Ancient Cistern - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Guide - IGN (2024)

Welcome to IGN's Walkthrough for the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This page contains information on the Ancient Cistern dungeon, including how to get the Whip, and defeat its boss, Koloktos.

Video Guide - Ancient Cistern Part 1

Upon entering the Ancient Cistern you will find yourself in a flooded room with a giant statue. The statue's submerged hands each hold a Silver Rupee. To get the Silver Rupee in each hand, you need to swim right up to the edge of the hand and then perform a Spin by shaking the Nunchuck to quickly get the Rupee before the hand closes. If you are caught, shake the Wii Remote to get free.

Now that you are 200 Rupees richer, approach the locked door at the center of the statue. You'll need a Small Key to get inside, but for now you can read the tablet to the right of it. This tablet gives you a specific clue to a nearby door, it translates, roughly, to TOP, BOTTOM, LEFT, RIGHT.

Enter the door on the east side of the main chamber. A switch to the right of the door opens it. Drop below swim to the surface. Note that the pads in the water will flip if you drop from a significant height -- this will come in handy for puzzle solving later. Beware of the flipped pads, however, the spikes will harm you.

The water spout will let you leave this room, but continue to the north towards the Skulltulas for now. These Skulltulas are biding their time in their webs, but you can slash at the strands a bit to goad them to the ground. When they reach the ground, slash at them with an upwards motion to flip them on their back, then use a Fatal Blow to kill them.

The door just around the corner holds a special lock that the tablet in the main room can help you unlock. Hit the tabs on the lock with your sword in this order: Top tab, Bottom tab, Left tab, Right tab.

In the next room you'll find more lotus leaf root pads, but the real threat is on the ceiling above. The Skulltulas here will only drop if you get near them. Walk out on the lotus leaf root pads and wait for one to drop. Whack it to the side to get it spinning and then stab its stomach twice. You can also cut their web with the Beetle to make them fall into the water.

Shoot the Walltula with your Slingshot and then climb the vines in the southeast corner. From here you can jump onto the lotus leaf root pad along the eastern wall to flip it over and open the submerged passage leading east and then south.

You can't get the Red Rupee in this room, so take the passage to the next room. Spin through the boards and, on the far side, open the door. You'll find yourself at the chest with the Small Key.

Return to the central chamber. Save at the Bird Statue by the entrance. Open the locked door on the statue's base in the central area. Inside you can do little but drop to the ground floor. Here you'll encounter the Stalmaster miniboss.

Stalmaster Miniboss

Stalmaster starts off the fight with two arms welding swords in each hand. as the battle progresses it will end up with four arms, three swords and one battle ax. In order to succeed in the fight against Stalmaster you'll have to attack any area it isn't guarding, also beware of its wild attacks and to dodge the many incoming hacks and slashes of its multiple arms.

Perhaps the best strategy is to use shield counter attacks to make it drop all of its arms. When you do this, follow up with a Spin Attack but be ready to counter again! Watch your shield health as well, since this powerful enemy will do a number on your Shields.

There are Hearts in the skulls along the edge of the room. After the Stalmaster is defeated a door will open and a chest here contains the dungeon's greatest treasure: The Whip!

You can use the Whip to activate the switches inside the statue. Each one will activate a spout of water. Lock on with the Whip and use the geysers to make your way up.

Head back into the main chamber (the top area with the Boss Key Lock is inaccessible). You can use the stairs on the east side of the room to get up to the Chest along the north wall of the main chamber.

You'll have to swing across the whip grip point that protrudes from the wall. Lock on to the whip grip and you can swing across. Here you'll find the Dungeon Map.

Video Guide - Ancient Cistern Part 2

Drop below the map and clamber onto the lotus leaf root pads on the north side of the pool. From here you should be able to see a wall switch. You can activate this with the Whip, but you need to get near it first.

Use the Whip to lock on to the nearest lotus leaf root pad and flip it. This will aim the spikes downward and a safe pad will surface. Step onto it, lock on to the wall switch and yank it with the Whip.

You can now swim into the hole beneath the water on the west side of the room. Follow it to the next chamber and open the Red Rupee Chest behind the pool where you surface. Kill the Skulltula.

In this room there is a switch behind a gate. You can grab this wall switch with your Whip and activate it THROUGH the bars. Lock on first to make this easier.

There is a Goddess Wall in this room, and several enemies -- Green Bokoblins, Deku Babas, Chuchus and Walltulas; nothing you haven't seen before. The Goddess Wall is on the southern side of the room.

Your goal is the rotating pillar up the stairs. Climb this and ride it around to the far platform. From here, look for a whip grip. Attach your Whip to it and hold down on the Analog Stick to cease swinging. Turn towards the switch and then shake the Wii Remote to swing towards it.

Release your swing and grab the wall switch. You can now return to the whip grip and swing to the vines under the now-open grate.

Activate the switch with your Whip and a whirlpool will open in the center of the room. Dive in.

You will surface in a room with Skulltulas on the ceiling. Get on dry ground and grab the Amber Relic. Send your Beetle out to cut the Skulltulas down. One falling Skulltula will flip the lotus leaf root pad and allow you to swim under it into the next area.

There is a green Bokoblin sitting on the other side of the bars here with a Small Key on its belt. Lock onto the enemy and use the Whip to yank the Key off of its belt. You can then use it to open the nearby locked door.

On the other side you'll see a short cutscene revealing the locaiton of the Boss Key Chest. After this, kill the Bokoblin and jump into the stream of water.

In the next room you can climb up onto a platform and pull a wall switch to open the gate. Hit the nearby Walltula with the Beetle. Jump into the water and use a spin move to jump onto the shore on the east side of the room. Grab the Amber Relic in the grass and then use the Whip to rotate the nearby lotus leaf root pad.

You can now get on the floating pad and climb the vines. Jump off the ledge in the very center of the room and you can flip the lotus leaf root pad, exposing a passage beneath the water.

Swim through this passage and collect the Red Rupee. Spin through the Froaks and surface to find a switch you can activate with the Whip.

This raises the lotus leaf root pad you just flipped onto a geyser. Return to it in the center of the room and flip it on the geyser with your whip. Cross the pad to the western side of the room.

Use your Whip to pull the wall switch and return to the central room. The Furnix that greets you here can be killed with the Whip.

Video Guide - Ancient Cistern Part 3

Wait until it unfurls its feathery tail and slap it with the Whip. Yank the tail towards you and it will fall to the ground. Finish it off with a Fatal Blow.

A Red Rupee chest is beneath the platform. You can climb down to it using the vines. Using the vines you can also climb to a nearby platform near a large switch. Yanking this switch with the Whip will cause the large central statue to descend, like a giant elevator.

You can now enter the statue and drop to the bottom. Use the bottom door in the statue to access a new subterranean area.

Here you'll find Cursed Bokoblins, which drop the extremely rare Evil Crystal randomly. They are frightened of the Sacred Shield and its upgrades, so hold that out in front of you and they won't mess with you.

To kill a Cursed Bokoblin, you need to hit it with a Spin Attack to flip it on its back. Once it's on the ground, use a Fatal Blow to finish it off.

There is a cursed pool in this area you should completely avoid, but above it are a pair of glowing blue eyes carved into the rock that you can send your Beetle through for Rupees and Hearts.

Head northwest and hack up some more Cursed Bokoblins. Walk out onto the lotus leaf root pads in the water and flip one of them with the Whip. Stand here and shoot your Beetle through the set of eyes overlooking the pool and you can hit a pink switch.

This stops the waterfall in the area, clearing a path for your Beetle to carry a Bomb to a cracked pillar ( alternatively you can face the Bomb with your back to the waterfall then release your Beetle to carry the Bomb round the other way). Head for the back of the waterfall and kill the Fire Keese. Use the Beetle to carry a Bomb to the cracked rock in the chasm and you will be able to use the Whip to swing across it.

Climb the first vine pillar on the other side to the very top. Jump from here to the next one and ride it around to the far side.

Rundown the ramp andjump across to the vine wall, at the top of which you can get to a lever. Using the Whip, throw this lever to the left to reverse the rotation of the many pillars in the area, and the disc of stone below. Jump down to this disc and continue up the ramp, killing the Bokoblins in your path.

You can ride another pillar around to get to the other side of the same switch you just whipped. Reverse the switch again and head back to the pillar you just rode. It's now spinning the other way. Ride it to a new area.

In this pit filled with bones a rope leads to the surface. Before climbing it, activate the switch in the next room with your Whip to make a geyser appear for a shortcut back to the initial subterranean area.

Now, climb the rope. As you do, many Cursed Bokoblins will chase you, occasionally grabbing you. Shake the Bokoblins off by shaking the Wii Remote and Nunchuk.

At the top you'll find yourself back in the main Ancient Cistern chamber. Pull the wall switch and you can get to the lever that activates the statue's movement.

Flip this lever to raise the statue, thus exposing the Boss Key Chest below!

Dive back down the hole with the rope. Head for the geyser and you'll find the statue has lifted beyond it and the Chest is up for grabs. Open it to find the Blessed Idol (Boss Key).

Now, the statue will come crashing down and Bokoblins will ambush you. Ignore them and run for the ledge. This statue can kill you instantly, so beware!

When the statue lands in place, enter the door at its base and take the geysers up. Save in the main chamber and then head for the locked boss door at the top of the statue.

Place the Blessed Idol in the keyhole, facing the mini statue inwards and then rotating it to the correct position. This opens the barrier to the roof.

Head up the stairs and Whip all four switches to raise the massive statue. Save at the Bird Statue at the top and make sure you are prepared for a tough boss battle before going up the stairs.

Ancient Automaton Koloktos

Video Guide - Koloktos Boss Fight

This battle has two separate phases. The first has it firmly rooted in the center of the room. You can avoid the thrown blades by side-jumping (lock on, press to the left or right and press A).

Although you may want to keep your distance, it's better to get in close to taunt the Koloktos.

Doing so will instigate an attack where it smashes the ground.

If you get in close and Koloktos hits the ground, side step its arm and then use the Whip to latch onto its arm and pull it off. Do this a second time and the monster will change its method, alternately throwing blades and, if you get close, swiping at you.

At this point, its glowing red weak point is exposed and you must get in to attack it with your sword. Do this by anticipating its moves and potentially countering its swiped with your Shield.

After it takes some damage it rebuilds. You'll need to do this entire routine a second time now. Once you damage its core more, it will switch to its second phase.

In this phase the Koloktos will begin moving about the room. Note that it can knock down the columns in the area to expose Hearts or you can use one of his sabers (see below on how to obtain) to knock down the column to the same end.

The Koloktos will now spawn Cursed Bokoblins if you get too far away, so keep at a medium distance and side-step its attacks until it pounds the ground. This time you can rip three arms off as they hit the ground simultaneously.

When they do, they will leave behind a giant saber for each arm. You can pick these up and use them. You can only perform, slow, deliberate attacks with the giant saber, so plan ahead.

You don't need to rip off the other three arms. Instead, run for Koloktos's base and perform a horizontal swipe with the giant saber to cut off its legs.

Now, attack its core repeatedly from a slight distance to break the grate and damage the red weak point with your massive saber.

You have to pull off this routine twice more to fully deplete the enemy's life.

Return to Skyloft

Video Guide - Learning Nayru's Wisdom

After the battle, collect your Heart Container and enter the open door. On the other side, use a Skyward Strike to hit the wing emblem.

The flames of Farore will charge your sword, giving it twice the killing power!

Return the Isle of Storms in the Thunderhead. Enter the building and Skyward Strike the winged emblem to initiate a cutscene. You will learn Nayru's Wisdom, which will open the Silent Realm - Lanayru Desert.