Walkthrough:The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker/VicGeorge2K9/Part 4

This part will take you through your first visit to Dragon Roost Island.

Dragon Roost Island
Now that you've rejoined the King of Red Lions with the purchased sail, he will tell you how to use it, and he will also tell you about our first destination which is marked out on our Sea Chart. He will tell you that a westerly wind is blowing which will carry us to the east, so let's get in and get our sailboat moving. Our first trip through the seas will be somewhat of a tutorial for how to steer the sailboat at full sail. Along the way there will be some barrels floating in the water that contain rupees on them that we can collect.

Soon enough we will reach our destination: Dragon Roost Island. The King of Red Lions will tell you about a great dragon named Valoo who is the spirit of the skies, who makes his nest at the top of the island. It is who we need to ask to get a special jewel called Din's Pearl, but first we need to ask the Rito tribe who lives here how we can see the dragon. After Link makes it to shore, the King of Red Lions will give him an item that will be very essential in the game called the Wind Waker. He will take us through a tutorial on how to use this item. Basically, it's moving the right analog stick in the right direction when the metronome at the top of the screen hits the center, while the left analog stick selects the timing: at center it's 3/4; moved to the left, it's 4/4; and moved to the right, it's 6/4. However, we won't be able to use this item for a while, so just save it for now and move on.

Meeting the Rito
Now to getting where the Rito tribe is located: the first thing we want to do is get rid of the boulders that are blocking a winding path to a narrow ledge we need to cross over, so grab a Bomb Flower and place it near each of the boulders to blow them up. When we get near the ledge, use the sidle move to get across it, then drop down to another ledge where a Bomb Flower is and pick it up to blow up a boulder that's undernearth two blocks. Now drop down and pull out one of the blocks so you can climb up onto that ledge later on in the game. Climb up and go through the tunnel where we will meet the bird-like being we saw earlier in the game, whom we find out is a member of the Rito. He is impressed to see that Link has managed to travel far for one with no wings, and he believes that his mentor can offer some pretty good advice. As he flies off to prepare for our meeting with his mentor, proceed up the path toward the entrance to the mail center.

As we enter, the Rito tribe elders are busy in a meeting that Link walks into. The tribe chief tells Link that though they want to help, they have a crisis of their own to deal with: it seems that Valoo has been quite upset lately, and because of that the younger members of the tribe cannot get their scales from him so that they can grow their wings. One youngster in particular, the chief's son Prince Komali, has been troubled by this because he's reached the age where he's due to get the scale from Valoo. The chief suggests that his son may feel better if a courageous lad like Link would talk to him. Quill, the postal worker we've talked to earlier, will give Link the Delivery Bag, which will allow him to carry items and letters to deliver to other people.

After talking with the various members of the Rito tribe on the first floor, go up the ramp to the second floor and enter the first room on the left. A young Rito girl named Medli, who serves as an attendant-in-training to Valoo, will give Link the Father's Letter for you to give to the prince. She will also tell you to meet her by the entrance of the Dragon Roost Cavern.

Head back downstairs and enter the hallway directly under the ramp. At the end of the corridor is Komali's room. Enter and give the Father's Letter to the young Rito boy who's holding what is Din's Pearl in his hands. Komali will read it, but will disregard his father's encouragement, believing that there's no way he'll go and deal with Valoo unless somebody calms the dragon down. He also doesn't think too highly of Link, so unless you're willing to prove to him that you can calm the dragon down by taking action, he won't part with the Din's Pearl that his late grandmother has given him.

Entering Dragon Roost Cavern
Exit Komali's room and head down the hallway near the Rito with the large stick. This leads to the entrance to Dragon Roost Cavern. You'll notice as you enter there that the bridge is out, so we can't cross over to the other door as of yet. There's also a boulder that's sitting over a small ring of water. Jump down near there and talk to Medli, who requires your help getting to the other side of the broken bridge. Pick her up, then carry her over to the small rock ramp near the boulder and face toward the other side of the bridge. Wait until the wind is blowing toward the other end, then let her go. If done right, Medli will fly over onto the other side. She will be grateful for Link's assistance and give him an empty Bottle that we can use before she runs off.

With the empty bottle, scoop up some water around the boulder, then climb up the broken boards of the bridge and go back toward the entrance, where you see some withered Bomb Flowers. Pour the water onto one of the Bomb Flowers to liven it up, then pick up a Bomb Flower and aim it so that it goes over the railing and onto the boulder to blow it up. This causes water to gush in and fill the entire cavern. Now Link can swim across to the other side.

There's one more obstacle Link needs to get past to enter the cavern: a pool of hot lava that needs to be crossed. Pick up a Bomb Flower and aim it into the cup of each of the two statues on either side of the lava pool to make them fall onto the pool. Hop across the fallen statues and head up the path to enter Dragon Roost Cavern.

NEXT: Going through Dragon Roost Cavern.