Eastern Palace (A Link to the Past)

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Template:Dungeons The Eastern Palace, also known as the East Palace, is the second dungeon in A Link to the Past and the first in A Link Between Worlds. Link enters the palace as part of Sahasrahla's test to see if he can overcome it and obtain the Pendant of Courage. As suggested by the name, it's found in the eastern side of Hyrule, inside a rocky canyon.

The Eastern Palace returns in Four Swords Adventures as the Eastern Temple.

Themes and Navigation

A Link to the Past

The dungeon's puzzles and obstacles aren't too complex, but can appear daunting at first. The first major obstacle in particular involves huge rolling Balls sent down a main corridor, with some of them being bigger than others; Link must walk very carefully and get out of the way when a ball is approaching. This trap appears in a slightly different form deeper inside the dungeon, with balls appearing from all sides of the room. Eyegore, originally known here as Rocklops make their first appearance and provide a stiff challenge for an inexperienced player. The main treasure item is the Bow, which is located near the center of the dungeon in a large room filled with Stalfos, and Link will need it to defeat the Red Rocklops to reach the Dungeon Master. At the end of the dungeon, Link must fight six Armos Knights for the Pendant of Courage and a Heart Container (like all Heart Containers dropped by bosses in this game, you have to collect it to progress).

Upon besting the palace, Sahasrahla will explain more about the Master Sword and the Knights of Hyrule, and will encourage Link to find the remaining pendants so that the Blade of the Evil's Bane can be claimed (the pendants' locations will be marked on the map as well). He also gives Link the Pegasus Boots.

A Link Between Worlds

Generations later, the Eastern Palace appears as a temporary hideout for Yuga, who ends up capturing the sage Osfala. The dungeon is simple and only has three floors, and Ball traps remain a common obstacle. Entering requires using a bow and arrows to activate switches, with Ravio allowing Link to rent the items needed for free the first time he lends them. At the end of the dungeon, Yuga turns Osfala into a painting and he and Link fight. Yuga responds to his loss by turning Link into a painting, which is not long-lived as Ravio's bracelet allows Link to return to normal, after which he has the ability to merge with walls. After obtaining a Heart Container dropped by Yuga, Link uses his new ability to explore the outer walls of the dungeon.

Enemies and Traps

A Link to the Past

A Link Between Worlds

Ancient Stone Tablets

Ambiguously Canon Information

File:InSEastTemple.png

The entrance room of the new dungeon layout

The Eastern Palace returns, known as the East Temple in BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets, and is again the first dungeon in the adventure. Despite being in the same location and having the same appearance, the interior layout has changed completely. It still shares many similar aspects; it is still filled with Stalfos, Popos and Rocklops, and contains the Bow in the Big Chest and has two floors (now a basement rather than a second floor), but it is generally less complex and more linear in structure, and does not have any iron ball traps. The dungeon also contains the Fighter's Sword, Fighter's Shield and the Pegasus Boots (which now allow the hero to change direction while running). The Armos Knights return as the main boss.

Non-canon Appearances

Non-Canon Information

A Link to the Past comic

In the A Link to the Past comic, Link travels to the Eastern Palace after being told by Sahasrahla's Friend where Sahasrahla can be found. There, he finds the descendant of the wise men, and although he is puzzled as to how someone so young like Link could be searching for the Master Sword,^[1] he tells Link he must recover the Pendants of Virtue to claim the legendary weapon. Sahasrahla reveals that he can help Link by giving him the Pendant of Courage, but since the task to finding the remaining two pendants will not be an easy one, he asks whether he will be able to accomplish said task,^[2] to which the young hero confidently says yes both for Zelda and his deceased uncle.^[3] Just as Sahasrahla hands the Pendant of Courage to Link, the Castle Soldiers pursuing Link find him. Empowered by the pendant, he easily dispatches their leader and sends the rest fleeing. The young hero, amazed at the power of the pendant, promises to find the remaining two pendants and leaves the palace to search for them.^[4]

Trivia

The Eastern Palace shares some similarities to the Eagle in the original The Legend of Zelda, with a similar color scheme, a similar map layout, the same dungeon treasure, and Stalfos as common enemies, and both being the first main dungeon of each adventure.
The Face Shrine and Southern Face Shrine in Link's Awakening also shares many similarities to the Eastern Palace, with Armos protecting the entrances of each shrine, an Armos Knight appearing as a boss in the southern shrine, and virtually identical statues at the entrance.

References

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	Template:Japanese	East Temple
	French^EU	Temple de l'Est	East Temple
	German	Ostpalast	East Palace
	Italian	Palazzo dell'Est	Eastern Palace
	Spanish^EU	Templo del Este	Eastern Temple