Sky Keep


Sliding Puzzle Solutions


By using the appropriate routing, you can skip the Earth Temple room in Sky Keep. When using the Courage Lever RBM it is not necessary to fight Dreadfuse, allowing some route variations. For the puzzle directions below, the direction indicates which block you should move into the blank spot. So R means take the block to the left of the empty spot and move it to the right.

With Courage Lever RBM

Step 1: Main Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 16 moves, as follows:

  • D R D | L U R | D R U | L L D | R U R | U

Once the rooms have shifted, proceed through the door. Clear the Skyview Temple room, and perform the Courage Lever RBM there. Make your way through the Lanayru Mining Facility Room to the control panel there.

Step 2: Lanayru Mining Facility Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 2 moves, as follows:

  • L D

Once the room has shifted, proceed through the door next to the puzzle panel. Obtain the Triforce of Courage, then backtrack through the LMF and Skyview Temple rooms. Enter the Fire Sanctuary room, grab the Triforce of Power and exit back to the Entrance room.

Step 3: Main Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 10 moves, as follows:

  • D R U | L D L | U U R | D

Once the room has shifted, proceed through the door and get the Triforce of Wisdom from the Sandship room.

Without Courage Lever RBM

Solution by Bob_LobLaw_Law

Step 1: Main Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 16 moves, as follows:

  • D R D | L U R | D R U | L L D | R U R | U

Once the rooms have shifted, proceed through the door. Clear the Skyview Temple room and make your way through the Lanayru Mining Facility Room to the control panel there.

Step 2: Lanayru Mining Facility Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 2 moves, as follows:

  • L D

Once the room has shifted, proceed through the same door that you entered the room. Back track through the Skyview Temple room and enter the Fire Sanctuary room. Grab the Triforce of Power and exit back to the Entrance room.

Step 3: Main Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 12 moves, as follows:

  • D R U | L D L | U U R | D L U

Once the room has shifted, proceed through the door and get the Triforce of Wisdom from the Sandship room. Return to the Entrance room.

Step 4: Main Room Control Panel

This puzzle takes 7 moves, as follows:

  • R D D | R U L | D

Once the room has shifted, run through the Skyview Room to Dreadfuse's room. Defeat him for the small key, and run through to the Cistern Room to get the Triforce of Courage.


Entrance Gate Cutscene Skip


Discovered by Deesh

By calling fi frame perfectly after opening the map chest, it is possible to skip the gate opening cutscene and the other fi text afterwards.


Precise Shots in Skyview Room


In the first room, you can skip using the Beetle to knock the rope loose by using a precise bow shot.

You can also skip the first rotating vine drum by standing in a specific spot and shooting the Clawshots directly to the second rotating vine drum.

As an additional timesaver, you can also backflip right as you shoot the rope to skip its cutscene.


Hitting the Eyes in LMF Room


Discovered by Venick

In the LMF Room, it is possible to hit all six eye targets behind their grating without using the timeshift orb.

The First Eye

For the first target, there are two ways to hit it without the timeshift stone.

From the upper level

By standing in a specific spot next to the gate blocking the puzzle blocks, you can shoot behind the grating covering the eye and hit it. This shot is extremely precise, but saves about 3 seconds over running to the lower level.

From the lower level

After entering the area, run down to the lower level, stand underneath the target, and shoot upwards. This shot is easier than the above but slightly slower.

The Remaining Eyes

For the next five targets, by standing in specific locations and shooting at a precise angle, you can hit the eyes' hitboxes before the arrow hits the grating.

Whatever method is used, these shots skip having to use the Gust Bellows and bringing the timeshift orb with you through most of the room.


Vine Clip to skip Sanctuary Room


Discovered by PewableShift

When you enter the Fire Sanctuary room containing the Triforce of Power, clip though the vine in front of you with Clawshot Vineclip. You will land OoB; run over to the other side of the room and use the clawshot on the vines next to the Triforce symbol to get back inbound.


Courage Lever RBM


By combining the uses of Reverse BiTMagic and Faron BiT, it is possible to set the gate blocking the Triforce of Courage to be down. This skips all of the Courage Room fights, and also skips the small key and with it Dreadfuse, and finally also allows a faster puzzle solution for Sky Keep, skipping puzzling once. The flag in question is 3x10, and can be obtained in two places.

Method 1 - Lumpy Pumpkin BiT

The corresponding flag in the Sky is talking to the Bartender after breaking the Chandelier. In this case, you should use BiTMagic to set 3x80 to remove the Lumpy Pumpkin Intro cutscene, and you can also use BiTMagic to set 1x80 to slightly shorten the Chandelier breaking cutscene and 0x01 to shorthen the Bartenders text.

Video forthcoming

This method is preferred when Faron BiT is set up with the Faron Pillar method (because it allows you to dive to the Lumpy Pumpkin immediately)

Method 2 - Faron Woods BiT

The corresponding flag in Faron is pushing the 2nd log in the woods, the one that is next to where you rescue Machi at the beginning of the game. Begin pushing the log off the cliff, then quickly start your file before the cutscene plays, showing the log pushed off the ledge. Then make an environment change and the gate blocking the Triforce of Courage will be raised.

This method is preferred when Faron BiT is set up with the Eldin Pillar method.


Bow Shot in Sandship Room


Discovered by ZFG

It is possible to hit the first bow switch while standing on the dirt patch located in the center of the room.


Dreadfuse Strategies


The strategies for Dreadfuse are exactly the same as those for Scervo in the Sandship; see that page for details. The only difference between the two is that Dreadfuse is shinier and left-handed.


Stalmaster Strategies


Because Stalmaster operates on a one hit = one damage principle, the strategies here are the same as the strategy for the Stalmaster in Ancient Cistern; see that page for details.

Killing Zombie Bokoblins

Faster method due to GreenUprooter

The fastest way to kill the Zombie Bokoblins that spawn is to fight the Stalmaster normally until they close in, then plant a bomb and slash it with your sword, killing the bokoblins while damaging yourself.

A slightly safer and slower method is to place a bomb at the very start of the fight without moving. When the Stalmaster begins to attack, shield bash if necessary and back away, letting the Zombie Bokoblins converge on the bomb; it should explode, killing all the Bokoblins and stunning the Stalmaster. You can then finish phase one in two rounds as usual.


Reset the Sky Keep Puzzle


To reset the Sky Keep Puzzle, you can simply leave the dungeon. However, there is a way to reset the puzzle while staying in the dungeon.

Save at any Sky Keep Statue. Perform Back in Time and either BiTSave or BiTWarp using the Bazaar Statue. After reloading your file, kill yourself. You will respawn at the Sky Keep statue you saved at, but with the puzzle reset. Usually this causes you to have to leave the dungeon anyway because most rooms are not linked to another with the puzzle in its initial position.


Segmented or TAS Tricks


Knock the Iron Moblins into the void

It's possible in the Cistern Basement room to knock the Iron Moblins into the void by grabbing onto the edge of the platform and boosting into them.

The trick is inconsistent and difficult, so this would be considered segmented or TAS only.


Unused Strategies


Skyview Room Lever RBM

By using Reverse BiTMagic, it is possible to set the shortcut gate in the Skyview room to be open. This skips doing the room normally, and this allows for beating Sky Keep without the whip or gust bellows. The flag in question is 9x40. On Skyloft it corresponds to the five crystal reward conversation with Batreaux.

This RBM is slower than doing the room normally, and should only be used in order to skip whip or gust bellows. It should also not be done in the Skyview room as loading that room without committing the RBM will unset the flag. Thus the RBM should be done at the entrance and committed (for exemple by puzzling a little) before entering the Skyview room.


Wisdom Room LJA

Discovered by peppernicus

It is possible to skip the clawshots requirement in the Wisdom Room by using a Long Jump Attack (LJA). You normally need the double clawshots in order to get to the alcove where the triforce of wisdom is, as it is barely too far to reach with a standard jump. To skip the clawshots, push the sentrobe around with a barrel until it gets close to the platform we want to jump too. Make sure the timeshift orb is positionned so that the spike gate doesn't exist. Wait for the sentrobe to spawn sentrobe bombs, and wait for them to clip over the platform you want to get to. Then perform a sidehop, target the sentrobe bomb, and immediately jumpslash in order to perform a LJA. This should allow you to jump far enough to skip the double clawshots.


Courage Locked Door RBM

Discovered by azer67

Using Reverse BiTMagic, the lock on the Courage Door can be removed, skipping the Dreadfuse fight.

The corresponding flag is 6x80. On BiT Skyloft it is set by talking to Karane after meeting Zelda but before meeting Groose. Karane is usually outside during this section, but it is still possible to trigger this text inside the Academy with the very specific file setup that follows:

  • File 1: Run file in Sky Keep
  • File 2: Saved after meeting Zelda but before meeting Groose
  • File 3: Saved at the Lower Academy Statue after talking to Horwell once (for Z-bipping) and before pressing Z

Now follow the next steps:

  • Enter the Knight Academy with File 2
  • Enter Link's room, and open Link's dresser with File 3 (this loads the Z-bipping flag)
  • Go back to the main room with File 3 (don't press Z). Because File 3 is before meeting Zelda, Karane will be in in the Academy corridor
  • With File 2 selected, press Z. This will commit the story flags from this file
  • Talk to Karane. She will have the dialogue she normally has outside after meeting Zelda. Start File 1 on the last textbox

This trick is rarely used because it is slower than the Courage Lever RBM.


Skip the Bow

By using Reverse BiTMagic, it is possible to skip all the requirements for the Bow in Sky Keep. This requires going to Faron in BiT.

Bow Skip in LMF Room

By combining the uses of Reverse BiTMagic and Faron BiT, it is possible to raise the gates around the puzzle in the LMF Room and also the gate blocking the north exit. This skips all of the bow shots in the LMF Room. The flag in question is 7x10, and can be obtained in the Sealed Grounds.

The corresponding flag in the Sealed Grounds is collecting the Life Tree Fruit in the Sealed Temple. You should use BiTMagic to set scene flag 5x20 and die inside the Sealed Temple to reload the area with that scene flag to spawn the Life Tree early. Then roll into the tree, start your file then run into the Life Tree Fruit to perform this RBM.

Bow Skip in the Wisdom Room

By combining the uses of Reverse BiTMagic and Faron BiT, it is possible to open the gate blocking you from clawshoting and reaching the Triforce of Wisdom. The flag in question is Ax20, and can be obtained in the Sealed Grounds.

The corresponding flag in the Sealed Grounds is revealing the Goddess Wall in Behind the Temple. This has many requirements. You must first obtain the Water Dragon's Scale and beat the Faron Silent Realm to enter Skyview 2. Then talk to the Mogma in Skyview 2 to unlock goddess walls. You also need the B-Wheel, the Harp and the Ballad of the Goddess to perform the RBM. Go to Behind the Temple and reveal the Goddess Wall to perform this RBM.

Both of these RBMs together skip all the bow requirements in Sky Keep.

Last updated 08/09/2022 – azer67