Twilight Princess Hidden Skills & Howling Stones

Twilight Princess brought back the ability for Link to learn a variety of new sword skills. Originally done in the Adventure of Link and done again in The Minish Cap, Twilight Princess is the first 3D Zelda game that allows Link to learn new hidden skills.

twilight princess hidden skills

This Twilight Princess Hidden Skills guide will instruct you where to find these hidden skills as well as the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess Howling Stones. By finding the howling stones Link is able to then track down the Ancient Warrior who will entrust him with a new hidden skill.

Ending Blow

twilight princess hidden skills
Wolf Location: Forest Temple

The first hidden skill that Link will learn is the Ending Blow. This one is automatically triggered and will not require you to find the howling stone.To learn this skill you need to head up to the Forest Temple after returning light to the Faron Woods region. As you head up the path, a Golden Wolf will appear and attack you which triggers the learning process.
The ending blow skill automatically kills downed enemies. Once the enemy is knocked to the ground, you can do the Ending Blow skill by targeting the enemy and pressing the A button when the “Finish” prompt flashes on the screen.

Shield Bash

twilight princess howling stones
Howling Stone Location: Death Mountain
Wolf Location: Ordon Spring

The first Howling Stone that you will come across can be found on the path up Death Mountain before you get to the valley. As the wolf, you need to howl the song as indicated. Once doing so the wolf will mark a place on your map with its location. The location in this case is Ordon Spring. So when you get a chance head to the spring as Link and you will learn the Shield Attack. This skill is not only a good offensive skill but it is also good as a defense mechanism. To do the Shield Bash use your numchunk (for the wii) and push it forward to deflect projectiles. When in close quarter combat you can use the Shield Bash to push enemies away which will open them up for attack.

Back Slice

twilight princess hidden skills
Howling Stone Location: Zora’s River
Wolf Location: East of Castle Town

The next Howling Stone that you will encounter is on the way to Zora’s Domain. After you use the Twilight bird beast to fly up river you will land in front of a cabin. The howling stone is on the far side of the cabin up on a ledge. The wolf will then be to the east of Castle Town up on a elevated ledge. To get up you must climb up as Link. Once being attacked by the wolf again you will be taught the Back Slice. This skill is done by targeting your enemy and doing two sideway jumps. The second jump will make Link roll behind the enemy so you can swing your sword and hit them in the back. This skill is best used on heavily armoured enemies that have weak spots on their back.

Helm Splitter

twilight princess howling stone locations
Howling Stone Location: North Faron Woods
Wolf Location: South of Castle Town

The third stone is in in the gap between Faron Woods and the Sacred Grove. Once howling the tune properly the wolf will mark his location south of Castle Town. To get to the wolf exit Castle Town to the south and you will fiind the wolf on the stairs to the righ (looking at Castle Town not away from). You will then be taught the Helm Splitter. To do this skill you must first use your Shield Bash to knock the enemy back. Once doing so press the A button when “Helm Splitter flashes onto the screen. By pressing A at the right time, Link will jump over the enemy and smack him in the head with his sword before landing behind the enemy. Take this chance to do more damage by hitting him in the back.

Mortal Draw

mortal draw hidden skills zelda
Howling Stone Location: Lake Hylia
Wolf Location: Gerudo Desert

The fourth Howling Stone is on a cliff which can be found south of the Lake Hylia warp location. Go towards the watch tower where Auru resides and you will come across the stone. From there the wolf can be found in the Gerudo Desert at the stronghold entrance. The Mortal Draw is considered one of the toughest skills to master as it puts Link in harm’s way to perform the trick. To do the Mortal Draw you need to get close to an enemy with your sword and shield un-equiped. Also do not target the enemy as the Mortal Draw will not work if you do. Once you get up in your enemies face, press the A button when the screen prompts you with the word “Draw.” This is one of the most powerful attacks in the game and will kill most enemies with one hit.

Jump Strike

zelda twilight princess hidden skills
Howling Stone Location: Snowpeak
Wolf Location: Kakariko Graveyard

The next howling stone can be found while you are on your way up to the Snowpeak Ruins. To be more precise, it is up on a cliff. Once triggering the wolf attack and sequence, your map will mark a location in Kakariko Graveyard. So head there to learn the Jump Strike. This move is very similar to the regular jump attacl except you can do more damage and hit more enemies with this skill. To do the Jump Strike target an enemy and hold the A button. Your sword will then shine and make a ringing noise. When this happens release the A button to perform the Jump Strike.

Great Spin

zelda twilight princess howling stones
Howling Stone Location: Hidden Village
Wolf Location: North Castle Town

The final Howling Stone is found on the west half of the Hidden Village. You will have to smash a window to find it so look carefully if you do not see it right away. Once doing so, the wolf will go to the entrance of Hyrule Castle found within Castle Town. The final skill is the Great Spin and it is once again just an upgrade of an already known skill. The Great Spin is the same as your regular spin attack except it has a bigger diameter and it does more damage. However you have to have a full health meter to do this attack.