Reassemble the Mirror of Twilight and travel to the Palace of Twilight. Recover both Sols, use their light to strengthen the Master Sword and defeat Zant.
Game version: The route and screenshots follow the GameCube version. The normal mode of Twilight Princess HD has the same orientation; on Wii and in HD Hero Mode, left/right and east/west are swapped. HD deviations are at the affected step.
East wing: key and the first Sol
From the forecourt, head east in the GameCube orientation. In the first room, defeating the floating Zant Mask unlocks a key chest. Block their projectiles with the shield, approach after the sequence of shots and strike with the sword. Then use the Double Clawshots to pull yourself to the raised targets and open the locked door.
In the next room the dark fog forces you into wolf form. Defeat the other mask with jump attacks while avoiding its projectiles. Then the chests with Compass and the next key appear. Get both and use the grapple points above the fog to reach the northern door.
In the back room, Phantom Zant blocks your access to the light ball. Don’t keep running after his teleport. When he stops and summons enemies, rush in and strike. You can eliminate the summoned bats with a spin attack before concentrating on the phantom again.
After the victory, hit the stone hand and take the first Sol. The light displaces the fog and reveals a depression in the ground. Put the ball in it, run up the stairs that appear and use the Double Clawshots to pull the Sol back to you. Go back through the door. The awakened hand follows you and tries to retrieve its ball.
In the middle room, use the floor depression again to build the path. First climb up yourself and then get the Sol with the hook. This means you don’t have to climb stairs while carrying the ball. If the hand comes too close, stop it briefly with hits. Once she has caught the Sol, attack in time before she returns all the way to the starting room.
Carry the ball outside through the first room and place it in one of the two recesses provided on the forecourt. You don’t have to force the niche with the Piece of Heart in the east wing on this escape. After strengthening the sword, you can remove her mist without any time pressure.
West Wing: bring back the second Sol
The light platform on the forecourt takes you to the other wing. In the first room, use the targets on the wall and ceiling and lower yourself onto a floating platform. Don’t jump any further until the next platform is close enough. Defeat the Zant Mask, get the key and open the next door.
In the large fog room you first clear the shadow beasts out of the way. Prevent a single animal from surviving and reviving the others: Prepare the group and kill the last enemies together with Midna’s energy field. Afterwards, defeat the Zant Masks. Use the targets to get to the upper niches and get the Dungeon Map and the key. In HD, the Zant stamp is also located in one of these niches.
A second fight against Phantom Zant awaits in the back room. Clear out his helpers and attack again while summoning. Then free the second Sol from your hand. Place it in the depression, walk up and drag it. The return path uses the same rooms, but the ball now activates the light paths hidden there.
In the large room, first place the Sol in the floor mechanism. Use the grab points to get to the bridge that has been created and then pick up the ball from there. Carry it further to the exit. In the front room, their light makes the dark crystal balls glow; New platforms are emerging alongside them. Wait for them to move and cross the gaps with the carried Sol.
Outside, place the second ball in the free recess. The light from the two solas is transferred to the Master Sword. It can now cut through the black mist and activate the crystal balls without carrying around Sol.
Obtain Both Pieces of Heart in front of the main tower
Return to the first room of the east wing. Cut the fog in front of the side alcove with the light-charged sword. The grab point above the niche takes you to the chest with Piece of Heart 44.
In the west wing you also clear away the fog in the front room. Activate the dark crystal with the sword and use the light platform that appears. Jump over to the raised alcove and open the chest with Piece of Heart 45. You can check off the individual finds and their pictures in the Heart Piece Checklist. Only then do you return to the forecourt and the previously blocked middle path.
light platforms and Big Key in the main tower
Eliminate the enemies in front of the middle entrance. A spin attack only cuts through the shadow curtain briefly; walk through immediately afterwards. In the following room you also clear the fog with your sword. Place the two balls in the floor recesses, climb the resulting stairs and activate the next crystal.
The light platform carries you to several Zant masks. With the reinforced sword you can defeat them much faster. Open the key chest that appears and stand between the three dark crystals. A spin attack activates them together and sets the next transport route in motion. Follow the platform to the locked door.
In the outside area you switch on more crystals. Defeat the masks that appear first in front of you and later at the entrance until the next key chest is released. Behind the wide shadow curtain lies the path to the Big Key. Cut through the curtain and use the targets to get to the upper alcove. Get the big chest before continuing the regular path.
In the next section you defeat the shadow beasts and activate the four crystals together. Ride the platform up. Plan transitions between moving platforms and grapple points from a safe position; a jump into the void takes more time than a full round of platforming. The masks on the way release the last key needed after they are defeated.
In front of the boss chamber, several waves of enemies follow in the fog. As a wolf, you can traverse the mist and use Midna’s energy field for the shadow beasts; as a human, the lightsaber clears open areas. Only when all waves have been defeated will access to Zant open. Use the Big Key there.
Zant: Forest Temple and tilting platform
In the first arena, Zant stands above the poison, out of reach. Dodge his projectiles and use the Gale Boomerang when he pauses. The wind draws him to you; strike with the sword while he is on the ground. After enough hits, the arena changes.
You put the Iron Boots on the tilting platform if Zant disturbs the balance with its jumps. Block the shots and wait for his sequence of shots to end. Take off your boots to run up and attack before he jumps away again. Stubbornly trotting behind him on the platform with your heavy boots shortens your attack time unnecessarily.
Zant: underwater masks and the columns
Underwater you wear Zora Armor and Iron Boots. A large mask opens and Zant shoots at you from it. Block the projectiles. As soon as he pauses, pull him out of the opening with the Clawshot and attack with the sword. Later, there are several masks around you; turn towards the open mask instead of continuing to aim at the closed one.
In the next Forest Temple arena, Zant jumps around between the pillars like Ook. Quickly roll twice into the pillar he’s standing on and attack him after he falls. Observe his nearest location while dodging his projectiles.
Zant: Ice room and final sword fight
In the ice room, Zant increases in size and tries to step on you. Run out of his shadow and hit his foot with the Ball and Chain. He shrinks and jumps around the arena. Chase him and attack with the sword while he is still small.
For the final duel you return to the sealed castle. Put on the normal hero robe so that you don’t unnecessarily suffer the disadvantages of the Zora Armor. Zant attacks with two swords and charges through the arena in a whirlwind. Keep your distance, block in time and wait until he stops exhausted after the series. Then you approach for a short sequence of swords and retreat before the next whirl.
Heart Container and the path to Ganondorf
After the victory, Midna gets the Fused Shadows back. Take the Heart Container in the arena and leave the shadow realm via the portal. All regular dungeon items are now available for a final round of collection.
If finds are still missing, connect Pieces of Heart, Poe Souls and Golden Bugs regionally. Fill up your bottles and supplies. The next main stage leads to Hyrule Castle with the four-part Ganondorf finale.
