‹ ›
Home » The Legend of Zelda Games » The Wind Waker » Walkthrough » Prologue: Outset Island

Prologue: Outset Island

Table of Contents

A bright morning on Outset Island, where Link’s adventure begins. The HD version’s updated lighting makes the ocean and sky look extra vibrant, though the GameCube original is just as charming in its own way.

Welcome to Outset Island, Link’s tranquil home and the perfect place to kick off your Wind Waker adventure. It’s a sunny little village with palm trees, gentle music, and friendly neighbors who all treat Link like family. Today is Link’s birthday, which on Outset means one thing: green Hero’s clothes! (Link might not find the idea of wearing a toasty tunic in summer very exciting, but tradition is tradition.) After Grandma gives you the iconic outfit, she mentions that Aryll, Link’s little sister, is looking for him. Time to begin exploring!

Outset Island Map
Outset Island Map

Find Aryll on the Watchtower:

Head up the ladder to the wooden lookout platform on the beach’s pier. Aryll is waiting with a surprise – her Telescope, a treasured birthday loan. She’ll let you borrow it, so equip it and have a look around. Try zooming in on that postman bird-man, Quill, and then up at the sky… Uh-oh, what’s that giant bird carrying? Use the scope to witness the Helmaroc King (a huge masked bird) clutching a girl in pirate garb. Cue the drama: a pirate ship’s cannon blasts the Helmaroc King, and the bird drops the poor girl right into the forest on Outset’s highest peak!

Meet the Pirates:

Being a hero in the making, Link rushes to help. But first, Grandma insists you learn the sword to stay safe. Visit Orca, the seasoned swordsman in the house near the docks. Orca will give you a fun sword-training session (with plenty of whacks and yelps) and reward you with the Hero’s Sword when you prove you can handle the basics. Now you’re armed and (sort of) dangerous!

Into the Woods:

With sword in hand, make your way up to Outset’s mountaintop forest, known locally as the Forest of Fairies. Cross the bridge behind Aryll’s lookout tower and follow the path up. Along the way you might spot snot-nosed Joel running around or Abe and Rose’s pet pigs snorting in the grass. At the summit, you’ll find the girl who fell from the sky: this is Tetra, the pirate captain. She’s surrounded by a couple of pesky Bokoblins – lock on and smack them with your new sword. They’ll go down in a few hits, showing off Wind Waker’s flashy combat spins and satisfying sound effects. After you defeat the Bokoblins, Tetra is safe – albeit a little sassy. ?

Aryll’s Kidnapping:

Just when things seem to be cooling down, the Helmaroc King comes back – and this time it snatches Aryll! In a heart-wrenching cutscene, the giant bird swoops by the bridge and carries Link’s little sister off toward the ominous fortress on the horizon. Link’s attempt to grab her hand is too late. ? This is the big turning point of the story (and the moment Link resolves to save his sister no matter what). Tetra feels a bit guilty about the bird mistaking Aryll for a pirate, so she agrees to help. The pirates invite Link aboard their ship to chase after the Helmaroc King.

Hero’s Shield:

Before you depart, you’ll need a shield – Grandma’s heirloom Hero’s Shield that’s been hanging on her wall. Run back to Grandma’s house. In a tearful exchange, she hands you the shield, trying to put on a brave face. (This moment is both sweet and sad – Grandma’s proud but worried, and in HD you can see her subtle crying animation more clearly than ever.) With the sword and shield, Link is all set. Say goodbye to Grandma (and yes, you can’t get her famous soup yet – that comes later when you return to cheer her up). Board Tetra’s pirate ship for the next chapter of the adventure!

Fun Exploring on Outset:

Outset Island may be a “tutorial” area, but it hides plenty of goodies if you poke around:

Hidden Rupee Stashes: Free cash! Crawl under Link’s house to find a secret basement with a whopping 100 Rupee chest. Behind Grandma’s house, tucked near some trees, there’s a Yellow Rupee (10). If you hop across the rocks by the bridge, you can snag another yellow rupee on a ledge. There’s even a hidden room in Mesa’s house (the big house up on the hill): roll into his wall or crawl under the bed to find a Red Rupee (20). The HD remake kindly starts you off with a bigger wallet (500 rupees instead of 200), so you can grab all this loot without worry.

Pig Wrangling: See those cute black, pink, and spotted pigs around the village? You can pick them up and deliver them to Rose, the lady by the pen. Sneak up so you don’t scare the pig, then grab it. As a reward, you get 20 Rupees per pig delivered. It’s a goofy little side quest that teaches you about sneaking – which will come in handy soon. Much later, one of those pigs grows huge, and with the Power Bracelets you can lift it and dig up a Piece of Heart on this island, but that’s for another time.

Grandma’s Elixir Soup: Not available on the first visit, but worth noting: when you return to Outset later, visit Grandma after rescuing Aryll. She’ll cook you Elixir Soup, a famous family recipe. This soup fills two helpings in your bottle, each fully healing your health and magic and temporarily doubling your attack power! It’s literally comfort food and courage in a bottle. Don’t forget to give poor Grandma a fairy in a bottle when you return; it snaps her out of her sadness so she can get back to soup-making.