Valka Castle is a sub-stage in Endless Ocean 2. This 16th-century stone castle now lies hidden in Ciceros Strait underneath the Well of the Full Moon, after "sinking" several hundred years ago. It acts as a tutorial area to use of the underwater pen.
It is known as a popular salvaging location, with glamorously designed chambers and corridors in relatively good condition considering its age and location. Various creatures have since taken up residence in the castle's ruins, including luna lionfish, European conger eels, and a false killer whale.
During the player's first visit, Celtic Woman's "Nella Fantasia" will play in the background, upon entering Spiral Tower. Following the completion of Chapter 2 of the main plot, the song will become available on Nineball Island's jukebox, assuming it has already been purchased from Nancy.
In-Game[]
Loading Description[]
"Priceless medieval ornaments and works of art still adorn this sunken castle, just as its stone walls house many secrets and legends."
Notebook Description[]
"Prince Valka, a powerful Eastern European aristocrat of the Ottoman Dynasty, erected Valka Castle in the 16th century. Records say that this splendid and luxurious castle was built on a small island in the Aegean, but at some point during the 18th century, the castle sank into the sea overnight.
The exact location of this mysterious castle was unknown until L&L Diving Service discovered it."
Flora, Fauna, and Geography[]
Local Life[]
Valka Castle is mostly devoid of flora, such as coral. Interestingly, no algae can be seen around the castle, despite it being an environment where it would typically flourish underwater.
A false killer whale can be seen here in the Mermaid's Ballroom, alongside several swallowtail sea perch, mahi-mahi, and other species of fish.
In the way of other sea life, however, the halls and chambers of Valka Castle are abundant with rich and colorful creatures. Spiral Tower, notably, is home to the castle's only scalloped hammerheads, who reside near the top.
Each of the small chambers within the castle contains various species of fish, such as meagre, longtooth grouper, red cornetfish, and more. In particular, fish such as blue-green chromis, lined surgeonfish, and bicolor parrotfish are plentiful throughout many parts of the castle. The inner halls and corridors of the castle contain life such as luna lionfish, blue-spotted ribbontail rays, red stingrays, and clown wrasse, who can be commonly seen near the Underwater Gallery.
Thanatos can commonly be seen swimming around outside of most windows of the castle during the day. Once the player has completed the Voice of the Night Sky sub-quest "Solar System", they can see the prehistoric Anomalocaris swimming outside the windows of the Gallery during the day.
Under zoom-mode glow spots, smaller fish such as cardinal fish, young clown wrasse, young harlequin sweetlips, along with several species of sea slug such as Berthella aurantiaca, luminescent sea slugs, and branched sea slugs. Other zoom mode species include the jellyfish Turritopsis nutricula, mauve stingers, young or even egg-form blotchy swell sharks, and the legendary Ailouros Pearl.
Location and Geography[]
Valka Castle can be accessed through the Well of the Full Moon, which is located in the ruins of Triton Village; however, the player can only reach these ruins at night, after the raging whirlpools that enclose it have settled.
The flat map of the circular earth.
The architecture and design of this castle stands out amongst other locations in Endless Ocean 2. Constructed primarily out of stone and glass, it contains a large tower, several small chambers - such as the Armory, Treasure Room, and Secret Room - used for storage, a well-lit, life-filled gallery, and a grand ballroom.
The castle also houses many pieces of 16th century furniture and artwork -- in particular, "Anaximander's map of the circular earth" (see right) that serves as a major plot point, and a portrait of Prince Valka himself. The stage is notably rigged with several cleverly-designed locking mechanisms likely meant to thwart thieves.
Spots[]
Well Bottom[]
Spiral Tower, as viewed from its bottom. Up ahead, meagre and scalloped hammerheads can be seen swimming.
This unremarkable corridor consists entirely of bland stone and a sandy, rocky floor. It is a small passageway on the western side of the map that leads into Spiral Tower, via a left-facing corner. The player begins here when they enter the Well of the Full Moon, and, by extension, Valka Castle itself, and can also swim back up here to exit Valka Castle.
Spiral Tower[]
Located at the end and to the left of the Well Bottom, this uniquely structured, tall tower is filled with several fish, such as lined surgeonfish, meagre, and the castle's only scalloped hammerheads at the top. Common octopuses can be found at the bottom. There are two passages located within this tower, on its second floor: one going north and one going east. The northern one leads to the rest of the castle, whereas the eastern one leads to the Collapsed Gallery.
Underwater Gallery[]
This is an open, lengthy corridor, filled with large windows through which light streams freely. Here, there are fish of all shapes, colors, and sizes, ranging from large longtooth groupers and clown wrasse down to smaller harlequin sweetlips. Thanatos can be seen passing by its windows, as can Anomalocaris once it has been unlocked.
Mermaid's Ballroom[]
Mermaid's Ballroom, featuring a false killer whale and collapsed chandelier.
A giant, glorious ballroom with lavish pillars lining the walls, and many windows along its southern side. Throughout the room, mahi-mahi, Japanese jack mackerel, swallowtail sea perch, and even a false killer whale can be found.
A luna lionfish guards the throne that sits against the easternmost wall under an awning, but it can be moved aside by drawing with the underwater pen. Doing this will expose the Glorious Key, which opens the door to the King's Chamber. Additionally, the Ailouros Pearl can be found under a zoom-mode glow in front of the throne
Landmarks[]
Armory[]
As its name suggests, this is where soldiers kept their armor during the castle's heyday. Blue-green chromis and a longtooth grouper are seen here, as well as some creatures under a zoom-mode glow.
Treasure Vault[]
A view of the Treasure Vault.
Rich with salvage items, this room is where treasure was once kept within the castle. The first time it is visited, it will be locked, but divers will notice a hole large enough for Oceane to squeeze through (who will be with the player during their first visit), and she will open the door from within. Few creatures inhabit this landmark, with blue-green chromis and meagre being the only two species found here.
Entering this room is necessary on two separate occasions: once during the "Be the Best Trainer" quest, as it serves as one of the false killer whale's hiding spots, and another time to grab the Servant's Ring quest item, necessary for discovering the Golden Catfish.
King's Chamber[]
This is the chamber in which Prince Valka resided. It is opened by using the Glorious Key. Within the room, a portrait of Prince Valka himself is hung on the wall, which gives a clue on how to open the Secret Room.
Secret Room[]
A small, hidden room connected to the King's Chamber. It is opened by moving a book entitled "Clavis" (key in Latin) found on a bookshelf in the chamber. There are many cloudy catsharks on the floor here, as well as a few salvageable items.
Collapsed Gallery[]
This is the passage going east in the Spiral Tower. It leads to a dead end that's nothing but a collapsed mess of rubble, but there are still some interesting coral reef fish here, as well as a large barrel that can be found when using the Multisensor.
Animal and Event Scenes[]
When diving in this stage with Hayako Sakurai, the player has the option to replay previously viewed scenes by talking to her. The scenes available for Valka Castle are as follows:
Animal[]
- Thanatos
Story Significance[]
Valka Castle an important stage in Endless Ocean 2, holding not only many secrets and treasures that prove to be a valuable aide in the quest for the Pacifica Treasure (such as an Okeanos Tablet and flat map of the circular earth), but also serving as an area that hosts many legendary creatures, quest plot points, salvage requests, and more. The castle is also a crucial turning point in L&L Diving Service's quest for the truth behind the Song of Dragons.
The throne guarded by a luna lionfish, where the Glorious Key is found.
During the main storyline, the player and Oceana first discover the castle completely accidentally, having swum down the Well of the Full Moon to escape Thanatos, who was ambushing them in the Triton Village Ruins. While exploring it, the pair makes their way through the Underwater Gallery and into the decorous Mermaid's Ballroom, where they find a throne against the east wall and a closed - but unlocked - door; opening this door leads to a smaller room with two locked doors. One of them can be unlocked from this side, and leads to a room near the entrance; the other is a set of tightly locked double-doors. The player and Oceana must retrieve a key called the Glorious Key in order to enter here; however, the key sits on the throne, 'guarded' by a lone luna lionfish.
After luring the lionfish away with food or the underwater pen and retrieving the key, the player and Oceana enter the King's Chamber to investigate. Eventually, an inspection of the portrait of Prince Valka on the wall offers a hint that leads to the discovery of a single, intact volume on the bookshelf on the opposite wall. Tellingly, this book is titled "Clavis", the Latin word for "key".
The player character pulls on the tome to reveal a door hidden in the bookcase, which swings open. The moment this occurs, however, the Song of Dragons also plays, and the door to the King's Chamber itself seals shut as a result, locking them inside. After the player finds the Okeanos Tablet in pristine condition in the Secret Room, they realize that Prince Valka must have visit this place frequently - and so must have had a way to reset the trap from inside the room.
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Oceana and the player watching a North Atlantic right whale pass by the window of King's Chamber.
Upon taking a closer look at the desk, it turns out that there's a lever beneath it. Pulling on the lever itself does nothing, but it does seem to move some mechanism in the door; the player and Oceana must pull the lever beneath the desk and push on the door simultaneously to open it again. Once this is done, a North Atlantic right whale swims past the window of the King's Chamber, presumably the one responsible for singing the Song of Dragons.
The player and Oceana leave with their newfound treasure - the Okeanos Tablet found in the Secret Room - and the mysterious writing upon it. News of their discovery subsequently spreads around the world, earning L&L Diving Service some extra exposure and unlocking the ability to take Diving Guide and Photo Requests.
| Dialogue |
|---|
| Prior to the player's first expedition to the Triton Village Ruins, Jean-Eric gives them an overview of the information that L&L Diving Service has gathered so far.
We decided to search for clues instead of the castle itself, and we found out that the whirlpools may disappear at night. The whirlpools are most active in southwest Ciceros Strait. Triton Village, which was carved on the bracelet we found, sank in that exact area. Fortunately, we have the equipment needed for night diving, so we should concentrate our search in the southwest of Ciceros Strait. That's it, I think. Do you want me to go through it again?" The player can ask Jean-Eric to repeat this information. If they decide not to, he'll move on and tell the player that they can sleep on the boat to advance time. When the player and Oceana first reach the Well Bottom, Oceana is greatly relieved to be out of the way of Thanatos. "We should be safe down here. It looks like we're going to be all right! I wonder if there's any chance that shark will just give up and go home? Just to be on the safe side, I'll share my air with you." At this point, the player's air is refilled. Oceana continues: "You know… Isn't this really long and deep for a well? It looks like it goes on forever… This is really strange. It's like an underground passage down here. Wait a minute… What if this well is actually a secret entrance to the legendary Valka Castle! Come on! Let's go deeper and find out!" When the player and Oceana make their way up the Spiral Tower and into the first corridor of Valka Castle main, Oceana is overjoyed. "Look at this place! It has to be the legendary Valka Castle! Grandpa! We found it! Can you hear me?" Jean-Eric answers. "I can, but just barely. The reception is terrible. But it sounds like you've found what you were looking for! Nice work!" Oceana thinks out loud for a few moments. "My dad must have been searching for this castle too! Could he be trying to tell us to find that treasure? The one that GG was talking about? Let's look inside the castle and see what we can find." Jean-Eric suggests proceeding with heightened awareness of the surrounding area. "Wait a second! This is your first confined-space dive with an overhead environment. You're in a very old structure, so proceed with the utmost caution." The player and Oceana can then continue exploring, after a quick tutorial on how to use the underwater pen as a potential way to keep track of the exit. |
Gallery[]
_1.png "Valka Castle Closed Door (D-3) 1.png (1.46 MB)")
_2.png "Valka Castle Closed Door (D-3) 2.png (1.55 MB)")
_1.png "Valka Castle Locked Door (B-2) 1.png (1.43 MB)")
_2.png "Valka Castle Locked Door (B-2) 2.png (1.72 MB)")
Notes[]
- Valka Castle is the only stage in the game to not have its default theme music play upon entry; instead, it won't play until the player starts to swim up the Spiral Tower.
- Interestingly, the player can surface at the top of the Spiral Tower, revealing that a bit of the castle sticks above the surface. How this went unnoticed until L&L Diving Service discovered the castle is unknown.
- The name Valka means "healthy" in Latin. This could be considered ironic, due to the current state of the castle.
- During the portion of the main storyline in which the player and Oceana are trapped in Valka Castle, the player's air tank cannot be depleted.
- Valka Castle is given an indirect mention in Endless Ocean Luminous in regards to the Phantom's bio.
[]
Dive Points:
North Canyon • Triton Village Ruins • East Ciceros Undine • North Ciceros Undine
Spots:
North Canyon • White Cove • Cross Rift • Red Dome • Blue Dome • Triton Village Ruins • South Canyon • Well of the Full Moon
Landmarks:
Amphitrite's Sanctuary • Forgotten Caverns • Wreck of the Pride of Athens • Wreck of the Flamingo • Wreck of the Demeter • Wreck of the Arktos • Wreck of the Blood Lotus • Wreck of the Emerald Lady
Lore Locations:
Triton Cove
Spots:
Spiral Tower • Underwater Gallery • Mermaid's Ballroom • Well Bottom
Landmarks:
Armory • Treasure Vault • King's Chamber • Secret Room • Collapsed Gallery