Lanayru Mining Facility - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Guide - IGN (2024)

Welcome to IGN's Walkthrough for the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This page contains information on Lanayru Mining Facility, including how to navigate the dungeon, obtain the Gust Bellows, and defeat the boss.

Video Guide: Entering the Lanayru Mining Facility

The entry area is filled with Arachas, small scorpion-like creatures you'll be seeing a lot of in the Mining Facility. You can kill them in one blow, but when they team up they can be tricky. Spin Attacks come in handy when they crowd you. You should notice in the northern corners of the room are two switches you can run up the wall and grab.

There are sand pits before each of these, and Electro Spumes in them. The northwest pit has a statue with a Bomb-sized basket in it. A Bomb Plant is growing atop a pillar in the middle of the room. Fly the Beetle to the Bomb Plant and carry the Bomb to the basket in the statue. You will have to hold Z on the nunchuk and then press A to drop the bomb. This will create a safe zone across the sand for you to stand on. You can also bomb the Electro Spumes using the Beetle.

Run to the fallen statue and activate the switch. This opens the door to the north. To get to the switch on the northeast side, you'll need to simply run across the sand. Use a combination of running and short walks to reach the other side -- this will prolong the amount of time you can spend crossing the sand. Pull the switch to open a gate on the east side of the room with a Red Rupee Chest inside. You can also throw bombs in the statues that line the walls to access a few more Rupees.

Head north through the door. There are two locked doors here, one which requires a Small Key. This is what you will be searching for next. Staldra guard both sides of the path. Remember to knock them back with your shield when they attack to easily stun them. Slash every head in one swipe to eliminate them.

On the left side of the raised area in the north are crates you can push around to make a path up to the door. Push a crate against the wall and run up it. Head through the northern door.

The massive central hall of the Lanayru Mining Facility is completely blocked off, aside from a path to the east. Save at the Bird Statue and then look for a Bomb Plant on a pillar.

Send your Beetle to retrieve the bomb and then drop it onto the pile of boxes to the east. This will open a path. Bomb the Yellow Chuchu from a distance and then hop across the small island to the ladder.

Beware of the Thunder Keese here which immediately attack you at the top of the ladder. These Keese are tough, but you can always block them with a Shield (so long as it isn't the Iron Shield).

Up here is a Chest with a Small Key in it. Return to the southern hall with the locked door (marked on your map) and open it to access the eastern hall.

This sand-filled area is rife with Froaks, floating explosive enemies that can easily be detonated with your Slingshot. The Beetle is a clumsier, but viable, option as well.

Cross the dead conveyor belt and climb the weeds on the far side. From here you can climb a ladder to reach a floor switch in the corner of the room; but the ladder is blocked by a crate.

A Bomb Plant grows high atop the entrance to the room, thankfully, and you can grab the Bomb and drop it on the crate.

Climb up and stand on the floor switch. This will open a chamber with a Timeshift Stone in the center of the sandy pit. Send your Beetle for it. Once you leave the switch the Timeshift Stone will be blocked again, albeit activated.

Drop down and face your first Beamos. These foes should ALWAYS be approached while their eye faces away from you. The beam they emit will quickly erode your Shield, so beware! To take them out swiftly, run up to the base and swipe at it horizontally to cut it down a level -- some Beamos are tall and will require you to cut several sections out. When the Beamos is brought down to your height, stab its eye with a thrusting motion of the Wii Remote to finish it off.

You can dash across the section of red conveyor belt here. When you reach the next belt, you'll need to cross the room to the north. Dash across the red conveyor belt, avoiding the stones and grabbing the Stamina Fruit. It's easier than it sounds!

This leads to some ramps that will take you to a locked door and another conveyor belt. At the far end of this belt is a Beamos and a wall switch. Yank this switch to open the locked door you just passed. Drop off the edge and you can pull another wall switch below.

This will get you access to a Red Rupee Chest on the north side of the room. Cross the conveyor belt to the north side again, grab the Chest and then exit through the unlocked door.

In the next room are many, many platforms and spikes lining much of the floor, preventing you from getting to the northern platform, with the Gust Bellows in it. To get there, you'll have to take a route over the spikes, using the platforms.

First, jump to the southeastern platform and aim a Slingshot pellet at the Froak by the pile of rocks. It should detonate, clearing the rocks and making it safe to head north. Cross the platforms to the ladder in the north and climb it to find the Gust Bellows!

This air-spouting device will clear small piles of sand, revealing switches and treasures, blow many enemies away and also power propeller-driven devices!

You can test it on the sand piles in the vicinity. Most importantly, blow the Froak in the northwest corner into the pile of rocks to clear a path to the western door.

By the ladder leading to this door is a block you can push to the ground to create a shortcut. Do so, then look for a Chest on the ground with a Rare Item (Goddess Plume, Blue Bird Feather, or Golden Skull) inside!

The western door is blocked by sand piles. Blow them away with the Gust Bellows and head through the door.

Back in the central hall, push the block out of the way and you can climb down the ladder. Save at the Bird Statue.

Head south one room. Here one door remains locked. The switch to open it is under a pile of sand in the northeast corner of the room. Blow all of the sand away, killing the Arachas as they appear.

Push the block onto the floor switch that appears and the door to the west will be open.

Video Guide - Unlocking the Ancient Circuit Door

The sandy western hall holds a secret under a pile of sand in the southeast corner. Make your way over to this, blowing the Froaks aside.

Use the Gust Bellows to clear the sand and you will find a Timeshift Stone. Smack it and examine the new surroundings. There are several wind-powered platforms in the room. You can move these by passing the Gust Bellows wind stream over one side. You can make them go both ways, depending on the side you blow.

Be careful not to blow a platform far away or you'll have to hit the Timeshift Stone again to run over to it in the sand.

You can use the central wind-powered platform to reach the Chest with a Monster Horn inside.

A gate on the south side of the room can now be opened, as well. The time bubble reveals a fan above the gate which you can aim the Gust Bellows at. Do so and you will be able to raise the gate.

Although you can easily handle the Beamos on the other side, a new type of enemy, the Sentrobe should be a bit trickier. The Sentrobe has two modes of attack. For the first mode, you need to send its projectiles back at it. You can do this with a timed Shield counter attack (preferable) or with a vertical swipe of the sword.

After you hit the Sentrobe. it will change modes and fire two probes at you. One of this has a vertical blue line, the other a horizontal blue line. These are the seams you can swipe to render them in twain. Cut them both in half and return to the Shield technique. hit it once more and it will shower the room in Rupees, most of which will fall into the abyss.

The room's exit is just ahead. To reach it, use the Gust Bellows to push the platform to the right, allowing you to hop on it. From the platform, use the wind of your Bellows to push it back to its starting place, so you can get off on the other side.

The door leading out to the north is guarded by a Beamos. It is also locked with a windmill lock. Use the Gust Bellows to open it.

This room has some tough enemies in it. The two Staldra are familiar, but make sure you draw one away from the other before attacking it.

Clear the sand piles around the block on the north side of the room and push it all the way to the west. Climb the block and look through the gate on the upper level. There is a pile of sand obscuring a Timeshift Stone here. Hit the stone with the Slingshot and the Armos below will come to life.

The Armos is extremely dangerous if you don't keep your distance. The trick to this strange device is to spin the top of its head with the Gust Bellows. Doing so will open its mouth and stun it. There are two blue weak points in its mouth. Once can be swiped with a horizontal slash, but the other, more difficult one to hit must be stabbed with a thrust motion.

Kill the Armos to open the gate above with the Chest behind it AND the door leading east. The Chest contains the Dungeon Map!

Note that an Amber Relic can be found on one of the platforms above, under a sand pile.

Head back into the central hall and clear the sand on the ground. Hit the switch to lift the gate and create a permanent short cut. Save at the Bird Statue.

The sand-filled region on the west side of the main hall seems uncrossable, but a glance at the Dungeon Map shows otherwise. Follow the light-colored regions to stay safe. Additionally, the Chuchus here stay on the safe regions so you can aim for them. You cannot, however, place markers. Lame!

An area with a chest is revealed on your map to the west of the first safe spot. Expose a hole in the wall with your Gust Bellows and crawl in. The passage terminates in a small room with a Chest with a Rare Item

Return to the sand pit in the central chamber and continue north on the invisible walkways marked on the map. Enter another hole (check your map) behind a pile of sand to find a passage leading to a room filled with sand piles.[

You know what to do: Take out the Gust Bellows and clear the room, carefully avoiding the spikes. A Red Rupee Chest can be found in the northwest corner of the room, a switch is under some sand in the northwest corner that opens the door up the stairs, and a Pink Fairy in the northeast corner.

Go through the door at the top of the stairs. Back in the main chamber, blow some sand off of the mine cart and whack the Timeshift Stone inside the pile of rocks on the cart itself. This will kick it into motion.

A Sentrobe will block your path. Take it out with well-timed Shield counters. The Sentrobe Bombs can, of course, be slashed in half along their seams. In the next stretch of rail, hide behind the cart to avoid the Beamos' beams. One in your path will have to be cut down.

When the cart arrives at its destination you can use the Gust Bellows to open a gate to the Bird Statue you previously saved at. Save there and then return through the gate to explore the northeastern area.

Another mine cart with a Timeshift Stone can be exposed in the east. Hit the stone and follow it past the locked door to a wind lock.

Video Guide: Locating the Ancient Circuit

Use the Gust Bellows to open the wind lock. When the cart gets to the end of its track, whack the Stone to turn it off, then turn it back on again to get the cart to reverse so you can get to the open door.

In the eastern room, cross the conveyor belt carefully, avoiding the air gusts. Use the Slingshot to clear enemies off the wall of vines and climb them.

At the top, toss bombs into the statues' baskets to get to the pile of sand obscuring a Timeshift Stone in the southwest corner. Hit the Stone and cross back to the east side of the room.

From here you can run across the three conveyor belts. You've got to time your run to avoid the stones.

Now, use the wind-powered platform to cross to the west side of the room. Here you will find another Sentrobe and some statues with baskets you can clear with bombs. Behind these is a clue to a puzzle across the room.

Move the platform near you to the south with the Gust Bellows and get on it. Power it up again to cross to the north. Create a shortcut by pushing a crate down, then get on another wind-powered platform along the eastern wall.

There are three statues here you can bomb to reveal three switches. You must, however, hit the switches in a specific order to open the northern gate. Facing the pink switches, hit them in this order: LEFT, RIGHT, MIDDLE. This corresponds to the murals across the way.

Enter the open gate in the north and two Armos will greet you. Take on one at a time with the Gust Bellows and sword jabs.

With both eliminated you can access the Chest with the Ancient Circuit (Boss Key) inside. This also opens the door back to the central hallway.

To return to the central hallway, you can jump off the wind-powered platform to a western platform below.

From here you can access the top ridge on the eastern side of the central hall. Up here is a Red Rupee Chest and a crate you can push to make a shortcut back to southern area.

To cross the chasm in the north, hit the Timeshift Stone on the mine cart and hop on the wind-powered platform next to the track. Stay just behind the cart as it transforms the area and shuts off the air geysers. On the far side, save at the Bird Statue.

Approach the Boss Door and insert the Ancient Circuit. Rotate it to form the shape of the lock and the door will open.

Thousand-Year Arachnid Moldarach

Video Guide - Moldarach Boss fight

The Moldarach is one of the easiest bosses in the game if you know what you are doing. The key to the first half of the battle is to continually back away while locked on to one of the claws. This will ensure you won't get it -- so long as you attack the weak spots when the claws open.

When a claw opens, slash at it to hit the eye inside. While you back away you can switch your lock-on targets by tapping the Z button. Using this method you can swiftly target the open claw and slash at it, preventing it from attacking.

Soon one claw will be knocked out, then the other, and Moldarach will change tactics. You can now only damage it by jabbing its eye.

Slipping under the sand, the Moldarach will try to attack you stealthily. You should look for a small lump moving about.

Spray the lump in the sand with the Gust Bellows to expose the monster. If you expose its body, it will resurface, allowing you to move in for a fast jab to the eye. Do this a handful of times and you will kill the monster.

Grab the Heart Container when the room empties and go through the door. In the Next room, send the Beetle to hit the Timeshift Stone in the overhanging ledge, and ride the mine cart to the end.

Video Guide - Getting the Goddess Harp