Skyward Sword tips and tricks

Even more tips and tricks

Index of Tips and Tricks  •  Complete Walkthrough


You can propose your tips and tricks at: zp@pal aisze lda.com (without spaces of course).
Please only tips that you found on your own, without any guide or website! I'm not interested in bugs (game problems).


More efficient with the Bow

Not really a tip because it's mentioned during the game: when the Bow is held, you just have to hold the C button pressed (circle button on the Nunchuk) and pull the Nunchuk to you to instantly charge the arrow. Then release the C button to shoot the arrow.
Shooting arrows like that is more realistic and a lot faster; handier than keeping the A button pressed.

Paralysing monsters and slowing down insects

At the beginning of Faron Woods in the area where big mushrooms stand, you may have noticed some of them shine... Hit them and you'll see some powder falling down. Get quickly an empty bottle and take the spores which may be used 5 times. By using them on an enemy you paralyse him. It works pretty well when you are behind them especially on moblins standing on narrow paths. It's also useful to paralyse fast insects like Faron Grasshoppers for instance.

For a few more rupees...

  • In Faron Woods, for instance near the Statue "Faron Woods Entry", jump over the abyss by grabing the rope. You may see a tree with an orange spot on the trunk. If you cut the tree on the spot a rupee will appear (green, blue or red). You can find these trees in several places.
  • During the night a client of Pumpkin Landing tells you that you can fall from your Loftwing above Pumpkin Landing. Small creatures will approach and if you touch all of them, you'll get 20 rupees. Also available above Bamboo Island and other small islands.
  • When you fly, you may notice birds flying with a green, blue, red or even (rarely) silver rupee! To get the rupee you have to attack them with the A button. (If you touch any bird without attacking, you'll take some damage.)
  • When using Glittering Spores on a rupee, its color will change! For example: a green rupee will turn into a blue or a red rupee. If you're unlucky it'll be a rupoor. A blue or red rupee can turn into a green rupee, etc.
  • In order to win more rupees in the cave where you can play Thrill Digger, sit near the Mogma and talk to him. He thanks you by giving you a piece of advice:
    The glowing rocks that decorate the cave are special: if you throw projectiles on them, several rupees will drop. If you shoot at a green rock, a green rupee will drop; if you shoot at a blue rock, a blue rupee will drop; if you shoot at a red rock, a red rupee will drop. Be careful though: a silver rock will drop a rupoor.

Throwing an energy ball with the sword

If you strike forward with your charged sword, it unleashes an energy ball! The range of these energy balls is bigger than the Skyward Strike. (See from 18th minute.)

Piercing the spider webs without cutting them

To avoid cutting the webs with your sword, just run towards a web and make a roll at the right time (you need to keep advancing with the Nunchuk during the roll). By doing this, the web will break and you'll go through without being stuck. To go back in the other way without being stuck, you'll have to make a roll at the same location because if you go through standing, you'll be stuck: the top of the web is not cut.

The whip for far items

The whip may be useful to get items that are a little bit too far from you like hearts, bombs or rupees! Just "aim at them" (you must find the good distance because you can't use the Z button) and then pull them!

Eliminating crows easily

Crows can be killed by a whip strike. It works with a horizontal Skyward Strike as well.

Getting rid of tornadoes

After learning the Spiral Charge, you just have to activate it before entering a tornado.

Defeating the Lizalfos quickly

In order to defeat a Lizalfos with only two hits, wait until it lows its guard or do a shield bash when it swings its tail. Execute a spin attack and finish him off with a fatal blow!

Defeating Quadro Babas easily

Instead of slicing these yellow carnivorous plants with a horizontal or vertical slice, you can make them eat bombs or give them a forward strike, charged or not!

Struggling with Deku Babas or Quadro-Babas?

There is another way to fight them: wait for their attacks and hit them with your shield, they'll become stiff like a stick ^^. A horizontal strike will be enough to cut their stems!
Or even easier: launch the Bettle to their stems!

Destroying the Beamos with one hit!

... but only near the end of the game. Shooting an arrow in the eye of a beamos will immediately destroy it!
Also: It's possible to reflect the laser by hitting it with the shield: it will stun the beamos for a short amount of time.
Also: It's possible to blow the helix away from its head by using the Gust Bellows: it will stun the beamos for a short amount of time.

Sitting down or sleeping recover! It's well-known!

Nevertheless it seems pretty logical: when you sit down on a chair, a sofa or even a cut trunk, you'll get your hearts refilled. Same result after a good night in a "fancy" bed :-)

Mushrooms are full of surprise!

When using Gust Bellows on a mushroom, you'll sometimes get a rupee or even Deku Seeds!

There is a life after Tentalus ^^

It's worth it to visit the Sandship after defeating Tentalus. Hit the Timeshift Stone, enter the room to the left and talk to the little robots. They're telling you many things: they quickly repaired the ship thanks to Nayru's Flame, they're planning an expedition in order to find their lost friends.
In the five chests room, if you open all of them, the robot says: "Who could have stolen our treasure ?"
At the bottom of the ship where robots were imprisoned, now there are Technoblins instead of robots! Hit one of them with the Skyward Strike and they'll try to hurt you!
Climb on the top of the ship and take a look at the robot group, enjoying the wind on their faces ;-)

Being full of Dusk Relics

If you fail a Silent Realm, most of the Dusk Relics will reappear. Thus you can take plenty of them and you won't have lost everything.

Danger inside the Silent Realms

When you get spotted by a guardian, the direction of the closest guardians are indicated by a few weak black waves.

Heart + spore = fairy

This tip is not confirmed at 100%. Apparently it doesn't work each time you do it.
When you have some mushroom spores, get close to a heart flower and pour the spores on it: the heart will become a fairy! (that can be captured with an empty bottle)
This tip may even work with hidden or dropped hearts by enemies - hard to know in which conditions...

Cactus full of resources

You may have noticed that there are cactus having a bomb flower on top of them in the desert, but there are other cactus that have a kind of red bud. By hitting a cactus with the Bettle, the bud will open and drop a heart or seeds for the Slingshot or even a fairy (however the last drop is pretty rare).
You can also hit a cactus with your sword which will make it move. Then you just have to hit the bud when it's close enough to get your loot.

Need air?

Underwater, hitting a mushroom will release an air bubble. Useful for the Water Dragon challenge.

Funny facts with the Gossip Stones

  • Place a bomb next to a Gossip Stone: it will fly away like a rocket!
  • Do a horizontal whip strike: it will swirl!
  • Do a vertical whip strike: it will rock back and forth!
  • Blow with the Gust Bellows: it will shrink!
  • Shoot an arrow: it will drop a rupee!
  • Play the Goddess' Harp: it will rock in rhythm!
  • Drop some Glittering Spores or pour ordinary water: it will shrink then disappear before growing back!

Some stuff with the Remlits (sort of cats)

  • When it's daytime, playing the Goddess' Harp will make the Remlits sit on the ground and swing their heads with the rhythm. They will follow you after that.
  • When you hit a Remlit, it will run away. Carrying a Remlit will make it try to attack you. If you throw one of them into the water or even into the void, the Remlit will come back near you (by flying with its ears if thrown into the void!)
  • When pouring Mushroom Spores on a Remlit, it will be stuned and then will run away!
  • After helping Batreaux having his human form back, the Remlits will become kind during the night and if you play the Goddess' Harp near them they'll start "singing" (miaowing to be precise)!

For fun

  • Inside Rupin's house (weapons seller living near the graveyard) when you break pots, plates or glasses by rolling into the wardrobes, his mother takes between 10 and 40 rupees away (judging from the damage).
  • Inside Rupin's house, sit on the couch and his mother will panic! If you call Fi by aiming at her, she says "Her name is Goselle [...] She hates housecleaning but adores antiques. I recommend keeping a safe distance from her."
  • Still inside Rupin's house, when you break valuables without having any rupee, his mother says that you must get out of her house because you break her stuff without having any rupee to repay.
  • If you go inside Beedle's Shop several times without buying anything, upon exiting Beedle will talk to you and pull a rope that triggers a trap under your feet...
  • Link seems to be narcoleptic: sit down and watch him (almost) falling of his seat ^^
  • In the Knight Academy, when you break pots or barrels in front of the cooker, she gets angry and asks you to clean the mess; the second time she considers you as a hooligan. The third time, she tells you she's going to make a report!
  • When you activate the first Goddess Cube (next to the Goron Gorko), if you walk away from him without talking to him, he'll reprimand you by asking if you're ignoring him. Tell him you're sorry and then he'll ask if you can help him to resolve the mystery of the cube. Refuse twice and he'll give you some Hornet Larvae while saying that you can't refuse with this anymore!
  • You must have noticed this if you have found all the Gratitude Crystals: In the Knight Academy when you have the Clawshots, get inside the Academy by the chimney at night and look through the iron railings under your feet: the director Mr Gaeopera is taking his bath ^^
  • During the night, aim at Fledge and call Fi after he gave you the Gratitude Crystals: she says that he was a sensitive and vulnerable boy until he increased his muscular mass by 500% and now he's looking for another way to increase it again.
  • In Lanayru region, it's possible to get rid of the Technoblins by making them flee with the Bettle outside the area: they will be destroyed!
  • If you blow on Bats with Gust Belows, they'll be disoriented and will fall in slow motion. Finally, they'll fly around like before.
  • Titanic returns in Skyward SwordIn Skipper's Retreat, if you carefully look at the frames, you can notice a painting representing the famous scene from Titanic played by the robots!
  • If you analyze Peatrice, the Item Check owner, after being always kind with her, Fi will tell you that you have aroused admiration and will advise to avoid speaking about her to Zelda ^^
  • To kill a Chuchu easily, just drop a bomb in front of it. It will approach the bomb and swallow it! The Chuchu will be destroyed whatever its size is!
  • In Eldin Volcano, if you shoot with the Slingshot at a Bokoblin having a rock above its head, it will release it and the rock will fall on it ^^
  • If you steal the Monster Horn from the Bokoblin chief, he will get angry and squeal!
  • pumpkin burst in midairWhen you have to find the water basin in Lake Floria in order to enter the Fire Sanctuary, Fi asks if she has to call Scrapper. Answer you don't want him again and she'll reprimand you ^^
  • In Groose's room, at any time you can notice your face on his punch ball!
  • Still in Groose's room, roll into his sandbag to get ejected!
  • If you get a pumpkin with your sword and you execute a vertical Skyward Strike, the pumpkin will be launched and destroyed by the Strike before even touching the ground! (it also works with a forward strike but the pumpkin is almost instantly destroyed)
  • In the Knight Academy, when you sit on the toilet, you'll be able to hear the flush when standing up.
  • You can break pots by rolling into them (handy when you don't have any sword)

For information

  • In Zelda's room on one of her shelves, you may notice a love letter and a figurine of Tingle!
  • In the east of Skyloft, near the windmill you have to repair, sit on the bench and enjoy this beautiful view!
  • In Zelda's room (check out Gratitude Crystals to know how to enter), sit down behind her desk to read the page describing the day before the Wing Ceremony in her diary...
  • For the cleverest players: you can "run" of a rope!
  • It's possible to get rid of Deku Babas or any enemy sticked to the walls (like small spiders) with the Beetle! You just have to hit the stem for the Deku Babas.
  • After cleaning Pipit's house for the first time, sleep until the night and walk near his house to hear him arguing with his mother...
  • When you go through a door or move to another area, the Stamina Gauge is completely filled. Thus you can use your whole gauge just before ;-)
  • On Volcano Summit, roll into the waterfall. There will be a little noise and a fairy will appear.
  • When you want to avoid a fairy in order to get her inside an empty bottle, catch her with your Bug Net; she'll be inside your bottle! (If you don't have any empty bottle the fairy will be released)
  • After taking a heart of a flower, you can pour some ordinary water on the flower to grow another heart!
  • Reference to "Legend of Zelda": In Lake Floria inside the cave where you bomb rocks for the first time, bomb those that are in the southwest part of the map and talk to the creature. Ask it if it is the Water Dragon: it'll give you an information then say "It's a secret to everybody", one of the few sentences said in the first Zelda game.
  • To move faster inside the Academy or a house, roll. It's the same speed when running outside.
  • When there is a seat next to a character, this one might talk to you if you sit.
  • Launch the Beetle or the Whip on aquatic plants having a watering can form (e.g in front of the Ancient Cistern) to get the flower. Then throw it to get seeds or a green/blue rupee.
  • If you raise the Sacred Shield in front of Cursed Bokoblins, they'll be scared and move back...
    Same effect with a brandished charged sword.
  • While playing the Harp, you always play the good notes because they adapt themselves to the music where you play. If there's no music, the Harp will play the main theme.
    Furthermore, during the credits, it is possible to play the Harp.
  • If you blow with the Gust Bellows on the walls being digged by the robots from the mine (above the robot), rupees may be dropped!
  • In the centre of the Bokoblin camp near the Earth Temple, there is a cauldron. If you roll exactly into it, a heart will be dropped. Leaving the area (e.g entering the temple) will make another heart available!
  • arrow into a heartIn Karane's room on her desk, you can see Pipit's head drawn on her book winking ;-)
  • The Scervo robot on the Sandship can be instantly stopped with Gust Bellows! When it runs towards you each time the fence moves, run and blow on it in order to stop it and execute many forward strikes! It makes the fight a lot easier of course ;-)
  • Aim at a rupee and shoot an arrow to make it bounce!
  • At the end of the credits when you hear a music, if you press the "A" button you can play the Harp with the music!
  • At the beginning of the game, you can see the orange amber in which Zelda is trapped behind the big doors of the Sealed Grounds Temple. The doors are ajar and you just have to use the first person view.
  • When shooting an arrow at a heart, the arrow goes through it and will stay inside, giving a well known symbol!
  • If you use Gust Bellows on the Goron Gorko, he'll protect himself with his map!
  • Throwing a bomb next to a Goron will transform him into a goron ball!
  • Before the Lanayru Mining Facility, in front of the Temple of Time, there is a blocked path. If you look into a crack between two rocks, you may see a disable Gate of Time like the other one inside the Sealed Temple before using the Skyward Strike. However, in order to see it, you must climb on rocks and don't use the first person view.


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