Arbiter's Grounds
Arbiter's Grounds is the fourth Dungeon in Twilight Princess. Link and Midna go to the Arbiter's Grounds in search of the only connection to the Twilight Realm, the Mirror of Twilight. Arbiter's Grounds is located at the furthest north point of the Gerudo Desert. Link is told by Auru that Arbiter's Grounds was home to the worst criminals the land of Hyrule had ever seen.[1] He talks of a mirror that was used to send the criminals that were sentenced to death directly to the underworld.[2] Link and Midna make the connection to the Mirror of Twilight,[3] and decide to go there to search for it.
When Link first enters the dungeon, giant Poes steal the light from the four torches, much like in the Forest Temple of Ocarina of Time. Before Link can go any further into the dungeon, he must explore all of the side rooms looking for the Poes to take back the light they stole from the torches. After learning the Poe Scent, it isn't too hard to track them down, as the scent will guide Link directly to each Poe. After killing all of the Poes, he soon engages in a battle with the Mini-Boss of the dungeon, the Death Sword. After defeating it, Link is rewarded with the Spinner. In this dungeon, Spinner tracks are common, allowing Link to reach places otherwise unaccessable. Link uses the Spinner to reach the boss, Stallord. It is a fossil, which Zant brings back to life with his sword. Link must use the spinner to kill Stallord, and he does. Link and Midna enter the Mirror Chamber, where they predict the Mirror of Twilight lies. After Link uses the Spinner to raise the mirror from underground, they only find a quarter of the mirror. They are told by the Ancient Sages that the mirror has been broken into four pieces.[4] They tell Link the locations of the pieces[5][6][7] and tell him that he can repair the Mirror[8] and defeat Zant, and Ganondorf.
Enemies
Here are all the enemies that Link will encounter as he travels through Arbiter's Grounds.
- Enemies in Arbiter's Grounds
Death Sword
- Main article: Death Sword
The Mini-Boss of Arbiter's Grounds is known as the Death Sword. It is a demonic looking figure that wields a gigantic sword. In the first phase of the battle against the Death Sword, it will be invisible to Link. The only way Link will be able to see it is by becoming Wolf Link and using his senses. In the second phase of the battle, it is visible without Link's senses. During the battle, the Death Sword will float around in the air, making it impossible for Link to inflict damage on him with his newly acquired Master Sword. However, Link can knock it down by using his Hero's Bow. Once it is on the ground, Link can attack it unmercifully. After a decent amount of hits, the Death Sword will be defeated, and after a bunch of yelling in agony, the Death Sword will transform into a million black bats. All of these pitch black bats will all fly away through an apparent hole in the ceiling. Now that the Death Sword has been defeated, the door leading to the chest that contains the Spinner will open.
Twilit Fossil: Stallord
- Main article: Stallord
The Boss of Arbiter's Grounds is known as the Twilit Fossil: Stallord. It is a skeleton of a giant beast that is predicted to have died long ago. Upon entrance to the area where it lies, Link will see Stallord in the sand, not moving. If he walks up to Stallord, Zant will appear on top of its forehead. He will say that he is surprised to see Link alive,[9] and then tells Link this will be the last time he sees him alive.[10] He will then summon a giant sword, which appears to have Twilight Realm markings on it, and use it to stab Stallord right in the forehead. After he leaves, Stallord will seemingly wake up, and show Link the threat he can be. Link will then proceed to defeat Stallord in both phases of the battle. His reward for doing so is a Heart Container and entrance to the Mirror Chamber, where the Mirror of Twilight lies.
Dungeon Items
Throughout Link's travels through the Arbiter's Grounds, he has the opportunity to collect certain Dungeon Items that will greatly assist him. They are the Dungeon Map, the Compass, the Big Key, and the Small Keys.
Dungeon Map
- Main article: Dungeon Map
The Dungeon Map is found in the main room of the dungeon, the room with the four torches. The first time Link enters this room, he can get it. After killing the first Poe, Link finally gets the freedom to look around. The Dungeon Map is located to the right of the four torches, across a sandpit. Cross the sand and open the chest for the Dungeon Map.
Compass
- Main article: Compass
The Compass is found in chest by Link as he searches for the third Poe Soul. It allows Link to see the location of every Treasure Chest that lies in the dungeon. It also shows Link the location of the Boss.
Big Key
- Main article: Big Key
The Big Key is found in the room that lies right in front of the room with the four torches. Link is unable to get it from here because it lies across a pit of bottomless sand. He must instead travel around the dungeon in order to get to the other side. The Big Key allows Link the ability to open the door that leads to the Boss.
Small Keys
- Main article: Small Key
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Throughout the Arbiter's Grounds Link must collect five different Small Keys that will open five different locked doors. They are all found in Treasure Chests throughout the dungeon.
Treasure Chests
There are nineteen different Treasure Chests located in the Arbiter's Grounds. These chests are found in every corner of the dungeon. All of them contain useful items that will help Link in some way. The items Link can find in these chests include Rupees, Dungeon Items, Pieces of Heart, Equipment, and Regular Items.
Rupees
In total, there are five chests in the Arbiter's Grounds that contain any amount of Rupees. Two of those five chests contain a Yellow Rupee, which is ten Rupees. The other three contain Red Rupees, which are worth 20 Rupees. In total, Link can collect 80 Rupees.
Dungeon Items
All four Dungeon Items are found in a Treasure Chest. The Dungeon Map is, the Compass is, the Big Key is, and all five Small Keys are as well.
Pieces of Heart
- Main article: Twilight Princess Heart Pieces
There are two Pieces of Heart that can be found in the Arbiter's Grounds. The first one requires the Clawshot to reach and the second one requires the Spinner to reach.
Equipment
There is but a single Treasure Chest in the Arbiter's Grounds that contains any sort of equipment. It contains the Dungeon Item of the Arbiter's Grounds, the Spinner. It is found in a small room directly behind the room where Link fights the Mini-Boss of the dungeon, the Death Sword.
Regular Items
The final three Treasure Chests in the Arbiter's Grounds contact Regular Items. More specifically they all contain Bombs. Two contain 5 Bombs, and the final one contains 10 Bombs. They are found in the room where Link fights his first Stalfos. They are used as a hint to tell Link he must blow up the Stalfos after shattering it.