A Link to the Past 100% Completion Walkthrough
- Princess Zelda Rescue : Infiltrate Hyrule Castle to rescue Zelda and kickstart Link’s epic quest.
- Eastern Palace : Solve Armos Knights’ traps in your first dungeon to claim the Pendant of Courage.
- Desert Palace: Navigate shifting sands and defeat Lanmolas to earn the Pendant of Power.
- Tower of Hera: Climb Death Mountain’s Tower to obtain the Moon Pearl and final pendant.
- The Master Sword & Hyrule Castle: Claim the Master Sword, confront Agahnim, and set your destiny in motion.
- Dark Palace: Explore the Dark World’s Palace and free the first Maiden from darkness.
- Light World Exploration: Unlock warps, collect hearts, and prepare for deeper Dark World dungeons.
- Swamp Palace: Use Cane of Somaria blocks to navigate the toxic swamp and rescue another Maiden.
- Skull Woods: Uncover hidden tunnels and puzzles among the skull trees to free a trapped Maiden.
- Gargoyle’s Domain: Enter via pitchfork statue, secure the Titan’s Mitt, and beat Blind the Thief.
- Ice Palace: Traverse icy floors, gain Blue Mail, and defeat a freezing foe.
- Misery Mire: Master Cane of Byrna and Ether Medallion to rescue another Maiden in the mire.
- Turtle Rock: Face volcano hazards and rescue the last Maiden within this volcanic fortress.
- Ganon’s Tower : Climb the tower’s gauntlet of traps and minibosses to battle Agahnim.
- Pyramid of Power: The Ultimate Showdown with Ganon.
From the Fortune Teller’s hut, enter the Lost Woods and travel northwest to find the hole to drop into Skull Woods. Unlike other dungeons, Skull Woods is spread across several cavernous segments in the forest floor.
Stepping into the gaping skull entrance, you find yourself in a dim chamber teeming with monsters. Watch for Wallmasters – giant hands that drop from above – as one grab will drag you back to the entrance. Keep moving and dispatch the roaming Blue Bari jellyfish and armored Hardhat Beetles that charge at you. A well-timed sword strike (or a blast of the Bombos Medallion, if you have it) can clear them out quickly.
Compass and First Key
Proceed through the doorway into the next area, carefully skirting a spinning Guruguru Bar (fire bar). This room is straightforward, containing only two more Hardhat Beetles and a fire trap.
Lure the beetles away one at a time and knock them into pits or finish them with your sword. As you move north, you spot a treasure chest. Open it to obtain the Compass, which will help track the boss’s location on your map. Be ready – the moment you claim the compass, hidden floor switches trigger, causing new pits to suddenly open in the floor around you. Carefully weave around these gaps to avoid an unexpected fall.
Continue through the door to the east. In this chamber the air is thick with cobwebs, and you’re immediately beset by a pair of Gibdo mummies shuffling toward you and the ominous shadow of a Wallmaster on the floor. Gibdos are tough – they soak up a lot of damage – so either keep your distance and slash repeatedly, or use fire if available (you’ll get a powerful fire-based weapon soon). If a Wallmaster’s shadow appears beneath you, quickly move aside to avoid its grasp. Clear out the enemies as best you can (they will respawn if a Wallmaster drags you out), then pry open the chest in the upper-left corner to claim a Small Key. This is Key #1 for Skull Woods.
With Key #1 in hand, make your way northeast. The door here is locked, so use the small key to open it. In the next room, you find a cluster of three skulls in a narrow passage, just beyond a bouncing Bumper obstacle. A Wallmaster still stalks you from above, so time your move. Use your Hookshot on the chest to pull yourself to it – open it to reveal the Dungeon Map. Now you can see the dungeon’s layout, which will highlight Skull Woods’ unusual structure. (The Star Tiles on the floor here reshuffle the pattern of pits when stepped on, temporarily blocking the northern path, but don’t worry – you’ve already got what you came for in this room.) Carefully dash across the two corners of each neighboring ledge to proceed.
The Big Key Hunt
Having secured the compass, map, and your first key, you notice the huge locked door and big chest nearby – clear signs that the Big Key is needed. However, the Big Key isn’t found in this first section of Skull Woods; you’ll have to exit and find another way in. Head through the door on the west side of the map room, which leads to a small chamber with a Red Bari and an opening to the outside. Ignore the tempting big chest for now (you can’t open it without the Big Key) and step out through the skull doorway back into the forest.
Once outside, navigate to the next segment of the dungeon. From the clearing, loop around the 3×3 formation of bushes nearby and follow the bony tunnel path north, then back south through rib-like arches. You’ll emerge at another skull entrance tucked in a corner of the woods. Steel yourself and enter this second section of Skull Woods.
Immediately you’re ambushed by a gauntlet of foes: Blue Baris zapping electricity, more Gibdos, and the ever-present Wallmaster hand looking to undo your progress. Cut through the opposition carefully – the Bombos Medallion can incinerate all the Gibdos at once if things get hairy. Once the room is clear, pick up the lone skull in the center to reveal a floor switch. You’ll need to use one of the statues against the wall to hold it down. Push the statue to the middle of the room, then pull it up onto the switch (pausing to dodge any returning Wallmasters) to unlock the north door.
In the next chamber, be alert for a floating Rabbit Beam (it looks like a spinning star). If it hits you, your Moon Pearl’s effect is nullified and you’ll temporarily turn into a defenseless bunny! Avoid or block it if possible. This room is crawling with monsters – a mix of Gibdos, Baris, and blade traps – but you don’t actually need to fight them all. Weave around to the center, where a treasure chest awaits. When the coast is clear, open it to finally obtain the Big Key.
Optional: If you’re low on Magic, you can create a shortcut here. There’s a weak section of wall on the right side of the Big Key room; bombing it reveals a tiny alcove with a single skull that holds a full Magic Decanter for refilling your magic meter. Grab the potion under the skull and watch out for the ever-lurking Wallmaster as you do. With the Big Key now in hand, you have what you need to claim the dungeon’s treasure.
The Fire Rod – A Light in the Dark
Now it’s time to retrieve the Skull Woods dungeon item: the Fire Rod. To reach it, you must return to the first part of the dungeon where that sealed big chest was waiting. You could backtrack manually through the forest maze, but a quicker method is to use the Magic Mirror to warp out, or even intentionally let a Wallmaster capture you – it acts like an express trip back to the dungeon entrance. Once you’re back outside in the Skull Woods overworld, seek out a suspicious patch of 9 bushes arranged in a square (not far from where you first entered). Slash these bushes to reveal a secret hole beneath the center one. Jump into this hidden pit to drop into an isolated portion of the dungeon.
You land surrounded by piles of bones and skulls, which luckily form a protective ring around you. Immediately, a Helmasaur (a masked beast) charges from the corner and a Hardhat Beetle scuttles toward you from the other side. Pick up one of the skulls at your feet and toss it to knock out the Helmasaur’s mask or to push back the beetle. Once these foes are defeated, turn your attention to the cracked west wall. Set a Bomb and blow open an entrance. (Before proceeding, step on the nearby Star Tile if you haven’t already; this will shift some pits in the next room, ensuring you can reach your goal.)
In the revealed chamber, you’ll find seemingly nothing but an impassable gap and a curious lever set into the far wall. Carefully navigate around any newly exposed pits (if the floor pattern is wrong, return to the previous room and hit the Star Switch again to change it). Now grab the pull lever firmly and yank it down. The entire dungeon rumbles as a section of the southern wall explodes violently, blasting open a path forward!
Beyond the new opening, two Mini-Moldorms – tiny, fast-moving worm-like creatures – come charging out. Fend them off with quick sword strikes or simply keep your distance until they settle. With the pests out of the way, step into the exposed room. There sits the large treasure chest you saw earlier. Use your Big Key to unlock it and claim the Fire Rod, Skull Woods’ prized treasure! Optional: The Fire Rod can one-shot the Wallmasters as well – a satisfying way to remove that threat for a while.
Item: Fire Rod
This magical rod shoots flames and will instantly burn Gibdos to dust. It also consumes magic with each use, so use it wisely.
Assembling the Remaining Keys
With the Fire Rod in hand, you can now access the final stretch of the dungeon. Use your Hookshot to pull yourself across the gap on either side of the room and leave through the south door. Head through the bone tunnel once more to the Big Key section, but this time you’re just passing through. In the second section’s first room, dash past the enemies (no need to fight them again) and continue west to the next chamber.
Here, a lone Hardhat Beetle patrols and a spinning Winder sparks along the floor divider. Dodge them and move into the next room, which has another doorway leading back outside. Before you leave, quickly lift the skull in the upper-left corner of this room. Hidden underneath is another Small Key – this is Skull Woods Key #2. Grab it, all while evading the Wallmaster, and then exit through the door.
Back in the forest, you’re near the giant skull structure at the north end – the entrance to the dungeon’s third and final section. Follow the left path up and around until you see a huge skeletal monster’s head half-buried in the ground with a horn-like protrusion. This grotesque skull’s “nose” is actually a sealed doorway.
Equip the Fire Rod and shoot a burst of flame at the skull’s tip. The brittle bones ignite and crumble away, causing the skull’s eye sockets to flare open and revealing a new entrance. This is the lair of Skull Woods’ boss. Make sure you have at least one small key (the one you just collected) before entering; otherwise, you’d have to detour for a spare key hidden in a maze below. When you’re ready, step inside the Giant Skull Entrance.
Upon entering, move north until you face a locked door barring the way forward. Use a small key to unlock it and proceed. The room ahead is a dizzying floor puzzle filled with Star Tiles and gaping pits.
Three Blue Baris hop about, and of course a Wallmaster is still silently stalking you. Each Star Tile you step on toggles the configuration of the pits, opening some paths while closing others. Methodically navigate the room: for example, hug the edges and press each Star Switch you can reach to create a safe route bit by bit. Be patient and avoid fighting on the unstable ground – one false move could drop you to an earlier floor. Once you’ve worked your way around to the top-right corner, slip through the door to the east.
This next chamber is crawling with Gibdos. Rather than go toe-to-toe with all of them, you can unleash the Fire Rod here – a single blast will set a mummy aflame, defeating it instantly. (Bombos magic works wonders too, incinerating every enemy at once.) A couple of pots on the right side hide magic decanters, so refill your magic if needed. Your goal is to light four torches to open the north door. Three are within reach of your Lamp, but the fourth in the upper left corner requires the range of the Fire Rod. Rapidly light all four torches (Lamp for the lower three, Fire Rod for the last one) – when the final torch is lit, the sealed door swings open. Go through quickly, as the torches won’t stay lit forever.
In the following room, you encounter a mix of foes. You can dash straight through, or use the Bombos Medallion again to clear them out in one go. At the north end, the wall looks suspiciously cracked. Slash it with your sword to reveal a hidden passage, and then step into the narrow chamber beyond.
You’re immediately ambushed by four enemies emerging from the dark – among them a Gibdo that is holding a Small Key (Key #3). Take down the monsters (Fire Rod will make short work of the mummy) and pick up the key that drops. Head right into the next room.
Here you find two skulls on the ground; one hides a valuable big magic jar, so grab it to top off your Magic Power. There’s a conspicuous large hole in the floor, through which eerie light beams shine down from above… and below, you can hear something buzzing ominously. This is it – Mothula’s lair lies below. When you’re fully prepared (Magic and health up, Fire Rod at the ready), step into the gap to drop into the boss arena.
Boss: Mothula – The Moth King of Skull Woods
You land on the floor of a macabre chamber lined with spikes and moving floor panels. Mothula, a giant demonic moth, awakens and attacks immediately. The entire boss room is a hazard: the floor conveyor belt shifts in alternating directions, threatening to push you into the rows of Blade Traps that slide along the walls.
Mothula itself flits around unpredictably, shooting rings of fire beams in three directions. Each of those fireballs packs a punch, so do your best to dodge or block them with your shield. Contact with Mothula’s body is also dangerous, so try not to get cornered. If you’ve been following our guide and/or have the Magic Cape, using it can make the fight easier.
To defeat Mothula, use the newly acquired Fire Rod – it’s the most effective weapon here. Each direct hit with the Fire Rod scorches Mothula, and about eight shots will burn the boss to ashes. Stay mobile on the shifting floor, and time your shots when Mothula hovers near the center of the room. If you run low on magic or prefer to conserve it, the Master Sword works as well, though it requires getting closer to the boss, which is risky. An unexpected but very effective tactic is the Magic Hammer: four well-placed hammer strikes will kill Mothula. However, landing those hits amid the chaos can be challenging. Focus on avoiding the spikes and fire patterns first – it’s often better to take a hit from a small moving spike (which causes less damage) than to be grabbed by a Wallmaster or slammed by Mothula’s body. After a tense battle, a barrage of strikes brings Mothula down. The giant moth bursts into a cloud of dust and flames.
When the dust settles, claim your Heart Container (this will be your seventh one, increasing your life meter) and pick up the Yellow Crystal left behind. Inside the crystal, the maiden you’ve rescued (the third of the seven sages’ descendants) will thank you and impart wisdom for your quest. Congratulations – Skull Woods is complete! It’s time to head to the next Dark World dungeon and secure the fourth crystal.
