Walkthroughs
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Skyward Sword Walkthrough Chapter 1: The Skyloft Wing Ceremony
Chapter 1: The Skyloft Wing Ceremony
Skyward Sword Story Guides:
Skyward Sword Secrets Guides:
- Skyward Sword Heart Pieces
- Skyward Sword Goddess Cubes
- Skyward Sword Gratitude Crystals
- Skyward Sword Items & Gear
- Skyward Sword Item Upgrades
- Skyward Sword Enemies
- Skyward Sword Bosses
Objectives:
- Meet up with Zelda at the Statue of the Goddess.
- Investigate what happened to your Loftwing.
- Take a sword into the waterfall caves.
- Claim victory in the Wing Ceremony competition.
Important Obtainables:
New Enemies:
1 - Meet up with Zelda at the Statue of the Goddess.
Now that you're awake, you gain control of Link and can start playing! The first thing you can do is interact with things in your room. For example, inside your closet is a 5 Rupee piece!
Zelda's letter explains that she's waiting to show off her new instrument and Goddess costume at the Goddess Statue, the most prominent landmark in all of Skyloft, so you'd better meet her there. From your room, hang a right and you'll see a pair of double doors that lead outside of the Knight Academy dormitory. You can talk to Fledge, the young man attempting to pick up barrels in the hallway, if you wish to learn a bit about the game's object-carrying mechanics and earn a little extra cash, but it's not necessary.
Once you're outside, you'll be prompted by a white-haired instructor at the academy to practice your Z-targeting. Just like with Fledge, you can feel free to ignore him if you wish, but if you follow his instructions he'll teach you a bit about the Stamina Meter. In either case, you'll need to get a running start towards the stack of crates on your left by holding the A button and moving towards them at full speed to get a leg up so you can climb on top of them. Do the same with the adjacent ledge and you'll wind up facing the Goddess Statue.
Hop across the gap between you and the roof of the dormitory's lower levels and head down the path to your right. You'll pass by a strange bird statue, one of an extensive set which serves as this game's series of save points. Approach the statue and familiarize yourself with the options if you wish, but otherwise continue until you reach a staircase leading up to the Goddess Statue.
There you'll meet Zelda and her father, Headmaster Gaepora of the Knight Academy. They'll explain the game's setting in some detail, introducing world elements such as the Wing Ceremony, Loftwings, and whistling to summon your bird. Pay attention if you want to learn about what's going on!
2 - Track down your missing Loftwing.
Zelda tries to get you some additional flight practice before the big Wing Ceremony, but it seems your bird won't come when it's called. You'll have to figure out what happened to it. Ask around town and you'll hear from a few townspeople, namely Fledge, that a shady character named Groose was seen doing something to your bird in order to try to disqualify you from the knight qualification rounds. If you question Groose, maybe you'll be able to find out more about what happened to your bird.
You can find Groose hanging with his two lackeys, Cawlin and Strich, over at the town plaza. You can take a look at your map by pressing the + button in order to scope out the plaza's location. (Hint: It's at the far south edge of Skyloft.) If you're no good at reading maps, just head back the way you came from the Goddess Statue and instead of going back inside the Knight Academy, follow the path through the gate and down the slope until you reach a cobblestone square with a tower at its far end. Groose is the red-headed guy flanked by flunkies.
After some chastising from Zelda, you get the impression that Groose trapped your Loftwing beyond the island's caves. You'll need a sword to survive against the monsters there, which means you need to head back up towards the Academy once again. Don't climb up the blocks to return to the Goddess Statue, though - keep going past them to a small building to the north of the Knight Academy. This is the Sparring Hall, and if you ask the trainer here - a knight commander named Eagus - for permission he'll let you take a Practice Sword with you to save your bird. (Be sure to get in some actual practice before you go!)
Practice Sword
This is the game's starting sword, used by knights of Skyloft to protect the land from monsters.
When you discover your Loftwing has gone missing, head to the Sparring Hall to train with the knight instructor there. If you successfully complete your training, he'll allow you to take a sword with you to track down your bird.
Find out more at Zeldapedia: Practice Sword.
3 - Take a sword into the waterfall caves.
The easiest way to reach the caves is by heading north from the plaza. Return there with your sword, then hang along the path leading into the center of town. Keep going past the bridge on the right and the path will eventually reach a dead-end of sorts with a good view of the Goddess Statue from below. A series of stepping stones will lead you across the lake to a stretch of land along the north edge of this part of the island that you can follow all the way to the cave entrance. Use your sword to cut through the small trees blocking the mouth of the cave and proceed inside.
Keese and Chu Chus roam these caverns, but you can make short work of them with your sword. Be careful not to slash the Chu Chus horizontally unless they're in their smallest form the two halves will simply rejoin. Proceeding through the cave is pretty simple work - most of the way is straightfoward. You'll run into a slope you need to dash to scale about midway through your trek. Look for a set of vines you can climb on the left once you get to the top and you'll find a 20 Rupee piece. You'll find all kinds of cash in hidden spots just like this one.
Keese
Keese can be tricky little buggers. They fly relatively erratically until they spot you, at which point they try to dive-bomb you. You can tell when they're about to attack because their eyes flash red. They go down easily, but because they're so small and agile it can be hard to hit them if you aren't skilled with your blade or other weapons.
Find out more at Zeldapedia: Keese.
Chu Chu
Your sword can slice right through a Chu Chu, but it'll continue to grow if you don't deal with it quickly. Each time you cut one, it divides into smaller segments, which will recombine unless you take them out. Red ones set you on fire and Yellow ones are charged with electricity.
Find out more at Zeldapedia: Chu Chu.
Once you exit the caves, Zelda will meet up with you and together you'll move on to find your bird trapped in a small cave. Approach the bindings and cut them with precise directional swings to set it free. From here, you'll be forced into a quick flight tutorial. Follow the on-screen directives until you get the hang of your bird, and then you'll segue straight into the Wing Ceremony.
4 - Claim victory in the Wing Ceremony competition.
Looks like Groose couldn't disqualify you after all! The rules of the Wing Ceremony competition are as follows: take a dive off the takeoff platform and summon your bird with a quick tap of the Down button on the D-pad. Guide your bird towards the golden Loftwing so you can grab the statue in its talons with the A button. You'll have to avoid other birdriders in the process - all of whom are in cahoots with Groose and out to get you - so fly safely.
The best way to get close to the golden bird is to try to head it off and dive down to it from above. Diving is much faster than standard flight or even the quick burst of speed you get from tapping the A button. It's still quite fast and very elusive, but don't get discouraged! Perseverance will win out in the end. After you get close enough to grab the statue, Groose will tackle you to stop you from claiming the prize and then Cawlin will proceed to toss eggs your way to impede your progress. The strategy to get behind the bird remains the same, but you'll have to fly with these obstacles in mind.
Once you succeed, Zelda will bring you to the Goddess Statue for the victory ceremony. She presents you with her shawl, the Sailcloth, and teaches you how to dive from high places without taking serious damage upon landing. You'll have to leap from the statue platform and land right in the center of the circle below. Guide Link by tilting the Wii Remote as he falls so that he's positioned right above the bulls-eye, and whip out the Sailcloth a couple seconds before impact with the B button to slow your fall.
Sailcloth
Once you win the birdriding competition during the Wing Ceremony, Zelda will give you this Sailcloth as a memento. You can use it to glide short distances while jumping, to catch updrafts of air to gain altitude, or to slow your descent while skydiving.
Find out more at Zeldapedia: Sailcloth.
Succeed at this and Zelda will invite you on a date up in the clouds. It's not meant to last, however - a giant tornado interrupts your precious moment!
