Board the Sandship and defeat Scervo to obtain the Bow. Use the mast’s Timeshift Stone to restore power, rescue Skipper’s crew and collect the Squid Carving before fighting Tentalus.
Enter the Sandship
After boarding you land on the main deck of the huge galleon. Many ladders and access points are currently unusable, which is why there is initially only one sensible way. Go to the western or front structure of the ship and through the door there. Inside you will immediately find a bird statue. Activate it, because especially during the first exploration of the Sandship you will switch between the deck and the basement several times.
A locked door leads outside to the bow, but cannot be opened yet. So take the stairs down. The entire area appears completely deserted. There is sand on the floor and minighads are crawling out of some piles. Eliminate the small scorpions and look for several sky butterflies in the northern area.
First Goddess Wall on the Sandship
The striking collection of blue butterflies reveals a hidden Goddess Wall. Stand in front of it and play a few notes on the Goddess’s Harp. The glowing wall then appears out of nowhere. Load your sword with a Skyward Strike and draw a desired symbol into it. A heart can generate healing, a circle can generate bombs and a Rupee symbol can generate additional money. Which reward you choose does not matter for 100% progress.
Then follow the southern narrow corridor and go through the door there. In the next room there is a large quicksand hole in the middle in which a Blitzkoppa makes its rounds. A thunder flower or a deliberately thrown bomb easily kills him. Then sprint across the quicksand and follow the only open passage.
At the end a staircase leads one floor down. Numerous Minighads are waiting there in a narrow corridor. Work your way through the small enemies and keep going until you are in front of the big boss door of the Sandship. To the right or in the immediate vicinity is another bird statue. You can also see several Treasure Chests behind a grid. They belong to the ship’s treasury, but are currently inaccessible. We’ll come back here in full later.
The puzzle with the four symbols
There is currently only one path leading from the area in front of the boss door. Follow the northeast hallway and go through the door. You reach a large room, the floor of which is almost completely hidden under sand. There is also an unusual sealed door with four strikes on one wall.
Take the Gust Bellows and remove the sand thoroughly. Four symbols appear among the deposits. Each symbol has a different number of red markings, which also tells you the order. The decisive factor is the position of the red or illuminated area within the respective symbol.
These four floor drawings result in the combination Bottom – Top – Bottom – Right. Stand in front of the locked door and execute your sword strikes in exactly this order. After the fourth correct hit, the seal disappears.
Treasure Chest 1 – Small Key
Behind the just opened door there is only a single Treasure Chest. Open it and you will get a Small Key. There are currently no other options in this area.
Therefore, return all the way through the lower decks until you reach the first interior space directly below the main deck. With the Small Key you can now open the previously closed door to the bow.
Miniboss: Scervo
The miniboss Scervo Drahtbart is waiting on the bow of the Sandship. The huge robot pirate fights on an extremely narrow bridge. Behind Link is a spiked barrier, while Wirebeard blocks the front area. The goal isn’t just to damage him: you have to push him back step by step towards the back of the bow.
Watch his defense closely. Wirebeard holds his sword and shield in such a way that certain directions of blow are blocked. Therefore, attack consistently from the open direction. Quick stabs are particularly useful as soon as the middle of his body is unprotected. If he blocks an attack, he counters immediately. Therefore, move away immediately or execute a well-timed Shield Bash to parry his counterattack.
After several hits, Wirebeard staggers backwards. Push him back until he hits the end of the bridge. A short sequence begins and the available battle space becomes smaller. Repeat the principle. As the game progresses, Wirebeard loses some of his weapons, but at the same time becomes more aggressive. Especially in the last phase you shouldn’t strike hectically, because on the shortened walkway Link can quickly be pushed against the spiked barrier.
After the third successful push back, Drahtbart finally loses his balance and falls off the ship.
Treasure Chest 2 – the Bow
After Wirebeard’s defeat, a large Treasure Chest appears on the bow. Inside is the Bow. It is required for almost all of the following puzzles in the Sandship and is then permanently part of Link’s equipment.
In contrast to the Slingshot, the bow has a very long range and can hit distant switches precisely. If you hold the shot longer, the arrow will be fully charged. The normal quiver initially holds 20 arrows. After completing the Sandship, you can buy an additional small quiver in the bazaar and upgrade the bow from Gondo to the Iron Bow and finally to the Sacred Bow. You can find all the materials you need in our guide to the upgrades at Tinkerer Gondo.
Difference in Skyward Sword HD: With motion control, you aim with the Joy-Con in a similar way to the Wii Remote in the original. With button control, the bow is aligned using the analog stick. Stick control is a little quieter for many players, especially with very small and far away switches.
Activate the Timeshift Stone on the main mast
Return to the main deck. Fi draws your attention to a mechanism located high up on the main mast. Find the blue Eye Switch and shoot it with the new bow. A Timeshift Stone then moves out of its anchorage at the top of the mast.
Shoot a second arrow directly at the Crystal Ball. Within a few moments the entire ship transforms. The decayed wooden parts are restored, the sails appear, machines start working and numerous Bokoblins awaken. The Sandship is now back in its past within the area of effect.
A Bokoblin on the mast reacts immediately and activates a mechanism through which a metal grid moves around the Timeshift Stone. As long as the Crystal Ball is protected, you can no longer shoot it from the deck. First, eliminate all the Bokoblin archers that you can reach with the Bow. A fully cocked arrow is enough against many of the opponents.
Climb the main mast
Then climb up the long ladder on the central mast. From the upper platforms you have an excellent view of the entire galleon. Take out any archers that are still visible before heading down the narrow rope paths.
The movable holding device is initially missing from the first tensioned rope. View of the opposite mast. There is a blue Eye Switch. Hit him with an arrow and the winch will move to you. Hang on to it and let Link automatically slide over the rope.
Repeat the principle on the next platform. First eliminate the Bokoblin and then hit the next removed Eye Switch. The second winch takes you even higher to the upper area of the main mast.
The Bokoblin, which has activated the protection of the Timeshift Stone, is waiting here. Defeat him and then examine the mechanical switch. Push your sword into it and turn the mechanism. The grid around the Timeshift Stone moves back again. At the same time, further entrances to the ship will be released.
Piece of Heart on the Sandship
Before you go back below deck, we’ll get the only regular Piece of Heart the Sandship. This is one of the dungeon’s most important optional detours, and it’s easy to miss because the route doesn’t automatically bypass it.
Go to the north or rear side of the high mast and shoot the Eye Switch of the winch there with your bow. Ride the taut rope to the rear mast. From there you let yourself fall in a controlled manner onto the deeper platform at the rear. If necessary, open the Sailcloth so that Link does not take any damage.
Take a close look around the stern. There is a gripping point on a mast further out. Pull yourself over with the Clawshots. There are further anchor points below. Use it to work your way down, step by step, until you land on a hidden platform.
Treasure Chest 3 – Piece of Heart
There is a blue Treasure Chest on the lowest platform. Open it and you will get the Piece of Heart the Sandship. If this is your fourth fragment since the last complete Heart Container, Link’s health immediately increases by one more heart.
Before you leave the area, look for sky butterflies. There is also a hidden Goddess Wall here.
Second Goddess Wall at the stern
Play near the Blessed Butterfly on the Lyra. A second Goddess Wall appears. Like the first wall, you can use a charged sword to draw a symbol into it and get additional hearts, bombs or Rupees.
The wall is not a limited collectible and does not change your 100% counter. Since it is located directly at the only Piece of Heart in the dungeon, it still belongs in a complete exploration route.
Then pull yourself up again with the Clawshots and return to the main deck.
Activate the dinghy as a shortcut
On the northern side of the galleon, a small dinghy hangs from a pulley. Above the mechanism is a blue Eye Switch. Shoot it so the boat goes down. We don’t need it at the moment, but soon it will provide a very practical shortcut between the main deck and the lower areas.
Now go back through the western door and back below deck. Our next target is the Dungeon Map.
Restore the present in a targeted manner
Work your way through the familiar rooms to the large area that has a quicksand hole in the present. Several Teknobokblins have patrolled here in the past. Defeat them and go into the small northwest side room.
Fi points out the light coming through an opening in the ceiling. From here you can actually see all the way to the Timeshift Stone on the main mast. Take the Bow and shoot through the opening at the Crystal Ball.
The Sandship returns to the present. This means that several technical barriers disappear and the room layout changes.
Treasure Chest 4 – Dungeon Map
Go into the next room. A previously unreachable large Treasure Chest is now accessible there. Open it and you will get the Dungeon Map the Sandship.
The map is particularly helpful because several rooms behave differently depending on the condition of the Timeshift Stone. You can also now clearly see the engine rooms, the treasury, the dungeon and the later important captain’s cabin.
Then pull the lever in this room. The nearby grid lowers and saves you unnecessary detours when switching between past and present.
Hit the hidden switch behind the propeller
Cross the large room again. Since the ship is currently in the present, an old propeller is standing still on the wall. Just behind it you can see a blue Eye Switch. Position yourself so that you can shoot between the propeller blades and hit the switch with an arrow. A nearby door opens.
Several Thunder Flutters are waiting in the next room. Eliminate them first. A large metal box blocks the line of sight from another propeller. Push the box aside and then stand on the Floor Switch at the eastern end of the room.
As long as Link is on the plate, another Eye Switch will appear behind the propeller. Don’t leave the Floor Switch, but take the bow from your current position and shoot through the opening. The hit unlocks the next room.
Switch on the first power generator
Return to the room with the Dungeon Map and shoot the Timeshift Stone again through the familiar opening. The ship switches back to the past and all technical systems are activated again.
Go into the hallway with the cubicles. Behind one of the opened doors there is a Teknoboklin. Defeat him and then examine the large generator on the back wall. Push your sword into the opening, turn the mechanism and then push it in.
The first power generator is now activated. However, to free Skipper’s team we need a second one.
Make the second generator accessible
Leave the room and go to the next cabin. Two Teknoboklins guard the area. After the fight you will find a metal chest and a Floor Switch. Push the box so that the corresponding mechanism is activated or access to the embrasures is prepared.
Through the opened embrasures we can later access Eye Switch from outside the ship. It is precisely this change between interior, dinghy and Timeshift Stone that forms the central puzzle of the Sandship.
Also open all accessible shortcuts with the wall levers. You will pass through this corridor several more times.
With the dinghy to the outside of the ship
Return to the main deck. If you followed our earlier advice, the small dinghy is already hanging on the lower level. Now deactivate the Timeshift Stone so that the Sandship switches back to the present.
Get into the dinghy on the north side of the ship. Shoot the pulley’s Eye Switch. The boat goes down the outside wall. You can get out at the level of the previously opened embrasures or get into the ship’s hull through one of the openings.
Go through the western door and aim your bow up or out through the opening. From this position you can hit the Timeshift Stone again. Activate it. The room transforms and the second power generator works again.
Go to the mechanism and activate it in the same way as the first one: insert the sword, turn it and push it in. This supplies both generators with energy.
Through the engine room
Pull the lever to open the next door and go to the adjacent area. Thanks to the two active generators, the engine room is now running at full power. Large pistons or platforms move up and down regularly and can crush Link between the floor and ceiling.
Watch the rhythm carefully and only sprint through it during the safe intervals. After the first section you will reach a ladder. Climb up and use the whip to swing yourself over the abyss on the far hook.
Don’t jump to the obvious platform right away, though. Pause for a moment and look to the right. There is a small niche with a ladder. This is exactly where the ship’s large optional treasury lies.
Completely empty the treasury
Jump into the alcove and climb the ladder. You get to the room whose chests you could already see behind a grille when you first went to the boss door. In total there are five fixed Treasure Chests.
Open each one. The full loot consists of two Monster Horns, two Silver Rupees worth a total of 200 Rupees and one Evil Crystal. The treasury has now been completely looted. This exact division is summarized in the ancient text only as “three treasures and 200 Rupees.” However, the five chests individually count towards the fixed Treasure Chests of the Sandship.
Monster Horns and Evil Crystals are required for several high-value item upgrades. If you want to completely upgrade Link’s equipment later, it’s worth taking a look at our upgrade guide for Gondo.
Free Skipper’s team from the dungeon
Climb back down from the treasure room and swing over the abyss with the whip. In the next section of the machine you have to get the right moment between the large pistons again. Sprint through and climb the ladder at the other end.
Now you not only use the whip to swing across a gap, but also jump directly onto one of the moving machine platforms. Let it carry you up or to the opposite side and pull the lever there. This creates a permanent shortcut to the outside.
Then crawl through the small opening. You end up directly at the WR-301 prison. Pull the lever there and the bars move up. Skipper’s team is finally free.
Talk to the robots. One of them gives Link a Small Key for the locked cabin on the main deck. Unlike the first Small Key, this one does not come from a Treasure Chest, but is presented directly by the liberated team.
Open the captain’s cabin
Now return to the main deck using the shortcuts or the dinghy. Before you open the locked door on the east side, deactivate the Timeshift Stone. For the following puzzle, the Sandship must first be in the present.
Use the key on the eastern door and go down the stairs. You will reach a room with a bird statue and two possible paths, only one of which is initially accessible.
Follow the open hallway and look up in the next room. Through an opening you can see the Timeshift Stone on the mast again. Shoot an arrow at it and send the ship back in time.
Three Beamos in front of the Big Key
Immediately after activating the past, a Beamos awakens next to Link. With the Bow you now have the most convenient weapon against these machines. Aim directly at the black eye and shoot a fully cocked arrow into it. This can often save you from having to cut up the individual body segments earlier.
Then go to the Floor Switch in the northern part of the room. A Eye Switch becomes visible. Stand on the plate and hit him with an arrow. The southern door opens.
In the room behind three Beamos are waiting. Stay at the entrance and take them out one at a time with the bow if possible. As soon as all three machines are destroyed, the grid in front of the large Treasure Chest disappears.
Treasure Chest 10 – Squid Carving
Open the large chest. Inside lies the Squid Carving, the Great Key of the Sandship. Its shape is already clearly reminiscent of the creature we will fight a little later.
With this chest you have opened all ten fixed Treasure Chests of the Sandship: the first Small Key, the Bow, the Piece of Heart, the Dungeon Map, the five chests of the Treasury and the Squid Carving. A Goddess Cube does not exist on the Sandship.
Insert the Squid Carving
Now return through the familiar corridors to the area in front of the boss door. If necessary, activate the bird statue along the way and refill your hearts. It is particularly important to have a sufficient supply of arrows. You absolutely need the bow for the upcoming boss. Arrows can be supplied during the fight, but a full quiver is still much more comfortable.
Go to the big door and use the Squid Carving. As with the previous large keys, the object must be rotated three-dimensionally until its shape fits exactly into the lock.
Difference in Skyward Sword HD: In the Wii version or with motion control, you turn the key by moving the controller. With button control, you do the alignment with the analog sticks.
Tentalus attacks the Sandship
At first there doesn’t seem to be a classic boss room waiting behind the boss door. Instead, huge tentacles suddenly burst through the ship’s hull. Fi detects an enormously large creature outside the galleon. The entire hull begins to tilt and water enters.
You need to get back to the main deck as quickly as possible. However, the normal path is blocked several times by huge tentacles. Normal sword blows are not enough against their thick skin.
Hold the white or current sword up and load a Skyward Strike. Then perform a blow that is as horizontal as possible through the tentacle. The reinforced Skyward Strike completely separates it and opens the way.
Work your way up room by room. Meanwhile, the galleon tilts more and more, objects slide through the corridors and more tentacles break through walls and ceilings. Still, take a moment for each Skyward Strike, because uncontrolled normal attacks won’t get you anywhere.
Boss: Tentalus – first phase
As soon as you reach the deck, the real attacker appears: the Ancient Sea Gray Tentalus. In international versions the boss is called Tentalus. The battle consists of two clearly separated phases and combines sky rays with the bow just found on the galleon.
At the beginning, Tentalus stays mostly under the ship. Several massive tentacles break through the wooden boards and try to grab Link. If possible, charge your sword while you are moving. As soon as a tentacle appears, align yourself with it and send a horizontal or slightly diagonal Skyward Strike through it. If you are in a good position, you can even hit multiple tentacles with a single attack.
If a tentacle grabs you, free yourself immediately with quick movements or the appropriate input of the button control. If you lose too much time, the monster will throw Link across the deck and cause damage.
After you have severed several tentacles, Tentalus himself will appear next to the ship. Now the new Bow is crucial. The huge red eye on its head is the only vulnerable spot. Take the bow, aim as calmly as possible and shoot an arrow straight into it.
The hit stuns Tentalus and his head falls to the deck. Immediately run to the eye and attack it with as many sword strikes as possible. As soon as the monster stands up again, you retreat and the process begins again.
Repeat the pattern: cut the tentacles with sky rays, hit the eye with an arrow and then attack the weak spot with the sword. With each repetition, more tentacles appear at the same time and the time window for a safe bow shot becomes slightly smaller.
Refill arrows during boss fight
If you run out of arrows, the fight is not lost. Some of the smaller tentacles or hair-like appendages leave behind new arrows after they are cut off. Destructible objects on the deck can also contain supplies.
Still try not to fire your shots frantically. Tentalus’ eye is very large and a fully aimed hit is more reliable than several hasty arrows. In Skyward Sword HD, the button controls can make precise aiming a little easier, but the actual combat flow has not been changed.
Tentalus destroys the deck
After several successful hits, Tentalus finally loses his temper. The monster hits the galleon massively and a large part of the main deck falls apart. A heavy wooden box falls to the lower level and forms an improvised step.
Run to the box and climb over it to the higher rear area. During the ascent, several barrels roll over the sloping deck. Dodge sideways and don’t stop directly in the line of their fall.
Once at the top, the second phase of the boss fight begins.
Tentalus – second phase of combat
Tentalus now remains permanently with his head over the side of the ship. Its hair-like tentacles transform into numerous snake-like creatures with gaping mouths. They pounce on Link one after the other, making a direct bow shot to the eye difficult at first.
Ready the sword and repel the attacking tentacles. Normal horizontal or diagonal slashes will suffice this time. Don’t try to completely eliminate every single tentacle. Your goal is simply to gain a clear line of sight on Tentalus’ eye for a few seconds.
As soon as the stream of attacks subsides briefly, you immediately draw your bow and shoot an arrow into the eye. The boss sinks forward again. Run to the weak spot and hit it as often as possible.
After a short time, Tentalus stands up again and the snake-like tentacles start again. Eliminate the front attackers, wait for a gap, hit the eye with the bow and then attack it with the sword.
After several successful runs, the Ancient Sea Horror finally collapses and sinks into the sea of sand.
Collect the Heart Container after Tentalus
After Tentalus’ defeat, a complete Heart Container appears as usual. Be sure to collect it. This Heart Container is independent of the regular Piece of Heart on the Sandship and permanently increases Link’s maximum health by another heart.
If you followed our route, you now have both the hidden Piece of Heart on the tail and the full Heart Container of the dungeon boss.
Nayru’s Flame
After the boss fight, an altar with the familiar bird symbol appears on the destroyed deck. Stand in front of it, hold your Goddess Longsword up and charge a full Skyward Strike. Then hit the coat of arms.
The second holy flame appears: Nayru’s Flame. Fi absorbs her energy and transfers it to Link’s sword. The blade is visibly strengthened again. The goddess’s long sword becomes the White Goddess Sword. At the same time, the Triforce of Wisdom appears on Link’s hand.
Nayru’s Flame also improves the Dowsing. Link can now register and track significantly more different targets at the same time. The Sandship was specifically designed to protect this sacred flame.
Improve Bow after the Sandship
The Bow is not only the central item of the Sandship, but is also one of the strongest ranged weapons in the rest of the game. As soon as you are back in Skyloft, Gondo can first improve it to the Iron Bow and later to the Holy Bow. For this you need, among other things, Tumbleweed, monster claws, Eldin ore, Evil Crystals, lizard tails and a Goddess Plume.
If you followed our route, you already own a large portion of these materials. That’s why we didn’t leave out the Evil Crystal from the treasury of the Sandship. You can find the full costs and where to find them in our guide to upgrading Gondo.
The small quiver is also available from the equipment dealer in the bazaar. It occupies a place in the Adventure Pouch and initially increases your arrow supply by five. The quiver can also be further improved later. Whether you buy it immediately depends on your free bag space; the item is not missable.
Go to Isle of Songs
After Nayru’s Flame, Fi again points to the Isle of Songs within the large Thunderhead. There the clue to the third and final sacred flame awaits. For Link, this means another divine test and then a journey to the volcanic summit of the Eldin area.
Before we finally move towards the volcano, we will use the next stay in Skyloft for all the 100% activities that are now available. These include improvements to the new bow, additional Side Quests and already activated Goddess Chests. If you want to optimize your medals, you can find all Locations and effects in our guide to all medals in Skyward Sword.
Then we continue via the Isle of Songs and Dins Silent Realm to the Volcano Summit, where the third holy flame is waiting for Link.