Zelda: Skyward Sword

Ancient Cistern Lock Combo: Secret Order for Door Puzzle

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Skyward Sword HD Ancient Cistern Door Puzzle Secret Order

This is a guide to unlocking the Door Lock Puzzle in Ancient Cistern in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. Read on to learn how to solve the door lock combo, and hints to the puzzle's secret order!

Ancient Cistern Door Puzzle Lock Order

Click the button below to see the solution, or skip ahead to the next section to learn how to solve the puzzle yourself!

Hit the Top, Bottom, Left, then Right

To open the door puzzle in Ancient Cistern, you must hit the buttons from the top, bottom, left, then right. Doing it correctly in order will break the chains and open the door.

Ancient Cistern Walkthrough: All Maps, Treasure Chests, Goddess Cubes, and Heart Pieces

How to Solve Ancient Cistern Door Puzzle

Hint from the Large Statue

On the main room of Ancient Cistern, you will find a large statue half submerged in the water. Beside the entrance to that statue is a small tablet showing an important hint.

The tablet points out that you have to look at the back, the rear, the back of the right hand, and the back of the left hand of the statue.

Look for a pattern on these areas. This pattern will be used for the Door Puzzle on the eastern side of Ancient Cistern.

Door Hint Map

Get the Silver Rupee to close the Statue's fists

how to close ancient cistern hand.gif
For the back of the right and left hand, you must get the Silver Rupee floating on top of its palms to close its fists and reveal the back side of its hand. You can do this by using your underwater spin attack.

Note that the statue's left and right hand are relative to the statue's position and not yours.

Door Puzzle Hints

Clues Mark
Back Hint
Top
Rear Hint
Bottom
Right Arm Hint
Left
Left Arm Hint
Right

Unlocking the Door

Head into the unlocked room, and jump into the water. Climb to the ledge, go past the Skulltulas until you reach the door at the end. Here, a statue says that you need to use a secret order to open it. Using the signs from above, strike the door with the following motions:

  1. Top to Bottom
  2. Bottom to Top
  3. Left to Right
  4. Right to Left

Doing so will unlock the door, and allow you to proceed to the next room!

Ancient Cistern Walkthrough

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