Forsaken Fortress

Forsaken Fortress
The Forsaken Fortress as seen in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker.
Series	The Legend of Zelda
First Game	The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2003)
Creator	Nintendo EAD
Song	Forsaken Fortress

The Forsaken Fortress (quadrant A1) is an island on the Great Sea, and the first dungeon visited by Link in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. It serves as Ganondorf's base of operation and Link originally heads there to save his sister who was kidnapped by the Helmaroc King but fails. Link revisits the fortress after obtaining the Master Sword, saves Aryll, and defeats the Helmaroc King, but is unable to take on Ganondorf due to the Master Sword lacking its power. The top of the fortress is then burned down by Valoo and it is then mostly abandoned by Ganondorf and his minions who take refuge in Ganon's Tower. It was later confirmed to have been the Gerudo's Fortress before the Great Flood in additional material.

Themes and Navigation

First Visit

During his first visit, Link is catapulted into the Fortress by Tetra and her crew. Upon landing, he loses his Sword and is left with only his Shield to defend himself. Because of that, the first visit is mostly a stealth based gameplay section. Link will be thrown into jail if he is noticed by the Moblins patrolling the fortress. Link must use Barrels to sneak past Moblins and reach the jail in which his sister is being held prisoner, along with two girls from Windfall Island named Maggie and Mila, after retrieving his sword. He is then caught by the Helmaroc King who brings him in front of Ganondorf before tossing him into the sea.

Second Visit

Link is actually armed with the Master Sword during his second visit. He no longer has to sneak around and immediately encounters Phantom Ganon. Upon defeat Link obtains the Skull Hammer, which allow him to reach his sister's jail once again after dealing with a lot more powerful enemies than during the first visit. Searchlights operated by Bokoblins will also summon Miniblins if they spot Link. This time he fights the Helmaroc King who serves as the boss after Tetra, Gonzo, and Senza break Aryll, Maggie, and Mila out. Link defeats the giant bird, earning a Heart Container, and reaches Ganondorf. The Master Sword is powerless against him however as he has killed the two Sages praying for its power. Link is saved by Tetra who is revealed to be Princess Zelda by Ganondorf before both are rescued by the Rito and Valoo.

Enemies

• Bokoblin
• Real Bombchu
• Floormaster
• Keese
• Miniblin
• Moblin
• Rat
• Green Bokoblin - Miniboss (first visit)
• Phantom Ganon - Miniboss (second visit)
• Helmaroc King - Boss

Fishman's comment

"I hear there's a fellow on Windfall Island who's collecting Skull Necklaces! You know who it is, fry? I don't. Sorry. What I CAN tell you is that those piggish monsters you see here in the Forsaken Fortress seem to carry those Skull Necklaces around all the time. Not that I think it's easy work stealing anything from the likes of those guys. And that's all the info I've got for you, fry! You'd better be thankful for the clues you got from me! I'm serious!"