The Minish Cap Walkthroughs
Chapter 12, The Sacred Blade, Dark Hyrule, and Vaati's Ruin

Return to Hyrule Castle and the Elemental Sanctuary as you did before, and put the White Sword in the Pedestal. After some fancy effects it will become the Four Sword! Now, head up past the now destroyed pedestal and to the stained glass window. After the story, Vaati will appear and knock you out.

When you come to, leave the Sanctuary to find the Castle has been cursed. Charge up an attack and launch a beam attack at the “statues” to return them to life. Once this is done, head down.

Head left to the next screen and up the stairs. Dispatch the Moblin and avoid the locked door (it’s a mimic). Head up past the spinning fire trails (kind of reminiscent of Mario 1, eh?) and then blow up the cracked wall to the right of the three skulls. In the next room, shrink with the shrink portal, and then backtrack to the big fire trail and drop in the hole in the floor.

From here, go up and then into the hole in the right wall. Grow up in the shrink portal in the jail cell and step on the button, which unlocks both jail doors. Head over to the cell right of your to find King Daltus. Uncurse him with your sword and he’ll give you a small key as a reward.

Now, backtrack back to where the Moblin was and unlock the bottom locked door. Head down the hallway, defeating the three Wizrobes and the Stalfos here. Go down the right stairs and kill the two enemies and then go up the north stairs to the big chest. Retrieve the dungeon map from it and then go up the stairs in that raised area to get up to the first floor.

Go up the middle pathway and into the door beyond. From here, left and up past the enemies (kill them if you wish, but they are as easily avoidable) up to the next screen. You’ll come up four split tiles and some cannons lined up with the tiles, shooting downward. Use the tiles tos plit and face upward, and then time it so you can use the sword (just swipe) to deflect the cannonballs back at the guns. They’ll explode and the gate heading up will open. Go up.

In the next room, dispatch the Floormasters (make sure not to get caught, or backtracking is in your future) and then head left. In the next room is the classic color floor tile puzzle. Here’s the solution: from the start go right three tiles, then up, then left, then up, then right, left, and then repeat until the second to last row where you need to go down and up to finish it off. Really simple. If you mess up (step on a red tile) hit the button to reset it. When the puzzle is complete, the door heading right will open. Head that way.

Here you’ll find another “navigate around the blocks as a trap hits your clone” puzzle. The trick is to finish the split just as the trap passes you on the left, so you can follow it down. Step on the buttons and a chest will appear with a small key inside. Claim your prize and jump down the ledge, and head down back to the main hall.

Go up the stairs on the right side of the room and unlock the door. Now go downstairs. Back in the basement, take out the two Wizrobes and head right and up to the next room. Dispatch the Keese and continue up to the four skulls (which are hiding Stalfos). When those are dealt with, split vertically and carefully step up to the first line of blue tiles where the cannons are. Charge up a spin attack and wait for them to shoot once, then rush up the middle of the path and unleash the spin attack the second you hear the sound of a shot. You’ll reflect the shots and the cannons will explode. Head up now.

Clear the room of the Dark Keatons and the set a bomb on the lower left corner of the room (use the sword to find the sweet spot if you want) and head left through the door you blew open. Avoid the fire trails in the next room and head up to the sitting room. A Darknut will appear and attack. Now, here’s a great trick: use the Cape to jump over them and strike its back. After a few well timed hits, it’ll go down for the count. Push the chair to the left to reveal a staircase. But, first head right through the door.

In the next room, grab the Compass from the big chest. Now, return to the sitting room and go down the stairs.

In this subbasement, head down past the Gibdos (avoid them if you must) and go right and up the stairs. On the other side of the room from the Compass, now go right to the next room. Here dispatch the easy enemies and go up the stairs. Watch out for the Bubble on this floor (but remember that Boomerangs turn them into fairies!) and go down through the door.

Outside the Castle, use the Vortices to fly rightward around the Moblin and cannons (you should just coast over the cannon-fire) and down to the platform with the two Moblins. Take them out and go left into the Castle. Here, use the split tiles, but wait until the fire trail is at 12 o’clock to activate the last one. Also, it makes things easier for you if you put Link on the left, so you can hug the wall.

So, move over and hug the left wall, then down, whence the fire trail will pass you. Move to the right and push the big block down and head right out the door. Back outside, take the vortices down, once again allowing you to coast down over the cannons. When you hit firm ground, head left and dispatch the Keatons in your way. Use the bow to hit the crystal switch across the gap and then cross the new bridge.

You can ignore that corner tower door, nothing but pots in there.

Across the bridge, deal with the Moblins and Keatons and then go up into the castle through the large entryway. Inside, go up to the crystal switches and then use the split tiles to replicate their pattern (two on the top row, two on the bottom) and use your clones to activate the switches. The door up will open.

In the next room are two Ball and Chain Troopers. Here’s the strategy to survive this: keep your shield up at all times until they throw the ball, giving you a chance to smack one around. Four hits to each and they’ll die, though because it’s such a tight room, this is a VERY tough fight. Just play it safe and you’ll come out without a scratch. Your reward is a red warp tile will appear, making this an excellent time to save.

Now, head left through the door and then up to the next screen. Ignore the Bomb-ombs and toss a bomb at the cracked blocks to blow them apart, but you have to time it well. Also, ride the moving platform to either side and jump up to the grated walkway. Shoot the crystal switches with your Bow (the switches are north of either flip grate. Now get back down and go up through the door you just opened. In the next room go right.

Here, take out the Bubbles using your Boomerang (free fairies, woo hoo) and then go up. A Darknut will appear. This one moves pretty fast, so it may be best to use the old, block and stab strategy with him. Anyways, once he’s dead the blue warp tile will appear and you’re job will get much harder as Darknuts warp into all those corner rooms with the big doors. Well, suddenly those five bubbles make sense, eh?

Anyways, time to go hunting, so head down, stock up on health and then go right. Two Silver Darknuts here. These guys are fast, so block and stab them into submission. Once the fight is won, head up to a room with a spinning firetrail. Use your lamp to light the torches as you head clockwise around the room. When all the torches are lit, the door going north will open. Go up and dispatch the four Ghinis there, and then head right. In the next room, go up the stairs and claim the small key from the chest. Then, backtrack to where you just fought the Darknuts.

Now, head down and use the grated walkway above the continue downward. The next room has a Red Darknut, slow, and thus easily susceptible to the jump and stab method (always a favorite). When you win, head down to a room with split tiles and spinning fire trails. Here, split in a plus sign on one of the tile grounds with an empty spot in the center. Then, split in between the fire trails when they hit 12:00 and go in the middle of the crystal switches. Swing your sword and the door right will open. Go that way.

In the next room, kill the Wizrobes and then hit the button, opening the staircase leading up. Go upstairs and claim a small key from the chest. Now, backtrack back to where you fought the Darknut last. Head left until you reach the next enemy: two Silver Darknuts. Once those are done, go down to find one of those color tile puzzles. Because the puzzle is march larger, I’ve drawn up a solution:

Once the puzzle is complete, go down to be on the parapets. Defeat the Moblin and Keaton, and then go left to find another Moblin. When the coast is clear, go into the tower and up the stairs for a chest and another small key inside. Now, backtrack to where the Darknut was, and then up twice to find another Red Darknut. Once that’s done, go up through the big entryway.

Prepare yourself for an awful, awful room. In addition to the four Stalfos and the giant fire trail, there are two Wallmasters that drop from the ceiling. The point of the room is to use your Bow to shoot out the four eyes on the north wall to open the door on the top of the left wall. Now, if one of the Wallmasters grabs you and drags you back to the beginning of the dungeon, just hop on the blue warp tile and backtrack down one room, right, and then up back to the awful room. Nevertheless, when you shoot out the eyes, go left through the door.

In the next room, push the top two blocks left and then the bottom one down. Now, jump in the hole, and when you land quickly run up the stairs. Head up the stairs again to find another small key in another chest. Last one! Now, go downstairs and push the middle block right and the bottom down so you can go back to the awful room, and then backtrack all the way back to where the blue warp tile is. From there, go up to the next room and open all four lock blocks. Then smash the right set of pots to uncover four split tiles. Use them and push the big block aside and climb the stairs. Grab the Big Key from the big chest.

Now, head down twice, left, down twice, and right to find the big door. Make sure to hit those bubbles if you need health, because guess who’s on the other side of this door? That’s right: Vaati. That means now’s a good time to save, leave the Castle to fill those bottles with fairies, and finish up any loose ends. Ready? Okay, let’s go!

First head up and you’ll be on a bridge. When the dialogue ends, equip your shield because a friendly Ball and Chain Trooper is waiting at the end of the bridge for you. Dispatch him and head up stairs. Next room is wicked easy, a pack of Dark Keaton. When they’re all dead, use the split tiles to hit the four buttons at the top of the room. Now, ehad up again.

Here three Darknuts will appear: the kind best dealt with by the old jump and slash. When the three fall for the count, head up stairs to interrupt Vaati’s plans. After some blustering you’ll fall to the previous room and Vaati will attack in the first of his three phases.

Phase I: Vaati Reborn

This phase will begin with four eyes spinning around Vaati. Equip your Gust Jar (you’ll see why) and take out the four eyes. When the four eyes are dealt with, Vaati’s cloak will open, revealing a giant eye, his vulnerable spot. Go in for the kill and swipe it. After another bout of that, the eyes will start shooting red laser beams downward, so avoid those. Another attack he’ll adopt is to shoot a mini black hole at you, which you can suck up with the jar. Take out the eyes, cloak opens, and the big eye shows. A difference though is, when his cloak opens, Vaati will teleport once to throw you open. Roll after him and finish him off. After a bit, Vaati starts teleporting more frequently. Usually, after six bouts with the big eye and this phase will go down.

Phase II: Vaati Transfigured

Now Vaati transforms into his giant eye form. The trick to this is to shoot arrows at the black balls/eyes that surround the giant eye. Certain ones will turn red, the others blue. When you uncover all four red ones, use the split tiles to recreate the shape and then slash out the four eyes at once, making the big eye vulnerable for some time. Five rounds and the big eyes is down. Now, the attacks for this round are scattered electricity balls, spike deposits that Vaati drops around the room (they can be slashed for arrows), and dropping rocks from the ceiling.

When Phase II goes down you’ll automatically head up, go up the bridge and release Zelda from the stone. Then two of you will flee the now-collapsing castle for the first floor, only to find the exit blocked. So, head down to the Elemental Sanctuary, where Phase III awaits.

Phase III: Vaati’s Wrath

This form is easy once you get the two arms out of the way. The way to do that is to wait until Vaati sticks an arm in the ground. When it pops out, use the Cane of Pacci on it to stun it. Then, shrink down in the portal and enter the arm. Inside will be a bunch of little eyes. Look for the one with the moving pupil and slash it until the eyes disappear. Exit the arm and grow up. Repeat on the other arm, except the interior of that will be dark, so use your lamp.

When the arms are done, the four little eyes in front of Vaati’s big one will open. At this point Vaati has two attacks: one is to shoot electricity balls across the room. If you get hit, it does a good chunk of damage and stuns you, but as a plus they are very easily avoidable, just be on the opposite side of the platform as Vaati and step in between the balls. The second attack is a charge shot from the four eyes. The trick to beating Vaati is to split and hit the four shots back at him. Only if all four shots hit the eye will he be stunned. When stunned, go in for the kill. Five rounds or so, and you’ve won the game!

Enjoy the great (and kind of sad) ending.

Be sure to watch till the end of the credits so you can save your game and finish what’s you missed!

"And lastly, thanks for using TDC’s Minish Cap Walkthrough! Hope you enjoyed the game as much as I did!"