Dark Side Cave The Dark Side Cave , also known as the Cave of Evil , was a cave on Dagobah containing a powerful dark side manifestation of the force . Description . A cave of limestone and dirt , the Dark Side Cave was located deep in the equatorial swamps and contained a vergence in the Force as well as the apparition of a dark jedi . A focal point for the dark side of the Force , the cave challenged the perceptions of anyone who entered into its depths . Drawing visitors in , they often experienced visions of the past , future , or possible futures . History . Hundreds of years before the Clone Wars , the Jedi Minch battled and killed a powerful Bpfasshi Dark Jedi leader , and his energies absorbed into its surroundings , tainting the passage with the Dark Spirit . During the Clone Wars , Yoda had a vision of the Dark Side Cave during one of his meditations . In this vision , Qui - Gon Jinn had survived the battle of Naboo and had taken nine - year - old Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan . He guided Skywalker into the cave to face his fears , telling him the same thing Yoda eventually told Anakin ' s son , Luke , many years later , including telling Anakin that all that was inside the cave was " Only what you take with you . " Later , near the end of the Clone Wars , Yoda himself entered the cave under the guidance of Qui - Gon who had learned how to speak from beyond . Here , Yoda had visions of the fall of the Jedi Order and of the rise of Darth Sidious . During the Great Jedi Purge , Yoda realized that proximity to the Dark Side Cave could help neutralize his strong light side Force signature — thus preventing his detection by the Sith — and took up residence near the cave , living there for the next two decades , through the reign of the Galactic Empire . Soon after the exile , an Imperial scout named Keog Boorn investigated a signal near the cave . A hidden Yoda saw how the scout left the place after remembering about the Bpfasshi Dark Jedi and hearing some terrifying sounds . Keog Boorn left the planet and reported that there was nothing on Dagobah , the signal just an atmospheric disturbance . During the birth of the Rebellion , the clone of Starkiller spoke with Yoda briefly before entering the cave to look for the answers he sought . Inside , he was unable to use his Force powers , except for mind trick , which he utilized several times . He faced the Dark Spirit who took the form of several other clones of Starkiller and had to carefully traverse some deep pits . He made it deep into the caves , and received a vision of the assault on the " Salvation " . Starkiller exited the cave , and left the planet . In 1 ABY , the young Force - sensitive Zak Arranda accidentally led a group of cannibal younglings into the Cave . The Dark Spirit tortured them reenacting scenes of their past , when their parents were forced to nourish them upon their own flesh . When Luke Skywalker traveled to Dagobah to train with Yoda in 3 ABY , the elder Master tasked him to enter the cave . Luke confronted the Dark Spirit in the form of Darth Vader within and defeated it in a lightsaber duel , dipping into the passion of the dark side in the process . It was there that he realized what would happen if he turned to the dark side of the Force . Behind the mask of Darth Vader , he saw his own face . It also presaged the revelation that Vader was , unknown to him at the time , actually his father , Anakin Skywalker . Five years after Yoda ' s death , Luke Skywalker returned to the cave . This time , he had a vision of a possible past , one where Mara Jade accompanied Jabba the Hutt ' s retinue to the sarlacc . She was able to pull Luke ' s lightsaber away from him when his vision suddenly ended . While in the cave , he found a beacon left behind by Jorj Car ' das . In 14 ABY , the dark side power of the cave was siphoned by the Disciples of Ragnos . This supposedly removed all of the dark energy , but it presumably returned to its source when the Scepter of Ragnos was destroyed or otherwise somehow regenerated itself . In 22 ABY , Anakin Solo , Tahiri Veila , and Uldir Lochett entered the cave after Anakin had a recurring nightmare of becoming the infamous Darth Vader . There , Tahiri encountered a vision of her parents and grandfather , and Anakin faced the manifestations of his own doubts . The two both emerged victorious . Uldir , who was not Force - sensitive however , encountered nothing in the cave but vast emptiness . Other Force - sensitive beings to enter the cave included Tash Arranda and Zak Arranda . Behind the scenes . " " , while under the Infinities label , establishes the tainting of the cave as happening some eight hundred years before the Battle of Yavin . " Vision of the Future " describes how Jedi Master Yoda battled and defeated another powerful Bpfasshi Dark Jedi inside the Cave . But , in " Star Wars Insider 98 " , Leland Chee writes that this is no longer considered part of continuity because Yoda had never been on Dagobah before his exile . The concept of Yoda having never been on Dagobah prior to his exile was , in turn , later contradicted directly by " Voices , " an installment of the CGI animated series " " , which revealed that Yoda had , in fact , been to Dagobah , having been summoned there by the spirit of Qui - Gon Jinn to learn about the path to immortality . In " Battlefront II " ' s Dagobah map , the cave is one of several command posts ; inside it , players can hear Darth Vader ' s distinctive breathing sound . In " The Story of Starkiller " , a video documentary about the " " video game , it is revealed that the location ' s name is The Cave of Evil , as stated by project lead Haden Blackman and executive producer Julio Torres . The gnarltree at the entrance to the cave is known as The Magic Tree , after the corresponding cue .