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Forsaken Fortress (First Visit)

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Leaving Outset, the pirates sail Link to the Forsaken Fortress, located far to the northwest of the Great Sea. This place looks nothing like the sunny home you left – it’s a dark, spooky stronghold built into a giant rock, with searchlights scanning the skies and evil Moblins patrolling the walls. Tetra’s “brilliant” plan to get you inside involves a catapult and a wooden barrel… (What could go wrong?)

After a hilarious slingshot scene, Link crash-lands into the fortress wall and drops his sword in the process. ? You’ll start inside the fortress without a weapon, which means it’s stealth time. This entire dungeon is all about sneaking. Some players find it frustrating, but it’s a cool change of pace – just remember Solid Snake… er, Solid Link rules: stay in the shadows and be patient.

Stealth Strategy:

Your goal is to reach the top tower where Aryll and other girls are held, without being thrown in jail by Moblin guards. Here are some tips to make it through:

Use Barrels as Disguises: Throughout the fortress you’ll find big barrels. Press A to crawl under one, turning Link into a convincing (if slightly wobbly) barrel. While hidden, you can inch your way past the giant Moblin guards. Don’t move when a Moblin (or searchlight) is looking your way – if they see a moving barrel, they’ll get curious. Wait until the coast is clear or until the guard’s back is turned, then tiptoe ahead. If a Moblin sniffs around (you’ll feel the controller rumble as your cue), stay perfectly still.

. Once he grunts and walks off, you’re safe to scoot on. This hide-and-seek method is crucial in several hallways.

Sneaking past a Moblin using a barrel for camouflage. If the guard spots you, he’ll give chase and toss Link into jail! To avoid detection, stay still when the guard is near (as shown above) and move only when their back is turned. Watch out for those searchlight cones and floor spots – getting caught means a trip to the brig.

Avoid or Disable Searchlights: The fortress walls have searchlight towers operated by Bokoblins. If a searchlight shines directly on you, an alarm sounds and you’ll be swarmed by Miniblins (and likely nabbed by a Moblin). One strategy: take out the searchlights. You can actually climb ladders up to the towers and dispatch the Bokoblin operators. Since you have no sword, pick up a pot or stick on the platform and whack the Bokoblin with it to knock him out. Each disabled spotlight makes sneaking around easier (and in the Wind Waker HD version, the dungeon map on your GamePad conveniently marks which searchlights you’ve shut down). If you prefer pure stealth, you can also try to slip past the light beams entirely – your choice.

Don’t Forget the Map and Compass: As you explore, be sure to snag the Dungeon Map and Compass from treasure chests. Early on, you’ll likely get thrown into a jail cell (many of us did on our first try – it’s almost intentional so you learn the mechanics). From the cell, crawl through the small hole in the wall to a hidden room with the Dungeon Map. Later, you’ll find a chest with the Compass in a room with two hanging lamps – use one to swing across a gap to it. The map will help you navigate the fortress’s corridors (and in HD, again, it highlights disabled searchlights).

Pesky Rats and Floorboards: As if Moblins weren’t enough, the fortress has scampering rats that sometimes knock you out of your barrel disguise or steal your rupees. Move quickly past them; if one lifts your barrel, just pick it up and try again. There are also some rickety floorboards in certain hallways that creak – run over those spots so the noise doesn’t linger. Keep an eye out for convenient side paths: in one outdoor area you can sidle (shimmy) along a narrow ledge to skip a guard entirely. Little shortcuts like that make the mission easier (and make you feel clever!).

Make your way through the fortress, going from room to room, avoiding patrols and spotlights. The layout is basically a square spiral upward. Eventually, you’ll reach the highest chamber. Push open the heavy door and there she is – Aryll, locked in a jail cell along with Tetra’s pirate crew’s kidnapped girls. Before Link can celebrate, the Helmaroc King crashes the party. Link finally reunites with his lost sword here (it’s conveniently stuck upright in the floor). He grabs it heroically – just in time for the giant bird to swoop down. You get in a quick slash at the bird’s face, but then a shadowy figure in armor (Ganondorf, in a dramatic reveal) appears. This boss isn’t ready to face you yet, so he nods to his pet Helmaroc… and the bird grabs Link like a ragdoll and yeets him out of the fortress! ? Talk about an exit.

A brief cinematic shows Link being flung helplessly into the ocean, where a talking boat (yes, really) fishes him out. Although you didn’t rescue Aryll this time, you’ve learned a lot and will be back for round two. The Forsaken Fortress first visit is complete. Give yourself a pat on the back for sneaking through in one piece! Next up, you’ll team up with this mysterious talking boat – the King of Red Lions – and sail to new islands in search of the power to defeat that evil figure you glimpsed. But that’s a story for the next chapter. (Fun fact: when you return to the Fortress later, it’s a very different experience – you’ll have your sword (the Master Sword, no less) and can get sweet revenge on those Moblins. But nothing beats the thrill of this first stealth mission in setting the stage for your heroics.)

Differences in the HD Remake:

The Wind Waker HD on Wii U makes the Forsaken Fortress a bit more player-friendly without changing the story. The graphics are enhanced with dynamic lighting (the fortress exterior looks gorgeous at night with brighter searchlight beams), and the interface is streamlined. Notably, the Wii U GamePad screen shows your dungeon map and items, which is super handy. As mentioned, once you knock out a searchlight, the HD map marks it off, so you know it’s disabled – a small but welcome improvement. Other than that, the stealth gameplay is the same, so our walkthrough works for both versions. Whether you’re playing the original GameCube release or the shiny HD remaster, the strategies above will help you conquer the Forsaken Fortress and move one step closer to saving Aryll!