Kingdom Hearts 3D - Link Portal Guide

This guide will explain the Link Portals feature of Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] in great detail. Thanks to Rebel Dante for the original write-up, and permission for reposting.

What are Link Portals?

When you are playing the game, you will often notice spiky pink circles on the bottom map screen. These are Link Portals, and either let you fight a set of Dream Eaters for a prize, or borrow a pre-set party of Dream Eaters for a short period of time. Most of these portals are named after various Disney or Square-Enix characters - such as Squall or Firion. These portals are random, and are not necessary for game completion.

Each combat Portal has a Bonus Objective, such as beating it within 20 seconds or pulling off 3 counters during the fight. Beating this objective will grant you an extra item after battle, usually a Royal Cake, Treasure Goggles or Water Barrel for raising Spirits. All prizes are random, though you always get a Dream Piece as the main reward - some of the rarest ones may only be obtainable in this way.

How do I access Link Portals?

This can cause confusion to a few people. Firstly, while you can see Link Portals on zoomed-out view - you must be zoomed IN to access them. When you stand on the corresponding spot of the map, a pop-up box will appear with the name of the portal. Tap on the box on the touch-screen to access the portal.

What are Special Portals?

Every world has six unique, fixed portals per character - 6 for Sora, 6 for Riku. The only exception is The World That Never Was, which has 3 per character. Only one of the six Special Portals available in each world is open at any one time, and which portal is active changes each time you Drop.

There are also Secret Portals that open up later in the game - these allow you to refight bosses, albeit much harder than the original fight. These portals are always available once you are far enough in the game, and are located in the boss rooms that you fought them in originally. I will list their locations as well.

How do I know which Special Portal is open?

At the bottom of the Start Menu (and shown on the World Map) is the Forecast screen. This screen shows a silhouette of the Dream Eater contained within the Special Portal that is currently open. It also gives a description for that Dream Eater, such as Lucky customer or Heavyweight hulk.

However, some worlds have two portals containing the same monster, so it's not always possible to tell exactly which portal is open. However, using this guide should help you narrow down the possible areas.

Once you beat a portal, the silhouette of the Dream Eater will show the Dream Eater's picture, and it will say "DONE!". The Portal will then disappear for the remainder of the game until you have beaten all of them - from which point you can replay them as many times as you like.

Once a Special Portal is beaten, it can be the "active" portal on the forecast again, but it will still be beaten. When this happens, there will be no open portal on that world, so you'll need to Drop again to change that world's portal. Therefore, the last few Portals are the worst since you'll need to keep Dropping to cycle the active portal.

What do I get for beating the Special Portals?

If you beat ALL the Special Portals for a character, you unlock a new Keyblade (End of Pain, same for both characters) for that character. All Special Portals give "Fantasy" level Dream Pieces as prizes, as well as normal Bonus Items. Bonus Items aren't too important, so I wouldn't worry about beating them all too much. And as I said before, once you beat them all, the game will allow you to access them all again to earn more items.

Here's the format for each Special Portal

To find Special Portals, first check your forecast for the current silhouette and check the Dream Eater description. Then see which Special Portals in this guide (for that area and character) match up to that description.

From there you can see which location that Dream Eater is located, or at least have a maximum of 3 possible places to look. Remember - if there isn't an empty silhouette, you'll need to Drop to change which portal is open in that area for that character.

-------
Name
Area where Special Portal is located / Portal star rating
Dream Eater forecast description / Dream Eater name
Bonus Challenge
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List of all Secret Portal locations

TRAVERSE TOWN - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Post Office / 1* Heavyweight hulk / Kooma Panda Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 2- Fourth District / 1* Doggish cat-thing / Meow Wow Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Garden / 1* Kooma Panda (Heavyweight Hulk) Block 3 attacks -Special Portal 4- Second District / 3* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 5- Fifth District / 3* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Use no X commands -Special Portal 6- Fountain Plaza / 4* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Secret Portal- Fifth District

TRAVERSE TOWN - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Fountain Plaza / 1* Doggish-cat thing / Meow Wow Block at least 3 times -Special Portal 2- Second District / 1* Pup with a petal / Flowbermeow Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Fourth District / 1* Roly-poly snoozer / Tama Sheep Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 4- First District / 3* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 5- Garden / 3* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 6- Back Streets / 4* Zippy zapmeister / Thunderaffe Take no more than 2 hits -Secret Portal- Garden

LA CITE DES CLOCHES - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Catacombs / 1* Footloose feline / Necho Cat Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 2- Town / 1* Dire driller / Drill Sye Block 3 times -Special Portal 3- Town / 1* Snouted lout / Zolephant Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 4- Court of Miracles / 2* Snouted lout / Zolephant Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 5- Nave (Upper Balcony) / 2* Doggish-cat thing / Meow Wow Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 6- Square (Roof) / 3* Footloose feline / Necho Cat Perform 3 counters -Secret Portal- Square

LA CITE DES CLOCHES - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Windmill / 1* Dire driller / Drill Sye Block at least 3 times -Special Portal 2- Town / 1* Footloose feline / Necho Cat Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 3- Outskirts / 1* Footloose feline / Necho Cat Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 4- Square / 2* Doggish cat-thing / Meow Wow Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 5- Outskirts / 2* Footloose feline / Necho Cat Block 3 times -Special Portal 6- Nave (Upper Balcony) / 3* Doggish cat-thing / Meow Wow Perform 3 counters -Secret Portal- Square (roof)

PRANKSTER's PARADISE - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Amusement Park / 2* Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 2- Windup Way / 2* Lucky customer / Juggle Pup Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 3- Promontory / 2* Pup with a petal / Flowbermeow Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 4- Ocean Floor / 3* Lucky customer / Juggle Pup Use no X commands -Special Portal 5- Ocean Depths / 3* Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 6- Circus / 4* Lucky customer / Juggle Pup Block 3 attacks -Secret Portal- Promontory

PRANKSTER's PARADISE - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Monstro: Mouth /2* Lucky customer / Juggle pup Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 2- Monstro: Gullet / 2* Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 3- Monstro: Cavity (Flipped) 2* Lucky Customer / Juggle Pup Block 3 attacks -Special Portal 4- Monstro: Belly Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 5- Monstro: Bowels / 3* Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Land 10 linked attacks -Special Portal 6- Monstro: Cavity / 4* Slippery slider / Iceguin Ace Perform 3 counters -Secret Portal- Monstro: Bowels

THE GRID - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Rectifier 1F / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Land 10 linked attacks -Special Portal 2- City / 2* Horned scorcher / Yoggy Ram Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Bridge / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Block 3 attacks -Special Portal 4- Rectifier 2F / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 5- Docks (Upper Area) / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 6- Throughput / 3* Doggish cat-thing / Meow Wow Win within 20 secs -Secret Portal- Throneship

THE GRID - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Rectifier 1F / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Land 10 linked attacks -Special Portal 2- City / 2* Horned Scorcher / Yoggy Ram Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Bridge / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Block 3 attacks -Special Portal 4- Rectifier 2F / 2* Deft Deadeye / KO Kabuto Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 5- Docks (Upper Area) / 2* Deft deadeye / KO Kabuto Take no more than 2 hits -Special Portal 6- Portal: Stairs / 3* Doggish cat-thing / Meow Wow Win within 20 secs -Secret Portal- Portal

COUNTRY OF THE MUSKETEERS - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Mont Saint-Michel Lop-eared cutie / Me Me Bunny Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 2- Shore / 3* Winged wanderer / Halbird Use no X Commands -Special Portal 3- Tower Road / 3* Prehistoric fiend / Tyranto Rex Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 4- Dungeon / 4* Fowlish fool / Ducky Goose Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 5- Training Yard / 4* Winged wanderer / Halbird Block 3 attacks -Special Portal 6- Theatre / 5* King of beasts / Aura Lion Take no more than 2 hits -Secret Portal- Theatre

COUNTRY OF THE MUSKETEERS - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Grand Lobby / 3* King of beasts / Aura Lion Use no X commands -Special Portal 2- The Opera / 3* Fowlish fool / Ducky Goose Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 3- Machine Room 3* Lop-eared cutie / Me Me Bunny Land 10 linked attacks -Special Portal 4- Backstage / 4* King of beasts / Aura Lion Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 5- Theatre / 4* Winged wanderer / Halbird Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 6- Green Room / 5* King of beasts / Aura Lion Win within 20 secs -Secret Portal- Backstage

SYMPHONY OF SORCERY - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Cloudwalk / 4* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 2- Tower / 4* Ruler of the skies / Ryu Dragon Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Glen / 4* Spectral Snarfer / Ghostabocky Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 4- Precipice / 4* Ruler of the skies / Ryu Dragon Land 10 linked attacks -Special Portal 5- Fields / 4* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 6- Cloudwalk / 5* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Take no more than 2 hits -Secret Portal- Precipice

SYMPHONY OF SORCERY - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Tower / 4* Ruler of the skies / Ryu Dragon Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 2- Moonlight Wood / 4* Spectral snarfer / Ghostabocky Use no X commands -Special Portal 3- Snowgleam Wood / 5* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 4- Golden Wood / 4* Ruler of the skies / Ryu Dragon Block 3 times -Special Portal 5- Moonlight Wood / 4* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Land 10 link attacks -Special Portal 6- Snowgleam Wood / 5* Ruler of the skies / Ryu Dragon Use 3 Flowmotion attacks

THE WORLD THAT NEVER WAS - SORA

-Special Portal 1- Avenue to Dreams / 4* King of beasts / Aura Lion Use 3 Flowmotion attacks -Special Portal 2- Contorted City / 4* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Block 3 times -Special Portal 3- Avenue to Dreams? / 5* Prehistoric fiend / Tyranto Rex Perform 3 counters

THE WORLD THAT NEVER WAS - RIKU

-Special Portal 1- Fact within Fiction / 4* King of beasts / Aura Lion Win within 20 secs -Special Portal 2- Verge of Chaos / 4* Sky prancer / Pegaslick Perform 3 counters -Special Portal 3- Delusive Beginning / 5* Prehistoric fiend / Tyranto Rex Take no more than 2 hits