Legend Of Zelda: Skyward Sword Walkthrough Part 26 – The Ancient Cistern
Dive into the water once Faron has stopped the Waterfall and use the Spin Attack to launch yourself toward the entrance of the Ancient Cistern. Go on inside and it is time for a nice little Dungeon Crawl. If you have the materials (and money) go and pick up the Sacred Shield and upgrade it to the Divine Shield. You will now start encountering monsters with Curse so be wary.
Start this dungeon off by going to the right. There are some Green Chuchus but nothing really hard. When you approach the door ion the right you will need to deal with one Big Chuchu. After that, turn toward the door and pull the switch it raise the bars in front of it. Head on through.
Jump on down. If you land on one of the lily pads it will simply flip over, dropping you into the water. Now go to the left. You have a pair of Skulltulas that are rather intent on your death. You can either return the favor or just sneak past them. Beyond them you will find an interesting lock on the far door. You need to strike the crystals in a particular order in order to open the door. Now, normally you would have to backtrack to the main chamber and explore the statue in the middle of the room. Instead just target the lock and strike the portions in this order: Top, Bottom, Left, Right. The lock will fall off, clearing your way forward.
In this room you are best off using the Hook Beetle first to send the pair of Skulltulas to a watery grave. After that, hop across the lily pads to the raised platform across from where you came into the room. Now drop onto the lily pad that is against the wall. This will spin it over and let you progress forward. Dive into the water and go through the tunnel that underneath the lily pad you just spun over. Follow this passageway to its end to claim a useful small key.
Now drop down to the left and take the spout upwards. Head through the door that leads you back to the main chamber. Take a moment to visit the Save Statue once you return to update your progress. Now turn around, cross over using the lilies and you will enter into the statue itself using the key you have collected. Once you enter the statue though, it is apparent there is only one way you can go for now: down. Drop and you will encounter the mini-boss here, The Stalmaster
The Stalmaster
Phase 1
It fights very much like your regular Stalfos here. It launches well choreographed attacks and you need to strike in the openings between its pair of swords. It is not too hard to deal with.
Phase 2
This Stalmaster has four arms and now it is using them all. This means Link can only hit the Stalmaster with very specific strikes. If it approaches you using a rectangular block then you want to thrust at it. Otherwise, direct your sword attacks at the narrow openings it gives you. If you especially good, you can slip behind him during his attacks and lay into him that way. It is also somewhat easy to land a quick pair of blows before it starts its attack animation. Just keep consistent in your strike tactics and it will not be long before you best the Stalmaster.
Once you beat it, head through the door that is now unbarred. Inside you will find a chest containing the Whip. This handy tool will allow you to steal items from enemies and give you access to new areas. It is an essential tool in this dungeon especially.
Head back into the room you encountered the Stalmaster. Use the whip on the spigot on the far side of the room to summon a water spout that will take you upwards. At the top of this spout, head on back into the central chamber. Head over to the left, past the doorway that lead to the key, and use the whip to reach the chest that is a bit farther along the path. You will find a chest with the Dungeon Map inside nearby a barred door. Drop down into the water below and continue along in the same direction from there. You will shortly come to a switch on the wall with two lily pads in front of it. One lily pad has been turned around, backing you from whip range. Climb up onto the first one and use the whip to right the lily pad. Now hop onto the lily pad you just righted and use the whip to pull the lever down. Now dive into the water below and swim through the fish mouth you see there.
When you emerge from the water you will find a new room and a Skulltula there you greet you. Kill the Skulltula and around the fish mouth you came out of to find a treasure chest. Now head for the door which you will notice is barred. Approach it and look to the left find a switch on a nearby wall. Pull out and flick the whip at it to yank it down and raise the bars.
Head into the next room and go left. Kill the Archer Bokoblin that is there and use the whip to swing across the gap to the vines on the opposite side. Climb up and kill the Deku Babas that are blocking your path to the spinning portion of the room. Now take the spinning vines over to the next platform. Use that as a chance to rest. Now get back on the vines and ride them over to the next part. Here you need to deal with a single archer so nothing horrible. Now head over toward the gated archway you see above you to the right. Use your slingshot or the beetle to kill the Walltula. Next, pull out the whip and use it to swing and hang from the tree limb. Turn and face the switch that is right next to the vines. Swing over to it to pull the switch and raise the bars on the archway above the vines next to you. Now climb up them, dispatch the Deku Babas that guard the spigot and whip it. Give the spigot a good pull to start a whirlpool in the room below you. Go over to the ledge and dive into the whirlpool below. This will take you to the basement level of the Cistern.
Turn around and swim over to the ledge. Save at the statue then take stock of the room you are in. There are three Skulltulas just waiting for you to step onto the Lily Pads. Pull out the Hook Beetle and fire it off to cut their threads and drop them onto the Lily Pads below, flipping each of them over. Now dive into the water and swim through the small opening on the far side of the room.
In this room you need to pull out the whip and steal a key from the Bokoblin on the other side of the bars. Just Z-target it and flick the remote to grab it. Now head over to the door and use it. A cutscene shows you the location of the chest that most likely has the key in it. For now though that chest is well out of reach. Deal with the Bokoblin if you feel like it then dive back into the water. Head into the pipe to get returned to the first floor of the dungeon.
Swim forward, then left until you reach the flipped over lily pad. Climb or spin out the water, slingshot the walltula then use the whip to flip the lily pad. Now hop over to the lily pad and climb up the vines nearby it. Defeat the Quadro Baba that is waiting for you at the top then look down. Link wants to drop down onto the lily pad below to spin it over and gain access to the tunnel underneath it. Head through the tunnel, spin attacking the froaks if you need air or they get in your way. Climb out of the water at the end of it and head up the stairs. At the top Link needs to defeat a Deku Baba. After that he will want to use the Whip on the spigot nearby to raise up the lily pad he just turned over. Dive into the water below and head across the room. Climb up the vines, just as you did a short while ago, and head back to the lily pad. Use the whip to right the lily pad and cross over the gap using it. Head on upwards after that.
Use the whip at the top of the stairs to open the next gate. Head through it. Here you will likely encounter a new enemy, Furnix. These are easy to beat once you know how: Lock on and pull out your whip. When it makes to attack it will unfurl its tail. Flick the whip at it then pull it down. You can now slash it to death or just use a Fatal Blow. Deal with however many of them there are in front of you. Turn to the right and take care of the Walltula that is there as well. No climb up onto the vines and start climbing downwards and to the left toward the doorway you saw none too far from the Walltula.
Once on the platform, use the whip on the nearby spigot to start up a new spout, creating a shortcut up here. Now turn to the left and use the whip on the wall switch that is nearby. Pull it down to change around the room rather drastically. Now head into the statue and head all the way down.
Back in the basement you will encounter another type of Bokoblin, the Cursed Bokoblin. These will try to jump onto you and overwhelm with sheer numbers. They are thankfully slow but very durable. Take your sword to them with a quick three hit combo to knock them over and quickly finish them with a Fatal Blow. These are also the first enemy you encounter that will drop evil crystals, a handy crafting material.
Unfortunately the moment you approach the visible pair of Cursed Bokoblins a good number more appear as well. Just swipe away at them to kill them all bit by bit. Once you deal with them, head to the left to deal with another pair. Continue to the left until you find a path of lily pads. Hop over toward the far one, which you will need to flip over, then finish the crossing. Take a look to your right. You will see a platform nearby a tree branch you can whip onto that is blocked by a cracked boulder. Head back across the lily pads, go the left, past the swarm of Fire Keese to the polluted waterfall. Right by it is a bomb flower you can use.
Standard Beetle
First though, fly it out and into the statue above through its right eye socket. Inside you will find a red gem. Hit it to stop the flow of cursed water. Now aim the beetle to grab a bomb and take it over to the boulder blocking your path. This is at the outside range of the standard Beetle so be ready to try a few times.
Stamina Beetle
Aim the beetle over the bomb flower so it will have a good heading to fly down the corridor you just came through. Fire it off, grabbing the bomb, and just fly it over to the boulder and blast it.
Once you blast the boulder, head over to the platform it just opens. Swing over and start climbing up the spinning vine-covered pillar. Jump over to the next one and take it to the second platform. Now jump over to the ledge and climb up the vines to your right. You will see a switch above a very fast moving platform. Use the whip to flip the switch in the opposite direction. Now jump over to the platform and ride it to the next ledge.
Start up the slope to encounter another Cursed Bokoblin. Kill it and continue on, kill its friend then jump onto the vine-covered rotating pillar just off from the ledge you are on. Take that to the far side and drop down. Now just across the nearby gap onto the vines and climb up. Pull out the whip and flip the switch back to the right. Now climb up the vine-covered pillar again and drop onto the ledge you come to on the right. Head on up, kill off the keese and drop down.
In this area you will see a rope leading up. Start climbing it to cause a number of Cursed Bokoblins to appear. Time for a little game exploitation. If you want to get all the Evil Crystals you could ever need (which is three or four) just hop on and off the rope after you kill each group. You can also head straight across from the ledge you drop off of to reach a spigot that will create a shortcut here. Whenever you are done, just start and keep climbing the rope.
You are once again in the main chamber. You are given the clue to return down this rope once you restore the statue to its original position. Head to the left and pull the switch on the wall to extend a walkway for you. Now head over to the switch and use the whip to raise it upwards. Go back to the rope and descend down once more, either by climbing or jumping.
At the bottom once more, head through the one path that is open to you. If you did not earlier, be sure to turn on the spigot so you can get back up here after you grab the boss key. Now head down and over to the big pit and open the chest there. You will get the Blessed Idol. This will cause a large group of Cursed Bokoblins to appear as well as cause the statue above to descend down onto you. Run away from the Bokoblins and make for the rope you used to get down here again.
Once you are out of the pit, the statue will descend all the way. Now you just need to head upwards, turning on the valves as needed. At the top, turn left and use the Bless Idol to clear the way to the top. On top, use the whip to turn on all the valves and raise everything to the top. Time for you to face the boss of this area. Thankfully though your first stop is a room full of hearts and a save statue. Replenish your health and save your game, it's boss time.
Koloktos
Ghirahim is not playing a subtle hand here. He is waiting for Link at the top, on the guardian of the shrine. He then vanishes and revives the Guardian.
Phase 1
Koloktos starts simply enough, attacking with each of its four arms in turn. Pull out the whip and dodge the attack when it comes in. You want to be about mid-range from Koloktos. This will encourage it to attack with its arms but not so far away it will simply throw blades at you.
After two arms are pulled off, it will become more aggressive, pounding the ground with both of its arms that it kept across its chest. Pull one off then get it to attack again, repeat this on the other arm and now you can really start attacking it. Move into melee and dodge when it swipes with its blades then close the distance and strike at the red heart in its chest. After a number of strikes it will just recall all of its arms. It will do this twice before its changes to the second phase
Phase 2
Koloktos now is armed with six giant scimitars and it aims to slice you to ribbons with it. Most of its attacks you can simply dodge. The one you are waiting for is when it swings every sword on one side at you. This is when you pull out the whip and tear off at least one arm. Once you are certain it is disconnected, run over to it and grab the sword. Use this to hack off Koloktos's limbs, aim for its legs first, and get it to expose its weak point in its chest. Dash to that and hack it apart.
Koloktos now reveals it has the ability to just rapidly swing its sword and summon weak Cursed Bokoblins. Quickly kill any Bokoblins that close in on you as being stationary in this fight will mean your death. A few times of just swinging its own sword into its chest repeatedly will end this fight very quickly.
Now, head over and collect the heart container and go on through the door. As always, charge up a Skyward Strike and hit the emblem to summon the fires of Farore's Courage. There is a cutscene with Fi where she gains more power and asks you to raise your sword up. After this, Fi will prompt you to head for the Isle of Songs to learn the next melody you need to further upgrade the Goddess Blade.
