Palace of Darkness Walkthrough A Link to the Past
Sahasrahla’s first goal for Link in the Dark World. The palace is a step up in danger, with Blade Traps, Medusa statues and mimicking Goriyas, and plenty of locked doors and small keys.
- World
- Dark World
- Dungeon
- Crystal dungeon 1
- Treasure
Magic Hammer- Boss
- Helmasaur King
- Prev / next
- Hyrule Castle Tower · Swamp Palace
At a glance
- Location
- East of the Dark World, where the Eastern Palace stands in the Light World, behind a hedge maze.
- How to get in
- In the hedge maze, pay Kiki the monkey 10 Rupees to follow you, then 100 more at the palace so he hits the switch that opens the door.
- Bring
Moon Pearl 
Lamp 
Bow- Big chest
- Magic Hammer
- Reward
- Crystal (first maiden) + Heart Container
Palace of Darkness route, step by step
- Get Kiki to open the entrance and head inside.
- Push the movable statues and use the jump ledges to get around.
- Gather small keys from the chests to open the many locked doors.
- Light the dark rooms with the Lamp.
- Find the Big Key and open the big chest for the Magic Hammer.
- Pound Moles and flip Terrorpins with the Hammer to clear the way to the boss.
- Open the boss door and defeat the Helmasaur King.
Key chests
| Contents | Where |
|---|---|
| Magic Hammer | Big chest |
Enemies in Palace of Darkness
Tips
- If Kiki gets hurt by an enemy while following you, he runs back to the maze and wants another 10 Rupees.
- Goriyas copy your movements in reverse; line up carefully before striking.
- Terrorpins can’t be hurt until you flip them with the Hammer.
- Bring Bombs for the Helmasaur King: they crack his mask from a safe distance.
Boss: Helmasaur King
- Weak to
- Magic Hammer or Bombs on the mask, then sword or arrows on the gem
Break the armoured mask first with the Magic Hammer or Bombs. Once it shatters, hit the green gem on its forehead with the sword or arrows. Stay at right angles to its fireballs, which split diagonally, and keep out of reach of its swinging tail.
FAQ
How do you get into the Palace of Darkness?
Pay Kiki the monkey 10 Rupees in the hedge maze, then 100 Rupees at the door. He jumps up and hits the switch that opens it.
How do you beat the Helmasaur King?
Break his mask with the Magic Hammer or Bombs, then attack the green gem on his forehead with the sword or arrows.
Which Dark World dungeon should I do first?
The Palace of Darkness — Sahasrahla points you there, and its Magic Hammer opens up much of the Dark World.
Sources & picture credits
- Palace of Darkness (Zeldapedia)
- Magic Hammer (Zeldapedia)
- Helmasaur King (Zeldapedia)
- Picture: Palace_of_Darkness_ALttP.png
Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against Zeldapedia. Screenshots, sprites and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Zeldapedia file pages (listed on the image gallery).