Cloud Tops

Cloud Tops
The three levels of the Cloud Tops
First appearance	The Minish Cap (2005)
Country	Hyrule
Terrain	Cloud
Point(s) of interest	Palace of Winds Mysterious Clouds Tower
Inhabitants	Wind Tribe

The Cloud Tops is a location from The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. It is a collection of clouds high above Hyrule. The Cloud Tops is where the Wind Tribe moved to and built the Palace of Winds, and it can only be accessed by using the whirlwind at the top of Veil Falls. As it is a sea of clouds, it is inhabited by various creatures of the sky, such as Cloud Piranhas and Lakitus. Here, Link must collect golden Kinstones to fuse with Mysterious Clouds to start up the large updraft that leads to the Wind Tribe's home.

Navigation

Link must navigate two levels of clouds in order to successfully collect and fuse all of the golden Kinstones. The upper level can be traversed on foot upon the clouds, but to navigate between clouds Link must jump into updrafts, inflating Ezlo and allowing Link to glide through the air for a period of time. A special type of dense clouds can be dug with the Mole Mitts, which is often necessary for getting certain items. The upper level also has square holes that allow Link to fall to the lower level.

The lower level is much harder to navigate, with no updrafts to cross between clouds. A special red type of updraft appears, however, which allows Link to reach the upper level. Sometimes, Cloud Piranhas must be defeated in order for a updraft to appear, usually coinciding with the appearance of a golden Kinstone. All Mysterious Clouds are found on the lower level along with the updraft that leads to the Wind Tribe's home, the Tower.

Theory

Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.

It is possible that Ezlo's powers allow Link to walk upon the clouds, for both of the members of the Wind Tribe stranded here, Hailey and her sister, show surprise that Link is able to walk on clouds.

With the events of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword in mind, it is also possible that the Cloud Tops could be the remnants of Hylia's Cloud Barrier, and the Palace of Winds a repurposed section of Skyloft.

The Wind Tribe may also be linked to the Oocca and their City in the Sky, perhaps being their human ancestors, alhough it is unknown if the Oocca already existed by this time. Alternately, both civilizations may exist concurrently and simply be unaware of each other, although given Siroc's claim that she knows much from listening to the wind, this is questionable.

Theory warning: Theories end here.