You call this a Fortress?
Welcome to the Fortress of still Winds
Once inside the Fortress, go as far left as you can and head through the door there. Go up the staircase, and continue up a screen killing enemies as you see fit. Keep going until you reach a room with a door on the left. To open it, use your bow on the little eye just next to the door. Once you shoot the eye with an arrow, the door will open. Enter the opened door. Defeat the four Stalfos that appear, and exit through the door on the bottom. Make your way through this room and climb the ladder. Go through the door, and step onto the moving platform that moves left to right. Shoot the two eyes there to gain access to the north door. Once inside the door, use the colour-tiles to make a copy of yourself and step on the switch. Use yourself and your copy to defeat the two statues, and get the compass. After that, exit the room. Use the moving platform on the right side of the room to shoot the two eyes on the right side of the room. Enter that room. Use the colour pads there to make a copy of yourself, and push the first block from the left all the way to the right. Before you go further, push the block below that one to the right one space. This will let you make another copy to push the first block you push upwards. Once you have access to the lever, pull it. A small key will drop down, and it's your duty to jump down the hole to chase after it!
Movin' on Up...and Back Down
Once back on the main floor, after grabbing the small key, leave the room and go back to the first part of the dungeon. Now, go into the room right in front of the Dungeon entrance. Walk forward and up the stairs. Defeat all the enemies, and in the center of a room will be a treasure chest containing a map. Then, at the north end of the room, use the small key on the left door. Then step on the moving platform, and avoid the blocks. Use arrows to shoot the eye switches, and then cross the bridge heading left. When you go to enter the doorway below, a Darknut will appear. Use the same strategy as the one in Castor Wilds to defeat him to advance. Once you're in the room with the green moving spikes, follow the pattern counter-clockwise to reach the switch, then advance through the door on the bottom. Head right, and when you see two skulls, place a bomb in-between them on the strange looking floor pattern. Once the wall explodes, enter it to receive this dungeons item; the Mole Mitts. Once you have them, exit the room, walk right, jump off the ledge down the staircase, and back into the first room of the dungeon.
We need more Keys
Go into the door that is to the right of the one directly in front of the entry-way. Walk up the steps, and pull the lever on the left side of the room to open the door. In here, head up the ladder, and head up a screen. Go to the left and defeat the Armos statue standing there. Use the color floor tiles to duplicate yourself, and head through the doorway on the right to step on the two switches to open the door. Walk through this door, and use the Minish Portal to shrink down. Walk over to the right, and go into the Armos statue to activate him. Go back to the portal, become normal sized, push the block out of the way, and then defeat the Armos statue to gain access to the lever to make a small key fall down. Once more, chase after the small key. Once you have the small key, return to the entrance of the dungeon, and go back to the room in front of the dungeon entrance. Work your way up and to the double locked doors we saw earlier. This time, go in the one on the right, and pull the lever to activate the bridge. Dash across the bridge using the Pegasus Boots to make it to the other side, and then climb the steps and go to the right. Defeat the three hands you see to make a Minish Portal appear. Don't use it just yet. Head right, and go to the bottom of this screen. Use the holes in the ground to hide under the rolling spike bars, and get to the little entrance just to the right.
Here, there's two statues and four switches. Push the statues so they're on the top left and bottom right switches. Then, go up to the colour floor pads and make a copy of yourself to be able to stand on the other switch. Your copy will take the top right switch leaving the bottom left one for you. Get the small key, and use it on the door at the south part of this room. Before you enter, go back to the Minish Portal, and make yourself Minish sized. Then, enter the door on the south. Head left, and use the small hole in the wall there. Return to normal size, and hop on the switch to make a key fall. Dig your way to it using the Mole Mitts, then return to Minish size, exit the hole, and hop off the ledge down to where the hands are. Use the portal there to return to your normal size, and defeat the hands. Head right and south, to reach a digging area. Dig your way down to the ladder, then of course, climb it. Walk up a screen, and use the key to gain access to the next room. You need to fall down the hole on the right. Once you do, get the big key from the treasure chest. Push the block to the left, and continue traveling left. Jump off the ledge you'll find, and head through the south door. Climb the ladder, and continue up one more screen. You'll notice 3 blocks against the wall, but one a space away from the wall. Push the block to it touches the wall, and the red warp pad will appear. Use the big key on the big door and enter it.
How are you going to dig yourself out of this one?
If you need hearts, get them from the nearby skulls, otherwise just continue into the next room. Welcome to the boss. His name is Mazaal. What you need to do is avoid the hands, and shoot the middle of them with your arrows. Once you shoot a hand, run to it and slash at the middle bit with your sword. Do this to both hands, and his head will drop. Once his head does drop, go to the Minish Portal in the corner, and shrink yourself down to Minish size. Go inside of his head through his mouth, and slash at the pillar with the eye. Sometimes you'll have to dig to reach the pillar, but the battle is still essentially the same the entire time. Once you have defeated them...only a heart container appears. Walk north, outside, and to the tablet there. Read it, and it will explain where the Element is, and then it will give you the Ocarina of Wind. Remember those gravestone things? Turns out, they were actually wind crests, and you can use the Ocarina of Wind to warp to these spots. Anyhow, once you pick up the Ocarina of Wind, you'll be teleported out of the Fortress of Winds! I guess that's just how you dig yourself out of this one.
Part 5: Journey to Fortress of Winds | Part 7: Getting the Flippers
