How do you solve the riddle in the isle of the dead?

Answer 1

With the grappling hook and Bombchus, you should strongly consider going back through the floors from the beginning, seeing as you can use both to reach shortcut doors that can save you a lot of minutes by the time you reach the B6 checkpoint. Use the slingshot technique on the upper part of B3 to start off, and after that it should be pretty simple to figure out what you need to do on the remaining floors. Bombchus are used on B4 to slip through to the enclosed orb switches, for starters. The next two floors are straightforward. When you get to the red door on B6, draw the hourglass first and sneak through the door to grab another yellow jar for 30 seconds, then come back out of the red door and draw the triforce. This way you can get your time for the first six floors down to precisely 0:00!

You can also use Bombchus to cut some time in the B7/8/9 crystal-fetching run. But when you reach the end with all three of the shaped crystals, place them in a specific order this time: the square crystal first, followed by the round crystal and triangle crystal. When the door ahead opens and you step through, the room will shake. Something happened back outside, so go back down out the door to find that you're now on B10!

B10

Another new class of Phantom appears on B10: the teleporting variety. If you're spotted, the farthest one will pop up right next to you, so do be safe out there!

Start by pulling out a Bombchu and directing it down through the wall below, and ending at the orb switch at the northeast inside corner -- this lowers the spikes on the west side. Run over there, but stop at the boulder in the northwest corner. Stand behind it and grab on, then push it forward until it rolls down the hall and strikes the Phantom on that side, destroying it and revealing a small key. Run down past the spikes and grab the key, then continue down to the southwest corner.

Bring out another Bombchu and send it through the nearby hole, up to another orb right above -- spikes on the east side will be lowered. Run back up, this time heading for the northeast corner where another boulder is located. Hop on the pegs and use the grappling hook to get up to it, then push it down to destroy the second Phantom. You now have free reign of the floor! Continue back down to the south wall. A not-so-obvious patch of the wallis bombable, so blow it out and head inside. From here it's a fairly smooth run to the exit door.

B11

Maximize your safety by staying at the starting zone and getting rid of the nearby Phantom Eyes, then start exploring.

The goal here is to hit four step switches in each corner of the room. Start by heading to the southeast corner and hitting an orb switch there to extend a nearby bridge. Up in the northeast corner is a lever that will extend the second one. Another lever across the room in the northwest corner will extend another one. From there it's a matter of simply digging up the nearby thermal holes, floating up and running over to the switches. For the southern switches, use the grappling hook to get across to the southwest one. When all four step switches are activated, you can then head to the exit door.

B12

Like B3, you'll have to place three Force Gems in the center room. Pull the lever next to the entrance to get out of the center room, dispatch the nearby Phantom Eye, then make your way up to the northwest. A larger, open area has a chest along the north wall. Before opening it, though, grab the nearby red pot and toss it somewhere close to the chest, because as soon as you open the chest and grab the Gem, a Phantom appears right next to you, and will stay in that spot, scanning the area. Run to the minisafe zone left by the pot, and sneak by the Phantom as soon as he turns his back to you.

Place the Gem in the center, then go down. Avoid another (teleporting) Phantom, and look for the step switch to the left. This will lower the spikes below, giving you a nice shortcut back to the entrance. The Gem is on the Phantom, though, so stun it by shooting it in the back with an arrow, then quickly grabbing the Gem and taking it up to the center. You may have noticed that ghosts appear when you reveal a Gem, so watch out for them and strike when you spot them.

The third Gem is on the east side, obtained in the same way as the first one. The Phantom that appears is a red Swift one, so you'll have to be swift, too! But it's still pretty easy, and before long you'll be back to the center to place the Gem!

B13 is the last floor. Run to the center and grab the Northeastern Sea Chart from the big chest, then warp out and head back to Linebeck. Obviously, make your way to the northeastern quarter of the map. Only two charted islands are here, and the big one is blocked by a cyclone. Set a course for the smaller one in the corner. Start by heading into the nearby cave, where you can read the journals of an explorer trying to figure out the island's secrets. In the text, he mentions that there is treasure in the room, somewhere. After reading throught the books, go left and bomb the middle of the passage way at the top. This will open a cave with a black ruby maze. Navagate it carefully for a treasure map, and 3 other treasure chests of booty. Basically, you must find a way into the northern graveyard where the six sages lie. Beware the animated skeletons and Like-Likes baiting you with rupees, and head towards the temple in the northeast.

Inside are two stones with clues written on them. The one on the right reads "west 13 and north 7." What the heck does this mean, you wonder? Head back outside to find out. Go straight down to the southeast corner, where a lone tree stands. Look at the stone path leading to the tree -- this is what the clue pertains to. Start from the tree and walk west, counting 13 tiles. Stop on the 13th tile, then walk straight north 7 tiles. Stop at 7, and use the shovel to dig on the spot you're standing on. You'll reveal a hole leading underground.

Hop down into the underground passage, and bomb the wall directly in front of you. Inside is a room with scores of rupees, and another clue: "face west from the king's eye and shoot an arrow." Grab the treasure, exit the room, and continue through the passage, dodging the boulders and whacking the Keeses along the way.

At the end are stairs leading back outside -- onto the "roof" of the passage, where a chest holds a treasure map. This is the "eye" area of the map, so walk to the left edge and shoot an arrow at the orb switch across the way. Shooting it will lower the steel door that blocked you from the graveyard. So, just jump down and run over there!

Six of the headstones in the graveyard hold clues from the island sages; the rest are too worn to read. Check them all to get all of the clues pertaining to the rooms in the confusing temple, and note them down on the map. Actually, you only need the first five directions, as the sixth stone just tells you what's at the end. At any rate, head back to the temple when you're ready. Highlight this text for the Directions: North, East, East, North, North

In the temple, simply start running through the rooms according to the pattern you noted down from the graveyard. If done successfully, you'll end up in a small chamber with four columns and a pedestal at the end. Touch it to speak with the spirit of Brant. After speaking with him, he'll open the door up ahead. Exit to find yourself back outside, where a big treasure chest is just up ahead. Inside is the Regal Necklace, which is what you can use to get past the cyclone in front of the Isle of Ruins. You're done here, so backtrack to the ship and set sail for the Isle of Ruins! Well, doesn't this look big and confusing! To be honest, it's not as bad as it looks. You'll have to start by navigating the twisty mazelike walkways on the west side, but to get there, go through the cave up ahead. Halfway through you'll be ambushed by two of those nasty lizard-y warriors, so pull out the boomerang and get ready to whack 'em. Once they're gone, continue through the cave to get back outside.

Running along the narrow paths here is actually pretty easy, since there are plenty of gaps in between them that are small enough for you to jump over. The only real danger are more of those deceiving Like-Likes that pop from under the ground -- if you see rupees on the ground, send a boomerang over there first to trick the Like-Like. Just be careful and make it up to the northwest corner, where you can cross a bridge and get out of there.

Continue north up the hills, whacking more enemies and dodging more boulders, until you reach the small black temple in the corner. Inside is a pedestal containing the "third knight," Bremeur. There's also a giant gold pillar with a keyhole, but you'll take care of that later. Talk to Bremeur, who will refer you to Doylan, the second knight. Head back outside, where a bridge will extend nearby.

Take the bridge east towards the other small temple on the far end. Be careful not to fall back down to the boulders at first, and run across a couple more bridges before reaching the temple. Doylan's temple is a bit trickier to get through, as it has more rogue boulders rolling around, arrow shooters and even a trapdoor before the first staircase! It's still a short trip, though. Head up to the next floor and talk to Doylan's ghost, and he'll give you the King's Key; the item you need for that pedestal back at Bremeur's temple.

Retrace your steps back to Bremeur. Use the King's Key on the golden pillar to drain the excess water from the island. Now to head for the medium-sized temple to the south. Exit the Bremeur temple and hop right down to the boulder area. Make your way to the east until you reach a series of stationary boulders blocking your path. At least one is on a small hill, so run up to it and push it to the left so it rolls down the hill and busts the other boulder in its path.

Head down to the next section where there are a few skeletons and another boulder on a hill. Push it to the south so it breaks the boulder in front of the bridge below. Take the bridge down, and run up to the nearby step switch to extend another bridge that will give you a nice shortcut. Otherwise, run around the perimeter of the temple to the east side in order to reach the entrance.

Inside is the knight Max. He'll lower the steel door to the corridor that leads to the "Great Temple." But you'll have to figure out how to crack open the big red door to even access the corridor. The solution can be found back at the narrow-walkway area.

With the water drained, you can hop down and search out the stone tablets that give you the clues on how to draw the sacred symbol on the red door back at the corridor. Five tablets will give you the clues, while others won't tell you much. The correct tablets will give you the order and the directionwith which to draw your lines on the door. Note them down as you find them; they also follow the formation of the dots on the door if you need help looking for them.

If you'd rather bypass that, just highlight this text for the full solution: Start with the upper left dot then draw across to the right; then straight down; diagonally up to the middle; diagonally down to the lower left corner and back up to the start. The shape is basically a "W" with a line over the top of it.

Run back to the corridor and start to draw the symbol on the red door. You can now run through the corridor, but you'll again be ambushed by lizard thugs. Get rid of them to open up the steel door that will finally take you up to Mutoh's Temple. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The path diverges right at the start. First, do some scouting: take the east path -- slowly! Trap doors are near the beginning and end! And clear out the Keeses until you reach an impassable gap! Then run back down to the entrance and place a bomb next to the right-hand orb. Dash back to the gap -- faster, yes, but still being careful -- as once the orb switch activates, you have a very short amount of time to cross the bridge that extends over the gap. Alternatively, and much easier, stand close to the gap and send a bombchu back to trigger the switch.

Cross the bridge and curve down to find a step switch that opens the adjacent door for a shortcut back. Otherwise, continue up into an ambush room with skeletons. They're as easy to beat as they were on the Isle of Ruins, so wipe them out and another little bridge will extend up. Hit the step switch at the end. You may notice another one across the spikes. Surely you know what to do next.

Go back to the entrance and this time take the upper path. Again, do some scouting to get rid of the Keeses and learn where the traps are. The added wrinkle of the moving platform blocks in this section makes it a little bit harder to get through in time, so keep an eye on the map to try and nail down the timing. At any rate, use the same bomb technique on the orb and start making the run through. At the end is another ambush room and step switch. Both switches will lower the spikes and clear the path to the stairs.

B1

Huge and confusing map, huh? Not exactly. You'll come to this floor several times, and in different sections, so just take it as it comes. Start by turning right and defeating the skeleton, then down across the bone bridge in the water. The path will then lead to a staircase.

1F-2F

Avoid the turtles in the 1F hall and continue up. On 2F is a small maze dotted with rupees; some hiding Like-Likes. Use the boomerang to see what's what, and check the chest in the corner of the maze for a Ruto Crown treasure. Further down is a ledge where you can step up and drop down to find a rusted step switch and a staircase next to it.

3F-2F

Skeletons and Like-Likes will threaten you up here. Defeat all of them to reveal the big treasure: a hammer! Ciela holds it, so you can tap practically anywhere on the screen to slam it down. Once it's acquired, go back down the stairs to 2F and use the hammer to hit the rusted switch. The metal door opens, and beyond it is a metal plate with footprints on it. You may have seen a couple in the Temple of the Ocean King -- they're catapults that will shoot you up to the next level. Stand on the footprints and slam the hammer on the peg directly in front to get up to the next ledge. Do it with two more plates until you meet more turtles. Now you can damage the turtles by hitting them with the hammer to turn them over and then following with a sword strike. At any rate, jump down off the right-hand side of the ledge and back down the stairs.

1F-B1

Back on 1F, run to the next nearby rusted switch and slam it down to open another metal door blocking the stairs. You'll be back on B1, in the middle section. Follow the path left up to the two boulders. Push the higher one off towards the lower one to break it and continue up the bone bridge. A locked door is up ahead, so take the bone bridge leading left into another ambush room. Defeat two skeletons to open the door blocking the staircase.

B2

Hit the two rusted switches by the door to activate the spike roller, then sneak by it and continue down to the moving platform. Here, you'll have to hit the rusted switches on the side walls and get rid of the skeletons. Take care of the skeletons first by using arrows, then follow up with the hammer and hit the switches. Ride the second moving platform and, at the bottom end, hit one more switch to activate another spike roller so that you're not carried right into it. A treasure chest below has a Wisdom Source. Otherwise, continue up the small steps to the right and onto the next ledge. A small key is in the chest at the top, and nearby are stairs leading back up.

B1

The big door ahead takes you back where you were last time. Take the bone bridge up and unlock the wooden door. On the other side is a pyramid switch. Hit it and the water will drain from the floor. Jump down between the two bone bridges and continue left along the floor. Defeat the skeleton, then observe the set of red and blue tic-tac-toe tiles. You'll have to turn the blue Xs over to be all red Os. Easy enough: just pull out the hammer and hit the center X to turn them all over at once. This opens the metal door just below.

Run down to the small steps and up to the hammer plate. Use it to fling yourself up to the next ledge, then pull out the bow and shoot an arrow down to another pyramid switch to raise the water again. Now you can take the adjacent bone bridge down. Along the way you'll find another tic-tac-toe set. Once again you'll have to turn all the Xs over to Os, but it's a bit more difficult since the center tile is already turned. Note that you can flip just the one or two tiles on the diagonal edges by slamming the hammer outside of those tiles, so play around with them for a bit until just two diagonal Xs are left.

Completing the puzzle opens another metal door to the right. Run over to where it opened, but of course you'll be blocked by the railing. But you have a clear shot of the pyramid switch, so it with an arrow and bring the water back down. Then return to the floor to find a staircase in the floor leading down.

B2

You're getting so closer... and in this part of the room is another tile puzzle, with an extra row to deal with! We don't have a surefire way to beat this one; you'll have to continue to play around. Use the trick with diagonals we mentioned earlier and see if you can get the Os in an "L" shape around the edge, leaving just six Xs you can easily turn over with one hit.

Synchronizing the tiles extends a little bridge nearby, letting you access another staircase.

B1

Back upstairs, this time towards the southeast. Run to the right and you'll see a hammer plate, as well as a raised set of tiles arranged in a specific pattern. Copy it down, as you'll have to recreate it up above. Use the hammer plates to go up two ledges and, at the top ledge, stand on the gray tile and throw the boomerang across the gap at the arrow-direction switch to point it south. Fire an arrow to hit the pyramid switch at the bottom and raise the water once again.

Now walk over the bone bridge to the upper set of tiles, where you must recreate the pattern you saw below. Again, use the diagonals trick to fine-tune the flipping, and when the puzzle's completed, the metal door down by the hammer plates will open. Run across the bone bridge and hit the pyramid switch again, then jump down to the door.

Run through and head north to reach another part of the floor with more boulder play. Push the first boulder onto the adjacent hammer plate, then hit the plate to fling the boulder up. Do the same thing with yourself, then shove the boulder down the steps to break the second boulder. Then run straight to the right to find a chest with a small key. Go back up to the nearest hammer plate to send yourself up to the next ledge.

Don't go upstairs yet, though! Instead, run to the far right wall and look for the next wooden door to open with the key. Open it, then run back down to the floor. You'll find a boulder sitting on another hammer plate -- hit the plate to fling it up, then continue to do the same thing to yourself, "following" the boulder up the next few ledges. When it reaches the top, push it down the steps so it rolls into the boulder guarding the big chest with the -- yes! -- Boss Key! Go back down to the floor and head left towards the staircase leading down.

B2

You'll have to take the key on the nearby moving platform as you try and get past another skeleton gauntlet. Drop the key on the platform, then shoot as many skeletons as you can as the platform floats along to the boss door. Open the door, then fling yourself up to the boss chamber.

BOSS: Eox

Once again, like so many of the other bosses, this is a pretty obvious fight. However, nailing the timing is what's going to drag it out. Several hammer plates surround Eox, and you must launch yourself up and use the hammer again to constantly pound on the red stakes on Eox's body. Pounding them enough to break the stones around the stake, thereby breaking down Eox's body. Of course, once you touch down again, be careful of Eox pounding you with his fist.

To reach the rear stakes (especially the one on Eox's head), go ahead and roll between his legs to confuse him and to get some time to reach the top.

When all the stony parts of Eox are broken off, you'll have to continue hammering his body -- specifically, four buttons on his front. Hit them all at once and the body will finally collapse, leaving just the head. Eox's head will then start shooting arrows and quickly stomping towards you. Get the head near a hammer plate, then put yourself on it and launch yourself so that you land on the head, where you'll strike the jewel on top with your sword (or, to do even more damage, clonk the jewel with your hammer!). You'll likely be knocked off, so attempt to get up there again, and after a second session of slashing, Eox will vanish in a cloud of dust. Exit the arena via the hole in the floor to reach Mutoh's chamber. Talk to Mutoh's spirit to receive the Aquanine. Then, as always, warp out and run back to the ship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Zauz's Island - Sea Chart

Say "hi" to Zauz again, now that you have all three of the pure metals. He'll start to smith the magical blade. But he'll need some time, so you'll have to find something else to do.

Go back out to the ship and the mailman will arrive, with a special message from Jolene challenging you to a "revenge" battle. Talk to Linebeck, telling him you'll accept the challenge. Then shove off.

Now, find Jolene. If you're lucky, she'll be on the same part of the sea you're in, so simply draw a route until you get close enough for her to spot you and come after you. This climactic battle with Jolene can be beaten the same way as any other encounter with her, though this time she's quicker with her dash attacks. Therefore, stay at a distance from the beginning, and as always, strike her just after her dash attacks. You'll have to rub swords with her at least once, and then follow up with one more strike to defeat her.

Next, get Linebeck out of his hiding crate and then back onto the sea. Return to Zauz's Island and speak with him again. He will have now completed the magic blade, but it needs a handle first. Take the blade and go back to the ship. Return to Mercay.

Mercay Island

On Mercay, run all the way back to Oshus's house. Speak to him, and after studying the blade, Oshus will use the power of the Hourglass to create the handle for the blade, and give you the completed Phantom Sword. After some more chatting, it's time to head back to the Temple of the Ocean King to face the evil Bellum. You'll meet Linebeck on the way there, who has one more inspirational message for you.

Temple of the Ocean King

Once again, you'll have to contend with the basement floors, and even deal with the annoying B7/B8 fetch quest. But it's not that bad, as the Phantom Sword will let you strike the Phantoms from the rear, destroying them in one hit! This should make things go even smoother, and if you defeat all the Phantoms on a floor, a small treasure chest will usually appear.

Other than that, follow the process from the last Temple visit. On B9, use the special crystal placement pattern to reach B10, then continue the same as before. (Now that you have the hammer, you can take the second exit door on B11 for a quick shortcut to the middle of B12 using the hammer plates.)

B13

B13 has an added twist this time: you'll have to defeat all three classes of Phantom in groups of three. Make things more doable by running to the right and grabbing the red pot, then tossing it down somewhere below so you have a quickly, reachable safe zone. Alert the Phantoms, run to the zone, then strike them when they turn their backs. When all nine Phantoms are gone, the large door in the center opens.

The door leads to the bridge that will take you into Bellum's chamber. You can get one last warp point here if you want to refresh your health or to buy potions (a very good idea, by the way). At any rate, save the game and head up the big stairs inside.

BOSS: Bellum (I)

So Bellum isn't exactly an evil magician or thief -- nor human -- but he's still powerful. As soon as the fight starts, pull out the grappling hook and start pulling at the purple growthsaround Bellum's body. Be careful for the ones that splash next to you and turn into slime creatures; use a spin slash to get rid of them quickly. With all the bits pulled off, latch onto Bellum himself to drag him towards you, then start stabbing him. Eventually your attacks will push him across the pool, so quickly run over to the other side and keep up the offensive.

After that, Bellum will burst out of the water and fly up to the next level. Take the stairs by the wall and run up there. Now you'll have to avoid the slime creature minions, while also avoiding Bellum's tentacles slapping you, with the aim of striking the tentacles with arrows. Shoot all the tentacles until the eye on each one turns purple. Once that happens, Bellum will drop back down into the pool, where you must yank off all the purple bits again and strike Bellum as you pull him in.

Bellum will fly up again, so run back up. The tentacles are smarter this time, periodically closing their eyes and making it harder for you to strike them, as you'll still be contending with the slime creatures and more slapdowns from Bellum. The best advice is to be patient.

After all the tentacles are struck this time, Bellum will fly up to the next highest level, so take the stairs again. The tentacles will close their eyes even faster this time, so you'll just have to be extra patient. Worrying about the slime creatures should always be priority number one, as they move swift and can hurt you more than a tentacle slap.

Finally, after the last tentacle is struck, Bellum will expel a ball of energy and plummet once more to the bottom. The energy gives Ciela a new power of stopping time. Run back down to the ground floor to find Bellum floating around the outside of the pool, intending to ram into you. As Ciela explains, once you see the hourglass icon appear at the bottom of the screen, touch it and draw a figure eight to stop time. Do it at the right time just as Bellum gets close to you so you have a clear shot at his big eye, then with time frozen, start striking. Get out of the way just before the timer ends so you're not hit, then wait for Ciela to charge up her power again. After one or two more strike sessions, Bellum will spaz out and plummet into the pool. Is he dead? Who cares, the place is caving in! A warp sends you back to Linebeck's ship, where Tetra will be restored from her stony state. But then a tentacle from Bellum takes her again! This isn't over!

BOSS: Bellum (II)

This time Bellum will have taken control of the Ghost Ship. Linebeck's ship will chase after him, and it's up to you to attack. Whatever you do, do not let up on the fire. You should be attacking the purple spores on the side of the ship, but whenever you see a bright purple ball or two headed towards you, shift your fire on it, as it hits pretty hard.

That's just about the crux of this fight -- keep up a good shooting rhythm so you're not panicking when a purple shot is closing in. After being cleared of Bellum's spores, the Ghost Ship will sink. Linebeck will steer you up to the deck to finish Bellum off, with one last offer to save your game. Sure, why not? A cut-scene will set up the final battle: Bellum takes control of Linebeck and puts him in a big nasty suit of armor.

BOSS: Bellum (III)

Run around the deck avoiding Bellum until Ciela's ready with her time-stopping power. Use it and watch what happens: nothing. Ciela then moves to Bellum's back, but is caught by a tentacle. But this way, she can give you a view of the back, which shows Bellum's giant eye opening and closing periodically.

Strike at Bellum until you end up pushing swords together. Win the struggle, then strike again to stagger him. Ciela will give you another ball of hourglass power. Watch the top screen and wait for Bellum's eye to open (also signified by a distinct sound effect, in case you're better off concentrating on the bottom). At that point, stop time and run around to the back and strike at the eyeuntil the timer runs out.

Now you'll have stagger Bellum again by getting him close to the edge of the deck. If you strike at him three times as he's blocking, he'll quickly sidestep and try to counterattack. The trick is that he usually steps to the left first, so what you should do is strike three times, then immediately run to the right a few steps to Dodge him, then continue the pattern. Push him ever so slightly towards the edge until you end up in a sword struggle again, strike, stagger him and get another bit of Ciela's power. Then wait for the eye to open, and take your opportunity.

Towards the end, Bellum will get aggravated and try a whirlwind attack that has him spinning around the deck. If you stay at a distance you can avoid it incredibly easily, and more often than not Bellum will end up right near the edge again, giving you a great chance for another stagger. A few more sets of strikes to the eye, and Bellum will finally collapse and disappear into a cloud of dust. And then, finally, the game will come to an end. Linebeck is saved! Tetra is saved! All the people of the island are saved, and Link has yet another quest completed. Congrats! source: www.MyCheats.1up.com/