Skull Woods is an interesting dungeon in that about half of it is completely optional and only there to confuse you. If you know what to do you can go straight to the big key, then the big chest, then the boss, which I do in the video here. The rest of the rooms that you can drop into through the holes in the ground simply lead you back to the main entrances. Normally I like to show as much of the dungeon as I can, unless a room is nothing but a trap, but in this case I decided not to bother because there's no reason to go to the other areas and people can explore on their own if they really want to.
I show a handy little trick you can do with bombs, to blow yourself across pits. It's useful in a few places and you'll see me use it again in Ganon's Tower. As well, I show how you can use the bounce from dashing into a wall to cross pits, though obviously you need a wall directly opposite and close to the pit for it to work, which makes it less practical.
I use Bombos a lot in this dungeon because the Gibdos take a ton of hits to kill otherwise. And, besides, if you've got 1/2 magic it only takes one small magic jar to replenish the magic used by Bombos, which you'll usually get from a room full of enemies.
Mothula is one of my favorite bosses in the game because of the sheer craziness that the moving floor adds to the fight. You really have to be on top of things to use its movement to your advantage in dodging instead of trying to fight it. Mothula got one hit on me because the bugger bounced back off the spikes and ran into me when I slashed it away; it's nearly impossible to tell when that will happen.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Zelda A Link to the Past - Lv3 Skull Woods
My complete Level 3: Skull Woods walkthrough for The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Played in real time on Snes9x v1.43+ with re-records used to optimize video length.
Equipment checklist: 13 Hearts, 1/2 Magic, Bombos
The 1/2 Magic upgrade can be obtained by jumping down the well next to the smithy's shop in Kakariko Village and sprinkling some magic powder on the statue within. You can get Bombos by traveling west from the Swamp Palace and warping back to the Light World in the area marked off by posts, then using the Book of Mudora to read the text on the monolith up on the hill in the desert.
[00:16] Burn them all
Gibdos (the mummies) take a lot of sword slashes to kill so I prefer to burn them all at once with Bombos.
[00:27] Wallmasters
These giant hands drop from the ceiling and will carry you back to the dungeon entrance if they catch you. Watch for their shadows to avoid them.
[01:32] Bomb propulsion
Stand at the very edge of the pit with a bomb at your back and it will blow you across to the other side. Don't touch the control cross until you're all the way across or else you'll fall in.
You can also get to the big chest by dropping down the hole in the bushes outside.
[03:41] Boss: Mothula
This giant moth inhabits a room with a moving floor and spike traps lining the walls, which makes movement and dodging highly complicated. Try to keep your distance, dodging the spike traps and Mothula's beam attacks as best you can, and return fire with the Fire Rod when you get a clear shot. If Mothula gets too close, bat it away with your sword.
I also have a no damage video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmrvOpqg_1E
