Pirates' Fortress

Pirates’ Fortress is kind of like the Gerudo Training Ground, which we talked about in another blog post : This time, it’s a little different, and a whole new challenge for you. You have to swim under some cliff walls near Great Bay in order to get to this heavily - surrounded fortress, in the first place. But it’s well worth it. This will be one of your greatest side - quests / mini - dungeons in the entire Majora’s Mask LOZ (Legend of Zelda) game.

You have to enter in Zora form. Smash through with the Zora power, and a part of a broken wall breaks off. Get inside…..

Once you are in, you see four main boats patrolling the bay area here, each with female Gerudo pirates onboard. As you can tell from the last challenge, at the Gerudo Training Ground, these pirating thieves are truly relentless, and they will work to stop anyone who wishes to meddle with their affairs --- even if he is a small child like yourself (since you play through the game as Child Link). At this point the game, you are allowed to get a total of 21 out of 52 heart pieces as well as 14 out of 24 total masks, respectively ; if you’ve been diligent, you’ve gotten all of these so far. You may have also gotten your first 5 out of 8 total empty bottles. The main enemies you will find in this challenging fortress are many, including Gerudo pirates, Desbreko, shell blades, giant bees, and some Skullfish….wowser.

Let’s talk about each of them, in no particular order of importance (they’re all equally as loathsome, heh heh), starting off maybe with the Skullfish. These Skullfish foes, first of all, you may already know from other LOZ games like A Link to the Past (found within the Dark World area), Twilight Princess (in the Lakebed Temple), and even once more within Majora’s Mask (found again, inside the Great Bay Temple itself….which you will come across later). These Skullfish do their diligent watch and patrol of the waters, at all hours, making sure that anyone (or anyone not approved), does not enter, in the first place. They are good at their job, so do not take them for granted ; of course, kill them before they kill you….that’s usually how the game goes.

These Skullfish have nasty red eyes and are bony, pure skulls and fish. Hence the name. They can bite, run into you and more. Do be at the top of your game…..

Now let’s talk about the giant bees in this pirates’ fortress ; they are as much a danger to your health, your sanity, as Link, and even your success as a player. If you want to move forward, do something about them --- sooner is better than latter. These guys will challenge every level of your patience, not only your skill….and you must be quick, patient, and persistent to overcome them. Rise on top.

These giant bees are unique to any other Zelda game --- they are only found in Majora’s Mask. They not only show up here at this fortress, but in two other places of the game : in the Mountain Village (during Spring time only, what a relief) and in the Swamp Spider House. Your Kokiri Sword and your Gilded Sword are perhaps two of the most effective weapons when it comes to taking these guys out for good. Do not disturb these bees --- or yes, they will attack you, and in swarms. They are larger than average bees and far more aggressive, too.

Spin attacks can kill these large bees off quickly. And it’ll prevent them from even touching you. Watch your magic meter.

And how about the seashell - shaped foes known as the shell blades, which we briefly mentioned on that last list? These guys can clamp and unclamp trouble for you, so be sure you stay well outside of their grip. Do not even come near them, as they have sharp parts that can cut and stab you, shooting your health down.

These guys also show up in LOZ games Ocarina of Time (in the Water Temple and in the Gerudo Training Ground) and Twilight Princess (in the Lakebed Temple only). These vicious little clam / sea - shells mean business. And in this game itself, you still have not seen the last of them as they will also show up later in Great Bay and its Great Bay Temple ; I guess they wanted the after party…..

Now, the Desbreko is to be a little more feared than all of these. It’s a giant skeleton (or skull) fish that can do a lot more. It has made its appearance in Majora’s Mask only, once more being fully original to this title, showing up here and in places like the Great Bay Temple and the Stone Tower Temple. A nice little bonus in this game is that, if you can kill of a Desbreko, all the other smaller Skullfish around it will automatically die --- so go for that leader! 

Use your hookshot, arrows, boomerangs! These guys can get killed from a distance. Why go up close and risk damage? (Or, if you really feel like having some fun, you can get in the water, in Zora form, and use that Electrical Barrier move of yours, watching your magic meter capacity, to get rid of these guys…..)

Interestingly enough, there’s another fact to note. Even some hardcore LOZ gamers may not know or recall this, but the guitar that Mikau (your Zora character in the game) uses actually looks quite like a Desbreko. Nice, huh? 

The Gerudo pirates themselves, in the fortress, are probably the hardest ‘baddies’ of all. Sneaking past them, shooting them to knock them out (temporarily) with your arrows, and even fighting them off with your best swords, have always been a challenge. But since you bear such nice weapons, why not use them?  Learn how to get the job done, overcoming puzzles, taking down foes, and becoming a better Majora’s Mask player!