Speak to Auru at Lake Hylia and take his memo to Fyer to reach Gerudo Desert. Recover the missing Bridge of Eldin section, explore the Bulblin camp and defeat King Bulblin before entering Arbiter’s Grounds.
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.
Requirements for the Gerudo Desert
If you followed our Twilight Princess walkthrough, you come from the section about the Master Sword. For the Gerudo Desert you should have the Clawshot, the Hero’s Bow, bombs or bomb arrows, the Iron Boots, the lamp and of course the Master Sword. The ability to freely transform into Wolf-Link is particularly important, as numerous Poe Souls and hidden caves can only be discovered with his intuition.
The Hawkeye from Kakariko is not absolutely necessary for the later bulblin camp, but makes the section much more pleasant. With the combination of bow and hawkeye you can take out guards on the lookout towers before they raise the alarm. You should also have some bombs ready, as we have to blow up rocks in a hidden cave.
Collect the Available Rewards before Gerudo Desert
After obtaining the Master Sword, we could theoretically follow the main storyline directly. However, this would be a bad time for a 100% score, because several useful improvements can now be achieved within relatively short distances and will help us immediately in the Gerudo Desert and in the subsequent Arbiter’s Grounds. If you have already completed some of these tasks in the previous chapter, you can of course skip the corresponding section.
Catch up on Poe Souls and lamp cave on Lake Hylia
Should you be around the Lake Hylia If there are still ghosts missing, now is a good time to catch up. Since Link can now freely transform into a wolf, you no longer have to rely on shadow areas. However, several ghosts continue to appear exclusively at night. You’ll find one on a headland on the bank, another on the grassy ledges on the south bank and one at the base of the high observation tower. Activate Wolf-Link’s sense during each battle, wait for the visible spirit to attack, and snatch his soul after victory.
There is also a larger, dark cave in the immediate vicinity, for which you should plan enough lamp oil. Several more Poe Souls are waiting in their labyrinth and at the end there is a Piece of Heart. If you have skipped this cave so far, you should complete it completely now. The collected souls count for Giovannis Side Quest; You can also find all Locations in our overview of the Poe Souls.
Activate
howling stone on Lake Hylia – preparation for Mortal Draw
Before you leave the observation tower at Lake Hylia, you should definitely activate the Howling Stone on the nearby cliff. Climb the ladder or up the path, transform into Wolf-Link and stand in front of the stone. Repeat the given melody correctly. After the subsequent encounter with the White Wolf, a new meeting point will be marked on your map.
We can only reach this meeting point in the Gerudo desert. If you miss the Howling Stone now, the Golden Wolf will not appear there later and you would have to return to Lake Hylia. We avoid exactly such unnecessary routes in this 100% route.
Important: The Howling Stone itself does not give you the new technology. He is simply preparing the encounter with the Golden Wolf in the Gerudo Desert. There we will later learn Mortal Draw.
Helm Splitter at the Golden Wolf south of Castle Town
If the Golden Wolf from the previous lesson is still waiting for you south of Castle Town, visit him before you leave too. The warrior teaches you the Helm Splitter. To do this, you first have to execute the shield attack correctly and then jump over the opponent to hit him from behind or above.
This technique is extremely useful in the upcoming Bulblin camp, as several opponents defend strongly from the front. Especially against King Bulblin, you can quickly get behind his cover with shield attacks and helmet splitters.
STAR Challenge: Large arrow quiver for 60 arrows
A visit to the circus tent in Castle Town is also worth it. In the STAR Challenge you have to move through the course with the Clawshot and collect the shining stars within the time limit. If you complete the first challenge, you will receive the Large Arrow Quiver, which will allow Link to carry up to 60 arrows in the future.
This upgrade is particularly practical for the Gerudo Desert. In the Bulblin camp we can take out a lot of guards from a long distance, and with Hawkeye plus a large arrow supply you hardly have to save any ammo.
New Upgrade: Large Arrow Quiver
Link can now carry up to 60 arrows. This is a very pleasant improvement, especially for the sniping approach in the Bulblin camp.
Optional: Prepare Malo Market and Magic Armor
If you have enough Rupees and have not yet completed the corresponding Side Quest, you can also promote the expansion of the Malo market. After the necessary donation to repair the bridge, the path between Castle Town and Eldin will be reopened. A Goron then asks to bring hot spring water to his exhausted comrade. If you make the delivery on time, you will receive another Piece of Heart.
After another much smaller donation, the Malo Market finally opens a branch in Castle Town. There the Magic Armor is offered significantly cheaper than before. We don’t need it for the Gerudo desert, but in the long term it is part of a complete game state and will later be particularly interesting for demanding optional fights.
Telma’s resistance group and the search for Auru
For the actual story progression, the path first leads to Castle Town. Enter Telma’s Tavern. There you will meet several people who have secretly banded together against Zant’s rule. There is a map on the table showing the current whereabouts of the members. What is particularly interesting for us now is Auru. The older researcher is at Lake Hylia and examines the ancient ruins of the Gerudo Desert.
Warp to Lake Hylia and go to the large observation tower in the southwestern area of the lake. Climb the long ladder to the top and talk to Auru there. From the platform you can already see the huge buildings of the Gerudo desert in the distance. Auru tells you about the old place of exile where the Mirror of Twilight is supposed to be located, and then gives you Auru’s Memo.
New quest item: Auru’s Note
Show the note to Cannon Operator Fyer on Lake Hylia. This gives you access to the Gerudo Desert.
With Fyer’s cannon in the Gerudo desert
Climb back down from the lookout tower and go to Fyer’s cannon station in the middle of Lake Hylia. Talk to him and show him Auru’s note. This makes a special cannon ride available that takes Link directly over the impassable rock walls and into the Gerudo Desert.
After being shot down you will land in the southern part of the desert. Midna speaks in more detail here about the people of shadows and about the fact that the ancestors of the Twili were once banished from the world of light. It is precisely this old place of exile that is our destination. You can see the high towers of the Arbiter’s Grounds in the distance, but walking directly there doesn’t work. Deep gorges and high rocky steps divide the desert into several levels. This is actually an advantage for our 100% route because we can work through the individual areas systematically.
Southern Gerudo Desert: Poe Soul 1 of 8
After landing, we don’t initially walk north to the main route, but instead turn in the non-mirrored GameCube/HD normal version southeast. On Wii and in HD Hero Mode, the target is on the opposite side. Look for three conspicuously arranged skulls or a small rocky plateau in the corner of the desert. At night the first spirit of the Gerudo desert floats here.
Transform into Wolf-Link, activate the sense and defeat him. This will give you the first of a total of eight Poe Souls, which we can collect between landing in the desert and entering the Arbiter’s Grounds.
Hidden earth cave under the first Poe Soul
After the fight, stay at the spot with the skulls and activate Wolf-Link’s sense again. A sparkling grave point appears in the sand. Dig down. Several Skulltulas await you in the cave. Clear all enemies out of the way, whereupon a Treasure Chest appears with a orange Rupee worth 100 Rupees. This is not a permanent collector’s item, but it is particularly worthwhile at this point if you have just invested a lot of money in the Side Quests around the Malo market.
Golden Bug: Male Mayfly
From the southeast corner we move west across the southern desert area. Stay roughly in the middle of the area. You don’t have to fight the enemies living in the sand every time. If you keep moving, they are hardly a danger. If you want to eliminate them, you can pull them out of the sand with the Clawshot and then kill them with the sword.
In the southern central part, a shiny Golden Bug hovers close to the sand near a larger rock. Its shimmer is hard to miss, especially at night. Run up and catch the male mayfly. She is one of the 24 Golden Bugs in Twilight Princess.
Golden Bug: Female mayfly
Follow the route further west. There you will find several elongated depressions or trenches in the sand. The female mayfly is waiting in the more northerly of these two depressions. Drop down into the ditch and collect them. We have now found the entire pair of mayflies in the Gerudo Desert.
Golden Bug pair complete: Male and female mayflies can later be handed in individually to Agitha. In addition to Rupees, they help increase your wallet.
To Gerudo Plateau: Clawshot and Peahat use
Our next destination is on the raised rock platform on the edge of the southern desert area. Find the dead tree on the rock face and pull yourself up with the Clawshot. From there you can target a floating Peahat. Hang on to it with the Clawshot and let it carry you across the gorge. Only release yourself when you are hovering over the higher platform.
As soon as you land there, three Shadow Beasts will appear. As usual, you should avoid leaving just one enemy alone, otherwise they will revive their comrades. Weaken them first and eliminate the last two at the same time with Midna’s energy field. After the battle, a new warp point will be created here on the Gerudo Plateau. This becomes useful in several ways.
Poe Soul 2 of 8: Behind the bridge fragment
There is a huge stone object stuck in the ground on the plateau. Before we deal with it, let’s run behind it. At night the next ghost waits there. Transform into Wolf-Link and defeat him for the second Poe Soul of the Gerudo Desert.
Repair the Bridge of Eldin
The massive stone fragment on the Gerudo Plateau may look familiar. It is actually the missing middle section of the Bridge of Eldin, which was removed from Hyrule during our previous adventure. Stand close to it and talk to Midna. She realizes where the object belongs and offers to teleport it.
Warp together with the bridge fragment to Bridge of Eldin. Midna automatically places the huge component in its original position. This means that the bridge is permanently repaired and the corresponding section of the Hyrule Field is completely passable again. In addition, this area can be used directly as a warp target again in the future.
Then warp back to the Gerudo Plateau. Where the bridge fragment was previously located, a large entrance has now become visible in the ground. We have thus uncovered the Cave of Ordeals.
Cave of Ordeals discovered – but not yet completely solvable
The Cave of Ordeals consists of a total of 50 increasingly demanding battle rooms and is one of the biggest optional challenges in the game. We have to return later to get a 100% score, because deep down there are, among other things, more Poe Souls and permanent improvements to the fairy springs.
Now a complete pass would be inefficient and ultimately impossible. Periodically, obstacles block the path, for which later dungeon items are needed. For one of the early checkpoints we need the Spinner, which we only get in the Arbiter’s Grounds. Later the Ball and Chain, the Dominion Rod and finally the double gripping hook are also required.
Return later: The Cave of Ordeals is now permanently open, but we won’t complete its 50 levels until we also have the double grappling hook. This way we avoid multiple aborted runs and unnecessary backtracking.
HD Stamp: Hylian Letter R
Only in Twilight Princess HD: After the bridge fragment has been removed, you can still find a secluded one on the Gerudo plateau Treasure Chest to reach. Look below or to the side of the former bridge location for a floating Peahat. Hook up with that one Clawshot on it and let it carry you across the gorge to the small platform. The stamp with that is in the chest Hylian letter R.
There is no stamp at this point in the original GameCube and Wii versions; the corresponding chest rewards you with Rupees instead. You can also find all HD collecting images in our overview of the stamps in Twilight Princess HD.
Efficient detour: Piece of Heart in the cave at Bridge of Eldin
Since we have just repaired the Bridge of Eldin and the warp point is working again, we now make a quick detour to a Piece of Heart, which has been accessible since we received the grappling hook. Warp to Bridge of Eldin and head to the northern side. There is a Grappling Hook Target on the rock wall above the normal path. Pull yourself up and follow the narrow path to the entrance to the hidden cave.
Inside there is a lot reminiscent of the Goron Mines. Work your way down and use the Iron Boots as soon as you get into the area of the magnetic fields. The magnetic currents pull Link to walls and ceilings, allowing you to cross the widely spaced platforms. Descend deeper and deeper in a controlled manner, eliminate fire opponents and Dodongos and follow the essentially linear path to the lowest level.
Piece of Heart in Bridge of Eldin Cave
At the bottom the big chest is waiting with another Piece of Heart. Since you already have Clawshot and Iron Boots and we can now warp directly into this area by repairing the bridge, this is the most sensible time to find them.
Twilight Princess HD: There is also an additional stamp in this cave. Light the two torches on the lower level to make the corresponding chest appear. In the original versions you get a ruby treasure at this point instead.
Northern Gerudo Desert: With a Bullbo through the barriers
After our detour, warp back to the Gerudo Plateau and head to the northern part of the desert. As you approach the Bulblin area, several mounted enemies will attack. Shoot the Bulblins with the bow from their Bullbos. With the Hawkeye you can aim from a long distance and take out the riders before they reach Link.
We can now use one of the abandoned Bullbos ourselves. Get on and accelerate the animal. The massive wooden barriers and some wooden towers in this area can be completely demolished. Several optional Treasure Chests become accessible and contain Rupees or arrows. Since they are directly on our path, you can open them without having to take long detours to do so.
Poe Soul 3 of 8: On the raised rock platform
Before you break through the great northern barrier, we’ll head to the higher area on the edge of the Bullbo area. In the GameCube version and in HD normal mode, access is in the northeast; Wii and HD Hero Mode mirror the position. Find a dead tree on the rock face and pull yourself up with the Clawshot.
Follow the elevated path until you see three skulls in the sand again. At night, a ghost hovers directly above it. Transform into Wolf-Link and defeat him for the third Poe Soul.
Poe Souls 4 and 5 of 8: Two ghosts in the same earth cave
We are not leaving the platform yet. Activate Wolf-Link’s sense at the location of the three skulls. A grave point appears right between them. Dig down into the hidden cave. Immediately after landing, the next ghost is already waiting. Defeat him and take the fourth Poe Soul.
Then switch back to Link and examine the boulders in the cave. Blow them up with a bomb. A second spirit appears behind or between the exposed areas. Transform back into Wolf-Link and defeat him too. This means you already have the fifth Poe Soul of our Gerudo desert route.
HD Stamp: Midna – Sad
Don’t leave the cave yet. Also available here three extinguished torches. Light all three with the lamp. In Twilight Princess HD A chest with the stamp will then appear Midna – sad. In the GameCube and Wii versions, the corresponding reward instead contains a large ruby treasure.
100% note: This small earth cave is particularly productive. We get two Poe Souls here and an additional stamp in Twilight Princess HD. So don’t leave until all three torches are burning.
Mortal Draw – the next Hidden Skill
Return to the Bullbo and now break through the large wooden barrier to the north. Then climb the rock steps. The path splits directly behind it. The Golden Wolf is waiting on a side path – but only if you have previously activated the howling stone near the observation tower at Lake Hylia.
Approach the wolf and let yourself be transported to the mysterious training arena again. This time the old warrior will teach you the technique Mortal Draw. It only works if Link has not yet drawn his sword and is standing directly in front of an opponent. In this state you carry out the indicated action and Link draws his sword at lightning speed with an extremely powerful blow.
The technique has an obvious disadvantage: while you stand in front of an opponent unarmed, you are vulnerable. However, when used correctly, Blank Draw causes enormous damage and can instantly eliminate many normal enemies. Conveniently, there is an opponent waiting right in the Bulblin camp who you can try out the technique on.
New Hidden Skill: Mortal Draw
Stand close to an opponent with your sword sheathed and carry out the indicated action. Link draws his blade in a single powerful strike. The technique is risky but extraordinarily powerful.
Poe Soul 6 of 8: Dead end in front of the Bulblin camp
After training, you don’t go straight to the enemy camp. First, follow the side path next to the main route to its end. At night the next ghost floats there. Transform into Wolf-Link again and defeat him for the sixth Poe Soul.
With this we have collected all the ghosts that can be reached in front of the actual Bulblin camp. The last two only become accessible or meaningfully accessible after the fight against King Bulblin.
The Bulblin Camp: Undetected by the guards
In front of you is now the fortified warehouse that protects access to the Arbiter’s Grounds. This is where the Hawkeye really pays off. Several Bulblins stand on high guard platforms and sound the alarm as soon as they recognize you. This causes additional enemies to appear and the section becomes unnecessarily chaotic.
Therefore, initially stay out of sight, combine the Hero’s Bow with the Hawk’s Eye and take out the guards on the towers with well-aimed arrows. Then slowly work your way through the outer courtyards. If the alarm does go off, it won’t be a problem for game progress; You just have to expect more opponents.
There are arrows and Rupees in several niches. Above all, take the bundles of arrows with you if your supply runs out after the sniper duels. The main task is to reach a specific Bulblin at the big bonfire.
Small Key in Bulblin warehouse
At the back of the camp there is a Bulblin standing near a large fire. Defeat him. He drops a Small Key. This key does not belong to the later Arbiter’s Grounds, but rather opens the locked gate or building within the Bulblin camp.
Found: Small Key
The key is still needed in the Bulblin camp. Before you open the locked gate, we get the Piece of Heart next to the campfire.
Piece of Heart in the fried Bullbo
A huge Bullbo is roasted over the campfire. As macabre as it sounds, there is a Piece of Heart hidden inside. Stand next to the roasted animal and hit it repeatedly with your sword. After several hits, the roast breaks or disappears and releases the Piece of Heart.
Be sure to pick it up before returning to the locked gate. After the following fight, this area changes, which is why we deliberately take the permanent collectible with us now. You’ll also find a chest nearby with a purple Rupee if you want to replenish your money supply.
Piece of Heart received: The only Piece of Heart directly in the Gerudo Desert area is in the Bulblin camp. Together with the optional detour to Bridge of Eldin Cave, we can plan two more Pieces of Heart in this chapter.
Miniboss: King Bulblin
Return to the locked area in the warehouse with the Small Key and open the gate. Behind it, Link meets King Bulblin again. After previous encounters on the Bridge of Eldin and in Hyrule, the Bulblin leader is still not ready to give up. This time he fights on foot and wields a massive blade, the hits of which can cost Link several hearts.
Don’t try to just exchange frontal blow for blow. King Bulblin has enormous range and quickly counters careless attacks. Keep your sights on him, dodge his sweeping strike, and attack immediately afterward. The sword techniques you have already learned are particularly effective. You can bypass his defense with the Shield Attack and the subsequent Helm Splitter. The Mortal Draw you just learned also causes a lot of damage, but is more risky because of the short distance.
After several hits, King Bulblin falters briefly. Use these moments consistently for a combination of normal punches. As soon as he stands up again and raises the weapon, you immediately back away. Repeat the process until he loses the fight.
Escape from the burning camp
King Bulblin is defeated, but again not completely defeated. As he retreats, he sets the building on fire and traps Link. There is no time for complicated ways out. Jump on the Bullbo in the room and aim it at the massive wooden gate. Accelerate and break the barrier.
Stay on the animal and also ram the following wooden fences. In this way you fight your way out of the burning camp and reach the large forecourt of the Arbiter’s Grounds.
Poe Soul 7 of 8: After Defeating King Bulblin
Before you finally climb up to Arbiter’s Grounds, we turn around again. After the escape, the fire in the fighting area of the Bulblin camp went out or died down enough for us to return. At night, another ghost appears right where you just fought King Bulblin.
Transform into Wolf-Link, defeat him and take the seventh Poe Soul. Before the fight against King Bulblin, this spirit is not present, so there is no point in looking for it beforehand.
Poe Soul 8 of 8: Right in front of the Arbiter’s Grounds
Return to the large forecourt of Arbiter’s Grounds and climb the wide stairs. Before you go through the actual entrance gate, we examine both sides of the forecourt. The last ghost of this chapter waits on one side at night. Transform into Wolf Link and defeat him.
With this we have collected the eighth Poe Soul since our arrival in the Gerudo Desert. The four ghosts that are waiting for us right inside the Arbiter’s Grounds are already included in the next chapter and will be incorporated directly into the dungeon route.
Two torches and one purple Rupee
On the opposite side of the entrance are two extinguished torches. Light both with your lamp. A Treasure Chest will then appear with a purple Rupee worth 50 Rupees. The Rupee is not necessary for the 100% score, but the detour only takes a few seconds and can’t hurt before the long dungeon.
Before the Arbiter’s Grounds: What we have achieved now
The Gerudo desert is now completely covered for our first visit. We found both mayflies, collected a total of eight Poe Souls, repaired the Bridge of Eldin, the entrance to the Cave of Ordeals uncovered, got a Piece of Heart from the Bulblin warehouse and learned another Hidden Skill with Mortal Draw. In Twilight Princess HD we also included the directly accessible stamps on this route.
Only the drill hole intentionally remains open. Its entrance is permanently accessible, but a full 50-level round would not be possible at this point. We’ll return as soon as Link has the later dungeon items, including the double grappling hook. This way we avoid a long run that we would have to cancel anyway.
Our next destination is now right in front of us. Behind the huge entrance begins the Arbiter’s Grounds, the fourth major dungeon of Twilight Princess. Four more Poe Souls are waiting there, two Pieces of Heart, the Spinner, the Big Key and finally the Twilit Fossil Stallord. Enter the gate and continue our 100% walkthrough for Twilight Princess with the Arbiter’s Grounds.
In front of the entrance of Arbiter’s Grounds
Check whether the bridge piece back in Eldin and the entrance to the Cave of Ordeals is clear. There are eight Poe Souls in the desert; two of them share a cave. The Arbiter’s Grounds then contains four more souls. You move the Cave of Ordeals itself to City in the Sky so that all the items you need are there.