Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The Ruptured Towers - Grief is a dungeon located in the Ruptured Towers. It becomes accessible after completing The Ruptured Towers - Misery. The dungeon contains a sample of Sand of Hours, a Piece of Soul, and two Pieces of Heart. It also contains numerous Relics of Hyrule rings.
Walkthrough[]
Ruptured Towers[]
To get to The Ruptured Towers - Grief, follow the bridge south from the exit of The Ruptured Towers - Misery. Activate the door at the base of the structure to enter The Ruptured Towers - Grief.
Grief[]
When you arrive, you will be in a bright corridor facing south. On the east side of the corridor lies Invictus atop of shelf in between two Armos. Continue south to find a columned room punctured by crystals. To the east rests a cluster of tall crystals. Directly south, in the middle of the room, is a hole in the floor. Follow the wall west to find three Forgotten, a cluster of tall crystals to the south, and a flat crystal to the east that serves as a platform. Jump from the flat crystal to a glowing blue platform in the middle of the room to another flat crystal on the east side of the room. Here you will find three more Forgotten and a Beamos. Follow the wall south to find a platform made of flat, hexagonal crystals. Jump from the platform to a corridor on the south side of the room to find a door. Enter the door to find a corridor interrupted by a large formation of crystals.
On the east side of the corridor lies Fading Twilight, Page 1. Continue south to find that the floor gives way into an abyss. Jump from the corridor onto a large crystal to the southeast. Follow the crystal east to find large, flat crystals. Jump from crystal to crystal to find a glowing blue platform to the west. Jump onto the platform and travel south to find a passage containing a chest, three Forgotten, and a Wizzrobe. Jump back onto the blue platform and continue west to find a corridor protected by another Wizzrobe. Continue north to find that the floor has given away into the abyss.
Jump from the corridor to a platform of hexagonal crystals to the northeast. Next, jump to a small crystal to the northwest and then onto a glowing blue platform to the southwest. Jump to another small crystal to the west and cautiously walk up a crystal to the northeast. Finally, jump to a glowing blue platform to the west and up onto a large, flat crystal to the southwest to find a door. Open the door to find a large room.
On the north side of the room lies Fading Twilight, Page 2 on a shelf. On the west side of the room rests a large cluster of crystals protected by three Forgotten and an Iron Knuckle. On the southern side of the cluster is a sample of Light Essence. On the south side of the room are two chests containing leveled loot and a passage leading to another room protected by a Master Wizzrobe. Follow the passage south to find a massive circular room.
In the center of the room stands a tiered pedestal formed out of crystals. On the lowest tier are Light Essence, a Scroll of Darknut Thrall, a Piece of Heart, and a bottle of Great Fairy’s Tears. On the highest tier are a Ring of Spirits, a Ring of Kokiri, a Ring of Ikana, a Ring of Goron, two Golden Skulltula Tokens, Fading Twilight, Page 3, and a Light Essence. On the east side of the room is a locked door blocked by a Beamos and three Forgotten. To the south stands a gate behind which is a locked door leading to the Ruptured Towers. Follow the passage on the western side of the room to find a series of spiral staircases. Along the way up the staircases is Fading Twilight, Page 4 and Con Te Partiro, and eventually, a wooden door. Open the door to enter Delirium.
Delirium[]
When you arrive, you will be on a massive crystal platform facing north. Onox and Eldin’s Shade will immediately be aggravated. On the northwest of the platform is a crystal acting as a ramp out of the water below. Defeat Eldin’s Shade to find a Soul Dew, a Piece of Heart, and a Grief Key, along with leveled loot. Defeat Onox to find Sand of Hours, a Piece of Soul, and a Grief Key, along with leveled loot. Travel back through the wooden door to the south.
Hilda's Tomb[]
When you arrive, you will be in an inverted staircase, facing east. Two gravestones on wall across doorway. Travel up the large crystal to the east and follow the wall to find an inverted doorway. Jump into the doorway from a higher section of the staircase. Another gravestone can be seen on the way up. Jump up the crystals in the next room and follow the wall upwards. Continue the process for each staircase multiple times to find the massive circular room inverted. To the north stands a locked gate. To the south is a locked door leading to Lorule. To the west lies Crownless on a pedestal underneath a large inclined crystal. In the center on the floor is a Dark Essence. Jump onto the crystal from the south end of an inverted door arch. Follow the crystal west to find an inverted corridor.
On the north side of the corridor is an opening leading to an abyss filled with elevated crystals. From the corridor, jump into another corridor to the northeast to find Hurt on a pedestal. On the western side of the corridor is a jump to an inverted room containing a locked wooden door. On the northern side of the corridor is a floorless corridor filled with crystals. Jump to a northern inverted crystal and follow the crystals east to find a wooden door. Open the door to find an inclined crystal leading into a large inverted room.
On the south side of the room stands a locked door that leads back to the massive circular room. On the east side of the room lies a chest containing the Fighter’s Sword, a Lolian Shield, a Small Key, and Hilda’s Confession. Use the small key to unlock the gate on the south side of the room. Continue south and up an inclined crystal to find the locked door to Lorule. Open the door with the Small Key to enter Lorule.
Lorule[]
When you arrive, you will be in a dark area filled with suspended ruins, facing east. Jump from ruin to ruin to find a suspended island covered in ash and debris. At the center of the biggest pile of debris remains Hilda’s Staff. On the north side of the debris rests How Glory Goes and a Lolian Royal Shield atop Hilda’s Coffin. Open the coffin to find Hilda’s Ring, Lolian Regal Boots, Lolian Regalia, Hilda’s Key, and Hilda’s Proposition. Carefully traverse downwards and cross the narrow pathway and look up to find an Ancient Coffin with Dark Hero's Boots, Dark Hero's Gauntlets, Hilda's Armor, an Improved Stalfos Bonemold Helmet, a Mage Hood. The chest may also contain one or two rupees. Jump back across the ruins and travel through the inverted door to the west to enter Hilda’s Tomb.
Hilda’s Tomb (Cont.)[]
When you arrive, you will be back in the large inverted room, facing north. Jump onto the inclined crystal to the west and enter the inverted corridor. From the corridor, jump into another corridor to the northeast. From the passage, jump northwest into an inverted room containing a locked wooden door. Enter the door to unlock it with Hilda’s Key. Jump onto the doorway to find a columned, inverted room.
Jump onto an inclined crystal to the northeast. Travel down the crystal to find a passage to the east. Follow the eastern wall to find an empty pedestal and a locked door on the north side of the room. Activate the door to exit to the Ruptured Towers. Activate the tome on the northwestern side of the glowing blue platform to travel to the entrance of the next dungeon, The Ruptured Towers - Guilt.
Lore[]
Grief consists the remnants of the Temple of Light, broken and in a state of decay, influenced by the feelings of the Hero's shade after Hyrule fell. It is fused with remnants of Lorule's Dark Palace, which served the same purpose as Hyrule's Temple of Light in Relics of Hyrule canon. It ultimately became Hilda's Tomb after the annihilation of Lorule. Hilda's Tomb is unaffected by the Hero's Shade; only Hilda had influence over it during her final moments.
Military crests of Lorule hang on the walls of Hilda's Tomb, showing that the tomb was once a castle used to defend against attacking armies. The absence of royal crests of Lorule indicates that Hilda hoped to honor her fallen soldiers by using their crest.
Background and Inspiration[]
Grief was implemented in version 6.0 and was modified in subsequent updates. Hilda's Tomb was added in version 6.4 and connected to the Light Tower as a visual explanation of Lorule's demise and Hilda's fate. The design of Hilda's tomb was achieved by rotating Grief 180 degrees and adding crystals and ethereal platforms to ease movement through it. The inverted section also serves as a reference to Stone Tower from Majora's Mask. The tomb is also designed to somewhat resemble photo negatives, with the glowing crystals and dark stone walls, an inversion of the brightly lit rooms of Grief. JKalenad originally had plans to include enemies in Hilda's Tomb, but instead decided to make it entirely desolate and story-driven.
The boss arena was originally named Desiderium, which means "an ardent longing, as for something lost." The name was changed in version 6.5.17 because JKalenad felt the name was too redundant with the name of the Tower, Grief, and did not serve the transition to Hilda's Tomb. The name Delirium more properly reflects a sense of confusion when grieving, providing a fitting transition to the unsettling, inverted Hilda's Tomb, and ultimately to Guilt.
Hilda's Tomb can be considered an echo of the Shadow Tower, Loss. However, Loss focuses on death and evil, while Hilda's Tomb's focus is on the absence of light and failure to do good. Therefore, it is more accurate to refer to Hilda's Tomb as a Tower of Darkness.
The crest in Hilda's Tomb was created by JKalenad, who didn't realize that there was already a crest for Lorule in existence, as he had not yet completed A Link Between Worlds. The canon crest for Lorule was used for the Lolian Royal Shield.
Fading Twilight consists of four quotations and serves to explore the emotions of the Hero's Shade regarding his present state and the aftermath of the fall of Hyrule.
Con te Partirò is a song made famous by Andrea Bocelli. Its lyrics were written by Lucio Quarantotto. It was included to explore the thoughts of the Hero regarding Princess Zelda herself.
Crownless is a song by Nightwish, and its lyrics were included to explore Hilda's feelings regarding the loss of her kingdom and her royalty.
Hurt is a song by Nine Inch Nails, later covered by Johnny Cash. Its lyrics were included to explore Hilda's feelings toward both good and evil during the fall of her kingdom. The words "you could have it all; my empire of dirt. I will let you down, I will make you hurt," refer to the evil forces overtaking Lorule, and Hilda's vow to make them suffer.
How Glory Goes is a song from the musical Floyd Collins. The lyrics are included to explore Hilda's thoughts at the end of her life.
Gallery[]
