. First, a word of warning: Occasionally, when riding in the Ocean Realm, you'll be ambushed by a group of three pirate ships that will barrage you with cannon balls. They won't board your train like they did during the earlier attack, but they can cause considerable damage. The best course of action is to speed up (if you're not going at top speed already) and hit them with as many cannon balls as possible. Each ship takes two hits. You can destroy their cannon balls with your own shots. To open the way to the Ocean Temple, you must toot your whistle near three red orbs to turn them blue. You have to do it in the order prescribed in Carben's letter (copy the numbers to the rail map); if you do it wrong, they'll reset. I find it's easiest to find and activate the first orb (the one toward the east) while traveling east (not north) on the rails. The other two orbs are easier to spot. When you've activated all of them, a big catfish statue (Link's Awakening- style) will emerge from the sea. Ride into its mouth and you'll be underwater! Note: If your shield was eaten by a Like Like earlier (or you never bought one in the first place), make sure you have one now. It's almost imperative in the first part of the next dungeon. You can buy a shield at almost any shop. Anyway, riding underwater isn't much different from normal, but the shots from your cannon have an upward gravity - they keep rising instead of sinking after a while. The underwater Octoroks are more of a distraction than anything, although they can blast you with visibility-impairing ink. Draw a path toward the temple. When you come near, an evil train will appear. Draw an alternative path away from it, and if it comes near, pelt it with a few cannon balls to slow it down. Another evil train will appear near the end of the route, but it shouldn't be as much of a danger. You'll soon roll into the Ocean Temple station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ocean Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Surprisingly, you'll find this Ocean Temple to be very much on the dry side. Go north from the station and prepare for the main part of the dungeon. Go north, turning left at the fork, and read the tablets for a clue. You'll meet a new enemy here: Electric ChuChus. These variations on the familiar blob theme will electrify themselves periodically, during which time they're invulnerable to sword attacks (slashing them will just zap you). Instead, stun them with your Boomerang (or plow into them shield-first) or wait for their electricity to fade, then attack. Head north and run east along the south wall. If you go fast enough, you won't be scratched by the arrow shooters. Head upstairs to the second floor. Go south and stand on the block; it'll move you across the gap. Be sure to face north and stand on the north half of the block. This way, you won't be hurt by the arrow, and it won't knock you off the block. Another block is just ahead. This one will take you diagonally southeast. Use your Boomerang to hit the orbs in the middle of the room in the following pattern: 3 1 2 4 This should open the door to the right. Be patient, as there's no time limit for this, and if you do it in the wrong order, you'll get arrowed. Go through the newly-opened door to an easy puzzle that has the potential to stump some people. There's a crystal switch and an endless stream of boulders at the end of the corridor. Don't activate the switch like you would normally. Instead, stand near the door entrance and have the Boomerang circle around and hit the crystal. Now the boulders will drop in a new way - and that's a good thing. Make your away across the blocks and past the arrow shooters back to the entrance of the dungeon. Turn right at the fork - you can do that now because the boulders aren't preventing you any more - and go up the stairs to a new part of 2F. Head south, defeat the Electrical ChuChus, and go up the eastern staircase to the third floor. Break the pots to the east if you need some heart refills, then go west and fight the dungeon mini-boss, Snapper. This guy is a little bit tricky. At first you're stuck to his whip, and he pulls you around. Occasionally he'll try to pull you in so he can punch you, but just before that happens, go over and hit him with your sword. This will release you from his snare, and from there you can slash away at him with little difficulty or danger. At this point, you can also Boomerang him to stun him for a while. When you've won, open the big chest for a new item - the Whip! Similar to the Hookshot of old, the Whip allows you to pull things out of walls, latch onto flying things, and swing across beams. It can also be used as a weapon despite its limited range. At this point, it's simplest to return to the start of the dungeon. At the start, pull out the Whip and touch the beam over the pit. You'll swing over to a fish statue. Pull out its tongue to reveal a chest to the north. Open it for a Dark Pearl Loop. If you don't have the Bomb Bag, skip this paragraph. Go back to the part of the second floor you went to early in the dungeon, and bomb the cracked wall in the northwest corner, but don't go through yet. Instead, bomb another wall (which isn't cracked) to the east of the staircase, and go through. Use the Whip to remove the cactus's thorns, then go through and Boomerang the crystal switch to create a new rafter on the other side of the room. Now return to the previous room and enter the hole you bombed earlier. Swing north onto the block as it moves your way, and swing north from the block to the statue to the north. Pull out its tongue to open the eastern door. Swing back onto the block to reach that door, behind which you'll find the Ocean Temple stamp station. On the east side of the opening room, you'll find a big cactus. If you try to walk through, you'll get hurt by its thorns. So instead use your Whip to pull out two of the spines in front of it, and now you can safely walk through. Open the chest for a collection item. Go up to the second floor and head south past the Electrical ChuChus. Here you must use the Whip to cross a long gap using a series of beams. At the end of each swing, tap the next beam to continue. It may be tricky at first, but it's something you'll be doing a lot. At the end, open the chest for a treasure. Head back to the area where you first got the whip. Use your Whip to cross the gap to the west, and head upstairs. Read the inscription and head down the hallway. Cross the gap with the Whip, beat the Electrical ChuChus to the south, and pull out the eastern tongue to open a door. Go north and head to the end of the easternmost plank. Pull out that tongue to reveal a bridge (if you pull the others, you'll get hurt by arrows). Cross the bridge and head downstairs to a formerly-inaccessible part of the third floor. Head west and stand between the two statues. Pull the sword out of one of the statues' mouths, and use the Whip to insert it into the other's mouth. This act makes a chest appear, and you can open it for a Small Key. Also, you'll now be able to swing back north to where you first got the Whip. From there, swing north, dispatch the Electrical ChuChu and swing east when the moving block is to the north. Then ride the block to a chest containing a Dark Pearl Loop. Return west and open the locked door to reach a new part of the fourth floor. Pull out the tongue to open a door and form a shortcut. Then swing east across the three beams. Soon you'll face off in a mini-battle with two Helmet ChuChus. Use the Whip to take off their helmets, then toss them back at 'em (or just slash once they're deprived of their headgear). Afterwards, go east up the staircase to 5F. De-thorn the cactus and read the tablet in the northeast corner. Head to the middle of the room, where you'll meet too enemies that work just like the earlier mini-boss. The easiest way to beat them is to whip them or hit them in the backs using your Boomerang to stun them, and then slash away while they're out cold. You definitely want them to be out of the way. Head down the narrow platform to the west. Ignore the statue and dispose of the Helmet ChuChu. Eventually you'll come to a strange post. Hit it with your Whip to make a propeller pop out. Latch onto it with the Whip and keep holding down the stylus to hang on. If you miss the propeller, it'll come back in a few seconds. Let the propeller carry you to the southwest corner, and go up the stairs to the sixth floor. Here you'll be faced with a pair of Blue ChuChus. These guys are always electrified and can't be touched in any way. The only way you can defeat them is by pulling out the sword from out of the statue on the wall and whipping it back at them. Really, it's not a very difficulty battle. When they're gone, the door opens, and a new beam is revealed. Return to the fifth floor and ride the propeller back to the main area. From here, pull the swords out of the three statues near you to reveal some new beams to the north. Go to the northeast corner and swing west across the series of five beams. The second beam is a little higher than the others, so take that into account as you aim the Whip. At the end of this tricky sequence, head up the stairs to a new part of the sixth floor. Swing east across another series of beams. The fourth jump is more difficult and requires you to drop a bit before tapping the next beam, which is slightly lower than the rest. Hit the crystal switch to lower the fourth beam, making it possible to get back. Go south and beat the Helmet ChuChu, and read the inscription. Examine all the statues to see which ones have swords in their mouths. Go south and head down the east corridor. Grab a sword with your Whip and zap the Blue ChuChu, and swing north to a chest with a Small Key inside. Then go down the west plank and de-thorn the cactus. Pull the tongue to reveal a chest. Open it for a collection item. Watch out for the ChuChus, though. Retrace your path and go back down to the fifth floor (it may be easier to save and quit). Here's the diagram for what statues should have swords inserted in their mouths and which statues shouldn't (ones should have swords, and zeroes are empty): 00101 00101 000 101 It's easiest to move the swords one space at a time. When you've arranged all of them properly, the southeastern door opens. Unlock the southern door and swing across the gap. Climb the steps to a new part of the 6F. Whip the propeller and latch on. Let go of the stylus and drop down onto the moving block. Step on the switch on the other side to reveal a bridge leading north. Pick up the Big Key and go forward. A couple of Key Masters will appear, and they really, really want that key back where it came from. When one comes near, throw the key behind you and slash the monstrous hand. Then go north and tap the big lock to open it. On the seventh floor, swing east across the beams, read the inscription to the west to reveal a portal, remove the thorns on the vines, smash the pots to replenish any lost energy, and go forward to face the boss. -----PHYTOPS, BARBED MENACE----- Hmm. No boss in sight - yet. Use your Whip to swing across a series of beams. When you hear a scream, move out of the way, as a drop of toxic goo is about to fall from the sky. Soon a thorned enemy will blockade your free-swinging fun. To get rid of it, whip off one of its thorns and slap it in the eye with its own spike. Repeat this process until you reach a bunch of pots. Break them to refill your energy meter, and hit the statue to make a propeller pop out. Grab on and let it take you to the boss arena. Looks like we have a boss battle after all. At first, Phytops will slam two vines down and will occasionally spray a shower of poison at you. This toxic stuff can be avoided by staying in motion. Use the Whip on one of the vines to grab a thorn and launch it toward the boss's head. Repeat to expose the eye. Then shoot another thorn at the eye to stun the boss. When the boss spins within range, slash away at the eye until Phytops disappears under the water. At this point, two of its vines will try to squash you. Run back and forth and you won't get hurt by their attacks. Phytops's head will emerge from the water, and at this point repeat the same pattern. The only difference is that Phytops will occasionally scream, which is when the two middle vines will try to hit you; simply run away when that happens. After you stun and slash away a second time, repeat once or twice more to win the battle. For the final set of hits, follow the same pattern, except that the boss's formerly-stationary arms will rotate slowly, making it tougher to avoid the arm-slams and requires you to be faster when taking their thorns off. Otherwise, it's the same old song, and you shouldn't have much trouble winning. Note: If you run low on energy, break one of the pots scattered around the ring for a heart refill. You can also get hearts sometimes when you de-thorn an arm. Once Phytops is defeated, a blue jewel appears. And surely they wouldn't put a Heart Container in that big chest, would they? Now take the blue portal outta here. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ocean Sanctuary Stamp Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you'd like to find all the stamps in the game, make a quick pit stop at the Ocean Sanctuary. In the first part of the Ocean Sanctuary, use the Whip to hold onto one of the birds' platforms (play the Song of Birds first if necessary) and fly to an island with a Bee Larvae chest. Then, in the northern part of the Ocean Sanctuary, stand near Carben's residence and let a bird fly you to the stamp station hidden amid the palm trees on top. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fun with the Whip in Papuchia Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Papuchia Village for an optional sidequest. Head to the palm tree in the southernmost island. Use your Whip to latch onto the thing the bird is holding (play the Song of Birds if the bird isn't close enough), and drop off when you're flying over the southeastern island. You'll be doing that a lot. From here, go south into a new area. Let the next bird take you from the northeastern island to the southeastern island, and have a different bird fly you to the big central island. Go north, defeat the crab enemies after using the Boomerang on their backsides, and open the chest for a Big Green Rupee. Return south and let the northwestern bird (not the one flying east) take you to the desert island in the northwest. Latch onto the next bird to reach the middle western island, which has a valuable Dragon Scale in a chest. The last bird takes you southwest to the stamp station for Papuchia Village. You can let the birds fly you back to the village, but saving and quitting saves a lot of time and trouble. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Finding Mr. Right ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to the woman in the southernmost house in Papuchia Village and she'll tell you what she wants in a lover - a rugged man with facial hair and a big nose. Where could we find someone like that? Our next stop is Whittleton, the lumberjacks' hamlet located just outside the forest. You probably remember going there near the beginning of the game (while you're here, you might want to skip down two paragraphs and do the Medium Bomb Bag mission). Four men live here, and all seem interested in the prospect of getting married. However, only one suitor will result in a match; the others will be rejected or won't be interested in the woman. So talk to the village chief in the northern house and take him east to Papuchia Village. As soon as you enter Papuchia Village, a cutscene will ensue. If you brought Mr. Right, you'll receive a Force Gem, creating a new track in the Forest Realm that leads to two new rabbits and a dead end. By the way, if you bring the wrong person, you won't have to take him back to Whittleton. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Show Me the Money ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After you completed the Ocean Temple, a new track was formed that takes you to the Tower of Spirits from the Ocean Realm. Along the way is a new ocean bunny hiding behind a barrel. Here's another very optional sidequest that can net you 300 Rupees with little effort. Stop by Hyrule Castle Town and talk to the man (Zelda's teacher) by the tracks (if he isn't there, talk to him in the castle). Give him a ride on your train and take him to Papuchia Village in the Ocean Realm. Your reward is based on his happiness indicator at the end of the journey; if he's smiling widely, you'll receive 300 Rupees, but it won't be as much if he's less happy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Medium Bomb Bag ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Whittleton, head northeast to an area where the main overworld music is playing. You couldn't have done anything here earlier in the game, but now you have the Whip and can swing north to a treasure chest containing a Pirate Necklace. Be sure to visit the stamp station, too. Then head east to a mini- game. Talk to the man and pay him 50 Rupees to take part in a Whip Race. This entails using the Whip to swing across a long series of beams as quickly as possible. There are a few cacti blocking your way, too. For those, you'll have to whip both of their main thorns off so you can get through safely. For the most part, this entire mini-game is a rehash of things you did repeatedly in the Ocean Temple. A few of the jumps are harder near the end, including a couple where you have to fall a bit before swinging onto a lower post. The final set of jumps has the camera positioned behind Link, but it shouldn't be any tougher than before. If you finish with a time under one minute and thirty seconds, you'll receive a bigger Bomb Bag. If you finish with a time slower than that, your prize will be a mere collection item (still worth the 50-Rupee entry fee). Beat the game again with a time under 1:15 to receive a new Heart Container, but that's tough and requires absolute perfection; you can't fall or even miss a target while swinging the Whip. In case you were wondering, my record time is 1:12.94. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Shield of Antiquity ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've collected at least ten stamps for your Stamp Book, talk to Niko in Aboda Village, and he'll give you the Shield of Antiquity, a better shield that Like Likes won't eat. If you'd rather have your old shield, just talk to him again. Go see Niko again when you get 15 stamps, and he'll give you your old Engineer's Clothes back. These are purely cosmetic, though. And when you get 20 stamps, you'll receive something even nicer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Up, Up and Away ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to the kid in the northern part of Aboda Village. He tells you he wants to fly! How can we do that? Well, find Beedle and make him stop for you. Then go in the shop and the kid will give you a Force Gem that forms an easier connection between Hyrule Castle Town and the Forest Temple area. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I Wish She Was a Bunny, Actually ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to the woman in the western house in Hyrule Castle Town. Take her to Rabbitland Rescue in the northwestern corner of the Forest Realm. Go forward for a cutscene. Talk to her for a Force Gem, which leads to a new pathway with - you guessed it - a previously inaccessible bunny. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits, Part Four ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Go talk to Anjean, as usual. A new section of the tower is ready to be investigated. Head north and ascend the stairs until you reach Room 13. Don't expect a cakewalk this time! I hope you're not superstitious. A lot of skyscrapers don't even have a 13th floor. After Zelda's pep talk, go forward and meet a new enemy. These are Phantom Eyes, which were a big problem in Phantom Hourglass. If one of these sees you, it'll beep and eventually summon a Phantom to your location. To get rid of these irritations, stun it with your Boomerang and then slash with your sword. They will come back, however, after being defeated. Keep in mind that you're safe from them only in the designated safe zones. Head to the southeastern safe zone for your first Tear of Light. Use your Boomerang to target the torch to the west and light the torch in the southeast corner of the room to reveal a chest. Keep your Boomerang away from the wall, however, or the clanking sound will attract the attention of the Phantoms. Go north to a safe zone and hit the crystal switch to form a bridge elsewhere in the room. Dispose of the Phantom Eye and circle around to the chest you created earlier. Inside is a Small Key. Head north up the nearby steps and you'll see some more of those Zora statues. Pull a sword out of the mouth of the center statue and insert it into the right-hand statue to reveal a chest. From here, use the Whip to swing across a long series of beams on high platforms. Eventually you'll reach an interior safe zone containing the second Tear of Light. Return to the beginning of the room (try not to get caught by the Phantom Eyes) and go up the stairs on the southwestern platform. Cross the bridge you formed earlier and open the chest for your second Small Key. Now head to the northeast corner of the room and unlock the door. In Room 14, go south and then a little west past a safe zone. Use your Boomerang to knock out the Phantom Eye from a safe distance. Use the same strategy to take out the next Phantom Eye at the end of the corridor. Soon you'll see a Phantom steadfastly guarding his post. To get him to move, throw a bomb (or clank your Boomerang against a wall) on one side of the square-shaped hallway, and move to the other side. The sound should distract him long enough so you can go through the door he was guarding. In here is the third Tear of Light. You know what to do now! Go back and slash the Phantom in the back to take control of him. Your Phantom has a new feature - by drawing a path to a Phantom Eye, you can warp to that spot, even if the path goes through walls. You'll use this new move a lot on the present phase of the Tower of Spirits. Note that the Phantom Eyes won't bother you in this room, since there's no Phantom for them to call. Make your way to the southeast corner of the room, and draw a path from your Phantom to the Phantom Eye behind the door to warp there. Step on the switch to open the door, allowing Link to go through and open the treasure chest, which holds a Goron Amber. Now go through the door back to that unlucky Room 13. Head a little west and take Link up the stairs. Have your Phantom stand on the lower level so you can jump onto the Phantom's shield. Now that you're higher, you can Whip onto the high beam in the east part of the room. Swing north to a chest with another Goron Amber. Get back on the Phantom (use the steps again) and head to the southeastern part of the room, avoiding the regular enemy Phantom. Jump off onto the high platform to reach a big chest with a valuable collection item - Mystic Jade - inside. Now head west to the southwest corner of the room (watch out for the Phantom Eyes, which can still summon bad Phantoms). Unlock the door and have Link stand by the crystal. Make your Phantom warp to the Phantom Eye just to the north, and draw a path to the crystal. Switch to Link. Just as the Phantom reaches the crystal, have Link hit his. If you hit the switches at just the right time, the northwestern door will open. Go up and you'll be in a new part of the 14th floor. Go south and have your Phantom beat the otherwise-invincible Blue ChuChu. Position the Phantom on the nearest floor switch. Take Link across the sand pit (which Phantoms can't cross) and step on the switch to form a bridge over the sand, allowing the Phantom to cross. Take Link east to a glowing red tile on the floor, and have your Phantom cross the spikes to the north to another red tile. When both characters are standing on the tiles, they'll switch places. Switch to Link and use the Whip to place the sword in the mouth of the other statue. This opens a door. Have the Phantom re-cross the spikes, and take both characters up the stairs to a new floor. The 15th story is definitely the most complicated and time-consuming room we've seen in any part of the tower. Go southeast and place Link on the yellow triangle tile so it glows. Take the Phantom east across the spikes, south, and west onto a yellow tile so the characters switch places. As Link, dodge the Blue ChuChu and head north across the spikes. Uh-oh. A Geozard. Now that you have the Whip, this fish knight is a breeze - use the Whip to remove his shield, and he's practically defenseless as you hack away at him. Resume going north and push the block west and north and onto one of the floor switches. Put Link on the blue warp to the southwest. Move your Phantom north to the other blue tile to make them switch. Make the Phantom stand on the other switch to lower the spikes. Take Link east and north to rejoin the Phantom. Go east with both characters and push together against the massive double doors to reach a chest with a Small Key inside. Smash the pots if you need heart refills. Go south and then west up the stairs and jump down. Both of you should now be in the center of the room. Head west until you reach a big gap. This is when you should Boomerang the crystal switch to your northwest, forming a bridge over the sand pit. As the Phantom, target the Phantom Eye to your north and teleport. Then cross west over the new sand bridge, go all the way south, and stand on the glowing circle tile to the east. As Link, head to the southwest corner of the center area to switch places. Have your Phantom warp northwest to the Phantom Eye, go west across the bridge again, and head south to an alcove east of where Link is standing. Step on the switch to raise some spikes, allowing Link to pass north. We're trying to go north now, but Link can't go forward because of the spikes and the endless stream of boulders. The solution? Draw a path for the Phantom leading up the stream of boulders. It'll take some lineman-grade grunt work, but eventually you'll stop the stream long enough for Link to get by. Have both characters stand on the switches to the east to reveal a bridge. Then head northeast together. As Link, stun the Phantom Eye with your Boomerang, and use your Whirlwind to blow it west across the sand. Be careful, because if it sees you, you might get attacked by a bad Phantom. Once you've pushed it past the sand, have your Phantom teleport to that spot, which is the only way for it to get across the sand pit. Now stand on the floor switch, and have Link cross the sand and do likewise. This will open the north door in the center part of the room. As your Phantom, teleport to the Phantom Eye near the door, and let Link follow to the corridor near the eye. Stun and beat the Phantom Eye, call your Phantom, and go north and unlock the door to a new room. Sweet Room 16. We're almost to the end. Go south and read the tablet. Controlling your Phantom, warp east and talk to the Phantom for a hint. Then warp to the Phantom Eye on the west side of the room and stand on the green tile. You have to walk in a specific pattern: From the green tile in the northwest corner, head to the southwest tile, northeast, northwest again, and then to the red tile to the southeast. This is the best diagram I could come up with using plain 'ol ASCII text: ___ | \ / | y | / \ |/ \ If the path is vaguely accurate, the central door will open. Go through with both characters and experience the simple joys of Room 17: just a pedestal with the final Rail Map on it. After a big cutscene, you'll warp back to the start of the tower. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Getting to the Fire Realm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to Zelda and leave the tower. Head to the Snow Realm - the only way we can currently reach the Fire Realm. Go slightly north and then east to enter the Fire Realm. Be careful when riding in the Fire Realm, as volcanic rocks will frequently fall from the sky and occasionally block your path. Even if they're not on the rails, blast all of them with your cannon, since they'll yield a Blue Rupee every time. Draw a path east to the big rock, which is Goron Village. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goron Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You knew they were going to have Gorons in this game. As soon as you arrive, you'll notice there's not a whole lot you can do yet, since a big lava geyser is blocking the way forward. So talk to the Gorons in the vicinity, then head west to a dangerous suburb of Goron Village. On this new screen, first head north to a Goron and a chest with a collectible item. Head west a bit to an area where boulders are endlessly rolling down the hill. They come in a predictable pattern; when a set of two boulders comes down, run north, hugging the wall. Head up the steps to a new annoyance - flaming rocks that come falling from the sky. Just step out of the way during any of the rare instances when one comes falling in your direction. After two more sets of rolling boulders, go south and slash the grass if you need some heart refills (you probably will). Ignore the crystal switch for now. Use your Whip to swing across two beams to a ledge, then head north across one more lava pit. Run northwest past the Fire Babas, who are like a cross between Mario Piranha Plants and Venus Firetraps; they spit fire and try to swallow you. If you want to defeat them, use targeted or spin attacks, behead them with your Boomerang, or implode them with bombs. Or do as I usually do, and run past them as fast as possible. Head west and get stamped at the stamp station. Now head back south to where you saw the crystal. Hitting it makes a timed bridge appear to the north. Use your Boomerang to hit the crystal from as long a range as possible. Then swing north and hurry east across the bridge. Head north and a cutscene will begin. Then return to the previous area and swing east across a couple of beams. Open the treasure chest for a Ruto Crown. Then go west along the high ledge and jump south onto the long next level in the middle. Go south to find a Dark Pearl Loop in a chest. If you jump to the wrong level, just save and quit and try again - that's the fastest way to retry. Then return to Goron Village. Needless to say, our next stop will have to be the Snow Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anouki Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Watch out in the Snow Realm - you'll probably be attacked by a group of three tanks. Use the same strategy you used on the ocean pirates - shoot as fast as you can and the tanks and their accompanying cannon balls should be no problem. First stop at Anouki Village on the west part of the map. This sidequest is completely optional but highly lucrative. If you've been doing as I say, Zelda's teacher will be standing by the train station. Talk to him and take him to the Goron Village station. Follow the rails back to the Fire Realm, remembering to follow speed limits and to toot your horn when appropriate so he'll be happy. You might want to save your game upon entering the Fire Realm so you can conveniently restart if he's not smiling as widely as he could be. Be sure to shift to a slower speed in the tunnel before Goron Village so you'll be able to stop behind the line and keep him happy. At the end, you'll receive a Rupee reward based on his happiness level - which may be as high as 300 Rupees. Wow. Back in Anouki Village, there's another optional but lucrative sidequest accessible if you possess explosives (you actually could've done it as soon as you got the Bomb Bag). Bomb the wall by the hut of the head honcho to discover a secret cave. In here, push the block left, up, right, up, right, up, right, down, right, down, left, and up to form a stepping stone. Go up the stairs and use the new block as a stepping stone as you run across. Open the chest for a Big Red Rupee. In the northwest corner of Anouki Village, create an ice bridge using the ice torch and the Boomerang, and open the treasure chest for a Big Green Rupee, worth 100. Also in Anouki Village, talk to the blue Anouki and accept the request to go to Wellspring Station, the small stop in the northeastern part of the Snow Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wellspring Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ignore these first two paragraphs if you're in a hurry, but this is a convenient time to complete these sidequests. Head to Wellspring Station. Go north to the small body of water and throw your Boomerang to the ice torch to create a temporary ice bridge. Use it to reach the stamp station to the north. In addition, head west up the stairs and beat those irritating White Wolfos. Then use your Whip to go east across a series of beams. Here you'll find a chest with a Big Green Rupee, worth 100. Talk to the Anouki you brought here (near the spring) for a Force Gem. This reveals a marginally useful connection between the Snow Realm and the Forest Temple area. Now go in and out of Ferrus's hut (to make the time pass) and talk to the Anouki. Depending on how much you're willing to haggle, keep saying no to the various offers and you'll get the Mega Ice for free. Now we can take this to Goron Village, but remember that it'll begin to melt in warmer climes, and you'll lose more ice if you're attacked by an enemy. You don't have to observe rail signs when carrying cargo, however. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Polar Express ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take your ice-laden train east and south at the fork, through the drier area of the Snow Realm. I wasn't assaulted by any enemies going this way. Now take the road to the Fire Realm, and assuming you haven't lost more than a piece or two of ice, save your game as soon as you cross into the world of fire. Since the ice will begin to melt, it's a good idea to ratchet up the speed of your train now if you haven't already done so. There's now an evil train blocking the standard entrance to Goron Village, so we'll have to draw a more roundabout path to our destination. Go northeast to the northernmost part of the area guarded by evil trains, and then head southeast in the direction of Goron Village. It's easy to get hit by one of those trains (which equals Game Over), so watch where they're going, and vary your speed at the crossings if necessary. Remember that you can brake hard and use reverse in any way you want without damaging your cargo. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Return to Normalcy in Goron Village ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Stop at Goron Village and hurry west to Kagoron. Talk to him and he'll use the ice (assuming you have at least one piece left) to calm the geyser blocking the way into the main part of Goron Village. At this point, I took a brief detour to the western part of Goron Village, where there's a letter from Ferrus waiting at the mailbox. In the main part of Goron Village, head north and talk to all the humanoid rock characters. Go east up the stairs, turn north, and go west across the bridge if you'd like a Ruto Crown. Talk to the Goron Elder in the northernmost house and he'll move out of the way, allowing you to pass through to a short cave section. Ahead are some Fire Keese, which aren't much more dangerous than standard Keese. Just zap 'em with the Boomerang. Go north past the flaming bats and Whip west across the beam. Break the pots if you'd like, and step on the switch to create two bridges over the lava pits. Cross the newly-formed bridges and head east along a narrow ledge. There are a bunch of pots here, but the ones that are shaking are really Like Likes who'd love to gobble up your shield. Break the pots toward the middle to pass through safely, and head west to a chest with a Pirate Necklace inside. Then return east and go up the stairs to the Fire Sanctuary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is another area where fire and brimstone rains from the sky, so stay alert. Head north and Boomerang the Fire Keese and Fire Babas if you please. Follow the trail as it turns southward and beat the Fire Babas in the area. Light all the unlit torches using the lit torch and your Boomerang to form a bridge elsewhere in the area. Then head south, dispose of the other Fire Babas, and light two more torches to form two more bridges to the north. Return north a bit and head west up the stairs. Cross the first bridge west and move north to find a Pirate Necklace in the chest in the northwest corner of the area. Take the next bridge east to a stamp station. Jump south down the ledge and head east. Read the tablet in the middle of the big area to receive a clue in the form of an unusual story (hardly typical for a Zelda game). Imagining the statues as a compass, stand between the north and east cardinal directions and play the Song of Light with your Spirit Flute. A light will shine and the door leading into the main sanctuary will open. Talk to Embrose and learn a new song that will help restore the Spirit Tracks in the Fire Realm. This song is harder than the previous ones, since it's five notes long and requires you to skip over a pipe during the sequence. If you touch the red pipe, even once, the song will fail and you'll have to try again. Keep trying and you'll get it right eventually. Now head back to Goron Village going the way you came. You can use the high ledges and bridges to bypass all of the enemies in the Fire Sanctuary area. Back in Goron Village, talk to everyone if you want, and then hit the rails. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Unlocking the Fire Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head east into the new part of the Fire Realm. You'll soon reach a tunnel full of small one-eyed spiders, Tektites. These guys follow a circular pattern and can easily be disposed of using your cannon. Be quick, though, or they'll pounce on your train and cause damage. Now we get to play the most irritating portion of this phase of the game. The door leading into the Fire Temple is locked, and in order to unlock it, you must find three keys. These three keys are being carried by three birds wandering around in a rail maze. In order to get the keys, you'll have to approach the birds from the front (they're slightly faster than your train even at top speed, so you can't catch them from behind), at which time the music changes and the bird will begin circling. Blow the whistle (a short whistle followed by a longer one sometimes works better, sometimes it doesn't) and the bird should be stunned. At this instant, shoot it with your cannon to make it drop the key. The key will automatically be inserted in the Fire Temple door. You have to be fast, because eventually they'll fly away. Keep rotating the camera if the bird slips out of view, and try to keep the camera positioned so that you can see the birds when they're flying high. Once you've taken a key from a bird, it won't go away; instead, it'll try to chase your train, and after coming near and circling for a while, it'll try to swoop at you and cause damage. To get rid of them, use the same tactics you use for birds with keys. Once you've collected all three keys, draw a path leading into the Fire Temple. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fire Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- At the station, head north into the main temple. Good - there's new music in this fiery grotto, even if the old music was neat, too. Break the pots here if you need hearts, and use your Boomerang to defeat the Fire Keese. Head north up the hallway and go west at the fork. Soon you'll reach a hazardous section with spikes and Fire-Bars (seen in Super Mario Bros. and other Mario and Zelda games). Make a move as they spin away, and keep a brisk but controlled pace so you won't get burned. With good timing, you'll get through unscathed. Follow the corridor south until the door shuts on you. Your opposition is a trio of Stalfos. Approach one of the skulls and it will revive as a Stalfos. Either throw a bomb to beat them without difficulty, or if you don't have a Bomb Bag, keep slashing away until you corner them and make contact. After winning, jump south and read the message on the tile. Here you'll find some Winders (essentially old-fashioned Mario/Zelda Sparks) that move along the walls, as well as some trapdoors between the blocks (not all are traps, however). Circle around to the staircase in the northeast corner of this chamber to reach the second floor. Jump in the nearby mine cart, which will take you to a chest with a Small Key inside. Let the cart take you back, and head back down to the first floor. Stand on the staircase to the north (don't jump down or you'll have to circle back through the Fire-Bars) and hit the crystal to the north using the Boomerang. This makes a disc drop down. Jump down and pick it up, and carry it east to the lava geyser. Throw it on the geyser to create a platform leading east. Go east and pull the block down twice, then push it right, up, and as far right as possible to obstruct the lava generator. Jump south to an area that mirrors the southwest area - trapdoors are located in the same spots as they are on the opposite side of the room. Go between the middle right and lower right blocks, then through the middle upper and central blocks. From here, circle south to the treasure chest, which holds a Big Green Rupee (or a Red Potion, if you have an empty spot in your inventory). From the chest, go west and then north up the stairs. Jump in the mine cart and hit the first crystal using your sword or Boomerang to reach a chest containing Bee Larvae. Take the cart back and begin another ride. This time, hit BOTH of the crystals (which requires good reflexes) to reach a new area. Take out the Stalfos and open the treasure chest for what should be your second Small Key. Return to the center of the first floor, where there are two doors to unlock. Behind both are crystal switches. Boomerang them to open the middle door. Go upstairs and face a mini-boss. This turtle guy, Heatoise, isn't that tough. Slash his head once to make him retreat into his shell and begin spinning toward you. Stand near one of the two sparks to lure him in that direction. If the boss hits a spark, it'll receive an electric shock and be temporarily stunned. At this point, slash away at the head. Repeat a couple of times and you'll win the battle. Take the Red Rupee left by the boss and open the chest for the Bow and Arrows! To shoot an arrow, just take out your bow and tap the location you want to shoot. You can also hold the stylus before releasing the arrow to get a better view of the area. Remember that you can only shoot things on the same level as you. If you want to withdraw your weapon without expending an arrow, press L or R. Go east and shoot the eye to form a bridge. Break the nut if you need an arrow refill, and take the stairs down to a region of the first floor you haven't visited yet. Aim your bow south and hit the arrow launcher, which deflects the arrow into an eye target and makes a bridge extend. Cross over and jump east to a treasure chest containing a Dark Pearl Loop. Use three side slashes (NOT targeted attacks, which won't work) on the arrow deflector until it points north. Then tap it to pick it up, and throw it onto the western platform (if you miss, it'll reappear). Now shoot it so it can hit the eye to the north. Slash the deflector three more times so it faces west, then throw it north to the platform near the eye. Shoot it again to create a bridge leading to Basement 1. Go down to this new room and read the tablet for a rather funny message. Then go down the next set of stairs to Basement 2. This is a battle with a quartet of Stalfos. This fight is more dangerous than before, however, because all the enemies are across a lava pit on the side of the room. Dodge the bones they throw and shoot each one a couple times with your Bow to dispatch them. If you run out of arrows, break the nut in the corner to replenish your supply. After you've won the battle, go south and stand to the east. Shoot the arrow launcher to the west to activate an eye, which temporarily makes the lava geysers stop. Quickly swing across using your Whip before the fire resumes. Head north and beat the two Stalfos. Jump across the discs over the geysers. Stand on the third disc and wait for it to rise so you can get to the next one, and open the chest for a collection item. Swing south with the Whip to get over the door. Then step on the floor switch to open the door, creating a shortcut. Razor Traps are spinning north and south here; carefully walk west past them. For the fourth Razor Trap, wait for it to bounce south, then follow and turn west into a safer zone. Then head southeast to a chest with a Dark Pearl Loop. Now pull out your Boomerang and aim so the Boomerang flies into a Fire Keese and then hits one of the unlit torches to the east. Yes, we're using Fire Keese to light a torch, and it's a little tricky. Use the now-lit torch to light the other one, and a granite disc will drop down onto one of the geysers. Use it to head back west and north up the stairs to B1. Here you must face not one but two of the turtle enemy you fought during the mini-boss battle. They're a piece of cake now, though - just shoot two arrows into their heads. Fight them one at a time and you shouldn't have any problems. If you need more arrows, you can get more in the southwest corner. Open the chest for a Dragon Scale - a rare collection item - and read the tablets for a hint for later. Go west downstairs to a new area of Basement 2. Snake around the corridor and defeat the two Stalfos. Ignore the floor switch for now. Head north and hit the arrow launcher three times so it points west. Then pick it up and drop it so it faces the door (don't put it directly against the north wall, however). Then stand on the floor switch to hold the door open, and shoot the arrow launcher so it hits the switch and makes a stone disc appear. This next section is complicated. Go north and throw the disc onto the volcano to create a bridge. Pick up the arrow launcher (still facing west) and stand on the geyser until it rises. Then you can jump west. In this area, Boomerang the Fire Keese, then toss the arrow launcher into the eastern geyser. Hit the crystal to reveal a beam elsewhere in the room. Go northeast and slash the diagonally-oriented arrow launcher so it faces northeast. Throw it into the southern geyser. Then grab the stone disc you used earlier and move it onto the western geyser. Stand on the disc and shoot the crystal to your north to make all the geysers rise. Shoot an arrow at the eye near you, and now shoot the arrow launcher to your south so it hits the eastern eye before the other one deactivates. If you do it quickly enough, the northwestern door will open. Inside is a Small Key. Now jump east across the geyser and Whip east once. Go north past the old battle area and head upstairs to B1. Open the locked door to the west. Jump in the mine cart, and you'll be going in a circle - fast. Slash or shoot the crystal to the northeast if you need to return north to refill your arrow supply. Aim your Bow to your southwest as you zip toward the southwest part of the room, and when the crystal comes into view, release to shoot. This will change the track so you can access the dungeon's stamp station. This is tricky and may take a while to hit the target successfully. Get back on the mine cart, and you'll again be going in circles. In the south part of the room, there are four eyes on the wall. As the tablets hinted earlier, shoot them in this order (assuming leftmost is 1 and rightmost is 4): 2, 1, 4, 3. The tracks will change, and you'll be dumped off in the center of the room. Go down the steps to Basement 2, and head down another staircase to the new room B3. We're almost there. Read the plaque and take note on your map of which crystals you're supposed to hit. Bomb the rock to your east (if you don't have a Bomb Bag, skip west across the platforms and use the Bomb Flower). Pick up the stone disc and throw it onto geyser; use it to reach the mine cart. Use your sword, Boomerang, or Bow to hit the crystals as indicated earlier on the sign. If done properly, you'll soon arrive on terra firma. Whip west across the rafter to reach a treasure chest containing a Dragon Scale. Then swing back east. Head south and use your Whirlwind (haven't used that in a while) to blow the Boss Key down into the mine cart. Then go west into a new mine cart. Keep hitting the crystals as indicated on the map, and remember that the fourth and final switch must be hit using arrows because it's farther from the tracks. If you do it right, you'll find yourself at the big lock with the Boss Key by your side. Otherwise, you'll have to try again - and that includes blowing the Boss Key back into the cart. Pick up the Boss Key and tap the lock to open it. This takes you to Basement 4. Read the tablet to create a portal to the entrance (much-needed if you lose the boss fight), and break the pots to restore your energy and your quiver. When you're ready, go forward and face... -----CRAGMA, LAVA LORD----- This enormous rock monster is powerful but isn't very fast or agile. At first, when Cragma raises his arms, pull out your Bow and shoot the glowing light near the front of his body. This will make him drop farther into the lava. Keep moving to avoid his arm slams and the falling rocks. After he performs a two- handed slam, a big boulder will drop somewhere nearby. Let Cragma's slams shatter it (or use one of your Bombs), revealing a stone disc. Pick it up and carry it to the northeast corner of the ring, and toss it onto one of the geysers. Tap the disc and then the mine cart to begin riding counterclockwise around the room. Keep shooting the glowing parts of his body as you ride. Once you hit all the glowing parts of his body on a particular "story," you'll rise to a new level. If Cragma's hand starts to glow, shoot it immediately or he'll push you off. Continue until you get a chance to shoot his eye, which will stun him. You'll soon be dumped onto the lower level, during which time you can slash away at the glowing spot on his head until he recovers. At this point, simply repeat what you did earlier - including shooting the first arrow into the lower part of the body and getting the stone disc. The only difference is that while on the mine cart, Cragma will try to swat you with both hands. Look left and right while aiming the Bow to make sure the other hand isn't about to slam into you. A few general tips: Don't waste arrows; it's extremely easy to run out during this arrow-intensive battle. If you need more arrows, you can often find them in the cinders of previously-fallen rocks, especially the first couple of them. If your energy runs low, break one of the four pots for hearts. Aim slightly ahead of the targets on Cragma's body; this makes your shots much more accurate. For me, I was able to beat him after stunning him just twice, getting in eight slashes in each round of strikes. After beating him, a red jewel emerges out of the ground. Grab the latest addition to your Heart Container collection and step into the blue portal. There's now a path leading to the Tower of Spirits in the Fire Realm. You can go there right away, but first you might want to take part in some of the newly-available sidequests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Medium Quiver ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The eastern teepee in Goron Village is an item shop, and it's the only place in the game where you can buy an upgrade for your quiver, allowing you to carry more arrows. It costs a whopping 2,000 Rupees, though, so you might want to sell a few common treasures (like Ancient Gold Pieces) to Linebeck III so you can afford this pricey purchase. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Goron Shooting Gallery ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that we've finished the Fire Temple, we can enter the small cave on the map - the Goron Shooting Gallery, which is now open. Pay up to play a difficult mini-game. You're riding the train (which moves automatically), and you're trying to shoot the various targets. Each successful shot earns points. The red targets can be shot multiple times. Don't hit the Goron targets, though, or you'll lose points. Tilt the camera some so you can see all the targets. At the end, you'll get to open a chest for Rupees or treasures. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Seeking Cooler Temperatures ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head to Goron Village and talk to the Goron out in front - the one who wants a ride to a cooler location. Take him to Anouki Village and he'll reward you with a Force Gem. This opens up a new section in the northeastern part of the Snow Realm. If you go there, you'll find a new wabbit to hunt and a warp spot connected to the Fire Realm. Check the next mailbox to receive a letter from Niko. If you want to uncover the tresure, go down a few paragraphs to "Aboda Village Goodies." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Engineer Mania! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- You'll find Ferrus in the southern part of the tracks around the Snow Temple, on the second vertical road from left. It's easiest when the armored trains aren't around. Here Ferrus is - you guessed it - snapping photos incessantly. Stop the train near him and talk. He wants a ride to meet Alfonzo. Take him to meet Alfonzo in Aboda Village. Go in the northern station there and you'll receive a Force Gem that creates a new route from Hyrule Castle Town to the Snow Realm. After you finish this sidequest, you'll get another letter from Ferrus at some point. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anouki-Goron Diplomacy Summit ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Talk to Honcho in Anouki Village. He'd like a ride to Goron Village. Take him there, and when you arrive, he'll reward you with a Force Gem. This one creates a rail connecting the northern parts of the Snow Realm and the Fire Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Gorons' Ice Addiction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One of the Gorons in Goron Village wanted more ice to stop another geyser. Head to Wellspring Station in the Snow Realm and talk to the Anouki. As much as you haggle, the ice will never cost less than 50 Rupees. Be quick in transporting it, and be careful not to get hit by enemies. Take it to the Goron near the geyser in the northeast part of Goron Village. If you have at least 10 pieces of Mega Ice left (you should), he'll extinguish the fire and give you a Force Gem. This one reveals a new path in the southwest part of the Fire Realm, which has a warp to the east part of the Ocean Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Frosty Sidquest ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone in the southwestern part of Papuchia Village wants ice to help keep some fish cool. Return to Wellspring Station and buy some more Mega Ice. Again, 50 Rupees is the best deal you can get for it. The best way to get to Papuchia Village without the ice melting in the cargo bay is to head to the warp zone in the northeast part of the Snow Realm, which takes you to the Forest Realm. From there, it's a short ride north and east into the Ocean Realm and Papuchia Village. Drive fast and prevent enemies from damaging your cargo. If you get at least ten pieces of ice to the villager, you'll receive a Force Gem. This gem forms a shortcut from Papuchia Village to the Tower of Spirits and also enables you to reach the Pirate Hideout and catch a new bunny. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Pirate's Life for Me ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take this new track to the hidden station just south of the Tower of Spirits (beware of the pirate ships that will always attack here). This is the Pirate Hideout. First head east and play the Song of Birds to summon a bird. Whip onto his lift and drop off near the stamp station. If you want to play a mini-game, go north to the cave and talk to Zelda to enter. It doesn't cost anything to play. At first, this mini-game is a bit like the shooting galleries of previous Zelda games. Miniblins stream from both sides of the upper screen, and your job is to shoot all of them with arrows. Try to be efficient with your arrows; your point totals increase for every consecutive shot without missing. If a Miniblin stays on the screen for too long, it might throw a cage at you; shoot it or you'll get kidnapped and will have to try again. And as I've said before, to ensure accuracy, be sure to aim slightly in front of your target. After a while, phase two begins. Now you're riding in a mine cart, with Miniblins in mine carts coming toward you. Keep shooting them as you escape. Soon you'll reach another area on the cart; this is when the tracks will curve more sharply and more rock pillars will shield the Miniblins. Be careful; it's easy to get caged here if your arrows get blocked by the pillars. After another room transition, shoot the V-shaped line of Miniblins, and you'll also find good ol' King Blin blocking your way at the very end. Shoot him with as many arrows as fast as you can and you'll KO him. When you reach the end of the tracks, you'll rescue the guy the pirates were holding captive. Take him back home to Papuchia Village and you'll receive a Force Gem, which will unveil a new track between the Pirate Hideout and the entrance to the underwater area. Along the way there's also a warp to the Forest Realm, near Whittleton. If you want to play again, just talk to the Goron out in front. If you earn more than 3,000 points, you'll receive a bigger Quiver that can hold 30 arrows instead of 20. And if your score tops 4,000, you'll be rewarded with a new Heart Container! In case you were wondering, my record is 4,380, which I got on my third try. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I Wish for Fish ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The blonde woman wandering around the middle of Hyrule Castle Town wants fish. If you've brought Mega Ice to the fish merchant in Papuchia Village, you can buy 20 fish there for 50 Rupees. Then take them to the woman, but hurry; they'll spoil quickly without refrigeration. Worse, the otherwise-harmless sea gulls will occasionally swoop down and try to nab a tasty fish; use the cannon on them to protect your cargo. You don't need to take any unusual shortcuts, hwoever - just be sure to deliver at least ten fish. Your reward is a Force Gem that connects the northern parts of the Forest Realm and the Ocean Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aboda Village Goodies ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Remember that map Niko gave you? It shows two X's near palm trees. Play the Song of Discovery at those two locations to find a Ruto Crown and a Pirate Necklace. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cucco, Cucco... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- There's a man in the northwest part of Aboda Village who wants to start a Cucco farm. So bring him some chickens! Go to Hyrule Castle Town and talk across the fence to the man in the northwestern house. He'll sell you five Cuccos for 50 Rupees. The guy in Aboda Village wants ten Cuccos, but you'll only be able to fit five in your cargo area at any one time. Take them to Aboda Village, but watch out for the enemies along the way - if you get hit by an enemy, you'll lose a Cucco. You may end up having to make more than two trips to deliver enough Cuccos for him to be happy. I find it's easier when there are the evil trains on the road, during which the only other enemies are the Bulbos and Bulblins. If there aren't evil trains, you'll be assaulted by birds and by a pair of tank squadrons, which can easily fry a Cucco or two. Once you've delivered at least ten Cuccos, you'll receive a Force Gem. This opens a new road south of the Lost Woods. This road also includes a bunny, a tunnel full of spiders, and a warp arch connected to the western part of the Fire Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fenced Off ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Someone in Anouki Village wants wood to complete a fence. In Whittleton, talk to the lumberjack in the southwestern part of the village and buy 20 pieces of his lumber for 100 Rupees. Pay attention to his "little pro tip": if a monster hits your train, you'll lose three pieces of wood - and you're required to deliver at least 15 pieces. The route I took was north to the Tower of Spirits, through the tower to the Snow Realm, and west to Anouki Village. You might want to save once or twice along the way, allowing you to restart the long journey if you get hit. Talk to the lumber-loving Anouki and you'll be rewarded with a Dark Pearl Loop. But we still need a carpenter. For that, head to the northeast corner of the Trading Post area, right by the tracks, and talk to the bridge builder. He'll agree to do the work. So take him to Anouki Village, and once you get there, talk to the Anouki for one of the better Force Gems available. This reveals a new trail in the northwestern region of the Snow Realm, near the Snow Temple. There's a new rabbit to catch and a new place called the Snowdrift Station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Snowdrift Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Snowdrift Station is an optional mini-dungeon that is very short but has the potential to be quite hard (it reminds me a lot of The Legend of Zelda: Parallel Worlds). Its prize can be sold for a lot of money and is needed to obtain the best train parts from Linebeck III. From the train station, go west and you'll be assaulted by a series of Wolfos. Use spin attacks to get them out of your way. Go around the fences and enter the cave to the north. Zelda will give you a message (almost identical to something Navi says in Ocarina of Time), and go forward and read the tablet. The cavern has four rooms, and each provides a clue about the order in which you must hit the crystal balls to your north. If you have a guide, you can skip all of them, but let's pretend you don't know anything. I actually figured out the solution on my own by completing only the northwestern and northeastern rooms. Let's start with the southwestern staircase. Step on the floor switch to make a door open - temporarily - and run up the slippery passage and get there in time. This is very difficult. Ignore the Ice Octoroks in the north side of the main room. In the northwestern room, push the block right, up, left, down, right, up, and right into the water. Take out your Bow and shoot two of the water monsters. Then jump onto the block and dispatch the other two monsters. Now face west and use the Whirlwind to propel your block boat east past the arrow launchers. Stay on the south edge of the wall if you can. At the end of the room is another clue. The southeastern room is quite irritating. Go forward and you'll face a mini- battle. Use your Boomerang to take out the Ice Keese, then create a bridge over the water using the ice torch and the Boomerang. From here, get rid of a bunch of Octives and head west before the ice breaks. The northeastern staircase takes you to the easiest room. Use your Boomerang to create ice bridges with the torches. Keep lighting the torches and creating bridges until you reach the tablet. To reach the end of this mini-dungeon (regardless of which rooms you've finished), go up the stairs near the front of the first room and line up a Boomerang shot so it hits the following crystals (assuming 1 is left and 5 is right): 1, 4, 2, 5. Go forward to meet a mildly tricky mini-battle: four Ice Octoroks on a slippery surface. Beat them with arrows, then go forward and open the treasure for an Alchemy Stone - one of the rarest and most valuable collection items in the entire game. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Sage's Vessel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Lokomo at the Snow Sanctuary wants a nice vessel for his sanctuary. To get one, go to the fortune-teller in Papuchia Village, and answer her questions using the microphone. Once you're asked if you've been having bad luck, say yes. You'll be offered a pot for 50 Rupees; buy it. Then take it to the Snow Sanctuary. Be careful, because if you get hit by any enemies, the pot will break. It's a wise idea to save every time you enter a new realm. The Tower of Spirits offers the most convenient route. Once you deliver it safely, you'll receive a Force Gem that unlocks a new track in the northeastern Snow Realm. While you're at the Snow Sanctuary, you might want to buy the Heart Container from the item shop if you haven't already done so. If you don't have enough Rupees, sell Linebeck III a few common treasures like Ancient Gold Pieces. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Slippery Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head to the new tracks in the northeastern Snow Realm to find a new station, the Slippery Station. Head north past a few Ice ChuChus and you'll enter a cave. This is a skating rink where you can race through an icy course which gets progressively longer and harder. Step on the respective switch to begin. Many players have found this section difficult. Here's a detailed strategy sent in by a reader named Karen Pawloski: "To reach the end of any course, hug the corners and somersault off of the stone sections. When nearing the top of the first "U," have Link face east so he hugs the wall as he turns. Angle Link to the next wall, turning him again just before the wall curves. Catch the side of the long stone section and somersault off of it as he angles toward the next wall. On the amateur course, run for the chest. Run the pro and champion courses the same way. For the pro course, somersault off the north stone section. For the champion course, ignore the north stone section, somersault once through the angled part, and start turning before the corners, staying close to the walls without touching them. After the last turn, somersault for the chest. It took me a little over two hours to get through all three courses." Your prizes for succeeding are a Big Gold Rupee (worth 300) for finishing the Amateur course. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits, Part Five ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Assuming you have the Bomb Bag (purchased from Beedle), head to the Tower of Spirits as you've done so many times before, and climb all the way up to the highest flight of stairs. Enter Room 18. Break the pots and nuts if you need some hearts, arrows, and bombs. This room is full of new Wrecker Phantoms that can roll and pursue you faster than standard Phantoms, but thankfully they can't teleport. There are also a bunch of big, heavy blocks that you can't move with your bare hands. Use bombs to blow up the walls of blocks to the southwest and northwest (if you don't have bombs, you'll have to let the Phantoms roll after you and destroy the blocks, and that's very frustrating and cumbersome). Run to a safe zone if a Phantom sees you. There's another safe zone in the far southwest corner, but it isn't very useful. Make your way to the northwest corner of the room, where there's a safe zone with an easy block puzzle. Pull the first block left, and move the far block left and down. Step on the floor switch to make a treasure chest appear on the opposite side of the room. Now bomb all of the blocks on the east side of the room (replenish your supply with the nut at the entrance of the room if you need to). The southeast corner holds the first Tear of Light. Then head to the northeast corner and Whip across the beam to the chest you revealed earlier. Inside is a Small Key. Swing back east and open the locked door in the north part of the room. Go upstairs to Room 19. Head east up the steps to an arrow launcher. Hit it so it faces west, and pick it up. Carry it west and south and place it on the brown tile. Stand on the floor switch to keep the door open, and Boomerang the arrow launcher located behind the door so it points north. Now shoot the arrow launcher near you so it hits the other one and then hits an eye, forming a bridge at the southeast corner of the room. Go east and stand on the staircase and shoot arrows at the Miniblins riding Armos Statues if you want to get rid of them. Otherwise, go south across the bridge and a Phantom will appear. This one is annoying at worst and shouldn't cause any real difficulty. Go west down the hallway and use a bomb to break the block in the central part of the room, revealing a Tear of Light in the space. Break the blocks on the west end of the room and go up the stairs. Here's Room 20. Break the nut for arrow refills, and stay away from the Phantom guarding the area. Go up the steps and Boomerang the arrow launcher to the south so that it points north. Next head to the northeast corner of the room. Move the block west and then north so it forms a bridge between the two platforms. Use a couple of bombs to destroy the block towers in the middle of the room (when the bottom block breaks, all the ones on top will also crumble). Destroying these towers is not optional. Do likewise with the southeast block towers until you can pick up the arrow launcher that was on top of the breakable blocks. Assuming it's facing south, take it northeast, jump on the block, and place it on the brown tile on the next platform. Stand on the nearby switch to keep the door open, then shoot the nearby arrow deflector to hit the eye behind the door. This opens the northwest door, where you can get the third and final Tear of Light. Go back downstairs to Room 19 and head east. Now that your sword is charged up, slash the Phantom in the back and have Zelda take over. This is a special Wrecker Phantom, which can bowl over enemies and smash many otherwise- unbreakable objects. You can't carry Link or other things as a Wrecker, however. Use your new wrecking ability to smash the Armos-mounted Miniblins to the north, and then smash west through the Armos Statues blocking the way. In the central area, stand on the steps and throw your Boomerang at the arrow launcher so it faces north. Shoot it to hit the eye and reveal a big chest containing a valuable Ancient Gold Piece. There's another optional treasure we can get here, but not yet. Instead, go downstairs to the middle chamber of Room 18 - the section we couldn't access earlier. In the northwest corner of the chamber, push the small block out of the way, and as a Phantom, push the big block so it presses down the two switches in the corner. To do this, draw a line targeting the block, and then draw a line in the direction that you want to move the block. Push that small block west and south down the corridor onto another switch (you'll need both characters to team up a bit on this). Head to the southeast quadrant and push the two big blocks apart so you can squeeze a small block onto the switch. Then push the small block in the middle of the room onto one of the switches in the northeast corner, and have your Phantom stand on the other switch in that corner. Once all of the switches are held down, the spikes on the south end will lower, allowing Link to pass through to a Small Key chest. If you want to return to the outside part of Room 18, just push the eastern block so you can get through. Now that you have a Phantom, you can push the big block in the southwestern corner of the room, enabling access to a chest with an Ancient Gold Piece. Go back upstairs to Room 19 and unlock the door in the middle. This is a new part of 20F. Snake around the hallway and you'll reach a place where boulders are rolling endlessly down the hill. Draw a line for your Phantom that runs to the point where boulders are rolling out, crushing the boulders and allowing Link to pass behind safely. Hit the crystal to the west to stop the boulders. You'll soon reach a lava pit, which is a problem, because as a Wrecker your Phantom can't carry Link across. We'll have to find another solution. Turn south to a hallway blocked by a series of block towers. Blow them all up (return to Room 18 if you run out of bombs) or, better yet, crush them with the Wrecker Phantom, and go up the southeastern stairs to the 21st story. Make both characters stand on the stairs in the middle of the room to begin a battle with four Stalfos. Get Link into a safe spot and use your Phantom to beat them one at a time - that's the easiest way. After beating them, three Geozards will drop down. Use Link to Whip off their shields and slash away. Fight them one by one so they can't gang up on you. Really, these guys were harder than most of the big bosses in Phantom Hourglass, and now we mow them down just like a regular enemy. Also, be sure to defeat any rats that enter the room and harasse Zelda. After all the Geozards are gone, the door will reopen, and FOUR regular (non-Wrecker) Phantoms will appear in the corners of the room. Run to the safe zone and slash the behind of one of the Phantoms and possess it (you don't want to be a Wrecker any more). Now return to the previous room. Skip this paragraph if you're not interested in getting all the treasures. Return to Room 19. Head to the northeast corner of the room and make the arrow launcher face north. Carry it back to the middle part of the room. Have Link stand on the switch on the steps to hold the west door open. Now switch to your Phantom. Target the launcher to pick it up, and go through the newly-opened door and stand on the brown tile. Switch to Link and shoot an arrow toward the launcher the Phantom is holding. It'll hit an eye statue and make a big chest appear. Return your Phantom to the middle of the room, and open the chest for an Ancient Gold Piece. Make your way back to the lava pit (however, you'll have to return to Room 18 and move the eastern block and become a Wrecker again, so you can get by the boulders, and then back to the battle area so you can switch back to a regular Phantom). This next puzzle took me a while to figure out. In Room 20, have your regular Phantom take you west across the lava pit. Make the western arrow launcher face west and carry it across the lava onto the platform to its southeast - specifically, onto the left-hand brown tile. Get back on the Phantom and go north to the area with the beams overhead. The extra height from standing on the Phantom allows you to Whip onto the beam and reach the high platform, which has another arrow launcher. Make it face east, pick it up, jump back on the Phantom, jump onto the southern platform, go up the steps, and place the arrow launcher on the brown tile. Return to the high platform using the Whip and switch to the Phantom. Head west and target the west-facing arrow launcher to pick it up. Now as Link, shoot the east-facing arrow launcher to hit the eastern eye, temporarily opening the western door. Now shoot the arrow launcher your Phantom is holding. This will activate the eye switch behind the door and open the northwestern door. Now that that's over, jump on the Phantom (slash it on the east side of the room to make it drop the launcher) and enter the newly- opened door to the northwest. This is the northern half of Room 21. There a bunch of nuts to the south, so smash them if you'd like to replenish your supplies of various items. Break the pots if you need some hearts. This next staircase takes you to the brand spanking new Room 22. Have your Phantom go north past the fire and west through another fire. Then head south and east through one more fire to the Boss Key. When you pick it up, guess who drops in? A Super Mario Bros. 2 Phanto! Or really, Key Masters. Make your Phantom follow behind Link, and be sure to take out the monstrous hands before they can get to the key. Soon you'll have to split up, with the Phantom going north through the flames and Link staying on the southern flame pits. Draw a path for your Phantom leading to the red circle in the far east. Unfortunately, the east end of the room is also guarded by two Floor Masters. To eliminate those and ensure safe passage, have Link stand across the gap and shoot them with arrows. Then, as Link, stand on the red circle to make the characters switch places. You're safe now. Take your Phantom south and tap the big lock to open it. This also extinguishes the fires in the room and forms bridges over the sand traps. Rejoin the phantom and go up the stairs you just unlocked. On the 23rd floor, team up to open the double doors, then go forward to a cutscene and - believe it or not - the boss! -----BYRNE----- This guy starts by hopping around some columns, shooting balls of light at you. Move back and forth to avoid them; it's pretty easy. When he throws his gauntlet at you, have your Phantom target it, pulling it and stunning him for a moment. At this point, hit Byrne with your sword as many times as you can. Repeat. Byrne now adopts a new strategy. He'll challenge you to a swordfight with his claw-arm, but he's not very skillful. Keep using targeted attacks on him, following him as he jumps, until you make contact. Slash him again and he'll push you away and begin charging up an attack. This attack isn't very strong and takes a long time to charge, so during this time, stand behind your Phantom and draw a path that targets Byrne. If you do it right, Byrne will dash toward the Phantom, who will engage him in a hold. During this time, you can circle around and slash him several times. Repeat once more and you'll be off to the ending credits - just kidding! It's actually a sequence of major cutscenes. Still, that sure was an E-Z boss. Go through the shiny door and up a series of steps. After a big cinema, Anjean will give you a very important Force Gem, which lets you reach the desert in the northern part of the Ocean Realm. First, however, I'll cover a few sidequests. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ferrus Ferry ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've found Ferrus in the northwestern Snow Realm, you'll get another letter that shows you a picture of the Fire Realm. You can now find Ferrus in the northern part of the Fire Realm (the west side, not the Fire Temple side). When you see someone taking pictures constantly, stop and pick him up. He wants to go to the Ocean Temple (if you entered the Fire Realm through the Tower of Spirits, you can save and quit to save some time). Go to the Ocean Realm and enter the mouth of the huge Zora statue, and take the underwater tracks to the Ocean Temple. Thankfully, there are no explosive enemy trains any more. In his "ginormous" gratitude, you're presented with a Force Gem. This opens a new link from the Fire Temple to the Desert Realm, where you can find the Dark Ore Mine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dark Ore Mine ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take the LONG new road in the eastern part of the Fire Realm to reach a new outpost, the Dark Ore Mine. Stop there and save, but first return to the map and keep going down the rails until you reach a tunnel. You'll definitely want to eliminate the baddie who has moved in to this cave. It's that same Gohma-like monster we've seen before in tunnels. Keep shooting its eye to keep it off your tail. When the eye closes, blast a TNT barrel as the enemy passes by. Be sure to shoot the little spiders - an unwelcome addition to this fight - crawling on the walls. If you beat this monster before you exit the cave, it won't bother you ever again. Be sure to eliminate this enemy before you attempt the Dark Ore sidequest. Now return to the Dark Ore Mine. After you've been here the first time, you'll receive a letter from Kagoron, complete with a map, the next time you check the mail. However, you don't need a map to find the treasure if you have VinnyVideo's strategy guide! Head to the northeast corner of the cave and play the Song of Discovery to uncover a chest containing a rare and valuable Mystic Jade. The cave also has a few Gorons to talk to. The one in the middle will sell you ten pieces of Dark Ore for the high price of 200 Rupees. This unusual mineral melts in the sunlight, so you must be quick in transporting it. Save your game before you fork over the dough. Only one person in the game wants Dark Ore: Linebeck III. He wants at least five pieces; anything less than that will earn you only 100 Rupees, which is less than the purchase price of the Dark Ore. To get the Dark Ore to him, buy some from the Goron, get on the road, crank it up into full gear, go through the tunnel (restart if you get hit by a Tektite, as you lose a piece every time you're hit), and you'll reach the Desert Realm. This is a good time to save your game if you haven't had a piece destroyed by an enemy. Turn left (toward the dead end) and take the warp to the opposite side of the Desert Realm. From here, go south a bit, shoot any sand sharks that attack, and use the other warp to reach the Forest Realm. After that, Linebeck's is a short distance away. Maintain full speed the whole way, and watch out for the birds that may appear; they may try to steal ALL of your ore! When you reach the Trading Post, hurry in and talk to Linebeck III. Say "nothing," and if you have at least five pieces of ore left, you'll receive a Force Gem that unlocks a new area in the southeast island in the Ocean Realm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lost at Sea Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's a place with unlimited access to treasures! Don't go here unless you have at least a Medium Bomb Bag, though. After finishing the Dark Ore sidequest, go to the southeastern island in the Ocean Realm, where you'll find a new station. Play the Song of Light at the two diamond-shaped statues to create two beams of light. Head to the intersection of these two lights and play the Song of Birds. Whip onto the bird's platform and drop off in the area full of assorted birds (including Cuccos and Takkuris). Play the Song of Light at another statue to create another light. Follow it to the wall, and bomb that spot to open a cave. Inside, break the nuts and pots to power up, and when you're ready for action, play the Song of Awakening by the statue to enter a secret dungeon. You'll be facing five Phantom-patrolled rooms, and you can't use your Bow or sword. In the first room, your objective is to light the three torches. Head to the western safe zone and open the chest for a Wood Heart. Go to the middle of the room as the Phantom walks away, and throw your Boomerang so it goes through the fire and lights the unlit torch. Two more lit torches are located near the north door; stand between them and the unlit torches in the corners and light them with your Boomerang. Watch out for the fire cannons, though, which can make it hard to escape if a Phantom sees you. When all three torches are lit, go through the door that opens. This dark room is guarded by Torch Phantoms. Your objective here is to extinguish all the torches using the Whirlwind. Go around the room, blowing out the torches while avoiding the Phantoms. Be sure to open the eastern chest for a Pirate Necklace. Once every torch is out, go to the safe zone in the south- central part of the room and take the next staircase. Room 3 contains Warp Phantoms and Phantom Eyes. Your job is to pull four switches from Zora statues located in each corner of the room. However, each corner has two statues; if you pull the wrong tongue, a Phantom Eye will appear (if you pull the correct one, a tone will sound, but nothing else will happen). If a Phantom Eye harasses you, attack it with the Whip. Head to the southeast corner and pull the right-hand switch (be quick so the Phantom won't see you). Then head to the southwest corner and pull the right switch (slightly northeast of the partition). Pull the left switch in the northwest corner, and swing east to the northeast corner. Open the chest for a Pirate Necklace, then pull the right switch. If you activated them all, the central door will open. The next room uses Wrecker Phantom-based security. You're trying to break all the blocks in the room. Use bombs for that purpose, but if you start to run out (less than five bombs), lure the Wreckers and let them break the bricks. The southwest corner of the room has a safe zone with a Wood Heart, and don't forget the Dark Pearl Loop chest in the northeast corner. Once all the blocks are gone, go through the southern staircase to the final room of this mini- dungeon. This time, we must open all four chests to unlock the door. Destroy the blocks obstructing the southeast torch using bombs (it's mighty hard to lure a Wrecker Phantom there - that's why you need to have at least four bombs). Open the chest for a Dragon Scale. In the northeast corner, open the chest for a Ruto Crown, and pull the left fish statue. Watch out for the flame cannons in the north part of the room, and use the lit torch to light the unlit torch, lowering spikes in the southwest. Open the northwest chest for a Star Fragment. Finally, open the southwest chest for a Demon Fossil. Now go through the door and open the big chest for an ultra-valuable Regal Ring, and exit through the portal. You can complete this dungeon as many times as you want, which makes it a fairly easy way to amass Regal Rings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ferrus One More Time ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After you take Ferrus to the Ocean Temple, you'll get another letter from him, showing a photo of the area just south of the Forest Temple. Go there and talk to Ferrus, and he'll give you an Ancient Gold Piece. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Into the Desert ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the rails, go east from the Tower of Spirits in the Ocean Realm to reach the Desert Realm. Along the way, you'll be harassed constantly by Malgyorg (sand sharks). Yes, that's right. This isn't the first time sharks have appeared in unusual places in Zelda games, but that doesn't make them any less weird. These enemies will circle your train and jump to attack, usually toward your front. That's your chance to give them the wholesome steel goodness of a cannon ball. Anyway, draw a path to the dead end in the middle of these new tracks to reach the Sand Sanctuary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sand Sanctuary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Head to the middle of the desert area (which has no enemies) and read the tablet for a clue. Play the Song of Awakening by the statues for two more clues. This whole area represents the Desert Realm map - the trails are the rails, and the oasis symbolizes the ocean. You might remember seeing four huge statues in the desert facing one another. You're supposed to bomb the spot where the gaze of the statues would all overlap. This spot is directly southeast of the western island with the statue and the Bomb Flower, between the two vertical paths on the southern half. The spot is slightly south of one of the "rails." If you do it just right, you'll reveal a staircase. Go down and head past the torches and meet Rael, the final Lokomo. Yes, there's another song to play to restore some of the Spirit Tracks. During this melody, there's only one place you have to skip a pipe, and it's more forgiving than last time. However, the sequence is six notes long, and your rhythm must be perfect. Still, it's no tougher than last time, which was pretty tough. When you're finished, leave and explore the new part of the map. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Three Trials ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Take the new track that goes northeast into the Fire Realm. As you enter the tunnel, you'll face the first trial: the "big eye that looms in the shadows." Soon you'll be chased by the same Gohma-like creature you encountered earlier in the game. As you did last time, barrage the eye with cannon balls. However, this baddie will now close its eye on occasion. When that happens, it's invulnerable to cannon balls, so instead you must shoot one of the TNT barrels as it passes by. After a while, you'll defeat it and it won't bother you again in this tunnel. Trial number two is next: "Navigate the twisted tunnels." As you ride along, you'll reach a series of crossings, and if you make the wrong choice, you'll wind up back at the start - not unlike the Lost Woods. After the first tunnel, stop and reverse and you'll be in a new part of the map. Again, reverse to get to another new area. From here, just turn right and you'll reach a new part of the map. Now turn left and activate the warp arch, which allows you to go from the southwestern desert to this part of the map without going through the twisted tunnels again. Draw a path to the temple, and hunt for the rabbit nearby. "Face the impenetrable temple." Our third and final trial. Three sides of the temple are surrounded by cannons, which will assault you with a flurry of volleys that can destroy your train surprisingly fast. Be sure that the camera gives you a view of the full side of the pyramid. Your first priority is shooting any cannon balls that come near you, but also try to destroy the cannons (on various levels) that shoot at you. Don't ignore the cannons on the ground level or the high ones, either. Keep shooting the rocks in the area if you need hearts to repair damage. Once you've eliminated all of the cannons on every side of the temple, the front gate will open, allowing you to enter. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sand Temple ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warning: The following dungeon is difficult. Break the pots at the entrance and go north into the main dungeon. Turn east and you'll reach a stream of boulders rolling toward you. Watch the pattern and zig-zag north through them. Beware the first "safe" spot to the west - it's really a trap door. Boomerang the nut to the east if you need arrows, and head west. Stand on the tiles across from another stream of boulders and shoot the eye switch (without hitting a boulder) to open the door. Open the treasure chest for precisely one Rupee. Then a trio of Stalfos will emerge from the sand as a tussle gets underway. If you beat them one at a time, they'll come right back. So use spin attacks or bombs to beat them, and a new chest will appear. It's got a more helpful Small Key inside. Return to the start of the room (either go back through the rolling stones or save and restart). Unlock the door to the northeast to reach the second floor. Jump into the sand and go south, ignoring the sand monsters for now. Head to the southeast corner of the room and look north to where three spike rollers are going up and down. Follow one until it reverses course, then swerve away until you reach the end. Break the pots if you need some power-ups, and go up the stairs. We're now on 3F. Go south for a difficult battle with three Stalfos Knights. These Stalfos swordsmen have incredible speed and are difficult to beat with your sword, so the best solution is to knock them out with bombs (they won't re-spawn if you beat them individually). When you've beaten all of them, the western door will open. Go through and head up the steps to a big chest. Inside is the Sand Wand. Goodie! This innovative item lets you use the stylus to pile up walls of sand, which can move things and also serve as a temporary platform. They don't last forever, though. When you open the big chest, several things in the temple will be different; for example, the door in the old boss room is now closed. To reach the northern ledge, use the Sand Wand to create sand under you, and then go forward to reach the high platform. It may take a bit of experimentation to get the hang of this unique item. Now go downstairs to the second floor. The spiked rollers are moving in a different pattern now, but you can stop them by creating some sand hills. We can now access the two high chests here. Head to the west side of the room as the roller goes away (or stop it with sand), and create some sand under where you're standing. Then go west and open the chest for a Red Rupee. Another chest exists across from you, but reaching it is a hassle; use the Sand Wand to stop the eastern roller, and then use it as a bridge to the chest, which holds a Palace Dish. From here, it's easiest to save and quit to return to the entrance. Head north and use the Sand Wand to go up two levels of sand to reach a chest holding a valuable Pirate Necklace. Go southwest and use the Sand Wand to push the big roller west into a hole (be careful so the roller doesn't go back and squash you). From here, Whip east across two beams, and push the next roller all the way east. It might not look like it, but you can squeeze past the roller at the end. Then turn west and you'll find an eye switch. Use your Sand Wand to create a sand ledge under you. Quickly switch to the Bow and shoot the upper two eye switches. Then, when the sand dissolves, shoot the lower switch. You have to be fast, because the eyes don't stay activated for long and because the sand dissolves quickly. Once you shoot all three eyes, a door will open. Go north and turn east into a little alcove. Push the roller south with the Sand Wand and go north. Use the Sand Wand to go west up onto the ledge. From here, you'll have to use the roller as a bridge to cross twice over the gap. Go west and you'll find two sand monsters called Gerunes. If you beat them (hold the Sand Wand over them for a while to stun them, then slash), a Red Rupee chest will appear elsewhere in the room. Go north and Sand Wand over the fence and read the sign for a clue. Go back east to where the boulders are rolling down the hill. The boulders follow a different pattern this time, so it's impossible to pass through. So build a sand mound in the southeast sand pit to reach the high ledge. Go north as far as possible, and when you can't go any farther, wait for a lull in the stream of boulders and sprint northwest. Look across from you and you'll notice a bunch of now-stationary boulders. Use the Sand Wand to smash the boulders against one another, creating space for you to shoot an arrow at the eye switch to the north. Hit this to open the western door, which leads to the site of an earlier battle. This room is now inhabited by three sand enemies (Malgyorg) that are worth defeating, since doing so will reveal a chest with a Red Rupee. These enemies share many characteristics with the sea monsters of the Ocean Temple; they pop up randomly and spit a spiked ball at you. To defeat them, create a line of sand with the Sand Wand from you to the enemy as it pops up. This should make it dizzy for a while. From there, hurry over and give it a couple of whacks with the ol' sword. When you're ready, go south down the corridor. Use your Sand Wand to draw a line down the hall until it unearths a Small Key near the middle. Now jump south over the fence. See that boulder in the middle of the room? Use the Sand Wand to push sand toward it and move it onto the lever. Then hit the crystal switch to fling the boulder toward the cracked wall, revealing a staircase leading down to the basement. Use the Sand Wand to create a bridge leading across the pit of quicksand. Hurry north and unlock the door. Just ahead are two sand Gerunes. Hold the Sand Wand cursor over them for a while to stun them. Instead of attacking them, however, pick them up (from their back sides, not the front) and throw them onto each of the two floor switches to hold them down and open the door. Next up is a huge pit of quicksand to the north. You'll have to build a long sand bridge over the quicksand and then hurry to the end and repeat. Some players prefer making bridges in small bursts, but that doesn't work well for me. I like to draw my paths as long as possible. Regardless, make a sand wall going west, and when you can't go any more, create another one going northeast. Hurry past the arrows being shot toward you and get stamped at the stamp station. Now return to the terra firma where you started (it might be easier to save and quit). From here, go northeast to the piece of solid ground, avoiding the arrow launchers along the way (if you're really confident in your Sand Wand abilities, you can save a bit of time by skipping the northeast platform). Make your way east to a block puzzle. Pull out your Sand Wand and use it to push the big block down, right, down, right, up, and left, making its blue point stick into the blue tile and open a door. This door leads to another endless stream of boulders. Use the Sand Wand to deflect one onto the lever. Once you've done that, stand on the southern switch (which creates a temporary bridge) and Boomerang the crystal to send the boulder flying, which will break open a door. Step off the switch and push another boulder onto the switch to hold it down, allowing you to cross south. Head west to another block puzzle. But first, step on the switch to the west to open the door and form a very useful shortcut to the entrance to B1. Also, go north across the eastern part of the quicksand (using a sand bridge) around the block puzzle to reach a treasure chest, which holds a Red Rupee. Now on to the block puzzle. Push the right-hand block left twice, down, right, down, left, up, and left. Then push the other block right twice (move the other block left once so it's out of the way), down, left, down, and right twice. Move the other block back to its previous and the door will open. Go west through this newly-opened door and turn south to avoid the spiked roller. Bomb the two Stalfos Knights (preferably from a distance) and you'll get a nice treasure. Go north to a tough spot. Avoid contact with the spiked rollers, and stand in the middle of the sand. Raise yourself with the Sand Wand and draw a line south to block the lower roller, so you can use it to (quickly) cross to the floor switch on the high southern platform. This switch makes the northern door open - partially. Repeat the same tactic you just used - employ the upper roller as a stepping stone over the bridge. Now the door shuts. Here we must face four of those Malgyorg, similar to the Octives of the Ocean Temple. Again, stun them with the Sand Wand, get on their levels (it's easiest if you draw a path from Link to the enemy), and slash away. Once they're all gone, the north door opens. Go through to a big patch of sand. Use the Sand Wand all over the ground to reveal several valuable Rupees. Your main objectives, however, are to turn up the ground around the two sparkling spots - a Big Green Rupee and the Big Key. Carry the key all the way back to the block area. There's nothing vile along the way, other than the long walk and the spiked rollers (no Key Masters, thankfully). Set the key down near the blocks. Now we need to push the blocks onto the red tiles. Move the block on the left side of the room left, down, right, up, left, down, and right. Then move the other block one space up. Once both blocks are positioned properly, the red door to the north will open. Drop the Big Key near the quicksand, use the Sand Wand to build a path across, grab the key, and quickly cross over. If you fall into the quicksand, the key will return to just south of the quicksand (no big deal). Unlock the big lock to reach Basement 2. Make use of the Sand Wand to reach one of the high ledges if you need refills. Once you're up there, it's easiest to use the Boomerang to get the rest. Use the Sand Wand to reach the northern ledge, then check the tablet to form the trademark blue portal. After that, get ready for the boss of the final dungeon! -----SKELDRITCH, ANCIENT DEMON----- Go forward to start the battle. Skeldritch begins by shooting boulders at you at high speed. Use the Sand Wand to build a wall in front of you to stop the boulder, then push it onto the nearest catapult. Now hit the crystal switch to slam the boulder into Skeldritch, making it lose a section. Don't stand in front of the boulder launcher when you hit the switch, or you'll get hurt by the flinging boulder. If you need to restore HP, break one of the pots scattered around the ring. And if you need arrows, let two of the boulders hit each other, which destroys both of them and usually drops an arrow refill. Repeat the same strategy for the next hit. However, when the skull turns red, keep running, as it's getting ready to fire a slow-moving laser beam. Things get a little trickier for the third hit. From now on, Skeldritch's body is protected on most sides. However, since he's always facing you, you can run around so the unprotected side is facing the boulder on the catapult and shoot the switch from afar (with arrows or preferably the Boomerang) so the boulder hits the right side of Skeldritch (from your perspective), eliminating another section. For the fourth hit, Skeldritch starts shooting reddish-colored boulders that achieve more velocity and can plow through thicker sand walls. He'll also fire the laser for a longer period of time. Otherwise, keep doing what you've been doing. The weak point this time is his back side, so stand on the opposite side of the arena as the catapult before hitting the switch with the Boomerang. The final hit is similar to the last one, except that Skeldritch now fires a series of four boulders instead of three. The weak spot is between Skeldritch's left side (from your perspective) and the back, so you'll need to be precise when shooting the boulder. Once all the sections are gone, all that will be left of Skeldritch will be its skull. At this point, we have to adopt a completely different approach to do him in. Surround the skull with a thick wall of sand, and it'll begin eating away at the sand in an attempt to get at you. Elevate yourself and slash away at the back of the skull to do damage. Make sure the skull is completely surrounded by sand. Repeat this process once or twice more and you'll win. After Skeldritch bites the dust (in more ways than one), open the treasure chest and take your new Heart Container. Then go downstairs and retrieve the Bow of Light, which replaces your old Bow. If you hold your arrow long enough when using the Bow of Light, you'll shoot a powerful Light Arrow. Try it out on the eye switch to the north (if you're out of arrows, get some from the nut), which will create a bridge to the blue portal leading to the dungeon station. Talk to Zelda to get on the train, where a cutscene ensues. You'll be presented with the Lokomo Sword, which is more powerful than your old model. Woo-hoo! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Goron Adventure ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Goron Village, the grandson of the Goron Chief is standing near the chief's house. He wants to go to Hyrule Castle Town on a seemingly-futile mission. Use warps or the Tower of Spirits as a handy shortcut. When you arrive in town, talk to the blonde woman near the front for a cutscene, and you'll receive a Force Gem that creates a new track in the northwestern Fire Realm, home of Disorientation Station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disorientation Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once you arrive at the Disorientation Station, play the Song of Birds near the western mesa to summon a bird. Latch on and drop near the chest. Open it for a Dragon Scale. Now let another bird take you onto the eastern plateau and swing east on the beam. Follow the path to the top, disposing of the Spinuts along the way. Open the western chest for a Red Rupee. Soon you'll meet a soldier standing around a cave entrance. Go east to the Big Green Rupee chest, then enter the cave after talking to the guard. This is a maze area that reminds me a lot of one of the GBA Pokemon caves. Go north twice, east, and north two more times to reach a room full of Fire Babas (you might want to defeat these vile plants). Then play the Song of Discovery to reveal a treasure chest. It contains an Alchemy Stone, an ultra-rare treasure that is worth a LOT of money. Then follow the signs to the exit, or just save and quit. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chickens for the Sage ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit the Sand Sanctuary and talk to the Lokomo, who's now standing near the station. He wants five Cuccos. As usual, buy them from the Cucco salesman in Hyrule Castle Town, and transport them safely back to the Sand Sanctuary. You might want to save when you first cross into the Ocean Realm if you still have five Cuccos; you lose a Cucco if you get hit by an enemy, and all five Cuccos must arrive safely in order to complete this quest. Your reward is a Force Gem that creates a new railroad in the northeastern Fire Realm. It's got some great rewards! Also, now you can pick up a Cucco and hold on to it to flutter southeast to the Sand Sanctuary stamp station. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ends of the Earth Station ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Ends of the Earth Station is located in the northeast corner of the Fire Realm, accessible once you've gotten the Cucco Force Gem from the Sand Sanctuary. There's a mountain rabbit not far away from the station. Once you arrive, you'll notice three cave entrances. Each leads to a block puzzle with some pretty cool rewards at the end. First, use the Sand Wand on the sand pits outside to uncover Rupees. Let's warm up by starting with the middle cave, the easiest. Use the Sand Wand to push the block down twice, right, up, and left, making its point stick in the tile. Now go through the newly-opened door to the next puzzle, which is slightly harder. After one more puzzle, you'll reach a big chest containing an Ancient Gold Piece. Go east and south and follow the path to a bridge, which leads to a Big Green Rupee. Back outside, take the left entrance. After three slightly harder puzzles, you'll receive a Heart Container. Hoop-de doo! Don't forget to circle around and get 100 more Rupees. The right room contains three very hard puzzles that require you to shift the blocks back and forth many times. Your reward is an ultra-valuable Regal Ring - and, of course, a Big Green Rupee across the bridge to the south. I'm sorry I don't have any solutions to the puzzles (except the first); they're difficult to explain, and trial and error is probably the easiest way to figure them out. However, if you're having trouble, I suggest checking Mkaykitkats's Block Puzzle FAQ at GameFAQs.com (also available at some other sites). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tower of Spirits, Part Six ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's one more visit to the Tower of Spirits. You probably know how to get there by now (although using the warp in the dead end near the Sand Temple can save time). As usual, climb the staircase in the tower all the way to the top. However, there's now a blue portal that lets you warp you to where you fought Byrne last time. Go north through the old boss room and north again through the door leading outside. Head up the stairs outside until you come to the stamp station for the Tower of Spirits. Stamp your book, then shoot the two eye switches (you have to hold the Bow for a couple of seconds to charge the shot) with Light Arrows to reveal a staircase leading down into the tower. Go downstairs to a room where you can replenish your supplies, then go forward and face the all-new Room 30. Zelda informs you that since a new sword is in our possession, we don't need to collect Tears of Light any more; now you can strike any Phantoms at any time. We can't do anything in this room just yet, so head north and go downstairs to 29F. In this dark room, possess one of the Phantoms and return to Room 30. Have your Phantom go east across the spikes, and step on the switch to remove the sharp stuff for good. Make your Phantom descend into the lava pit, and let Link hitch a ride. Boomerang the Fire Keese if you must, but they shouldn't be a problem. When the patrolling Phantom is a reasonable distance away, head northeast to a safe zone. Go slightly southwest and use your Boomerang to hit two crystal switches in alcoves to your south and west (you shouldn't have to move very far, if any, to hit them both). If you activate both orbs fast enough, the northeast door will open. Now we can reach a new (and haunted) part of the 29th floor. Read the tablet here for a clue. Use the Whirlwind to blow out the six torches in this area, but be careful to avoid the ghosts. Once all the torches are out, the western door opens. Go through, and strike the Torch Phantom and take over. Now go back up the stairs to Room 30. Go back west across the lava and head back downstairs to the old part of Room 29. Read the southern tablet (stand near the light of your Phantom) for a clue. You can also talk to the Phantoms in the area for another clue. Go west until you reach a door flanked by two torches. Use your Torch Phantom to light them and lift the door leading downstairs. Go down to a new (and frustrating) area. As Link, go east up the steps, and jump north and dispose of the Stalfos Knight through bombs. Have your Phantom go up to the north end of the FIRST set of stairs. Here's where the fun starts. Use the Sand Wand to create a straight ledge from the east end of the Phantom's platform leading to the north platform. Then quickly draw a path for the Phantom to follow. Activate the torch with the Phantom, and take your Phantom west using another sand ledge to another torch. Once both are lit, not one but two big chests will appear in the room. Take Link and the Phantom back to the staircase. First go south and blow up all the Stalfos Knights in the area; they're only going to get in the way. Return to the highest steps and jump aboard your Phantom. Create a platform going south using the Sand Wand, and follow it east (remaining on the Phantom) to reach the high platform, on which is a Small Key. Make the Phantom face north at the end so it's easier to jump to the chest. Now make one more sand path going south and west (from the stairs) to a chest with a pricey Palace Dish. Return to the dark Room 29. Go all the way east up the stairs to Room 30. Then go across the lava pit and return to the south end of Room 29 (it's cumbersome, but there's no other easy way). Light the torches in the area and a stationary Warp Phantom will appear. Drop a bomb or clank your Boomerang off the wall near the tablet to make it move from its post. While it's investigating, go around and hit in the back and possess it. Charge up a Light Arrow and shoot the eye switch to the north to make another eye appear. Now go upstairs once more, cross the lava, and return to the other part of the 29th floor. Bomb the northwestern wall (run to a safe zone if a Phantom takes notice) to reveal a secret passage. Follow the corridors until you reach a new part of the 30th floor. Bomb the stacks of blocks to the southwest to reveal an Ancient Gold Piece chest. Then position your Phantom near the sand pit, build a wall of sand under Link with the Sand Wand, and jump onto the Phantom. Now we can hop onto a high platform with a floor switch. Step on it to make Phantom Eyes appear elsewhere in the room. Don't worry; that's a good thing. Now have Link stand on the red circle tile, and as the Phantom, draw a path to the Phantom Eye when it floats over the red tile to the south. If you do it right, the Phantom will warp to the tile, and Link and the Phantom will switch locations. As Link, hurry east to the safe spot. Warp your Phantom to the Phantom Eye when it reaches its most northeastern point. Then walk north across the spikes to a safe zone and a yellow triangle tile. Make Link go west to the yellow warp (near the red one you used earlier) in the sand, switching places again. Have your Phantom warp again to the Phantom Eye's northeast corner, and again go north across the spikes. As Link, head north to the Warp Phantom guarding the eye switch, and make him pursue you. Stand south of the sand pit and the enemy Phantom will fall in. Hurry to the spot he was guarding (he'll come back after a while) and charge up a Light Arrow and activate the eye, opening the southern gate. Use the yellow tiles to warp again (again taking advantage of the Phantom Eye), and have the Phantom rejoin Link through the spikes. Go east through the newly-opened door and use the Sand Wand to get on top of the Phantom at the sand pit. Go east and beat the Miniblin riding the Armos. Go slightly west to the gap and Boomerang the arrow launcher twice so it faces north. Charge up a Light Arrow and shoot the deflector so it hits the eye, opening the eastern door. Go through to a new part of Room 29. Beat the rat (Zelda hates those) and possess the Wrecker Phantom. Light the western torch with the Boomerang to lift two ultra-irritating doors in the room. Now we can move freely between the two sides of the room without passing over the lava pit! Go north and shoot a Light Arrow at the eye switch to reveal a chest. Head back east and open it for a Small Key. Go back upstairs to Room 30. Use your Wrecker Phantom to break all the blocks and statues to the north to reveal a chest containing a Small Key (should be your third). It's also a smart idea to break the statues in the middle of the room to form a convenient shortcut to the beginning of this phase of the tower. Not a bad time to stop and eat dinner now that it's starting to get cold. Anyway, return to Room 29 and take the south-central stairs down to Room 28. You'll be faced with a trio of locked doors. Open the rightmost door first, since you need the Wrecker there. Follow the hall down to Room 27. Roll south and west and up the stairs and through the blocks if you want to read a tablet (it displays a hint that's redundant with a guide). Go north up the stream of boulders, and have Link follow behind the Wrecker. Hit the crystal switch to stop the boulders. Then roll south and demolish all the statues and blocks in your way. We can't do anything else with this Phantom, so return to the staircase in the northeast corner of the room and head back to the room with the locked doors. Get a new Phantom (anything other than a Wrecker) from a higher floor, then unlock the left door. Go forth to a new part of Room 27. Controlling Link, go around the corner and Boomerang the Phantom Eye to stun it. Slash it and step on the switch to create a bridge leading over the sand. Use the Sand Wand to get onto the Phantom, and head south. Use your high perch to Whip onto the beam. Step on the southwestern switch to create a bridge leading across gap. Go north and a new Phantom and a new Phantom Eye will appear. Bomb the Stalfos Knight and keep heading north. Sand Wand onto the eastern platform and possess the Warp Phantom. From here, go south, Boomerang the western arrow launcher three times so it faces north, and stand on the weird small staircase so the Phantom Eye won't bother you. From here, make a wall of sand across the gap so your Phantom can cross over to the opposite platform. Target the arrow launcher and the Phantom will pick it up. As Link, shoot a Light Arrow at the launcher (while the Phantom holds it) to activate the eye switch. Have Link return north and jump east to the sand. Bomb the Stalfos warrior and stand on the red circle tile near the switch. Warp your Phantom to the eastern Phantom Eye, then head north to the other red circle and make them switch. Put your Phantom on the floor switch to keep the door open, then have Link shoot a Light Arrow to the launcher to the southeast, which will hit the eye. Make your Phantom warp back to Link, and go up the northeast stairs to Room 28. Make a quick detour to the dark room and take over a Torch Phantom. Then return to the room with the locked doors and spend your final Small Key on the middle door. Here you'll find those four torches, hinted at on an earlier tablet. Use your Torch Phantom to light the northwest torch. Throw your Boomerang so it goes from the lit torch into the southeast and northeast torches. From there, use your Phantom to cross the spikes and light the final torch to the southwest. The south-central door will open if you lit the torches in the right order. Go through and use a Light Arrow on the final eye switch to open the northern door. Bop the Phantom Eye with your Boomerang or with the Phantom, then go downstairs. Room 26 is a fighting-based room. First you'll be faced with nine Blue ChuChus. Position Link in a corner and dispose of these electrical blobs with arrows, or slash them by targeting them with the Phantom. Once all these are gone, eight Stalfos and Stalfos Knights will appear. These are best defeated using bombs, ideally thrown from across a pit so they can't get at you. If you run out of bombs or arrows, use the nuts in the northwest corner to replenish your supply. And once all the Stalfos are gone, three red Geozard Chiefs will drop in for a nice little visit. These aren't quite as bad as they used to be because you can Whip off their shields, but their fire attacks can drain your health quickly. Slash them rapidly and they won't last long. After clearing this room of its various groupings of enemies, go downstairs to Room 25. This room is patrolled by one of each of the four flavors of Phantoms, and you'll have to take control of most of them to achieve your objectives. Head to the eastern safe spot and possess the Torch Phantom patrolling the inside corridor. Go to the middle of the room and use your Torch Phantom to light the two torches around the gate to open it - and create a Phantom Eye. Move Link to the safe zone in the western part of the room and make your Phantom talk to the stationary (non-Warp) Phantom in the center of the room. As Link, head to the middle of the room and possess the patrolling Phantom (a Warp Phantom) and hurry to the cover of the safe zone. Move your Phantom to the northwest corner of the room. As Link, stay in the safe zone until the Phantom Eye swings northwest. Let it see you and lure it north across the sand pit. Warp your Phantom across the sand and have both characters stand on the switches, which will make the north-central door open. Now take control of the Phantom guarding the outside part of the room (a Wrecker Phantom). Use it to charge north up the middle of the room, stunning the Phantoms and breaking the Armos Statues impeding your progress. Make sure to stun the Phantoms (certainly the stationary one) so Link can safely reach the north safe zone. Now team up and push the huge double doors open (it requires good timing, and it might be easier to use a non-Wrecker Phantom). Once they're open, go through to the final room. Go up the steps in Room 24 and open the big treasure chest to receive the Compass of Light. Step into the portal and get rolling. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mucho Mas Dinero ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zelda's teacher should now be waiting at the tracks at the Aboda Village. Take him back to Hyrule Castle Town, but be sure to drive safely so you can receive the nicest tip possible (300 Rupees). This sidequest will appear only if you've finished the earlier sidequests relating to this character. The next day you play the game, you should find him at the Hyrule Castle Town station, and again he wants to go to Aboda Village. If the evil trains aren't around, though, be careful; if the pirate tanks get too close, they may try to stage an abduction (just like the Ocean Lokomo train fight with the Miniblins and Big Blin). Shoot them quickly and carefully so that doesn't happen. You may find him again in Papuchia Village, and he'll want to go to Hyrule Castle Town. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Swordsman's Scroll ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you've found all 20 stamp stations, go to Aboda Village and talk to Niko, and he'll reward you with a Swordsman's Scroll. This will teach you the Great Spin Attack, which lets you perform a more powerful spin attack if you do three regular spins in sequence. It's a big help against the final boss. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dark Realm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that you've got the Compass of Light, you'll find new tracks just west of Aboda Village in the Forest Realm. Head to the end of the line and you'll be warped to a dark, twisted world that plays Bowserific music. The Dark Realm contains six powerful armored trains. To defeat them, drive to one of the six Tears of Light on the map (which will regenerate) to become temporarily invincible, and if you blow your whistle, much faster. Use this as an opportunity to run down one or more of the trains, not unlike Pac-Man. If you reach the end of the tracks, you'll warp to another part of the map (usually the opposite side) - a feature that is frequently useful. The northeastern region of the map is dangerous because there's only one Tear of Light nearby and two trains. Also remember that you can't hold the whistle forever before it runs out of steam and you have to pull it again. Once you destroy all of the trains, something big will happen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Demon Train ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The first phase of the final fight begins! If you keep getting your train destroyed during this battle, go see Linebeck III; you should have enough treasures now to upgrade your train and increase its stamina. Also, be sure to save your game as soon as you regain control; you probably don't want to have to repeat the Pac-Man On Rails sequence again. -----THE DEMON TRAIN----- At first, you're riding up a section of track, with the Demon Train beside you. There are four tracks, and you can change tracks at certain junctions indicated on the map. The gear indicator works a little differently during this fight; your speed is relative to the Demon Train. The reverse gear won't make you go in reverse; rather, it's just a way to slow down quickly. Brake will make you travel slightly slower than the Demon Train, and forward speeds will make you go faster. At the start of the battle, going too fast is dangerous and unnecessary; it's best to stay slightly behind the Demon Train so you can move out of the way when it changes lanes. If the Demon Train hits you, you'll lose a heart. There are also flames on the tracks; watch the map to know when they're coming up, and shift lanes to avoid them. Throughout this fight, don't waste time; if you reach the end of the tracks, it's Game Over. The rear car on the Demon Train will occasionally release a TNT barrel onto the track, which can be shot for a heart (the only way to get them during this fight). What you're really trying to do, however, is to shoot the TNT barrel as it emerges from the cannon on the back. This will destroy a segment of the rear car. Once all five segments are gone, the Demon Train's rear car will explode, and you'll restart from the beginning of the road. Now the Demon Train has a car that shoots a laser beam to the side. As long as you shoot the laser cannon quickly and you don't go too fast, it won't pose any threat. Shoot the laser cannon as soon as a laser emerges to damage it. Each of the four cannons takes two hits to destroy, and you can only get in one hit every time it opens. While you're working on destroying this car, remain on the alert for the flames in the road, in addition to the Demon Train's lane- shifting and sudden braking. For the final phase, the Demon Train shoots lasers from five rotating cylinders. Shoot those cylinders so they stop shooting lasers, although they aren't incredibly dangerous. Once you've busted all the lasers, go into high gear so you can surge ahead of the Demon Train and blast a few cannon balls in its "face." Repeat this whole process once more and you should be victorious - for the first part of the fight. * * * WARNING * * * This is the farthest point in the game where you can save your progress. So if you beat the final boss, the next time you play you'll be at your last save point - which might not be a good thing if you've been playing eight hours straight without saving. So save right now so you won't have to worry. * * * YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED * * * ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Final Showdown ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here we go. -----MALLADUS and Puppet Zelda----- Draw a path for the Phantom that goes toward Puppet Zelda at the north end of the train. Stand behind the Phantom to avoid all the lasers Cole shoots at you. Cole will also frequently summon skeletal rat enemies, and be sure to eliminate them, or Cole will be able to take control of the Phantom. If that happens, keep clear of the Phantom so you won't get slashed, and use the Boomerang to eliminate the strings. It gets a little more complicated near the end, as parts of the train will be moving horizontally against each other. When you reach Zelda, the Phantom will pick her up. Charge up a Light Arrow and shoot it at Zelda to finish this phase of the fight. -----MALLADUS, DEMON KING----- This is it! At first, use your sword to deflect the fireballs he shoots. Use spin attacks to deflect larger numbers of fireballs, and be careful - the timing is pretty tricky. Watch out for fireballs shot to the sides; these will bounce toward Zelda. As the fight gets on, the attacks will become more persistent and plentiful - the Great Spin works well when he shoots two sets of four flames. When Zelda has finished charging up her power, you'll have to play a very hard song on your Spirit Flute. This song skips over two pipes and can be very tricky. Once you've played it, a weak spot will appear on the back of Malladus. At this point, Zelda takes the Bow of Light, and you're trying to lure Malladus so Zelda has a clear shot at his weak point. Slash at Malladus's attacks, and when the cursor on Malladus turns yellow, tap the arrow at the bottom to shoot him. Repeat this process until Malladus is stunned, which is your chance to attack him with your sword. Watch out for another round of fireballs, and repeat this process until you've knocked both of his horns off. Now slash his head and rub the stylus as quickly as you can. Then comes the final blow, and you're off to the ending! =============================================================================== Heart Containers [HEART] =============================================================================== All of these are covered in my walkthrough, but this feature serves as a useful checklist. As in Phantom Hourglass, there are no Pieces of Heart - only a handful of Heart Containers. 1-3. You start the game with these. Duh. 4. Defeat the boss of the Forest Temple. 5. Defeat the boss of the Snow Temple. 6. Defeat the boss of the Ocean Temple. 7. Defeat the boss of the Fire Temple. 8. Defeat the boss of the Sand Temple. 9. Get at least 60 hits in at the swordsmanship mini-game at Hyrule Castle (available after completing the Snow Temple). 10. Catch five rabbits and talk to the bunny guy at Rabbitland Rescue. 11. Buy at a shop at the Snow Sanctuary for 2,000 Rupees. 12. Complete the Whip race in Whittleton in less than 1:15. 13. Earn at least 4,000 points in the mini-game at the Pirate Hideout. 14. Complete the mini-game in the southeastern house in Hyrule Castle Town (the Cave of Ordeals-style fighting dungeon). 15. Accumulate 500 points on your Beedle card (by buying 5,000 Rupees' worth of merchandise from Beedle) to obtain a Gold Membership (worth a 20% discount, too) and a new Heart Container. 16. Solve a block puzzle in the western cave at a secret station, the Ends of the Earth Station, for the final Heart Container in the game. This area is accessible only if you've gotten the Sand Lokomo's Force Gem. =============================================================================== Stamp Stations [STAMP] =============================================================================== Again, all of the stamp stations are covered in the walkthrough section of the guide, so this feature is intended mostly as a checklist. Also, some of these are in a different order from that listed in my guide; this is the order in which they first become accessible. My walkthrough makes some rearrangements for the sake of convenience. Note that the Stamp Book submenu on the Collection screen shows a map of all the stamp stations you've visited. 1. Aboda Village Required Items: Just a Stamp Book Located in the northwest part of town. 2. Forest Sanctuary Required Items: Just a Stamp Book Toward the southwestern part of the outside Forest Sanctuary area. 3. Forest Temple Required Items: Just a Stamp Book (and the Whirlwind) Blow away the poisonous gas in the northeast corner of the first room to find it. 4. Whittleton Required Items: Just a Stamp Book From the main village part of Whittleton, go northeast into the forest to find the stamp station. 5. Anouki Village Required Items: Access to Anouki Village Go north and east around the trees until you reach a slightly-hidden stamp station. 6. Snow Sanctuary Required Items: Access to the Snow Sanctuary Go up the first steps and turn west up another set of steps to reach this lofty stamp station. 7. Snow Temple Required Items: Boomerang In the northeast corner of Basement 1. Use the Boomerang on the ice torches to form bridges as necessary. 8. Wellspring Station Required Items: Boomerang Stand near the spring and throw your Boomerang at the ice torch to create an ice bridge leading to the stamp station. 9. Hyrule Castle Town Required Items: Bomb Bag Blow up the blocks in front of the staircase in the northeast part of the main town. From atop the walls, go west to the stamp station. 10. Trading Post Required Items: Bomb Bag Once Linebeck III has opened the cave, run north past the Like Likes. Go west at the staircase, skipping across the small islands, and blow up the rocks to find the stamp station. 11. Ocean Temple Required Items: Bomb Bag I cover this in much greater depth in my main walkthrough, but blow open two walls by the staircase leading from the first floor to the second floor. From there, you must activate a couple of switches to reach the stamp station. 12. Ocean Sanctuary Required Items: Whip Stand near the entrance to the Lokomo's room and Whip onto the bird's platform. Drop off on top of the entrance to find the stamp station nestled between some trees. 13. Papuchia Village Required Items: Whip Stand near the southern palm tree and Whip onto the platform held by one of the birds. Let it take you to the southeastern island. Go south to a new area, and from there, let a series of birds take you across the islands to the station. 14. Goron Village Required Items: Access to Goron Village In the west side of Goron Village, go past all the boulders and make your way to the southwest part of the map. Whip west across a series of beams to reach a few Fire Babas guarding the stamp station. 15. Fire Sanctuary Required Items: Access to Fire Sanctuary Light all the torches on the west side of the map to form several bridges. They lead to, among other things, the stamp station in the northwest corner. 16. Fire Temple Required Items: Bow and Arrows In Basement 1, where you're riding a mine cart in circles, aim your Bow southwest and shoot the crystal switch to reach the stamp station. 17. Pirate Hideout Required Items: Access to the Pirate Hideout The Pirate Hideout is reachable once you deliver Mega Ice to the fishmonger in Papuchia Village. To reach the stamp station at the Pirate Hideout, Whip onto one of the birds (play the Song of Birds if it helps) and it'll lift you to the high stamp station. 18. Sand Temple Required Items: Sand Wand In Basement 1, use the Sand Wand to go west across the quicksand to the Stamp Station. 19. Sand Sanctuary Required Items: Bow of Light, completion of the Cucco sidequest Grab one of the Cuccos wandering around the area and pick it up. Use it to hover to the southeast island, where you'll find the stamp station. 20. Tower of Spirits Required Items: Must have defeated Byrne Climb to the top of the Tower of Spirits, and if you've beaten Byrne, you'll find a blue portal. Take it and head to the very top of the tower, where the stamp station is waiting for you. =============================================================================== Frequently Asked Questions [QUEST] =============================================================================== Q: Should I get this game? A: If you're a fan of Zelda games, most definitely. If you hated Phantom Hourglass, you might not like Spirit Tracks, since the two games are pretty similar. Q: Where do I download the ROM? A: www.google.com. I recommend buying a real copy of the game, since I don't think it's fair to be using ROMs for games like this. In addition, I've heard it's very tough to get the game to work right in emulators without downloading a special patch (I believe this was intended as an anti-ROM measure). Playing this game on an emulator also increases the chances of the game crashing at various points in the game, and the music sequences may be more difficult than they already are on a real DS. Don't e-mail me any emulation questions, which are likely to be deleted. Q: Will this game work on my DS? A: This game should run on any DS system, including the DS Lite. I can't guarantee that foreign versions of the game will work on your DS, however. Q: You idiot! All your names are wrong! A: Many of the names are different in the European version of the game. Most notably, Aboda Village is called Outset Village and Byrne is named Staven. Q: Why can't I get the flute duets right? A: By far the most frequently-asked question in this game, these sequences seem to cause huge difficulties for many players - including me, until the final one in the game, where things started to "click" somehow. The most important thing is to get the rhythm right. If the note is timed right, a bubble will appear and burst into many smaller bubbles - this will help you determine whether you're playing the notes properly. Different players have attempted various strategies for blowing into the microphone, but if you're having trouble, I suggest that you check Varo-the-Red-Sage's Flute Guide, viewable at: http://faqs.ign.com/articles/108/1088498p1.html Q: Where does this game fall on the Zelda timeline? A: I'm putting it ahead of Phantom Hourglass at the very end of the canon. The backstory implies that the game takes place about 100 years after Phantom Hourglass, and we meet several descendants of characters who appeared in Phantom Hourglass. Q: Why don't you include a list of all the rabbits? A: For one thing, I haven't nabbed all of them myself (the only sidequest in the game I haven't completed), and I didn't always keep track of their locations while playing through the game. For another reason, it's pretty tedious to list all 50 of them, especially since many of them are found on tracks accessible only after you obtain a particular Force Gem. My advice: Shoot any rocks you see, and look extra closely at those obscured by trees or other objects. Tilt the camera sometimes to make sure you're not missing anything to your side. Whenever you open a new section of track, search everywhere to see if you can find some more bunnies. And just in case you're stupid, you can only find rabbits while riding the train. Zelda-Dungeon.net has a very good graphical listing of the rabbits; such a format is much easier to work with than ASCII text. Shadowmathfreak's Rabbit Guide on GameFAQs is another useful reference. Q: What happens if I catch all 50 bunnies? A: You can get a Swordsman's Scroll at Rabbitland Rescue that allows you to shoot a beam from your sword. Good luck. Q: How do I know what warp arches connect where? A: I recommend keeping note on your Rail Map - for example, writing "E SnR" near a warp that connects to the eastern part of the Snow Realm. Letters or numbers could also work, such as "To 3." Q: Why would I want to buy train parts? A: By equipping new parts, you can increase your train's stamina, allowing you to withstand more damage before exploding. The Trading Post is the only place in the game where you can buy new parts. The more a part costs (in Treasures), the more likely it will be to make your train stronger. Adding parts from matching sets will do you more good than having a mishmash of various sets; choosing all the parts from a particular set is best. Also, every time you complete a dungeon, a new set will become available for purchase. The best parts come from the Golden set, which is available at the end of the game. If you equip all Golden parts, your train will have a full eight hearts. Q: Why can't I find a particular treasure at Beedle's shop? A: The treasures change every day. Come back some other time if you can't find what you're looking for - or change the DS's internal clock. Q: What tips do you have for the Take 'Em All On mini-game? A: This mini-game, run by the only Gerudo in the game, is accessed from a house in Hyrule Castle Town. The first time you can play is right after you finish the Forest Temple, but it's best to wait until you've gotten the Bow and a few more hearts, because you can lose a lot of energy fast. Worse, the enemies NEVER drop hearts, so always bring two potions. Level 1 revisits Forest Temple enemies. Use arrows to your advantage against the Bubbles and Mothulas. A long, winding Boomerang path is good in the Keese room. After ten floors, you'll re- fight Stagnox, the boss of the Forest Temple. Use the same tactics as before, and when you win, you'll get a Heart Container. Once you've finished Level 1, you can play Level 2 if you've finished the Ocean Temple. Your prize here is a bigger Bomb Bag, which comes after 14 floors of chaos. Use arrows against the Octives, and be sure to deprive the Geozards of their shields using the Whip. The Great Spin is good against huge groups of enemies. You'll also face rematches against the bosses of the first three dungeons. If you've finished Levels 1 and 2, you can face Level 3 if you've finished the first two levels and beaten the Sand Temple. The reward for finishing this level is a Regal Ring, but there are easier ways to get this valuable treasure. Anyway, clear out the Sand Temple enemies on the first floors, and at the end you'll fight all five (yes, really) of the dungeon bosses. After that, you'll face Shadow Link on the 16th floor; use spin attacks against him. Q: How long did it take you to finish Take 'Em All Out? A: Level 1 took me 13:49, and Level 2 took 28:03. I still haven't finished Level 3. Q: Does it matter how I answer Zelda's question before the final boss? A: Not really, although the ending will be slightly different depending on your response. Q: What tips do you have for Battle Mode? A: None, because I don't have anyone to play with. If you have some good strategies for Battle Mode, please send them to me and you'll get credit. Q: What's Tag Mode? A: It's a way to trade Train Parts with other people in Wi-Fi mode. Q: Have you finished the game 100%? A: Almost. I haven't finished the highest difficulty of Take 'Em All Out, nor have I beaten the last two courses at Slippery Station. And I'm still stuck at 26 bunnies. Q: Who has sent in tips and suggestions for this guide? A: The current list: * Karen Pawloski for the Slippery Station guide, which I forgot to include in Version 1.0 of the guide * Vladimir (Darth Vader) for a helpful note about the Fraaz boss * Mkaykitkat for helping with the Ends of the Earth Station solutions =============================================================================== Version History [VERSN] =============================================================================== Finally - a Version History section that serves an important purpose. I'll be releasing updates as frequently as I can. Date | Version | Size | ---------|---------|------|---------------------------------------------------- 12- 8-09 | 0.05 | 8KB | Played the game for the first time and began the | | | guide. 12- 9-09 | 0.15 | 33KB | Finished basic framework. Guide is complete up to | | | the Forest Temple boss. 12-10-09 | 0.25 | 54KB | Beat the Snow Temple and did most of its guide. 12-11-09 | 0.33 | 68KB | Finished up to the battle with the pirates. First | | | submission to GameFAQs. 12-12-09 | 0.43 | 86KB | Did most of the Ocean Temple. Also inserted some | | | sidequests into earlier parts of the guide. 12-13-09 | 0.48 | 96KB | Wrote most of Tower of Spirits (Part Four) guide. 12-14-09 | 0.57 |114KB | Guide is complete up to much of Fire Temple. 12-15-09 | 0.66 |132KB | Kept pushing with lots of sidequests. 12-16-09 | 0.74 |148KB | Finished the fifth climb of the Tower of Spirits. | | | Second submission to GameFAQs. First to Neoseeker. 12-17-09 | 0.78 |156KB | Began Sand Temple. Added stamp stations list. 12-18-09 | 0.85 |170KB | Did most of Sand Temple and much of the final Tower | | | of Spirits climb. 12-19-09 | 0.89 |179KB | Focused on sidequests and important stuff I forgot. | | | Also proofread much of the earlier chapters. 12-20-09 | 0.92 |185KB | Proofread middle part of the guide. 12-21-09 | 0.96 |192KB | Proofread later dungeons and added sidequests. 12-22-09 | 0.97 |195KB | Almost finished with proofreading. 12-23-09 | 0.98 |204KB | Just about finished. Added several late sidequests. 12-24-09 | 0.99 |213KB | Finishing touches. 12-25-09 | 1.0 |214KB | Merry Christmas and Ho Ho Ho! FINALLY done. 1-13-10 | 1.1 |226KB | Finished making a whole bunch of additions and | | | corrections. 12-17-10 | 1.15 |227KB | Clarified how to reach the northwestern chest in | | | Hyrule Castle Town. 2- 8-11 | 1.2 |228KB | Made a bunch of small clarifications. 4-22-11 | 1.3 |229KB | Final version, at last. Finally took the time to | | | tie up a few last loose ends. Added more tips with | | | the flute duets and submitted it 6/22/11. =============================================================================== Copyright [COPYR] =============================================================================== (c) 2009-2011 Vinny Hamilton. All rights reserved. All trademarks mentioned in this guide are copyrights of their respective holders. You can print this guide out for your personal use. You can download this guide to your computer for personal use. You can post this guide on your Web site as long as you give proper credit to me AND you don't change a single letter, number, or symbol (not even a tilde). Remember that the latest version will always be available at GameFAQs.com. =============================================================================== Contact Information [CONTC] =============================================================================== Please e-mail me at VHamilton002@gmail.com if you find any errors in this guide, if you have any meaningful notes to add, or if you're going to host this guide on your Web site. Definitely include "Spirit Tracks" in the subject line. Please don't e-mail me with questions about "How do I defeat..." or "How do I get past..." or the like. I'm very good about answering questions about older games, but with a new game like this, there are a lot of people on various message boards who can answer any of your questions a lot more quickly than I can. The GameFAQs Answers page is a great place to go for basic questions. For people who want to host this guide, be sure to give credit to VinnyVideo, don't change anything, and try to check for updates frequently (the latest ones will always be posted on GameFAQs). Please ask permission before translating into another language. And for the record, don't even think about putting this guide on sites that host gambling, racism, pornography, or flattery of totalitarian regimes. If you do, well, you're gonna get really, really bad constipation forever. And lastly, a public service message: Fight for and affirm the rights of all humans, regardless of race, age, or creed! And... Say no to drugs. No one's going to read this, anyway. For my grandmother