This is the walkthrough for Hollow Bastion as it is featured in Kingdom Hearts, as well as its Final Mix version. Sora and his friends arrive at Hollow Bastion, but quickly run into Riku, who claims the Keyblade as its true owner. Donald and Goofy see themselves forced to go along with the new key bearer, leaving Sora stranded with Beast, who is also looking for someone in the castle.
Walkthrough[]
After your arrival you will have to make your way up the platforms to the top. You can use Blizzard to freeze the water bubbles, and use them as platforms, or enter them and be transported to below the water surface. At the top you will run into Riku, who will take your Keyblade from you, after which Donald and Goofy abandon you as well. As a result you will be equipped with the Wooden Sword, which is functionally useless for fighting Heartless, although you still posses magic (and your mostly useless abilities. Beast will join your party now however, and he is easily strong enough to get rid of anything in your way for now.
Head to the very top and use the platform to move to the Castle Gates. Head right, and make use of the strange crystal objects to activate various platforms. Examine the red one past the gates, then use the one past that to enter the Base Level. New Darkball Heartless will spawn here, which are not particularly strong, and mostly a nuisance at this point. Beast will easily handle them, but you might want to equip him with accessories if you have not yet.
You can use the left bubble to activate two crystal switches here and to collect some extra items. Enter the right bubble eventually to enter the Waterway with a save point. Use 'Call' on the gate to have Beast smash it open, then jump into the next bubble (freeze it to find a well-hidden Dark Matter, or just a Flare-G in the original version).
For the next area you must activate switches to moves numerous walls. The puzzle is simple, and only involves activating each new switch as it becomes available until you reach another bubble. Use it, then 'Release' the next switch, which lets you take a platform to a corridor with a single Defender. Defenders are powerful Heartless that uses their shields to block all damage, cast ranged magic, and perform melee attacks. They have a 0.2% chance to drop the Defender shield for Goofy. Afterwards, activate the switch it was defending and hit the switches in reverse to return to the Castle Gates, whose front door has now been unlocked. Enter the Entrance Hall, and then engage in a bossfight after a cutscene.
Riku bossfight[]
The Riku bossfight.
You will have your Keyblade back at this point, as well as Donald and Goofy. Riku is not too strong, but cannot be hurt by magic, while he himself also solely relies on melee attacks. His moveset is similar to back on Destiny Island, but without the dangerous counters. Use Aerora if need be, but he otherwise can be quickly pummeled into submission between the three of you. After his defeat you gain Trinity Detect, letting you finally activate the white Trinity Marks on each world. For example, you can now go to Wonderland to find the Lady Luck Keyblade.
Library puzzle[]
Leave Beast for now, and head up the stairs, where you can find a Power Up, or AP Up in the Final Mix version, on-top of the left pillar, in-front of the locked door. Then turn left and enter the Library. This area has several colorful book volumes lying around, each of which fit into the corresponding series on a bookshelf, which will then move the entire shelf, giving you more space to access.
Grab the first book, a red Khama vol. 8, and insert it into the K shelf nearby. Head up the stairs next, and take the brown Theon vol. 6 on the desk, and a yellow Azal vol. 3 from the shelf next to it by using Trinity Ladder. Take the bright green Mava vol. 6 from the T shelf closest to the next set of doors, then insert Theon vol. 6. Press the newly revealed switch, which will unlock the doors to the second floor of the Entrance Hall.
Before you leave you should finish the puzzle; jump into a closed off area behind the desk and take the blue Salegg vol. 6 from between the M shelf's green volumes, and insert it in the S shelf on the other side. Next, insert Azal vol. 3 in the A shelf at the start, then go all the way around and take the yellow Nahara vol. 5 from the rear side. Place it into the N shelf in front of the desk, then take Mava vol. 3 from the one behind it. Insert both volumes into the M shelf on the ground floor. You can now take the purple Hafet vol. 4, and insert it into the H shelf revealed earlier on the second floor. This finally reveals a hidden passage into the Lift Stop area.
Lift Stop contains several floating platforms with chests, which have to be lowered with Gravity. This hidden area leads to two chests acquired this way, after which you have to use the real exit to enter the Entrance Hall's upper walkway.
Emblem Piece puzzle[]
Smash the vase next to the statue on the right to cause an Emblem Piece to appear in the ground floor's fountain. Use Fire on the eight candles spread around the area to reveal another piece hidden inside the brazier in the center. Cast Thunder on the small marked stone to cause the platforms connected to the center area to lower, granting you access. The third and fourth parts are acquired by pushing two more statues, one of which by using Trinity Charge, and another by simply pushing it, revealing a chest opposite the Library doors.
Take all four pieces to the locked door atop the staircase, turn around after the cutscene to find that many enemies will now spawn inside the Entrance Hall, including Defenders, and the new Wizard Heartless. They will cast various magics, and can absorb spells as well except Gravity and Stop. They can also teleport away, although this has a chance to fail, and like the Defender, have a tiny chance to drop the Wizard's Relic staff for Donald. In the main hall you will also encounter Wyverns, powerful flying enemies that use quick aerial dives and dashes to attack.
Lift Stop and Great Crest areas[]
Before you leave, you also have a chance to run into the invisible Stealth Soldiers, enemies unique to Final Mix. They notably drop Energy Stones, and due to their invisibility have to be found through using lock-on. Stop is an effective way of dealing with them. After entering Lift Stop you can use the second elevator and the nearby switch to find some synthesis materials, as well as a passage back to the Dungeon room (with a Trinity Jump opportunity). Exit through the nearby door to enter the other walkway at the Castle Gates.
Beware of falling down here thanks to the Wyverns, as it will take you back to Base Level. Activate the red switch to make one of the platforms here move (the other one was activated earlier, its switch being at the elevator to the Base Level area), which can be used to acquire three more items. Use the nearby blue one to summon another elevator, leading to the Great Crest.
Use the only other switch to access the massive platform, activate the red switch in the center after the fighting halfway through, after which you arrive at the other side of the castle. Re-enter the Lift Stop, and use the only elevator here to go up, re-entering the Great Crest afterwards. There is an Orichalcum on your left and after that you can use the next switch to go to the other side again. Activate the red switch here after the fighting, but before you re-enter the Lift Stop, jump off the edge and Glide to a hidden area underneath the large block you just moved to find a hidden Royal Crown (or just a Float-G in the original) within the Lift Stop area.
You have to fall down afterwards, but when you make your way back up, use the normal entrance to the Lift Stop, followed by the exit to the High Tower area. Activate the other switch here, then climb the big blocks to reach another switch to raise the previous one back up, which leads to yet more Heartless and another switch, which only changes the end destination of the elevator accessed through the Library.
Re-enter the Lift Stop using the passage at the other end of the curved path, then enter the Castle Chapel for a bossfight with Maleficent.
Maleficent bossfight[]
The Maleficent bossfight.
Attack her floating platform (other than normal attacks, Gravity works too) to force Maleficent down, as she is hard to reach otherwise. Maleficent will stay on said platform, summoning either Defenders or Darkballs, or try and swat you with her staff. None of these are a huge threat however, except for her meteor spell, preceded by the quote "Meteors of heaven, unleash thy fury!". She will create a portal behind here, at either end of the chapel, which will fill the entire range of the area with meteors. Run for the edge of the chapel, next to the walls, to avoid this while recalling your party members to you to avoid needlessly losing them in the attack.
If left alone on the platform for too long she will also summon a lightning storm and use it to rain down bolts on your positions. Bringing the platform down stops this attack, although any lightning that lands of the edge of it travels halfway around the platform, damaging anyone in the way. The only entirely safe area is underneath it, although you can also rely on repeatedly dodge rolling to get out of the way.
She also possess the ability to turn into a ball of flame, reforming at the other end of the room, which is her best way of avoiding you if you managed to stay on-board her platform after she restored it. After her defeat you receive Ansem's Report 5, and the Cheer ability for Donald. Save, then enter the dark portal she left behind after her defeat for another bossfight.
Dragon Maleficent bossfight[]
The Dragon Maleficent bossfight.
Dragon Maleficent is much harder, and summoning Tinker Bell is recommended. She posses melee attacks by swiping with her claws, and can also jump and spin around for a tail swipe. Most of her leg movements will also create shockwaves on the ground, so avoiding them by repeatedly jumping is recommended. However her most powerful attack involves her ability to breathe fire; covering most of the floor with green flames, and the ability to summon a great ring of fireballs that sequentially home in on you.
There are several odd strategies involving standing on her back, or on top or underneath the roots in the area to completely avoid her attacks, casting ranged moves such as Strike Raid. Other than this you likely will have to stick close to her instead, underneath her neck, and rely on Tinker Bell and Aerora. Both of these and the use of Olympia for damage plus good items acquired through synthesis will carry you through the fight.
Afterwards you receive the Fireglow item (which can be used to unlock the Mushu Summon) and can use the portal to return to the Castle Chapel, where a fake wall will vanish, leading to the Lift Stop area again. From here, enter the Grand Hall, then approach the staircase for one of the hardest bossfights in the game.
Riku-Ansem bossfight[]
The Riku-Ansem bossfight.
You will have to fight completely alone this time, and the possessed Riku will be far stronger than before. Riku continues to not be hurt by magic, so equipping a Strength boosting keychain and accessories will be key to winning this battle. During the first phase of the fight, while his health bar remains orange, he will mostly rely on quick melee attacks and combos. Magic is countered with Dark Firaga, although this can be abused to repeatedly deflect or Guard those attacks back at him. As such it is best kept in reverse for use in Aerora and Cura. He also has a change to unleash a powerful move where he jumps into the air, then lands followed by a series of energy spikes around him.
After a third of his HP is gone he will be using his equivalent of the Strike Raid ability, although you can Guard and return his attacks. Some of his melee moves will also result in waves of energy spreading outwards. Eventually when he is down to his final health bar he will begin using Dark Aura, which is preceded by him beginning to glow and float. He will then continually teleport and dash around the entire area, making it very hard to avoid him on the ground. As such, jump into the air and stay airborne with Glide as long as possible until he stops and unleashes a powerful finisher, covering most of the arena with energy spikes.
Attack him as much as possible while he is not using Dark Aura, as he will shortly attempt to use it again, and again, before he finally goes down. After his defeat you receive Ragnarok, a powerful active ability that activates an aerial combo, with a chargeable finisher that releases a swarm of homing beams. After the cutscenes you will have to play as a Shadow Heartless due to plot events.
There is nothing to do now but walk all the way back to the starting area, as there are no enemies and the only thing you can do is jump. As such, jump off as many edges as possible until you end up at the Castle Gates, then enter the Entrance Hall to be reunited with Kairi, Donald, and Goofy, and automatically return to Traverse Town for the fourth visit.