The Lost Woods,(TLoZThe Legend of Zelda | ALttPA Link to the Past | OoTOcarina of Time | MMMajora's Mask | OoSOracle of Seasons | FSAFour Swords Adventures | STSpirit Tracks | ALBWA Link Between Worlds | BotWBreath of the Wild | HWAoCHyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)[1][2][3][4][5] also known as the Deep, Dark Forest,(CoHCadence of Hyrule)[6] is a maze-like area of a confusing forest that has made several appearances throughout The Legend of Zelda series. Its layout is usually designed to make anyone who enters to become irreversibly lost, and the only way to exit the forest is by navigating it in specific directions. In certain games, it is said that if people wander in the forest for too long, they can turn into a monster such as a Skull Kid,[7] a Stalfos,[8][9] or a Deku Scrub.[10]
Its first appearance, in The Legend of Zelda, is as a simple-looking cross-section of dead Trees. However, once Link enters it, he finds that exiting the forest in any direction (except east) will cause him to simply appear back at the same spot. The only way to clear the forest is to follow a specific pattern through it. This special pattern is revealed when Link pays an Old Woman for information. She tells him that the proper directions to escape the forest are north, then west, then south, then west again.[11] Successfully navigating through the Lost Woods leads Link to the Graveyard.
A Link to the Past
In A Link to the Past, the Lost Woods are more like a maze than a puzzle. Many notable things can be found here. Most importantly, it is the location of the legendary Master Sword, which is held in the Sacred Grove located in the northwestern portion of the woods filled with Animals. Several Fake Master Swords can also be found, resulting in a humorous line if Link picks one up.[12] When Link first enters the Lost Woods, it is covered in a thick fog that makes it hard to navigate; however, once the young hero retrieves the Master Sword after acquiring the three Pendants of Virtue, the mist will disappear.
A secret hideout for a gang of Thieves is located in the eastern portion of the woods, with a Piece of Heart found in a secret entrance under a bush.[13] Other Thieves run amok in the forest, bumping into Link in an attempt to steal his Rupees, Bombs, and Arrows. The Magic Mushroom can also be found here scattered throughout the woods. If picked up and given to Syrup the witch, Link can receive the Magic Powder.
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, the Lost Woods are laid out like a map, with each screen having something unique about it. Also, the goal in these Lost Woods is to stay inside, rather than to escape; if Link takes the wrong doorway, he will be warped back to the Kokiri Forest. By following the music of "Saria's Song", Link can navigate through the hollow trees and get to the Sacred Forest Meadow, which is located in the northernmost portion of the Lost Woods and Saria's "secret place".[14] The Forest Temple is located here.
Alternative methods can also be used to determine if a path leads to another part of the woods or back to the Kokiri Forest. The main method is to simply analyze the holes in the trunks. If there is gradually increasing light in the center of the tree trunk (as if it were a tunnel out), it will lead back to the Kokiri Forest, but if it is a flat wall of blackness, it will continue through the woods. The Lost Woods is home to the only Moblins in Ocarina of Time, as well as many Business Scrubs, Mad Scrubs and the only collection of average Deku Scrubs in the game, the Deku Community.
Hidden within the Lost Woods is the Forest Stage, where Link can be rewarded with item upgrades by showing off specific Masks in front of Deku Scrubs. Moreover, scattered throughout the woods are two portals that lead to Goron City and the upper part of Zora's River near the Sleepless Waterfall.
It is said that those who become lost in the woods will become Stalfos.[8][15] The Skull Kids that inhabit the forest are implied to be children who were lost as well.[7]
Majora's Mask
The Lost Woods is a place that can only be explored in the beginning of Majora's Mask. The Lost Woods is where Link must chase down the Skull Kid to retrieve his Horse, Epona, back. Link travels into the Lost Woods in search of his lost friend, Navi. While searching, he was knocked off his Horse by the Skull Kid, giving him the opportunity to steal the Ocarina of Time and Epona before Link woke up. Once Link falls into the Sealed Room, he will not be able to return to the Lost Woods again for the rest of Majora's Mask.
The Lost Woods are situated in northwestern Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons, connecting to the Tarm Ruins. Near the Lost Woods, there is a Deku Scrub in a cave. If Link has obtained Guru-Guru's Phonograph, the Deku Scrub will say that he likes the song and tell him to go in some specific directions in the Lost Woods.[16] If he does this he will find the Noble Sword (or, if he already has the Noble Sword in a linked game, the Master Sword) in a pedestal. This is the final part of the Trading Game.
In Four Swords Adventures, the Lost Woods appears as the first stage in The Dark World level. It was originally known as the Forest of Light, and under the White Maiden's control, until a thick cloud of darkness covered northwestern Hyrule and corrupted it into its present state.[17] The cursed woodland is covered in bones and skulls, giving it a look closely resembling the Skeleton Forest from A Link to the Past. It is populated primarily by Deku Scrubs, who all swear allegiance to Ganon. The Links arrive to the forest to search for the Dark Mirror, which is believed to be hidden away in a temple in the heart of the woods. They eventually make their way through the wood, and find themselves at Kakariko Village where they continue their search.
According to the Deku Scrubs, those who wander and become lost in the forest turn into Deku Scrubs,[10] mirroring the myth how the Lost Woods in Ocarina of Time turns people into Stalfos.[8] They also mention that Ganon's darkness will cause the Lost Woods to spread all over Hyrule's forests, turning them into Lost Woods as well.[18]
Spirit Tracks
In Spirit Tracks, Link must navigate the Lost Woods to reach the Forest Sanctuary to open a path to the Forest Temple by performing a song with Gage using the Spirit Flute. When he first enters the woods, Link is sent back to the entrance, and must speak with the residents of the nearby Whittleton to find out how to navigate them. He learns that by following the directions that certain Trees point (save the fourth one), he will make it to the Forest Sanctuary.[19] Once the Lost Woods are solved for the first time, they disappear.
A Link Between Worlds
In A Link Between Worlds, the Lost Woods houses the Master Sword, much like in A Link to the Past. To obtain the Master Sword, Link must retrieve all three Pendants of Virtue. When Link enters the northwest area of the Lost Woods, he is met with eight Poes in an area with pathways going in all four directions. One Poe offers to bring him deeper into the Lost Woods if he can follow the correct one; all the Poes then shuffle their places and fly off in different directions.[20] If Link goes in the proper direction, he will soon be met again by the Poes. Two of them test him by attempting to mislead the hero and instruct him to go in the direction that they did not.[21] Next, three Poes will attempt to mislead Link in the same manner.[22] If Link successfully follows the Poes' instructions, he will be lead to the Sacred Grove housing the Master Sword. If he takes a wrong direction, he will find himself starting over back at the first area with Poes, though there will be one fewer Poe trying to mislead him. By using the Hint Glasses, Hint Ghosts can be found in these areas of the Lost Woods and will point Link in the correct direction for a Play Coin.[23]
Once Link obtains the Master Sword, Sahasrahla will telepathically speak to Link, telling him to use the newly-obtained Sword to destroy the Barrier at Hyrule Castle.[24] Light then returns to the forest, clearing out the fog, and Link will no longer have to follow the Poes through the Lost Woods to reach the Sacred Grove.
The Lost Woods is a fog-infested forest in Breath of the Wild. It serves as the only means of entry to the Korok Forest in the Great Hyrule Forest, connecting to the Korok Forest via an isthmus surrounded by the impassable Lake Mekar. Travelers who enter the Lost Woods may find themselves lost in the dense fog that covers the landscape, which will return them to the entrance of the Woods. To successfully navigate the Lost Woods, Link must carry a lit Torch through the fog. One can be obtained at the Woods' entrance, where a pair of stationary Torches can be found, along with one that can be picked up. Following the trail of embers that come from the Torch will lead Link to the entrance to the Korok Forest. Despite this, it is possible to navigate the Lost Woods without the assistance of a Torch if one knows the path. Due to its nature, the Lost Woods protects the Master Sword from intruders.[25]
The Lost Woods are filled with a unique type of Tree known as Ogre Trees. Near the entrance, Link can find a stone Treasure Chest in one of the Ogre Trees's mouths containing a Forest Dweller's Spear. Another stone Treasure Chest holds an Opal. During the "EX Strange Mask Rumors" Side Quest, which is exclusive to The Master TrialsDLC Pack, Link must read the Super Rumor Mill V1. It claims that the Korok Mask can be found in the hollow of a Tree in a forest that makes people lose their way.[26] South of the pair of Torches at the Lost Woods' entrance, Link will find the Korok Mask in an EX Treasure Chest in the mouth of an Ogre Tree.[27]
The Lost Woods are now covered in fog that makes them completely impossible to navigate. If Link enters the Lost Woods or even tries to fly over them, he will be returned to their entrance almost immediately. Instead, he must bypass the Lost Woods entirely by traveling through the Depths beneath the Lost Woods until he finds a specific point that Link can Ascend through to emerge in the Korok Forest.
The fog disperses after Link cleanses the Korok Forest of Gloom by defeating the Gloom Spawn and Phantom Ganon within the Deku Tree Chasm, allowing him to travel through the Lost Woods normally.
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
The Lost Woods from the A Link to the Past comic
The Lost Woods are also featured in the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori. After obtaining all three Pendants of Virtue, Link enters the Lost Woods and, while speaking telepathically with Sahasrahla, the young hero begins to have his doubts about whether or not the Master Sword will select him as its bearer.[28] Link then finds the Master Sword and seizes it from its Pedestal, readying himself to have his final battle with Agahnim and rescue Princess Zelda. Afterward, Link is ambushed by several Ball-and-Chain Troopers, although he easily defeats them with a single Spin Attack from the Master Sword.
Link decides to lie down and rest in the Woods, only to be awoken by Princess Zelda via telepathy.[29] Although the young hero tells Princess Zelda that he must rest,[30] Princess Zelda reminds him that only a single night remains until Agahnim casts his final incantation on her and causes the entrance to the Dark World to open and overwhelm Hyrule with its evil. With this in mind, Link leaves the Lost Woods and heads to Kakariko Village to prepare himself.
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
Although not appearing in the main story, the Lost Woods do appear in the bonus chapters. The Lost Woods is a dangerous place where people will get lost if they lose sight of the exit. Nobody is allowed in there but Link and Saria; they enter it in an attempt to retrieve a Mask.
The Forest is dangerous and, according to Skull Kid, those that get lost will eventually lose all hope and become faceless Skull Kids. It is also home to the Baga Tree, an evil opponent of the Deku Tree that is possessed by a bug (most likely Gohma) and is eager to kill Saria and Link as an act of vengeance on the Deku Tree for "Ignoring the rules of the Forest" and allowing Link into the Kokiri.
Strangely the forest appears to be home to only Skull Kids, Wolfos, and Moblins (under complete command of the Bagu Tree) that wish to reclaim the forest for their own with no Deku Tree at all. The forest is accessible also from Hyrule Field (as seen in Skull Kid's memory).
The following section has content which has neither been confirmed nor denied as canonical by Nintendo.
In Cadence of Hyrule, the Lost Woods is an area that is placed within a randomly-generated location within the Forest biome in Hyrule. Upon entering Lost Woods, Link, and Zelda will be sent back to the initial screen if they take the incorrect exit. In order to reach its center, the Lost Swamp, the heroes must take the exit closest to the initial position of the enemy on the screen that is different from the rest, or follow the vibrations generated from Tingle's Dowser, which rumbles the most when the hero is next to the correct exit. The center of the maze is the Lost Swamp, which contains a dungeon where the player fights Gohmaracas, one of the four monsters that the heroes must defeat in order to break Octavo's seal on Hyrule Castle.
The Lost Woods is also the location of Tingle's House, where Tingle gives the heroes the Tingle's Dowser, which can help guide them through the Lost Woods by causing the Nintendo Switch to rumble when the heroes are close to treasure or near the correct path to the Lost Swamp, giving light rumbles when the heroes are near the incorrect exit but strong rumbles when they are next to the correct exit.
It is also the location where the heroes can meet Yves, a friendly Deku Scrub, who resides in the same tree hut as Tingle and joins the heroes on their quest to stop Octavo after they give Tingle 20 Deku Seeds.
On the initial screen of the maze is a Cave where Cadence can be found inside with a special item, with the item varying depending on how many times the heroes' have encountered her outside of seeing her at Link's House. If it's the first time the hero has found her in a cave, she gives them the Lute, allowing them to travel to previously activated Sheikah Stones.
The following section is not part of the Zelda canon and should not be taken as such.
The Lost Woods is the setting of the "Freeing Korok Forest" Scenario in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity. After the RitoChampion, Revali, defeats the monster outposts surrounding Korok Forest, Link, Impa, Zelda, and the four Champions go through the Lost Woods. However, they think they might have gotten lost. Hestu then appears and guides them, only to figure out that the entrance to Korok Forest has been blocked by Malice. After defeating the Hollows of the four Champions inside the Lost Woods, the entrance to Korok Forest is made clear.
Trivia
In volume 103 of Nintendo Power, the Lost Woods were called the "Maze Woods."[31]
In the German version of Ocarina of Time, those who become lost in the Lost Woods are said to become plants.[32]
In the kiosk demo for Ocarina of Time 3D, the Lost Woods were rendered inaccessible by having several wooden boards nailed over the entrance.
Nomenclature
Names in Other Regions
Language
Names
Meanings
Japanese
迷いの森 (Mayoi no Mori)(ALttPA Link to the Past | OoTOcarina of Time)[39][40]
まよいの森 (Mayoi no Mori)(ALttPA Link to the Past)[41]
Artwork of the Master Sword resting in its pedestal from A Link to the Past
Artwork of Link in the Lost Woods from the German A Link to the Past guide
The Lost Woods in Winter from Oracle of Seasons
The Lost Woods in Spring from Oracle of Seasons
The Lost Woods in Summer from Oracle of Seasons
The Noble Sword in the Lost Woods from Oracle of Seasons
The Master Sword in a Linked Game of Oracle of Seasons
Link ambushed by Enemies in the Lost Woods Region from A Link Between Worlds
Link at the entrance to the Lost Woods}} from A Link Between Worlds
The Poes seen in the Lost Woods from A Link Between Worlds This image can be viewed in 3D on a Nintendo 3DS system.
The Lost Woods prior to defeating Phantom Ganon from Tears of the Kingdom
The Lost Woods from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity
References
↑Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 220,(TLoZThe Legend of Zelda) 229,(ALttPA Link to the Past) 240,(OoTOcarina of Time | OoT3DOcarina of Time 3D) 251,(OoSOracle of Seasons) 266,(FSAFour Swords Adventures), 290,(STSpirit Tracks) 301 (ALBWA Link Between Worlds)
↑Some travelers have rented a stable on their way to the Lost Woods. They plan to leave the stable as soon as they're equipped for the journey. Find what they still need. — Gallery (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
↑I see a deep, dark forest... Your fate is to make your way to the center. — Fate (Cadence of Hyrule)
↑ 7.07.1Is this what happens to kids who wander into the forest? It looks like he doesn't like grownups. — Navi (Ocarina of Time)
↑ 8.08.18.2That guy isn't here anymore. Anybody who comes into the forest will be lost. Everybody will become a Stalfos. Everybody, Stalfos. — Fado (Ocarina of Time)
↑Dee! What a tune! I love it! I'll teach you the way to my Secret Spot! If temperatures rise as you go far to the west, you'll find it! Yahoo! — Deku Scrub (Oracle of Seasons)
↑Link, this is the Forest of Light. Or rather, it once was. Now, the darkness grows deep, and the air is stagnant. — White Maiden (Four Swords Adventures)
↑Soon, Lord Ganon's power will change all of Hyrule's forests into Lost Woods! Once that happens, we'll be able to travel freely! — Deku Scrub (Four Swords Adventures)
↑You're going to the Lost Woods? Then here's a little advice for you. To avoid getting all turned around, listen to the trees, 'cause they talk a lot. Just don't listen to that fourth tree. It has no sense of direction. — Wood (Spirit Tracks)
↑Hree hee hee! Welcome to the Lost Woods! These woods will trick you into going back the way you came! But all hope is not lost! If you can follow me, then you can walk a little deeper into the woods. Watch carefully! — Poe (A Link Between Worlds)
↑Oh, well done. That was fun, but now we're going to MISLEAD you. Now two of us will bounce around. So don't follow the two of us, or you'll wind up back at the start. Hree hee hee! Think you can get it right? — Poe (A Link Between Worlds)
↑Oh, very well done! Hmph. I guess it's time to REALLY stump you! Now three of us will bounce around. Don't follow us! Hree hee hee! Think you can get it right? — Poe (A Link Between Worlds)
↑Hear me, Link... The sword you hold in your hand is the one and only Master Sword! Now that you possess that blade, you can break the barrier at the castle. So make haste. We don't have much time left. Get to Hyrule Castle! — Sahasrahla (A Link Between Worlds)
↑Some say the treasure chest containing this mask is hidden in a tree hollow in a forest that makes people lose their way. Hmm, sounds like a tough place to find something! Luckily, word has it there's a convenient trick for finding your way... — Super Rumor Mill V1 (Breath of the Wild)
↑You found the Korok Mask in the spooky tree's hollow within the Lost woods!
↑Sahasrahla: If you really are the legendary Hero of Hyrule...the sword of Evil's Bane will select you as its bearer! Link: The sword will select me? What if it doesn't? (A Link to the Past (Ishinomori), VIZ Media, pg. 14)
↑Long ago, before Gannonshould be: Ganon [sicThis is not an error. This word was misspelled in the original source.] stole the Triforce and kidnapped Zelda, Link set out to his coming-of-age ceremony in the Maze Woods. (Nintendo Power no. 103, Nintendo of America, December 1997, pg. 27)
↑Der, den Du suchst, ist nicht mehr hier... Jeder, der diesen Wald betritt und kein Kokiri ist, ist verdammt... Jeder... Sicher hat er sich schon längst in eine Pflanze verwandelt... — Fado (Ocarina of Time)
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