Skyward Sword: How To Beat The Imprisoned at Sealed Grounds (Third Form)
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Introduction
This hub is going to explain how to beat The Imprisoned in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the third and final time you do battle with him. The Imprisoned's third form is the tenth boss of the game, is time limited like the first two fights, and is probably the most unforgiving boss battle in the game. You have little time to act in the second and third phases to stop The Imprisoned from reaching the Sealed Temple, and failing your required action is an almost guaranteed Game Over.
Time to topple this boss once and for all!
Phase I
As the battle starts, you will quickly notice that The Imprisoned has grown a tail. This tail can swat you if you get too close, which will make slashing his foot appendages even harder than before. This, combined with the fact that the foot shockwaves are roughly twice as big as before, is the reason that most people forget that strategy all-together and just go straight for the forehead.
The best way to pull this off is to fly up (using an air vent) to the next floor and position yourself directly over The Imprisoned. Then, use the Groosenator to launch a Bomb at The Imprisoned, just like the second fight. This will stun him and let you climb up to his forehead to drive the sealing spike in. As usual, it takes three solid blows to move on to the next Phase.
Note: If you're feeling feisty and want to do this the hard way, you can fly up to the floor above The Imprisoned and then float down in front of him to start attacking his foot appendages. Approaching from behind is possible, but the tail is quite painful.
Tip: If you're dead-set on doing it this way, remember to concentrate on one foot first.
Tip: The Bow can destroy the appendages from afar. This is very useful especially if you have upgraded the Bow over at the Scrap Shop in Skyloft.
Phase II
Once you have driven the sealing spike into The Imprisoned, he will force it out, and will grow a black halo. This halo allows him to fly, and he will start floating up towards the Sealed Temple. This next part is really important and can either be an easy Phase or a delayed Game Over. You need to use the Groosenator to land a shot on The Imprisoned while he's floating. For best results, throw the Bomb right at his face. If you land the shot, the monstrous beast will fall back down to the bottom of the Sealed Grounds, landing in a prime position (mainly, on his back) for you to drive the spike into his skull. If you missed...well, let's just say that you should get ready to replay Phase I.
In any case, three more hits on the sealing spike will force it into The Imprisoned's head, starting Phase III of this final battle with The Imprisoned.
Phase III
In this final phase of the battle, The Imprisoned will once again grow a black halo on his head. As Groose races to his bomb stash, he realizes that the area is blocked off (figures...). He then has a brilliant idea (or insane, depending on your viewpoint): To launch you on top of The Imprisoned's forehead.
This is probably the hardest part of the fight. It's not hard because of any boss difficulty per se, it's more of the fact that you have to race The Imprisoned to the top of the Sealed Grounds (using air vents; Triforce help you if you actually try to dash to the top...), place yourself in the Groosenator, have yourself launched onto The Imprisoned's forehead and then smash the sealing spike three more times...before he reaches the Sealed Temple.
Words cannot do this game sequence justice. The sheer stress of it is enough to cost you the battle. So, here are some helpful tips:
- Relax. Seriously. This is probably the most stressful sequence in the game (besides Silent Realms) and stress makes it hard to concentrate. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that you don't die in real life if you lose this fight. :P
- Open your map screen after using each air vent to make sure you're taking the quickest path to the Groosenator. Adjust if necessary.
- Once you're on top of the Groosenator, take your time to adjust your aim. You have to land on his head, and while there's not a whole lot of spare time, you do have some leeway, so, again: Relax, take aim, and fire!
Once you smash the sealing spike in a total of three times, you will have defeated The Imprisoned for the third, and last, time! Congratulations on finally clearing that tedious boss!
Conclusion
As you have noticed from the duration of this boss guide, The Imprisoned's third form is the shortest fight of the three (it might be possible to beat the first form of this boss faster, but it involves a good grasp of the battle mechanics; this third fight is just that short). What makes it so hard is the fact that it's a constant "do or die" situation which puts a constant strain on the player itself (by way of a tight time limit). As long as you maintain your composure, you will prevail.
If you have any more questions related to this boss, or just want to talk about The Legend of Zelda, feel free to post in the comments section!
Until the next time, take care and have fun! ;)
-Winterfate
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CommentsLoading...
Hello Sara! Thanks for the praise! It's nice to know that I'm reaching gamers all over the world. :)
Feel free to ask for help if you need it. Good luck with the rest of the game!
Oh my goodness, you were SUCH a huge help! A thousand thank yous!
I cannot beat him I have sat here in tears, I just can't do it. I'm going to have to just give up on it.
In what part of the fight are you having trouble becca?
What do you do next after the third imprison where are you suppose to go
You have to go to Faron Woods. Since the gate there is currently locked, you need to talk to the old lady of the Sealed Temple and then to Groose. Groose will launch you into Faron Woods.
Hope this helps!
I'm having trouble with the imprisoned 3rd time i keep on trying but the shock waves keep on hitting me and i can't get on top of it right after the bomb. do you have any tips? P.S I think stress is my real enemy.
Well, have you tried using the Bow? You can get behind the Imprisoned and shoot the back appendages and then get in front and shoot the ones in front. If you've completely upgraded the Bow, it should be doing some decent damage. Then you can go drive in the spike as usual. Let me know if this helps. :)
Thanks sooo much I finally defeated the imprisond 3rd. :D
Way to go Hylia! So, how did you finally beat him?
how many times do i have to drive the spike in?
Hey there Ross! I answered your question in the Imprisoned's second form article, but here it is for your convenience:
You need to drive the spike in with three slashes to end a Phase against the Imprisoned. So, to clear all three Phases, you need to drive the spike in a total of three times (or nine total slashes if it makes more sense).
There's a much easier way to beat this guy in Phase III than using the Groosenator. It's a little nerve-wracking, but you don't actually have to DO anything during the really stressful part.
I can't claim credit for this strategy, but I also can't remember where I got it—I think it might have been a YouTube video.
Instead of trying to get up to the top of the spiral when The Imprisoned starts floating, drop down to the bottom instead. Seriously. Run all the way to the middle until you're standing on the black patch of ground where the spike was after you sealed The Imprisoned away the last two times.
And now for the nerve-wracking part.
Wait.
Just stand there while The Imprisoned floats up toward the top. You may bite your fingernails if you wish. Eventually, when he's almost there, a gigantic steam geyser will open up from that black patch and carry you (via Sailcloth) far above the spiral. The geyser was actually there for most of the fight—it only went away when The Imprisoned started floating up from the center. It comes back when he rises past the height of the geyser.
The geyser will carry you up far above the spiral, The Imprisoned, and the temple. Now you can skydive onto The Imprisoned's head from above, and it's pretty easy. I don't know if it's necessary, but I dived straight down for most of the way once I was lined up just in case he rose faster than I was falling toward him.
Once you get close to his level, pull back on the WiiMote and float down on top of his head. Drive the spike in three times and you're done.
I actually think Round III is easier than Round II because you can skip a round of toe-swiping.
Good luck!
Oh wow, I never realized that. :o
Goes to show you how complex Nintendo actually made these boss battles.
Thanks for the comment Jonathan!
You're welcome!
Hmm... now that I think about it, I bet that also provides you a backup option in case you miss with the Groosenator when The Imprisoned starts floating for the first time in Phase II.
Thanks, this helped me a lot :) I hate stressing battles :P
Help! I walked away from the 3rd Imprisoned battle and now the game won't let me go back to fight him. I can go back to the Sealed Grounds, but nothing happens. How do I get the game to let me fight?
Hello there.
Have you tried going down to the sealing spike?
If you have, then I am truly at a loss as to what is happening. It could be a rare bug, but I haven't read anything of the sort happen yet. :/
ok good to know my center geyser idea will work, but for badpookkey i think you need to return to the sky and go to the bird totem thats not behind the temple, becuase when i wanted to plant the tree for the thunder dragon without haveing to beat the imprisoned i used the one behind the teemple and didnt have to fight him. and winterfate thank you for the guides helped me get through the second one and the third.
Sara 4 months ago
Thanks a bunch for the help! Really hated all the Imprisoned fights. Your guide helped a lot with the third form. Cheers from Sweden!