The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Eastern Palace

'Armos Knights guard the stairways leading to the Eastern Palace entrance. Hand-quarried slate slabs were used to form plazas and walkways, and walls were erected to create a labyrinth within the huge palace compound. Sahasrahla the Elder is reportedly hiding out from Agahnim in this area.'

Points of Interest
Although not as heavily populated as the west, the area around the Eastern Palace compound is home to an interesting variety of people and creatures. Octoroks are plentiful on land, and the waters are filled with Zora's Spawn. North of the compound lives a strange woman claims to stir up magic brews.

The Magic House
Before you seek Sahasrahla's Hideout, it might be worth it to pay a visit to the Magic Shop up north. Many travelers report meeting an old woman stirring a strange-smelling concoction in a huge cauldron outside the Magic Shop. Although she is spooky-looking, they say that she is friendly. Her assistant inside the shop sells the Medicine of Life, the Medicine of Magic, and a rare blue potion that restores both Life and Magic.

The old woman sometimes needs Mushrooms for her brew and offers rewards to people who bring them to her. You can be the recipient of such a reward, but in order to find a Mushroom, you'll need to travel deep inside the Lost Woods. The reward is worth the effort, however. She will provide you with the mysterious Magic Powder which has equally mysterious effects on various objects throughout Hyrule. Magic Powder can be used in strange ways. For example, a Buzzblob will be turned into a Potatohead by a sprinkle of Powder. Bubbles also prove to be susceptible to Powder. One sprinkle turns them into Faeries!

Unfortunately, just beyond the Magic Shop is a huge stone blocking the path beyond. Only those with strength enough to move it are able to continue to the waterways beyond. You will wish to return here later when you possess such strength.

Sahasrahla's Hideout
Sahasrahla the Elder knew that his days were numbered when Agahnim's forces gained control, so he waited for darkness to fall and stole away in the night. Because he had developed his telepathic abilities to an amazing level, he was able to communicate with other Hylians from his hideout.

Upon meeting you, Sahasrahla sensed something special about you. He wondered if you might be the one worthy of wielding the Master Sword. A series of tests were the only way to know for sure. Sahasrahla sends you on your way to the site of the first test, the Eastern Palace. He would like you to return with the Pendant of Courage before he will impart any further information to you.

The Eastern Palace
Twin gargoyle heads, carved in stone, adorn the courtyard at the Eastern Palace entrance. Cool and stark inside, the palace at first appears to be deserted, but skeletons will materialize and sleeping giants will awaken to charge intruders.

Although not as grand as Hyrule Castle, the Eastern Palace is an awesome sight to behold. The floors are tiled with cool blue marble and the walls are constructed with blocks of jade-like stone. It is only two stories tall, but the lower level is a sprawling maze.

Floor 1
As you step inside the palace, you are greeted with three options. Two doors are already open, beckoning you to explore them, but all you'll find on the other side are two ledges that lead to a vase chasm. The middle door must be unlocked somehow. The trigger that gives you access is under the middle pot. Lift it and step on the button to open the door. On the other side, you'll find a bridge, occupied by three blue and orange monsters, known as Popos. It helps to defeat them, but what you must really do, is find the tile on the bridge which opens the door beyond. If you look carefully, you'll notice one tile that has a darker underside then the rest. Step on it to proceed.

The next room is not a welcome sight to intruders. Large iron balls rolls down the hallway, interrupted periodically by a gigantic ball the fills the entire hallway. This is your first test of courage. Wait until a gigantic ball rolls by, and race up one side or the other, avoiding the smaller balls as the pass you. If a large ball happens to come down, hop inside one of the alcoves on the side. When you reach the top, bear left. You can continue to proceed to the left, following the path back down to a ladder which leads you to some pottery and a treasure chest containing 100 rupees. Return to where the balls enter, and climb up either ladder to reach the next door.

In the next room, you will be perched high up on a ledge that overlooks the Grand Hall, and the great treasure chest of the Palace. You can not reach it from here, so you must choose left or right exit. Start with the right. The access tile is behind the two pots. Step on it to open the door. When you pass through, you will be on the upper-walkway of a room with two Popos, and three Stalfos skeletons. While the Popos are rather dumb, the Stalfos are smart enough to dodge your sword swings if you strike from too far away. They will jump backwards, so you must be up close, or have them pinned against a wall, to hit them. A throw from your Boomerang can also help. Along the right wall, there are two doors. Take the top one.

In the next room, you will encounter your first Bubble. Although they can't do anything debilitating like prevent you from swinging your sword, they damage you in two ways; your health and your magic. You can't fight them, but if you met with the witch outside the Magic Shop, you might have something that you can use against them. The trigger that opens the door to the south is hidden underneath one of the pots. Find it and step on it to move to the next room. In it, you'll find a treasure chest on the right. Open it to discover the dungeon Map. You can look at it at any time to see the whole dungeon ( on SNES, on GBA). From here, you may jump down from the upper ledge, and climb the ladder on the opposite side. Head through the door, return to the Stalfos room, and return to the Grand Hall. Now approach the door on the left side.

Use the same trick to open it (the tile placed behind the two pots) and you'll encounter four more Stalfos. Make short work of them if you can, but avoid taking any unnecessary risks. Your only option from here is the lower door on the left. When you pass through, the doors will slam shut, and four Stalfos will rise from the remains that lie on the floor. You must fight and defeat these Stalfos to escape. While they are cunning enough to dodge the blows from your sword, they're not quite as swift when it comes to throwing pottery at them. Lift the jars off the ground and give them a good throw to scatter their bones and open the doors.

In the room above, you will simply find a treasure chest that contains the Compass. Grab it and head down the ladder. Cross underneath the walkway and exit through the door on the right. Now your in the lower portion of the room where you face four Stalfos. There is a tile that you can examine to speak with Sahasrahla. Continue running right, and you will find yourself back in the Grand Hall, on the lower level this time. You may be tempted to run straight to the large treasure chest and reveal it contents, but you're missing one vital tool: The Master Key. So for now, just cross the room and enter the opposite door. You will pass by a pair of statuesque looking monsters known as Eyegores, who awaken and follow you if you get too close. They are easy to outrun.

When you pass through the right door, you will be on the lower level of the room where you first fought Stalfos. Cross beneath the upper floor to the ladder down below and climb up to the door. When you pass through the door, you will enter a darkened room and the door will slam shut. There are two Popos and two bubles as well as two options out of this room, to the left and right, and both of them are locked. The right door can be opened if you step on the correct tile, which is not far from the door itself. Enter the right room. You will find eight jars and three Stalfos. One of the jars contains the precious Small Key that you need in order to advance. Find it, and run back to the left. Use your key on the left door in the previous room and pass through.

You will find yourself on the top walkway that passes over the room with the giant rolling balls. You can safely cross to the other side and pass through the left door. In the next room, you will face the sum of all the enemies you've seen in the palace thus far: two Popos, two Stalfos, an Eyegore, and four Bubbles. The Bubbles will behave a little peculiar, choosing to hover over a tile on the floor than spreading out to attack you. You must defeat every other enemy in the room. The Popos are easy, and the Stalfos can be taken out with the pots in the room, or with your sword. The Eyegore may present a small challenge. You must be close enough to wake it up, and you must hit it in the eye, so only frontal attacks will work. Fight it patiently and you will win. Once you succeed in killing the enemies, the Bubbles will scatter. While you will want to avoid them, the important thing is the tile that they are no longer defending. Run over to it and step on it, and a treasure chest will fall to the ground. Open it up and claim the Big Key.

Use the Big Key to open the door to the north. You may recognize the room that you've entered. Climb down the ladder, and push the right block aside so that you may pass. At the telepathy tile, turn right, and re-enter the Grand Hall. Now that you have the key, the contents of that large treasure chest can be revealed. However, as you make your way toward the chest, something happens. Four Stalfos fall down from the ceiling. But these are no ordinary Stalfos. Their skulls abandon the rest of their bones and fly at you with determination. You must bat them away with your sword until they die or give up and float away. When it's safe, go ahead and open the chest to obtain your next weapon: the Bow. (If you haven't struck the pots on the sides of the Grand Hall already, break some of them to reveal five arrows sets.)

With the Bow and Big Key in hand, you are ready to advance to the room up above. Before you do, note that just as in Hyrule Castle, you can jump off the ledge to the vases below, which will lead you to a room with fairies. If you've collected the net and a bottle already, you can use them at this time to store a fairy or two in case you are defeated in battle. If you collect a fairy in a bottle, it will free itself when you die and bring you back to life! Quite a thank you for such an inconvenience.

When you enter the room above the Grand Hall, the lights will dim. There are torches for you to light, but you'll have to find them amid the six Popos and two centrally positions Eyegores. The bow happens to be an excellent weapon against the Eyegores, but in the time that it takes you to face them and fire an arrow, they may get too close and harm you, or fall back asleep, rendering them impervious to your attack until they wake up again. On of the Eyegores is holding the Small Key that you need to exit through the door on the left. If you like, you may enter through the door on the right, and you will discover a treasure room filled with 18 blue rupees (for a sum increase of 90 rupees in your wallet). Be mindful, however, of the two Bubbles that call this room home, as there isn't a lot of room to maneuver.

Once you obtain the Small Key from the Eyegore, open the locked door on the left and climb up to the second floor.

Floor 2
Fortunately, Floor 2 is much smaller than the previous floor. When you arrive, you will enter a room with two Bubbles, four interesting but harmless statues, and four pots. As you might expect, the trigger which opens the door to the left is found under one of the pots. Break them all to discover arrows as well. Step on the trigger and enter the door.

In the next room, you will find another locked door, and three Eyegores. The Eyegores are all standing on door trigger tiles, for a total of four triggers including the one in the back. Only one of these tiles will open the door, and you'll have to mess around with the Eyegores to discover which one. If you test the lowest floor tile, the door will snap open, allowing you to proceed.

Another room, and another set of locked doors. This dangerous room is loaded with rolling balls that pass randomly from one side of the room to the other. It requires some fancy footwork, but if you locate the correct door trigger, you may advance to the room on the left.

The mosaic on the floor in front of the top door in the next room means you are very close to the dungeon boss. There are two Stalfos here, and a previously unseen red version of the Eyegore. The red Eyegore is completely impervious to both pots and your sword and can only be defeated by a couple of arrows to the eye. Defeat the, all and you will be granted access to the room above.

Another challenging room, will must face six Popos and two red Eyegores. The Popos are positioned in such a way that a quick well placed spin attack will wipe out most of them. The two red Eyegores are only challenging if you attract both of them at the same time. Try to employ a divide and conquer strategy, and fire arrows in to each one of their eyes, one at a time. If you're running low on arrows, break some of the jars for more ammunition. When the room is clear, brace yourself, and prepare for the boss fight.

Boss: Armos Knights
These six statues appear harmless until the shake and rumble to life. They begin to bound around the room in special circular patterns. If you have plenty of arrows, you have little to fear. You can fire at them from the bottom of the room, off to the side, and stay relatively safe. If you are forced to rely on your sword, you must attack a lot more carefully. The patterns that the Knights follow are fairly predictable, so fire your arrows patiently; you can't afford to waste too many of them.

As you attack the Armos Knights, you will defeat them one at a time. Ultimately, you will be left with one final Armos Knight, who will transform from the usual blue color to an angry red. The final red Armos Knight has no interest in following a pattern since there's no one else to follow it with him. Instead he takes slow, but purposeful leaps in your direction. Move out of his path, and retaliate with an arrow or a sword swipe until he finally expires. A Heart Container will lie in its place. Collect it to end the combat sequence. You will receive the only reward befitting your courage: the Pendant of Courage. Once you touch it, you will be transported to the outside of the Palace. Now you can visit with Sahasrahla and share your success with him.

One final visit
With pendant in hand, return to Sahasrahla to show him the Pendant. He will be so impressed with your accomplishment, that he will offer you a gift that will aid you in your pursuit of the two remaining pendants: the Pegasus Boots. With these special boots, you can execute a dashing attack that strikes objects with tremendous force. Sahasrahla suggests that your next destination may lie in the Desert of Mystery, but in order to get there you must pass through the Great Swamp. Along the way, there are a few detours to make...