Keep (Hyrule Warriors)

Keeps are a game mechanic and important areas found in all stages from Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends.

Overview
They square-shaped structures that are controlled by either enemy, rogue, or allied forces. Each keep has Keep Meter which reduces as troops spawned from it are defeated by troops an opposing army. Once the meter is emptied, a Keep Boss enemy will appear. A Keeps color determines the faction controlling it: Blue represents the Allied forces (the player's faction), Red represents Enemy Forces (opposing enemy faction) and Yellow represents Rogue Forces (second enemy faction that opposes both the Enemy and Allied Forces).

Capturing Keeps & Keep Boss
By seizing keeps from enemy or rogue forces allows the player can stem the flow of enemy reinforcements from a keep. To take a keep, the Keep Meter must be emptied to make the Keep Boss appear. Once the Keep Boss is defeated the Keep will be captured. However it should be noted that allied Keep Boss can appear in allied Keeps if enemy or rogue forces units decrease the blue Keep Meter within an Allied Keep.

Raid Captains
In Adventure Mode, a Raid Captain can march forth from a keep on the battlefield where the allied/enemy/rogue forces meet and will advance towards the opposing factions nearest keep (or Outpost if they come upon one). Once the nearest opposing factions keep is claimed by the Raid Captain's forces, the Raid Captain will continue on from that keep and look for more positions to take. If the allied forces capturing a Keep that Raid Captains spawn from can result in Allied Raid Captain appearing on the battlefield. Allied Raid Captains can help the player by attacking and capturing enemy keeps (and outposts), either alongside the player or while the player is engaged elsewhere. It is generally a good idea to defeat enemy or rogue Raid Captains to prevent them from capturing allied keeps, especially if they are attacking the allied base or important keeps.

Keep Saboteurs
In addition to Raid Captains, there are Keep Saboteurs which are specialized enemy units that can weaken and quickly capture keeps, making their defeat a priority.

Keep Types
Certain types of Keep may appear depending on the scenario. There are even some scenarios where Keeps have little to no role and/or do not need to be captured.

Standard Keeps
These Keeps are generally little to no importance and capturing them is not required to finish a scenario. However depending on their location (such as keep near and/or around the allied base), capturing and/or maintaining control of them can be quite useful and effective strategically, as they can be used to occupy/distract and/or deter the opposing faction (or factions). It is also a good way to stem the flow of enemy troops.

Main Bases
Keeps with a castle icon are a factions main bases (and like standard keeps, the faction is determined by the color). If the allied keep falls to enemy attack, it results in the allied faction losing the battle and leads to a Game Over. Players should keep an eye on their allied base and rush in to defend it whenever it is in danger of falling into enemy hands. Capturing Enemy or Rogue Bases usually requires the player to defeat the faction's Commander in order to capture them. However in some scenarios (like the Armies of Ruin story scenario) it is possible to capture the opposing faction's base, though doing so will not result in victory for the allied forces.

Blank/Inactive Keeps
Depending on the scenario, some keeps may be empty and/or cannot be captured by either faction. These keeps are blank, have no color, and generally do not spawn troops (however troop may spawn and/or fight within their confines). In some scenarios, these keeps may suddenly become active (coming under the control of a faction) as dictated by changes within the scenario.

Uncontrolled Keeps
In the Land of Myth, initially the West Boulder Keep on Death Mountain is unmanned and not under any factions control. However it will automatically fall into which ever faction enters it first (meaning the allied forces can capture it if the player enters it first). Due to the keep's role and importance in the scenario, it is generally a good idea for the player to reach it first (to prevent the Goron Forces from using it to launch Boulders at the allied base) especially when playing on a higher difficultly.

Barrier Keeps
Barrier Keeps are a type of enemy controlled keep that cause the player and allied forces to take damage while within the keep itself. Though it is possible to capture these Keeps, generally it is safer and advisable to remove the keep's barrier. To remove the barrier, the player must obtain an Elemental Fairy from the keep it is imprisoned in. A Barrier can only be dispelled by a Fairy of the same element as the barrier.

Barrier Element Attribute

 * Fire - Causes Fire Elemental damage. Requires a Fairy of Fire to dispel.
 * Water - Causes Water Elemental damage. Requires a Fairy of Water to dispel.
 * Lightning - Causes Lightning Elemental damage. Requires a Fairy of Lightning to dispel.
 * Light - Causes Light Elemental damage. Requires a Fairy of Light to dispel.
 * Darkness - Causes Darkness Elemental damage. Requires a Fairy of Darkness to dispel.

Imprisoned Fairy Keep
Keeps containing an imprisoned Elemental Fairy required to dispel elemental barriers in Barrier Keeps. Capturing the keep allows the player to collect the imprisoned fairy, which can be used to dispel a single elemental barrier of the same type as the fairy.

Mission Specific Keep Types
In certain scenarios, specific keeps must be captured or under allied control in order to complete certain objectives.

Twilight Realm
In the Land of Twilight story scenario, enemy keeps covered in a veil of Twilight appear. Midna (Commander of the Rogue Forces that must be defeated at the climax of the scenario in order to complete it) due to her Twili origins, gains great power from these keeps (regardless of the faction controlling them). However the player can dispel the Twilight by capturing the Twilight Realm Keeps. These keeps feature Dark Darknuts or Dark Aeralfos as Keep Bosses depending on the faction controlling it (Dark Darknuts appear in ones controlled by Midna's Forces) and (Dark Aeralfos appear in ones controlled by the Dark Forces). Midna's strength is determined by the number of Twilight Realm Keeps on the battlefield and capturing all Twilight Realm keeps will return Midna to normal. However it should be noted that it is possible to defeat Midna even if there are Twilight Keeps present.

The Groosenator
In the Sealed Ambition story scenario, Groosenators appear and can be used to halt The Imprisoned attack on a keep. In order to use the Groosenator, the Keep must be under allied control, and if not must be captured first before it can be used.

Magic Keeps
In the War of Spirit story scenario, the Dark Forces use Magic Keeps to spawn countless powerful ReDead Knights. Magic Keeps combine the energies of a group of keeps to weave powerful enhancements, causing strong enemies to spawn. Breaking the connection stops the flow strong monsters. In the War of Spirit, the magic keeps appear as three connected keeps on both east & west sides of the Temple of Souls (six keeps in total). The simplest way to take out the magic keeps is by capturing the middle keep that connects the other two. Alternatively, the connection can be severed by capturing two magic keeps (provided that the middle magic keep is not taken first). The latter method is preferable if the player wishes to farm the spawning ReDead Knights for their Materials.

Origin
The concept of the Keeps originates from and is a core game mechanic of Tecmo Koei's Dynasty Warriors series.