Navigation
City in the Sky
For boss and miniboss strategies, see the pages for Aeralfos and Argorok.
──── Any%/All Dungeons ────
First room LJAs
You can use two LJAs to cross over the first room without using an Ooccoo. For the first LJA just wait until the boomerang is over the void, for the 2nd you can hit the pillar to make the boomerang come back faster and hence be quicker.
Fan Trigger Skip for early boss key
Discovered by Dragonbane
Opening the door to the hub of the dungeon from far enough way will prevent Link from hitting the trigger that activates the fan blocking the way to the boss key. This can be done by opening the door carefully as wolf. This saves around 1:30 for Any% and All Dungeons, 5 seconds in 100%, and some time in No S+Q as well.
Safe strat
Discovered by sva161620
You cannot hit the trigger for the fan while transforming, so it is safer to transform right before the door so the animation will bump your backwards and in the correct position. This is slightly slower than approaching the door as wolf, but is much less risky.
Original method
Discovered by Dragonbane
This method involves transforming to wolf before reaching the door, which can save time on movement but makes it harder to avoid hitting the fan trigger.
Argorok Cutscene Skip
Discovered by LogitechSDAZ
When you open the first small key within City in the Sky, a cutscene trigger is added at the end of the bridge that you came in from, and your savewarp point is changed to start you off next to the small key chest until the cutscene is triggered. This savewarp spot is incredibly convenient because you return to this room immediately after obtaining the Double Clawshots, which saves some backtracking.
After obtaining the first small key, head back outside and cross the bridge. Target the last peahat and sidehop onto the banister on the right on GCN (it will be the last broken chunk before the staircase). Jump to the next banister then head back into the dungeon through the broken grate window, staying clear of the door at the end of the bridge.
Alternately if you don't feel you will make the sidehop before the wind starting blowing you can clawshot onto the last peahat, look towards the window then drop and jump attack to get past the trigger. This is slower however.
Fan room
Instead of going the intended route past the fans, you can go to the right and simply LJA over to the door.
Block room LJAs
There are many ways to get through the block room before the double dynalfos. The fastest method for GCN is to roll around the right side, LJA using the tileworm, and then boomerang LJA to the exit. This method and several others for GCN are covered in the tutorial video below.
Quick dynalfos fight
Run straight for the center of the platform on the other side of the room, and perform a spin attack. This will knock the two Dynalfos off of the platform. Quickly target the vines with the clawshot, and grapple to them before the cutscene begins.
Ooccoo Jump
Explanation video by Skyreon
It is possible to skip turning on various fans in this room with a well angled jump with an Ooccoo. Use the 2nd fan to get atop the broken wall with Ooccoo, angle yourself towards the ledge, hold target, and then hold forward to jump. Then, drop Ooccoo at the correct time to grab the ledge. If you fall straight down instead of jumping, it means you were angled too far right and walking into the wall; if you do fly but are too low to grab the ledge, it means you jumped off too low or took an unnecessarily long flight path.
Skydive to Aeralfos
This is slightly faster than picking up the Ooccoo but costs 2 hearts.
Enter Aeralfos fight
Frame data by Nimzo
After entering the Aeralfos room, there is one frame for input between the door locking animation and the camera turning. Since the iron boots are required to pull the switch, it's optimal to use this frame to put on the iron boots, aim and shoot the clawshot at the switch as soon as you regain full control, and then hold down to make Link descend on the clawshot while the switch is being pulled. This is how other options compare:
- 1f boots equip -> clawshot -> descend (optimal)
- Miss 1f boots equip -> clawshot -> put on boots while hanging from switch -> no time to descend (+6f)
- Miss 1f boots equip -> sidehop to put on boots -> clawshot -> descend (+8f)
- Miss 1f boots equip -> put on boots normally -> clawshot -> descend (+20f)
Clip to boss key ("Kai clip")
Discovered by InAMuffinCup
Setup by gymnast86
This grate clip skips the outside section of the traditional early boss key sequence by doing a skewed clawshot shot through the part of the grate that's missing hit detection, onto a small grate above.
Alternative setup by Glubbers: here
Setupless concept by bewildebeest. The first visual cue is at the tip of the triangle shown in the video. After Link begins to fly towards the target, hold down and the Clawshot button so that Link descends a consistent amount. Aim for the small grate as normal.
"Kai Clip" setup on Wii
Setup by Zeldz08
Instead of clipping through the grate outright, Wii can use the reticle displacement in third person aiming to find the upper grate above. Note that for this to work, Link has to be dangling from the grate with his right hand and clawshotting with his left.
Skip turning fans on
Double LJA method discovered by LogitechSDAZ
Video tutorial by Skyreon
It is possible to skip turning the northern fans on on the way to the fan tower. Clawshot onto the first two fans high up in their clawshottable areas and from above so that Link grabs the tops of the fans. From there, use LJAs to reach the exit door as shown in the videos below.
Fan tower cycle
Use quick double clawshot aiming to be able to make the cycles.
Standard path
Faster path
The last two shots of this path make it somewhat harder than the standard path, but it is 3s faster. Note that the positioning on the first fan is not as precise as the video makes it look, but because the crystal switch hit must be delayed for the fans to line up properly, there's no reason not to take time to get into the corner.
─────── 100% ───────
LJA after savewarp
An LJA to skip the three clawshottable pillars is possible but very precise.
- Backslice left
- Hold down and mash A for a backflip, then clockwise autospin
- Hold L and down out of the spin to cut off the animation (release when Link starts putting his shield down; x-pos (-14779) to (-14790) will work)
- Throw the boomerang and LJA as soon as possible (to make it more lenient, aim the boomerang upward first without targeting)
Fast peahat cycle with poe
Discovered By Venick
Roll 4 times to stand on the very edge of the blocks, then aim in line with the wall and throw the boomerang as high as possible. LJA as soon as the sword is out. Roll 3 more times and clawshot the peahat to make the cycle without waiting. Roll towards the north edge and target the wall, then LJA onto the broken wall of the island with the poe, B-Charge the poe from the wall and collect it. If done correctly, you should have enough time to clawshot back. It is then possible to LJA across the gap to the heart piece chest.
Get to the boss key room quicker
It is possible to skip transforming wolf and going on any ropes in the area before the boss key room. To do this stand next to the door and clawshot the vines, you should barely reach. From here you can stand on the edge and target on the ceiling above the door and LJA across, this works because the boomerang is over the door frame which is higher ground
Fan tower switches with bomb arrows
Using a bomb arrow to hit the top fan tower switch from the floor can save around 8 seconds over ascending the tower normally. Using two bomb arrows can save even more time but is extremely difficult.
To set up the bomb arrow shot on the upper crystal:
- Walk forward into the cutscene trigger and skip the cutscene
- Chain two rolls without much walking; this should put Link around the beginning of the tan stripe on the floor
- Enter first person and start aiming up while nocking a bomb arrow
- While aiming up, aim rightward so the bomb arrow is directed slightly right of center between the grey stripe on the wall and the pillar
- Once the bomb arrow is fully nocked and Link is aiming as far upwards as possible, release the bomb arrow
Single BA path
This video compares the options and shows the double BA strategy, though it uses a slower path for the single BA than in the video above.
───── Wii/Glitchless ─────
Second room clawshot skip
Fan room iron boots hops
Roll through the first two fans. Then to get past the last fan, equip the iron boots, and quickly sidehop across the falling blocks.
Block room keese LJA
Discovered by Chimpas
Since boomerang Long Jumps can't be done on the Wii version, instead throw the boomerang at the keese conveniently located near the gap. As the boomerang starts to return towards you, target the keese in order to do an LJA. Repeat this process to cross the final gaps.
Peahat cycle without boomerang LJA
clawshot method
This is easier if the clawshots are already in Link's hands. Roll three times up-right from the door, press the clawshot button, and double tap target. If done correctly, Link will target the baba serpent and then the peahat. Release the clawshot button to clawshot through the wall.
wolf method
This jump is somewhat precise but does not require a dash. Because the peahats continue moving during Midna calls and transformations, this is not any slower than other methods when using the peahat LJA to cross the next area.
Peahat LJA
It's possible to LJA to the HP chest without using the boomerang. Simply stand near the edge of the block, target the Peahat, and when its in position jump attack to make it across.
Reverse peahat cycle skip
Discovered by bewildebeest
This saves about 17s traversing the peahat cycle room in the context of completing the second half of City in the Sky in reverse. It is exclusive to Wii NTSC 1.0 because that is the only version on which the bars in this room are clawshottable.
After entering the room or voiding out from the poe island, clawshot to the peahat on the left. Drop immediately and time a jumpslash to land in the hole. The jumpslash timing is more lenient the closer the peahat is to the wall. Jump down, then clawshot up to the bars. Stand roughly where shown and clawshot clip by aiming the clawshot far to the right.
If you fail to jumpslash from the peahat to the hole in the wall, voiding to try again costs about the same amount of time as clawshotting up the vines and taking the slow peahat cycle that the clawshot clip skips, so retrying is not recommended.
Skip turning fans on without LJAs
Discovered by DeanMachine/Pokemongenius
With precise clawshots, ledgegrabs, and arranging them to aim with the clawshot arm closer to the final fan, it's possible to get across without using LJA's of any kind. This can be marginally faster than turning the fan on, and is much riskier.
────── IL Strats ──────
Small Key Skip with Jump Strike
It is possible to CAD the cylinders in the compass room by falling off the chest, then interrupt the CADs with bombs to position the cylinders in precise locations. It is then possible to perform Jump Strike Moon Boots to reach one cylinder, LJA to the next, and finally clawshot to the upper floor, skipping the small key on the west side of the dungeon.
──── Unused/TAS/Misc. ────
Clip into 2nd spinner bridge
Giant Deku Baba room timesaver
Discovered by LogitechSDAZ
Please note there is a faster way to complete CitS by getting the Boss Key Early.
This saves 5 seconds. Stand on the very edge as shown in the video, aim just to the left of the structure and throw the boomerang, if you LJA as soon as possible you will land as shown and be able to clawshot up skipping a clawshot target.
