This chapter covers the normal mode of Twilight Princess for the Nintendo Wii. If you are playing on the Nintendo Wii U, check out the Ordon Village – HD Version.

1.1 Introduction

The game starts with a lengthy introduction where Link is speaking with his mentor, Rusl. Rusl talks vaguely about the world of Twilight and then asks Link for a favor. He has to deliver a letter to the Royal Family of Hyrule the day after tomorrow and asks Link if he will do it instead. He goes on to speak about Hyrule Castle and the community around it. Rusl then tells Link that it is getting late and that they should head back to the village.

Link sees Rusl patting his son Colin on the head. Alongside Colin is Uli, who is Colin’s mother and Rusl’s wife.

The next scene takes place later on and Ilia, a girl from the village, is seen walking Epona, Link’s horse, into the woods. Another man named Fado runs up to Link’s house and shouts at him to wake up. Fado needs help herding the goats and takes notice that Epona is missing. You finally gain control of Link just outside his house and the man says to bring Epona with you. There are only ways two to go and one of the ways the man won’t let you go unless you have Epona. So run through the area at the top-right of the screen.

Just head north and enter the area that is marked with water on your map. Ilia is standing here and she says that she has washed Epona for Link. If you speak with her again she will ask you to play Epona’s Theme again. Just walk right by the Horse Grass on the ground, pick it up, and blow on it to play Epona’s theme. Saddle up on Epona and ride her back in the direction of Link’s house.

1.2 Goat Herding

Back by Link’s house, take the other path to get to the main part of Ordon Village. At this point you could jump off Epona and speak with many of the residents of the village. Just to the right you will see Beth, Hanch, and Sera. Sera is the mother of the family and runs a shop in Ordon known as Sera’s Sundries. Her husband Hanch assists her by collecting various items and materials to sell in the shop. Beth is just one of the children of Ordon.

Jump back on Epona and ride to the southern part of the village. You’ll pass by Rusl, Colin, and Uli, where you will see Rusl practicing some sword techniques. At the southern portion of the village you will see the Mayor of Ordon, Mayor Bo, who is also the father of Ilia. Once you are ready ride Epona to the south side of the village and enter the Ordon Ranch.

Speak with Fado and he will ask if Link can help herd the goats into the barn. There are ten of them in all and it really isn’t too hard. Just ride around with Epona and when Link gets near a goat while on his horse they will run away. Link can press A to do a whoop, which gets the goats moving quicker. Use this technique when the goats are moving towards the barn. Do not follow the goats individually into the barn, but just guide them towards the barn first. If Link follows a goat for a long time, it will get riled up and knock Link off of Epona. Now finish the job and lead the goats closer to the barn and they’ll go inside.

Afterwards Fado will give his thanks and says he will cover tomorrow. He then he asks Link if he wants to practice with the fences. He sets up a few fences along the ranch which Link can easily jump over with Epona. Just ride around the ranch and press A to pick up speed. Jump over the fence to head back into Ordon Village. The game will ask you if you’d like to save at this point, so do so.

1.3 Children of Ordon

The next scene of the game takes place just outside of Link’s house. Three kids are yelling from outside for Link to awake. You’ll then gain control of Link inside his house. (Where exactly was Link sleeping anyway? There is no bed or blanket to be found.) Climb down two sets of ladders and then leave the house through the door. There is actually a cellar within Link’s house, but it is too dark down there for now, so just avoid it and go outside.

Talk to the three kids to find out that the little one is Malo, the older boy is Talo, and older girl is Beth, who we have seen already. You’ll hear that Talo is desperate to get his hands on a Slingshot which is being sold in town at Sera’s Sundries. The children are arguing to try and find money to buy it.

Colin is standing by Epona and if you speak to him he will mention that he was going to bring a fishing rod over, but his dad said to wait for you to come by instead. Walk back to the main part of town.

1.4 Exploring Ordon Village

Run forward and speak with Hanch who is staring up at a beehive. You’ll learn that he is a bit disgruntled at the moment. The family cat has gone missing and today is the day to stock up the shop. The bee hive contains bee larva that can be useful at the shop. Ignore this for now.

Walk near the river and you’ll see Uli looking rather upset. She mentions that her husband left early in the morning. The reason she is upset is because she is missing her cradle.

Turn around and run back in the direction of Link’s house. There is a man on a higher ledge who calls over to Link if he comes close enough. Climb the vines and speak with him and he’ll point out a cat that is staring into the water. The man here is Jaggle, the father of Malo and Talo. He mentions that the cat might be actually trying to catch a fish but laughs it off. He then mentions the grass on a nearby area and says that he has seen you use it before.

Jump over to the ledge and pick up the Grass and blow on it. A Hawk will fly over and land on Link’s arm. Link can point with the wiimote and send the hawk flying. Next, jump on over to the roof nearby and then jump over two more platforms that are in the water. You’ll find another piece of grass. Pick it up and call over a hawk. In the distant view over the stream you will notice there is a Monkey jumping around in an area. Point the hawk over and send it flying.

The monkey is actually carrying a Cradle and the hawk will take it from him and bring it back over to Link.

Jump back over to the roof of the house and then down to the ground. If you accidentally drop the cradle in the water, swim and push it in the open and then have the hawk retrieve it once again. Carry the cradle over to Uli and she is delighted that you found it. She remembers she had something to give to you and asks Link to carry the cradle back to her house. Follow her as she walks ever so slowly to her house. Once you get there she will give Link the Fishing Rod. Colin made the rod so it is a bit unpolished.

Walk across the bridge in the center of the map to get to the west part of the village. The house that you see here is Jaggle and Pergie’s House, the parents of Malo and Talo. Enter the house and speak with Pergie to find out that her husband has been working on a shield to give to Rusl. Leave the house.

Walk on over to the water that is behind the house and you’ll see Sera’s Cat staring into the water. Use the minus button to equip the fishing rod. Stand near the water and use the fishing rod to cast a line into the water. You’ll notice a stick like item attached to the end of the fishing line which is known as a bobber. Once you see that it beginning to sink underwater for a short time, quickly pull back on the wiimote. You don’t need to actually do anything to reel in the fish other than just keep the wiimote pulled back. Eventually you will reel in your first Fish.

Now try for a second fish this time and once you catch it, it will be released and flap around on the ground. The nearby cat will come running and grab the fish with its mouth. It will then run around town and enter a building through a small cat door. Take control of Link and run on over to the same building the cat went in. This building is Sera, Beth, and Hanch’s house, but it is also where Sera’s Sundries is located.

Once you enter the house speak with Sera. She tells Link the story of how her cat caught a fish and calls the cat a genius. She is in a good mood so she offers Link some Milk in a Bottle. The milk isn’t too important, but the bottle is now Link’s to keep. Speak to her some more and then you can look around her shop. The milk and bee larva aren’t important, but the slingshot is and it costs 30 rupees. You most likely don’t have that type of money now so just leave the house.

Climb up the small vines nearby where Jaggle was standing. Jump to the second platform and use the grass to call over a hawk. Aim the hawk in the direction where Hanch is standing. Just above Hanch there is a large vine with a beehive near the top of it. Aim the hawk at the beehive and let it loose. It will knock down the beehive allowing Link to climb up.

Run on over and climb the long vine. Alternatively you could have head-butted the beehive or even used the slingshot if you got it before hand. However, doing so from a close range will lead to Hylian Hornets flying your way. Once you reach the top slowly climb across the small tree branch and get the blue rupee and the yellow rupee for a total of 15 rupees.

You’ll still need a few more rupees to reach the 30 needed for the slingshot. Run around to the village and break some of the pumpkins that are growing around in the small gardens. Link can also run through tall grassy areas on the west wide of the village to find a few more rupees. Also on the west side, climb up a ladder and some crates to get to the roof of Mayor Bo’s House. (The house is one at the southwest part of the village). From here climb another ladder to get to the top of the house to find another yellow rupee.

Walk to the edge of the roof and you’ll see a piece of grass. Use it to call over another hawk. Look to the lower area at the southwest part of the village and you’ll see a Cucco walking around. Aim for the cucco and the hawk will bring it over to you. Now look at the higher platform at the southwest portion of the village and you’ll see a sparkling yellow rupee. Float on over and grab it for 10 more rupees.

You should have well more than 30 rupees by now, so head on over to the shop and purchase the Slingshot. Also available in the shop is Bee Larva, a quantity of 10 for only 10 rupees. The slingshot can hold up to 50 pellets. Bee Larva can be stored in an empty bottle. There is no need to purchase it since Link can grab some bee larva from the knocked over beehive. With slingshot in hand, head back north towards Link’s house.

1.5 Combat Training

Once you arrive near your house, you’ll bump into Rusl. He says that he just delivered something to your room and then walks into town. You’ll notice there is a spider-like creature known as a Walltula hanging on the ladder to Link’s house. Use the slingshot and smack it with a pellet to knock him off. Climb the ladder and enter Link’s house.

You’ll notice there is a treasure chest in the middle of the room. Walk on over and open it up to get your first sword, the Wooden Sword. The sword is automatically equipped but Link cannot use it while he is in his house.

Leave the house and speak with the three kids who are all really excited about the slingshot. They’ll setup five targets and two scarecrows for Link to aim at for target practice. Aim the slingshot and hit all seven of them and the kids will all be impressed. It is quite humorous to see the kids interact with each other. Beth isn’t interested at first but then is impressed with Link.

Afterwards they’ll want Link to show off his skills with the sword, performing various sword techniques. Talo and Beth will take turns explaining the various attacks and it is hilarious seeing their reactions once Link masters them, especially from Talo. You will learn the horizontal slice, vertical slice, stab, spin attack, and the jump attack.

Once that is over with a monkey shows up and Talo’s eyes open up wide. He chases after the monkey with Malo and Beth not far behind. Hop on Epona and follow them up north and you’ll see that Beth and Malo stayed behind while Talo went ahead. Continue up northward across the large bridge and enter Faron Woods.

1.6 South Faron Woods

Continue straight ahead with Epona and hop over the gate that blocks the path. Follow the tunnel northward you’ll come to a fork in the road. Take the left path and you’ll bump into a new character named Coro. Speak with him and he tells Link it isn’t safe to run around without a lantern. He then hands over a Lantern free of charge. Coro says that it is part of a business move to boast sales of Lantern Oil by giving away free lanterns. He tells you to light a small fire and then says that once you run out of oil for the lantern you can purchase some more anytime.

Link can use the bottle he has and scoop up some of the soup that Coro is boiling up. The soup is known as Nasty Soup and it is Coro’s special recipe. It really makes no sense to do so, since the nasty soup actually takes away a heart from Link when he uses it.

If you speak with Coro once again, he will ask how your oil level is doing. For just 20 rupees he offers to either refuel your lantern or fill a bottle with lantern oil. It’s always best to fill a bottle unless you have no fuel in the lantern at all.

Turn back towards the fork in the road and this time head the other direction. An enemy will pop up from the ground. This creature is known as a Deku Baba. Defeat the creature with a few swipes with the wooden sword. After the Deku Baba has been defeated, pick up the nut that is left in its place and toss it to the side. It will break open revealing some Seeds. These seeds can be used with Link’s slingshot. Continue into the tunnel straight ahead and you’ll find Talo’s play wooden sword on the ground. Enter the cave.

1.7 North Faron Woods

Pull out the lantern and light the torch that is straight ahead. Conserve the lantern when you don’t need it since you don’t want to waste oil. You’ll fight a variety of enemies in this cave including Keese, Deku Babas, and Rats. Keese are bat like creatures to fly around, and rats are simply rats. Both are defeated with simple sword slashes.

You’ll eventually reach a spider web which can be burned down using the lantern. You’ll reach a split in the path. Take the path to the right and defeat another Deku Baba as well as two more Keese. Light the torch and open the treasure to get a yellow rupee, which is worth 10 rupees. Backtrack to the split in the path and take the north passage. Burn down another spider web and you’ll eventually reach the end of the cave.

Now that we are in another portion of the Faron Woods, new enemies will be encountered. Make your way to the northwest portion of this area, battling plenty of Keese and Deku Babas, as well as the much stronger Bokoblin. Bokoblins wield their own swords but have very weak defense. Just simple sword slashes will defeat them. Get to the northwest corner of the map and enter the cave.

This small cave has two Keese and a Bokoblin. Defeat them and open the treasure chest to get a Small Key. Pull out the lantern and light the two torches on the side. A large treasure chest will appear on the higher platform. Climb up and open the treasure chest to get your first Piece of Heart! Link needs to find five of these in order to piece together a full Heart Container. Exit the cave.

Now travel to the southeast portion of this area and fight off several more Bokoblins. There is a large gate with a lock on it. Use the key you just got to open the gate and then continue onward.

Defeat a few more Bokoblins in this area and then head northward. As you walk forward you’ll meet Trill, who is a bird that is working a Small Shop in the area. Trill offers Red Potion for 30 rupees and a lantern refill for 20 rupees. You can actually steal from Trill since it is a self service shop. You use bottles to scoop up the potion or oil and then drop money in the box. If you do steal from Trill however, every time you come close to the shop, Trill will fly over and peck at you. You can get away with underpaying and even give a generous donation as well. Trill will respond to you based on how much you pay.

Continue northward and turn to your right to find a patch of high grass. Slash at the grass and defeat the Deku Baba that appears. Open the treasure chest to get a yellow rupee.

Continue northward and you’ll see Talo trapped inside a cage with the monkey he was chasing. Run on over and defeat the two Bokoblins that are guarding the cage. Then just slash away at the cage with the wooden sword to break it open.

The next scene that is shown is Link and Talo walking back home. Talo thanks Link for helping him out and even says that the monkey was trying to help him out. He asks Link to promise not to tell his dad and then Talo runs off.

Rusl then appears saying that he heard that Talo had disappeared. Rusl hints that he feels some uncertainty about the woods. He mentions once again that tomorrow is the day Link will travel to Hyrule and maybe Link will be able to meet Princess Zelda. The screen then fades away.

1.8 Into the Twilight

The next scene we see is back in the Ordon Ranch and it is the next day. Fado approaches Link and reminds him that it is almost time for Link to go. He suggests that we finish up early at the Ranch. Pick up the horse grass nearby and call over Epona. Climb on top of Epona to get started. Herd the twenty goats and then jump over the gate back to Ordon Village.

You’ll immediately speak with Ilia and Mayor Bo. Ilia will spot an injury on Epona’s leg and complain that Link wasn’t taking good care of Epona. She then walks off with Epona, taking her back to the forest spring. Take control of Link and if you speak to the Mayor once again, a goat will come running out of Ordon Ranch. Just stand in front of it and press and hold A to stop the goat in its place. Leave town and run on over to the Ordon spring just passed Link’s house.

In his way, Link bumps into Colin, Talo, and Malo. Talo attempts to lie about yesterday, but then realizes that Colin told Rusl about them. After some small talk let Talo have your wooden sword. Talo makes another hilarious yell of happiness. Colin thanks you for getting rid of them and then he runs towards the spring.

Continue towards the spring to meet up with Ilia. Once you arrive, you’ll notice the gate has been locked and Ilia won’t let you enter. Colin tells you to sneak through the secret hole on the side of the pond. Turn around and head back toward the village but before actually going into the village look along the left side of the wall. You’ll notice a small crawl space. Crawl through it and you’ll find some rupees and eventually reach the pond.

Colin tells Ilia of what happened with Talo the day before. Ilia then says that Epona is alright and that they can go on together.

Before anything else happens a pretty dramatic cut-scene takes place. A few Bulblins, including King Bulblin, storm through the gate, knock down Ilia and smack Link over the head. King Bulblin then blows his horn and rides away carrying both Colin and Ilia.

Link awakes to see both of them as well as Epona are missing. He runs and crosses the bridge only to see a huge wall in the way, in which he is pulled in by a mysterious looking hand. A transformation into Wolf Link takes places and then Wolf Link collapses only to be dragged away by a Shadow Beast. A mysterious character looks on as Link is taken away.