Forsaken Fortress

Forsaken Fortress is the first dungeon Link visits in The Wind Waker.^[1] It is an ominous island, and most people tend to avoid it.^[2] The stone fortress is well-guarded with cannons, searchlights, and hordes of Miniblins, Bokoblins, and Moblins, who patrol the area and attack any would-be invaders.^[3] The Helmaroc King makes his home on the Forsaken Fortress as Ganondorf's servant.^[4] It is also the place where Link's sister, Aryll, is held prisoner along with Mila and Maggie until they are rescued.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Before the Great Flood, the Forsaken Fortress was the Gerudo's Fortress.^[8] Tetra briefly mentions to Link that the fortress previously belonged to another clan of pirates.^[9]

Entrance to the Fortress[]

The dungeon is located in the far northwest quadrant of the Great Sea, and it is where Ganondorf has constructed his temporary lair by using a portal from Hyrule under the sea.^[10] Link is taken there by Tetra and her Pirate Crew,^[11]^[12] but he has to visit the place alone with the King of Red Lions later on.

Whilst inhabited by Ganondorf and his minions, the Fortress is held in perpetual night. If it is approached during the day, the day cycle will accelerate until nightfall. The Song of Passing will have no effect until you leave the Island sector.

Themes and Navigation[]

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!

Tingle's Comment

Forsaken Fortress
Are you near the Forsaken Fortress? That place is dreadful! Does the part of your face that hit that fortress still hurt?

First Visit[]

Forsaken Fortress TWW — The inside of the Fortress

During his first visit, Link is catapulted to the Fortress by Tetra and her Crew. Upon landing, he loses his Sword and is left with only his Shield to defend himself.^[13]

Link must practice stealth while navigating the fortress, as there are Moblins and Searchlights ran by Bokoblins. They patrol the Fortress and throw Link in one of the jail cells if spotted. If caught, Link is able to escape the cell through a small hole in the wall. He can also navigate around without being seen by hiding under Barrels.

In order to reach the room where Aryll is being held, Link must travel to each tower and use Boko Sticks to defeat the Bokoblins operating the Searchlights. Doing so will shut the Searchlights down.^[14] Once Link is outside the room where Aryll is being held, he gets his Sword back and fights a shielded Bokoblin. Before Link is able to save his sister and the other girls, the Helmaroc King swoops in, grabs him with his beak, and brings him before Ganondorf. Ganondorf then tells the bird to throw Link at sea, who ends floating unconscious in the Great Sea.

Second Visit[]

Miniblinattack — Link beset by Miniblins in the fortress

After Link finds the Master Sword, he pays a second visit to the Fortress, where he confronts Phantom Ganon to gain the Skull Hammer, then the Bokoblins who once more use the Searchlights, and finally the dreaded Helmaroc King to rescue his sister and the girls from Windfall Island, with the help of Tetra and the pirates.^[15] Although he succeeds in the rescue mission this time, he now fails to defeat Ganondorf because the Blade of the Evil's Bane lost its power,^[16] and when Link removed it from its pedestal in Hyrule Castle, he lifted the seal that prevented Ganondorf from taking control of Hyrule again;^[17] because of this, the Fortress is eventually abandoned and the enemies (Ganondorf included) now move to Hyrule.^[18] After Link clears the Wind Temple, it's revealed that the Fortress is indeed uninhabited.

As Link has his Sword during the second visit, he is able to defend himself and does not need to use stealth as in the first visit. Moblins will now simply attack him, instead of bringing him to the jail. Also, Searchlights that are trained on Link will cause Bombs to be fired at him and will also attract Miniblins. The hero can still be imprisoned if he is caught by the Floormaster that appears in a certain area of the Fortress, although the switch that opens Link's cell can be activated from the inside using the Bow in the event that this happens.

Third Visit[]

If Link visits the Fortress after Ganondorf is attacked by Valoo, he will find that the curse of endless night has lifted and the Fortress is devoid of enemies, save for several Keese and Rats; the Fishman later claims that the Fortress has indeed been completely abandoned. Contrary to popular belief, the Heart Container dropped by the Helmaroc King will also appear near where Link obtained the Skull Hammer at this time, if he failed to collect it after slaying the boss.

Later on, while Link is exploring Ganon's Tower in Hyrule, he is given the opportunity to open a portal of darkness linking it to the Forsaken Fortress, allowing the young hero to return to the surface of the sea quickly and conveniently, should he so desire. It was through this portal that Ganondorf was able to escape the sealed kingdom originally and wreak havoc on the inhabitants of the Great Sea.

Minor Enemies and Traps[]

Other Appearances[]

Non-Canon Information

Hyrule Warriors Legends[]

Forsaken Fortress appears as a Stage in Hyrule Warriors Legends. The Stage it self is actually a combination of the Forsaken Fortress as well as Windfall Island and Dragon Roost Island, though the Stage's name itself is based primarily on the Fortress, while Windfall Island and Dragon Roost Island are the names of the primary Keeps in their respective sections of the Stage.

Trivia[]

A modified version of the Sheikah Eye Symbol makes a small appearance near the top of the Forsaken Fortress.
This is also one of the only two dungeons without a Warp Jar. The other is Tower of the Gods.
This dungeon is unique in that, like Skull Woods in A Link to the Past, it has multiple entrances and exits, given the fact that only the interior is considered to be the dungeon itself (as seen in the Dungeon Map), and the exterior territory belongs to the Great Sea overworld. For the same reason, this fortress is the only dungeon in the game whose boss is fought and defeated outside.
This is the only dungeon (besides Ganon's Tower) where an exit portal does not appear after the boss is defeated.
Also on the initial infiltration of the tower's interior under the "Mjtower" level, compared to the other one, Link spawns at the top of the tower on each visit, whereas the entrance doorway leads back to the tower's entrance where he obtains the sword dropped at, and the seals used to prevent flood from leaking, as well as the Bokoblins weren't present. Entering Ganondorf's ship here also traps link instead.
Even when the ship is destroyed after infiltrating the fortress the second time, it wasn't affected on the first visit map because it was designed to allow Link head over to Windfall Island after an attempt to save Aryll due to how the layout was made. A dark portal that links to the Dungeon also doesn't appear on this map of Forsaken Fortress.
The tune that plays as Link is thrown in jail also plays in Four Swords Adventures in the Infiltration of Hyrule Castle when the Links are thrown in jail after being spotted by the Searchlights.
Despite Seagulls appearing near Aryll's cell room, Link is not able to control them using a Hyoi Pear.

Nomenclature[]

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	魔獣島 (Majūtō)	Demon Beast Island
	French	Forteresse Maudite	Cursed Fortress
	German	Verwunschene Bastion	Execrated Bastion
	Italian	Fortezza dei Demoni	Fortress of the Demons
	Korean	마수도	Transliteration of Japanese name
	Spanish	Isla del Diablo	Isle of the Devil

Gallery[]

The view from below from The Wind Waker
Link being prepared to be catapulted into the Fortress from The Wind Waker
Link being catapulted into the Fortress from The Wind Waker
The Forsaken Fortress in daytime from The Wind Waker
The tower's interior, on first visit from The Wind Waker
The top of the tower, on the first visit from The Wind Waker
A Searchlight manned by a Bokoblin from The Wind Waker
The Forsaken Fortress from Hyrule Warriors Legends

References

↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 260
↑ "Even if I were to consider it... Lately, I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress..." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Listen up, Link... There's a monster running the searchlight up there! If you can slay the monster, then just maybe it'll shut the searchlight down." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "The Monstrous Helmaroc King. Habitat: Forsaken Fortress. Master: Ganondorf." — Figurine (The Wind Waker)
↑ "I may as well tell you that the bird that kidnapped both you and Link's sister has made its foul nest to the north, on the heights of the Forsaken Fortress." — Quill (The Wind Waker)
↑ "I...was once the richest little debutante in this town. Did you know that? But one day, a monstrous bird came and took me away to a terrible place called the Forsaken Fortress, where I was locked up and held captive. Oh, it was awful!" — Mila (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Ooh, hoo hoo! My sweet, sweet daughter! My only daughter! Poor Maggie... She was captured by a bunch of villains and taken to the Forsaken Fortress!" — Maggie's Father (The Wind Waker)
↑ Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 59
↑ "There are all sorts of strange rumors about this place. What I do know is that long ago, it used to be the hideout of a no-good group of pirates we used to compete with... But they were just small-time. Now, the place looks like it's pretty dangerous." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "I see... So this is the portal through which Ganon was able to seep into the unsuspecting world above..." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)
↑ "I'll call you when we reach the Forsaken Fortress, so until then, just go talk to Niko and do whatever he tells you." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Even if I were to consider it... Lately, I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress... Tell you what. If you come back with something like that, we'll let you stow away on our ship." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Your sword landed all the way up there? Shoot! I'm sorry! I apologize! I guess my aim was off by a little bit." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Those searchlights are a real pain, huh? You're going to have to deal with them somehow, I'm afraid... If you can slay the monster, then just maybe it'll shut the searchlight down." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Hmm... Well, never mind about that. For now, we'll just take these girls. I'm sure their fathers back in town will pay a handsome reward for their return. If you're worried about your sister...don't be. I promise I'll deliver her safely back to your little island." — Tetra (The Wind Waker)
↑ "You cannot defeat me with a blade that does not sparkle with the power to repel evil! What you hold is useless. Go back to the world below, and tell that to the pathetic fools who made this blade! Its power is gone, and its edges are dull!" — Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Foolish child. While that sword is indeed the blade of evil's bane, at the same time, it has long played another role... You see, it is also a sort of key... a most wretched little key that has kept the seal on me and my magic intact! By withdrawing the blade, you have broken that seal..." — Ganondorf (The Wind Waker)
↑ "Ganon has not shown himself above the seas since Valoo unleashed his fiery wrath upon him. And what's worse, there is not a creature stirring in his base of operations in this world...the Forsaken Fortress." — King of Red Lions (The Wind Waker)