The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
---------------------------------------

Copyright 2005 Brian McPhee

Author: Brian McPhee (Kirby021591)
E-mail: Kirby0215@aol.com
Most Recent Update: July 17, 2005
Originally Created: February 6, 2005
Version 1.0

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---------------------------Table of Contents---------------------------
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Section 1*

Introduction*
Navigation*
Storyline*

Section 2*

Hyrule Castle*
Eastern Palace*
Desert Palace*
Tower of Hera*
The Dark World*
Palace of Darkness*
Watergate Dungeon*
Skull Dungeon*
Blind’s Hideout*
Ice Palace*
Misery Mire*
Turtle Rock*
Ganon’s Tower*

Section 3*

Equipment Upgrades*
Pieces of Heart*
Secrets and Tricks*
Changes in Re-Release*
Enemy Index*
Zelda Timeline*
FAQ*

Section 4*

Credits and Legal Information*
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=======================================================================
=============================Introduction*=============================
=======================================================================

And so it begins…  Hello!  Welcome to my new guide, for A Link to the
Past for those of you who are blind and just miraculously regained your
sight.  Now, this will be my ninth guide for a Zelda game.  Now, I know
what you’re thinking.  First, no, I’m not in a Zelda cult.  Second,
yes, it’s even worse than that.  This is my twenty-first guide (I’m
beyond help) in total.  Anyhow, this isn’t about me.  It’s about A Link
to the Past.

I chose this game to be my next guide because it is truly a great game.
It is easily the best Zelda game, and it is definitely one of the best
games of all time.  It is my favorite game for the SNES, and it soon
will be yours.  The Legend of Zelda is an extremely revolutionary
series of games.  They had the first game batteries (allowing you to
save), they introduced the popular bird’s eye view, and they did so
much more.  They ventured into 3D when it was young, they are the
foundation for action RPG games that use points (check out Adventure of
Link to see an old version of many modern games), and they even had
extremely popular portable games.  Zelda is a series that takes risks,
and they always pay off for them.

Well, this is the best of the best, the cream of the crop – this is A
Link to the Past.  I truly cannot express how good this game is.  I’d
hate to think what video games would be like without it.  It has set
the standard for so much and has introduced the concepts of so many
games...  Also, this game is long (although you can beat it in under a
day) during your first play-through.  It has a total of thirteen
dungeons, plenty of side quests, and it leaves you impelled to keep
playing.  I’ve beaten this game some ten times now (mostly because my
game data was erased so much).  Whether you’re playing the GBA re-
release with Four Swords on it, or if you’re playing the good old SNES,
this is an experience that will raise your standards forever.

By the by, if you see this walkthrough (guide) on any website besides
GameFaqs.com, please contact me at the e-mail I’ve listed.  With your
help, we can put an end to plagiarism of this document and others.
Thanks for your help.

=======================================================================
==============================Navigation*==============================
=======================================================================

You may have noticed the asterisks (*) I’ve place next to certain
section titles.  Also, you may be wondering why I put them there.
Well, they’re really trendy, but I think there’s a better reason.  On
your keyboard, press CTRL and F at the same time.  If you are using a
Mac, press Apple and F at the same time.  This brings up a Find/Search
box that looks for specific text in the body of a document.  Type in a
section title, asterisk and all, and search for it.  It will take you
the Table of Contents and then to that section.  I think it’s a much
more efficient system than numbering or lettering.  Anyways, the
asterisks differentiate that title from the text, which lets you
navigate smoothly.

=======================================================================
==============================Storyline*===============================
=======================================================================

Although you don’t need to understand it to enjoy the game, it does add
a lot.  The plot of this game is spectacular.  All games should strive
to achieve this.  After the summary of events preceding game events,
I’ll make a list of important characters.  First, the cliff notes.

                           +---------------+
                           |    Summary    |
                           +---------------+

Trouble was stirring in Hyrule.  As if from nowhere, the land
experienced incomparable droughts, tornados, and other natural
tragedies.  The king and his mages tried to quell the problems, but it
was to no avail.  Just like the strange weather, a wizard came to
Hyrule with a magic never seen before.  He was called Agahnim, and he
put an end to the natural disasters.  The entire population rejoiced,
and Agahnim became an advisor to the king.  But, darkness slowly crept
back into Hyrule.  The people said that Agahnim was using his seat of
power to control the king and his kingdom.  Despair fell over the land…
A boy named Link awoke from his sleep one night to a familiar voice.
He received it telepathically – a plea from within Hyrule Castle.  With
his uncle’s sword and shield, Link ventured into the castle to rescue
Zelda, the princess of Hyrule…

                         +------------------+
                         |    Characters    |
                         +------------------+

For my next trick, I’ll list all of the important characters with brief
backgrounds for each.

Link: He’s the main character, the guy you control throughout the game.
In this game, Link starts out living with his uncle.  When his uncle
failed to rescue the princess from the depths of the castle, Link took
up his shield and sword to rescue the girl crying for help.  Link wears
green on all of his outings and is the star of many different games,
all of which are quite popular.  Every Link (as Link is reincarnated
several times) is of Hylian blood, but are often unaware.  Although he
is famous for defeating Ganon (on multiple occasions), Ganon doesn’t
seem to be behind this new development.

Zelda: Zelda is very important to the game.  She awakens Link from his
sleep so that he can save her from the castle where she is being held
captive.  Zelda is the princess of Hyrule, and she is eventually
abducted by Agahnim.  She and six other maidens are the last
descendants of the Seven Wise Men, those who created the seal to
separate the Dark World from the Light World.

Uncle: Although not hugely important, Link’s uncle also heard the
message sent out by Zelda.  He was struck down in the castle, though,
and he gave his nephew his weapons with his last breath.

Agahnim: Although originally proclaimed as a hero, his true intentions
were always evil.  As chief advisor of Hyrule, he deceived the king and
killed him.  Now he is trying to take the life of Zelda to break a seal
to the Dark World.  Using a legendary power in the Dark World, he plans
on conquering both realms.  Only Link can stop him with the legendary
sword of evil’s bane.

There are more wicked plots brewing in Hyrule, but Link will just have
to take them as they come.  The game elaborates on what we’ve been
told, eventually explaining Agahnim’s true intentions.
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Note: This guide was written using the re-release of A Link to the Past
on the GBA.  This was easier for me to use, considering that my SNES is
a bit... broken.  Don’t worry, though.  The guide only changes in a few
points, and I will provide alternate strategies for such points.
Besides, I know the SNES version very well from memory.

=======================================================================
============================Hyrule Castle*=============================
=======================================================================

         +---------------------------------------------------+
         |    The Lamp and the Fighter’s Sword and Shield    |
         +---------------------------------------------------+

When your old man has left the building, go to the right and open a
treasure chest here.  Press A in front of it to do so.  You will get
the Lamp, a rather basic item that illuminates dark rooms.  Go south
out the door and go right.  Notice that you can jump over the ridge
here.  This is an important concept to master.  Now go north, following
the path to a bridge.  At the end, a guard tells you off.  He is at the
entranceway of the castle.  Follow the path to his lower-right and
you’ll reach a shrub that is surrounded by stone.

Pick it up to reveal a hole – the secret entrance to the castle.  Fall
in and you’ll be in B1F of Hyrule Castle.  Go left to see your uncle,
fallen in the first hallway.  He is dying, but he wants you to take up
his sword and shield.  He has a secret technique passed down by the
Knights of Hyrule.  Hold your sword out (B) and it will store up power.
Release and you’ll perform the Spin Attack.  Now you must leave your
uncle behind.  Go left and then south into a new room.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Hyrule Castle    |
                        +---------------------+

Slash your sword using the B button.  To the right are two soldiers,
their minds manipulated by Agahnim and his dark magic.  Slash each of
them twice with your new sword to beat them.  Further to the right is a
chest.  Open it for 5 rupees.  Rupees are the official currency of
Hyrule.  Also, near here is a lamp.  Press A by it to use the Lamp to
light a fire in it.  Doing so takes magic power, so use your Lamp
sparingly.  If you have no magic, then you cannot use many items.  Now
go left and south again into the courtyard of the castle.  Go south and
slash the bushes here to clear them away.  Go to the southwest and
attack the soldiers on the other side of the shrubs.  One Spin Attack
is twice as strong as a sword swipe; use them to take out the guards
easily.  Now go north to a door.

Through it is Hyrule Castle, with its memorable music.  In this first
room are several soldiers.  Attack them to defeat them.  Notice that
they drop red objects when being defeated (sometimes).  These are
Recovery Hearts.  Use them to regain health, which is measured on the
Heart Meter in the upper-right corner of the screen.  It is a Zelda
classic.  Anyways, go up the stairs to the left and go west.  You’ll be
on a bridge over a room below.  Notice that the soldier here is blue.
That’s because it is stronger than green ones (taking three hits).
Also, it has a longer sword, which acts as its shield.  Fighting it may
yield a green rupee.  They are the base unit of rupees, worth one.

Notice pots to the north.  Pick them up with R to find two hearts.  Now
go south to the exterior of the castle once again.  Go left past a
magic barrier (where Agahnim is hiding) and through more double doors.
Go north once and follow the narrow path here further to the north.
Take the stairs down here and then go left to a new room.  In here
you’ll find the stairs leading to the basement.  As of right now,
you’re on 1F (access the map using L.  I like how the cursor shows
what’s below you).  In this room is a blue warrior.  Defeat it and it
drops a Small Key.  These useful items open certain locked doors in the
dungeon (some locks can only be opened using a master key, so to
speak).

Also, open the chest to receive the Dungeon Map.  This is a very
innovative feature that appeared in the first Zelda game (along with
Small Keys and the Compass).  Press L to reach the map.  This is an
outline of the dungeon, including all rooms you have and haven’t
visited.  As you can see, this dungeon is quite small.  Go south using
the Small Key to a new room of B1F.  Go down the ladder or over the
ledge, whichever you prefer, and defeat the blue soldier.  You can
knock it into the pit to defeat it instantly.  Note that you take
damage, but do not die automatically, from falling into holes.  Go
south and you’ll find two more blue soldiers.  If you pick up the pots
with R, you can throw them at them.  One hit of a pot does a blue
soldier in.  Go further south to find a third enemy.  Ignore/defeat it
and go west.

Follow the path up and go under the bridge above you.  There are two
green soldiers on the left side of the room; defeat them.  Now go
north.  The doors in this room slam shut as soon as you enter.  Certain
actions can open them (get used to this, as it appears in many Zelda
games).  Defeat the enemy to open both.  Since there’s no other way to
go, head east to a new room.  Defeat the guard in here and he drops
another Small Key.  Take it and then open the chest with A.  Inside is
the Boomerang!  It is this dungeon’s prize (each dungeon has a weapon
hidden inside that is either needed or is useful).  It is not perfect
as it is right now, but the Boomerang can be thrown (select it on the
start screen)at enemies to deal damage.  Minor enemies will take
damage, like Keese (bats), but stronger enemies, like soldiers, are
frozen for a few seconds.  This is the perfect time to slash them
silly.

Now go back to the left and go north through the locked door.  Take the
first ladder down and then go down the second flight of stairs in the
room.  Go down another one (B2F sure was short) and you’ll be in the
key room of the dungeon.  This is where Zelda is being kept.  Attack
the soldiers in the room and work your way to the right.  At the end is
a Ball & Chain Soldier, quite a formidable opponent, especially at so
early a stage in the game.

Use the Boomerang to stun it.  It won’t stay frozen forever; run in and
slash.  Then retreat and repeat the process.  If you get low on health,
use the pots in one of the jail cells here to find hearts.  Also,
tossing the pots at the soldier from afar isn’t a bad idea.  Beating it
makes it drop the Big Key.  It can open locks that Small Keys cannot,
although it cannot open small key doors.  Use it on the lock to Zelda’s
cell.  Open the chest to the left of her first and then talk to her.
The customary Zelda theme music starts to play and she speaks.

She explains that the soldiers have fallen under the spell of the
wizard – Agahnim.  She also has a premonition about her father, who has
indeed died.  Say that you don’t understand at the end if you want her
to repeat what she just said (in the same words, which doesn’t explain
it well if you already misunderstood).  If not, she will start
following you around.  Now you must guide her to the first floor (she
knows a secret shortcut to leave the castle).  In most Zelda games she
is really slow, but she’s not too bad here.  Aside from chatting a bit
too much, Zelda is wonderful at follow-the-leader.

Go to the left side of the room and take the stairs.  Take the next set
of stairs to B1F.  Go up the ladder and out the door to the south.  Go
south again and then work your way to the right, past two guards, to an
old screen.  Now follow the path here to 1F.  Go out the left door and
go south, defeating the trio of enemies.  Follow the red carpet out a
door to the right, leading you back to the main room.  Take the stairs
up and then go through the central north door.  This is 2F, the throne
room.  Defeat the guards here or run past them to access the ladder
ahead.  Go north and you’ll see an ornamental shelf behind two throne
chairs.  With Zelda’s help you can push this shelf to the side.  Go
through the door you’ve found to be in a secret passage to the outside
world.

However, it’s pitch dark inside and you’ll need the Lamp.  Notice that
you don’t need to select it; you can keep out the Boomerang but still
have a bit of light.  There are several rats in this room.  Hug the
left wall and head up it until it opens.  Use the Lamp to light this
torch, which illuminates the room a tad.  Go to the northeast to find a
similar torch.  Light it with the Lamp (press A when it is selected)
and the room gets much brighter.  Now go north down some stairs (the
torches eventually go out, mind you).  There are some snakes in this
hallway called Ropes.  Two slashes of the sword will do them in.  Don’t
let them get behind you.  Go to the left and through another door.
There are bat enemies in here called Keese.  They are essentially the
same as rats.  When you see your first Keese, go right and open the
chest for a Small Key.  Now go north through a locked door to
officially enter the sewers.

This first room has shallow water in it.  Rats cannot move in water, so
you should walk in it to go left (through another door).  In here there
is more shallow water.  The door is to the north.  In the next room,
defeat some of the rats and one will drop a Small Key.  Use it on the
door to the northeast.  Now the room is lit.  Go north in here,
destroying your opposition, and you’ll see some blocks.  It is an old
Zelda trick to put blocks that can be pushed in a dungeon.  Push the
middle block north once and then take the stairs up.  Go south in this
room to reach the final room of the sewers.  Clear out the rats in here
and notice the two levers.  If you pull the left one, Ropes fall from
the ceiling and attack you.  Pull the right one, and the door will
open.  Go south into the Sanctuary.

The monk here will look after Princess Zelda.  Here, where it is safe,
the priest explains that the only weapon potent enough to defeat the
mighty wizard is the legendary blade – the Master Sword.  However, only
one man knows of where that blade is and how it is obtained.  That man
is the elder of Kakariko Village, said to be a descendant of one of the
seven sages.  He marks the home of the village elder on your map (press
L).  When he’s done talking, open the treasure chest here for a Heart
Container!  These items, given to you after you clear a dungeon,
increase the number of hearts that make up your Heart Meter by 1.
Therefore, you have more health.  Now go south and out of the
sanctuary.  Freedom!

=======================================================================
============================Eastern Palace*============================
=======================================================================

             +-------------------------------------------+
             |    The Bottle and the Bug-Catching Net    |
             +-------------------------------------------+

You’ll find that Hyrule is reeking of guards.  Everywhere you go you’ll
see one.  Go south and defeat one.  Now go west.  The dirt trail should
be followed here.  Defeat any soldiers you encounter here and go west
again.  Here, go south through an arch and into town.  Yes, welcome to
sleepy Kakariko Village.  The first house you see is supposedly the
home of the elder.  Inside, though, you’ll only find what we’d assume
to be his wife.  Talking to her reveals that the Master Sword is deep
in the forest.  Now exit this house and read the sign.  Apparently,
you’re wanted for kidnapping Princess Zelda.  That’s not quite how it
happened, but that’s okay.  A few people in Kakariko Village will call
for soldiers when you try to talk to them.  For now, though, go left
and into another house.

This house used to be the hideout of a gang of thieves led by their
infamous leader Blind.  He really hated light.  Anyways, go down the
stairs in this house to see several treasure chests.  This is a block
maze.  Push the upper-right block down and then the upper-left one
right.  Push the blocks on either side of this first chest down and
then push the one in front of the chest to the left.  Open the first
chest for 20 rupees (a red rupee is worth twenty).  Open the other
chests for 40 more rupees.

Now, there’s one chest remaining.  Push the block to the southeast of
it up and then the one in front of it down.  Open the chest for twenty
more rupees.  Now, you should have at least 100.  Go out of the house
and take the stairs down.  To the lower-left is a man selling bottles
for 100 rupees.  Buy one and you’ll be able to store things that you
catch (like bugs).  However, you’ve no means to catch anything right
now.  Well, at least your life is complete now that you have a bottle.

Right of the merchant is a wind vane sort of thing.  Go south from it
and enter the first house to the right that you see.  Inside is a sick
boy.  Approach him and he wakes up.  He caught a cold from the evil air
flowing from the mountain.  As a result, he has no use for his Bug-
Catching Net.  If you see a bug, not to mention a few other creatures,
you can catch it with this net and keep it in your bottle.  The
bottle’s only function is to hold items and to unleash them.  To the
southwest of that house is a man standing by some Cuccos (chickens).
Talk to him to learn that the elder is in a palace to the east.  He
marks the point on your map.  As it turns out, it’s halfway across
Hyrule.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    To Eastern Palace    |
                      +-------------------------+

Go back to where the Sanctuary is, one screen south of it.  Go right
twice and the dirt path makes a sharp turn to the south.  Follow it
south a screen and go right over a bridge.  There are two archers here,
both taking three hits.  Your shield can block arrows, but they can do
damage to you (your shield is very small and does not cover all your
body).  The best strategy to use when attacking them is to get out of
their range of attack and close in on them, cornering them.  Go further
south following the trail and go south.

You’re now in a huge open area with boulders scattered around.  Hug the
right wall and take it down to the south.  Here you’ll find more path
leading east.  Follow it right and then go north.  This is the official
palace area.  Go to the right and take the steps up a tier.  As soon as
you do, two statues called Armos come to life.  Slash them until they
die as they come at you.  Take the stone stairs up here and go forward
until you see a stone hut in a lower tier than your own.  Jump over the
ridge down to it and enter the hut, the home of the elder Sahasrahla.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    Into the Darkness    |
                      +-------------------------+

Talk to the elder, who has an incredibly hard-to-pronounce name, and
he’ll tell you that only one who has one all three of the Pendants can
wield the sword of evil’s bane.  When he asks a question, it makes no
difference how you answer.  The first Pendant is found in the palace in
this area.  Exit the home of the elder and take the stairs to the north
up.  Go right and then go south down a faint path to reach another
Armos at a fork in the road.  Defeat it and go right.  Follow the trail
to the south.  Instead of fighting the Armos, jump off the ridge (see
the break in the rail?) and then go north up another set of stairs.  To
continue the trend, defeat another Armos here and then go up yet
another set of stairs.  Defeat the blue armor-clad soldier here and
take another set of stairs up to the threshold of the palace.  Go up
another set of stairs and enter the palace.

                       +----------------------+
                       |    Eastern Palace    |
                       +----------------------+

Note: This is called East Palace in the GBA version of A Link to the
Past.

I tell you, back in my day these dungeons were a lot darker!  As you
can see, two doors in this first room are open, the other slammed shut.
Also, only one of these doors is useful.  Pick up the pot ahead and
press the switch to open the central door.  Step into the next room and
defeat the enemies here with a single swipe of the sword.  It is rather
obvious what to do now – step on the switch “camouflaged” in the tile
and then go north a room.

This room is the track of several iron balls.  They come in two sizes,
small and big, and in two positions, left and right.  Because of its
size, you cannot dodge the larger boulder.  However, you can see when
it is coming and hide in one of the slots in the hall (it is the sixth
ball that rolls down in each sequence).  With this in mind, it should
be easy to get to the end (that is, where the balls are coming from).
Go left from there and go south to a ladder.  Take it up to a bridge,
at the end of which is a chest.  Open it for 100 rupees.

Now go back to that ladder, take it down, and then climb the ladder
leading north.  Go through the north exit.  Although you cannot tell at
first, this is the main room of the dungeon.  Go to the left and pick
up the pots.  Between the two is a switch; press it to open the door.
Go through and you’ll see a new enemy, the Stalfos.  The blue type is
great at jumping, which makes them frustrating to fight.  The best
approach is to wait for them to fall.  The Boomerang is ineffective.

Go to the southwest and through the door.  In this room is a bone pile.
Plus, the doors slam shut behind you.  Walk around and several Stalfos
appear.  You can either use strategic Spin Attacks or you can throw
pots at them, whatever’s your cup of tea.  Go north after winning and
then go forward to a chest that contains the Compass.  It is the only
one of three dungeon items that you have not gotten experience with.
Compasses pinpoint the location of the boss in each dungeon on your
map.  You do not need to have the map to use the Compass, though.

With it in hand, take the ladder down a tier and go right to a new
region of an old room.  See that gray box on the wall?  That’s an
intercom, and it lets people communicate with you telepathically.  This
time, it’s Sahasrahla on the other line.  He tells you that the
treasure in this palace will help you defeat armored foes.  That’s
cool.  Now go right a room into the lower section of the main room.
Currently, you can do nothing here and it would be foolish of you to
engage the monsters here (you can beat the statue-like creatures as of
now, but I don’t recommend it).

So, go right across the chamber to another room.  Go south in here and
take the ladder up at the end.  Go south to a new room, which is dark.
Two enemies here are bouncing about in the darkness.  Go right of them
around a path (beware of two enemies in your way) and you’ll step on a
switch, which opens the east door.  Make another trip around the room
and go through it.

You’re a bit vision-impaired here as well.  There are three Stalfos
here, and I recommend you dispose of them using pots.  Under one pot
against the right wall is a Small Key.  Take it and left to the
previous room.  On the west side of it is a locked door (open and go
through it, obviously).  Our sense of sight is back.  We’re in a room
above the third one (with all the black boulders).  Follow the bridge
here to another room.  In it are a few enemies.  Defeat the Stalfos
first and the common monsters second.  Then you’re left with statue-
like enemies.  Let’s call it an Eyegore Statue, because that’s what
they are in future games.  It is not particularly hard, but you should
be cautious.  Get close to it so that it opens its eye and comes at
you.  Be to its south.  Slash repeatedly at its eye and it will be
knocked back a bit.  Repeat this until it dies, which releases the
enemies around the pot.

Lift said pot and hit the switch beneath it.  This makes a chest form,
and in it is the Big Key.  We can now do many things, so we’ll start by
getting the dungeon’s item.  Go north and unlock this door with the Big
Key.  Take the ladder down and push the upper block forward.  Now go
down the hallway and hang a right to return to the main room of East
Palace.  In here is a huge treasure chest.  These always contain the
dungeon’s special item.  Walk up to it, defeat the nearby Stalfos, and
open it.  You got the Bow!  It lets you shoot arrows, which are the
perfect projectile!  You start with ten arrows.

Sorry to rain on your parade, but a bunch of red Stalfos skulls come
down on you.  Quickly run out of the room and then reenter (they’ll be
gone).  Since we want to get the Dungeon Map, too, go through the left
door and go on back to the main room, upper level.  Go to the right
side of the room and step on the switch by the pots.  Go through this
door.  Hooray, we can explore more of the dungeon…  Defeat the enemies
if you’d like and take the north door.  In here, lift the middle pot to
find a switch.  Press it and go south to a new room.  Open the treasure
chest for the Dungeon Map.  This is an unusually small dungeon in
comparison to others.

Jump off the ledge you’re on at the break in the rail and take the
ladder up.  Go left twice to return to the main room.  It shouldn’t too
hard to get back to the lower part of the main room.  Do so.  In here,
go up the ladder.  See the pots?  If you’re low on health or you think
you might be in the near future, jump off the ledge into the pots.
This takes you to a secret room with two Fairies inside.  In Zelda
games, Fairies restore a good bit of your health.  Use the Bug-Catching
Net to capture one and keep it in your bottle.  Let the other one heal
your wounds.  Now use the warp panel to return to the main room.  Take
the ladder up and go through the north door with the Big Key.

Pull out the Bow.  Those Eyegore Statues die in one hit if you shoot
their open eyes.  It’s dark in here, which doesn’t make it ideal for
projectiles.  You’re going to have to be fast.  The statues are
directly ahead of you.  Shoot one and it drops a Small Key.  Before you
unlock the door in the northwest wing of the room, go through the door
in the northeast corner.  If you’re interested in amassing a small
fortune (which you are.  Keep in mind that we’ll need at least 500
rupees pretty soon), take the ladder into the pit and collect the blue
rupees while avoiding the hazards.

Back in the previous room, unlock the door here and take the stairs to
2F.  Under the lower-left pot in this room is a switch.  When you get
the chance, run down there and press it.  Now hurry to the room to the
left.  There are three green Eyegore Statues to contend with.  Stand in
line with them with a ready Bow and approach them to activate each
individually (if you can help it).  When you do, you’ll have easy
access to all the switches in the room.  As it turns out, all but the
southern switch is false.  Press it and go left to a new room.

Talk about fun.  This room is target practice for whoever is operating
these cannons.  The exact center of the room is a safe place.  When you
get the chance, activate the northwest switch and go left to a new
room.  First off, defeat the Stalfos.  With that completed, you’ll be
left with a single red Eyegore Statue (takes two arrows, not one).
Rush in, retreat, and shoot two arrows at its eye for a quick victory.
Lift the pots for a Recovery Heart.  Now go north.  You have to defeat
two red Eyegore Statues now.  When you’ve beaten them, pick up the pots
to refill supplies and go north into the boss chamber.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    Boss: Armos Knights    |
                     +---------------------------+

Although I always call them the Armored Foes, the Armos Knights are
quite an easy boss.  They are so weak, in fact, that it takes a few of
them just to take you on.  There six fighters have two formations –
horizontal and circular.  At first, they’ll form a circle and prance
about the room.  Although your sword does do damage to them, the arrows
are a far better choice of attack for such a situation.  Shoot one a
few times and it explodes in a burst of light.  After finishing the
circular formation, they line up against the wall and rush you.  Shoot
one, and only one, so that it is knocked back.  It will stay in its
line formation, so you can keep shooting until it explodes.  That’s the
best time to attack.  Stand in the corner during their circular attacks
to avoid taking damage.  When only one is left, it turns red.  It has a
new jumping attack to avenge its friends’ death.  It’s far too fast to
use arrows against; stick to your sword for it.  In this manner, you
can easily defeat it (literally, stick out your sword, move back a bit,
and it will fall on it).

It leaves behind a Heart Container.  Pick it up and you’ll have another
heart added to the Heart Meter, meaning more health for you.  Shortly
after, a green pendant falls down.  This is the Pendant of Courage.  It
is proof of your strength in the virtue of courage, obviously.

=======================================================================
============================Desert Palace*=============================
=======================================================================

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Pegasus Boots    |
                      +-------------------------+

You automatically exit the dungeon.  Go back to Sahasrahla and talk to
him.  By gaining the Pendant of Courage, you’ve proved yourself to
Sahasrahla.  He tells you that the Knights of Hyrule served as
guardians to the Pendant of Courage.  They say that when evil threatens
peace in Hyrule, a hero emerges from their bloodline.  However, the
Knights of Hyrule all but died when trying to protect the seven sages
when they cast their seal to lock away the Dark World.  But lo!  You’re
a hero, and you must find the other pendants.  To help you along your
quest, he gives you a treasure passed down by the sages, the Pegasus
Boots.

If you’re playing the GBA version, they’re called the Pegasus Shoes.
However, this is a guide for the SNES version, and I shall call them
the Pegasus Boots (which is their classic name).  The Dash Attack can
be performed by using the Pegasus Boots to dash.  Link sticks his sword
in front of him to do damage to whatever he runs into.  Anyhow, we’re
not done quite yet in Sahasrahla’s humble abode.  You probably got
bombs somewhere in the dungeon, from beating an enemy and the like.  If
you have one, plant it against the strangely-cracked wall.  When it
blows, an opening is made.  Go through and open the chests for a total
of three bombs and 100 rupees.

                         +-------------------+
                         |    The Ice Rod    |
                         +-------------------+

The item we’re about to get is of no use to us, and it won’t be for a
LONG time.  I’m talking the second-to-last dungeon’s boss.  Exit the
ruins that Sahasrahla lives in and go south.  You should see a cave to
the right.  Inside is a Great Fairy.  They soothe your wounds (Great
Fairies have been helping Link for quite some time), making them a
convenient pit stop.  South of that cave is the north shore of Lake
Hylia, the largest lake in Hyrule.  Go left of this screen to find a
stone bridge leading over a river that comes from the lake.  Take it,
not going to a new screen, and then go left a screen.  This is the
screen where Link’s house is.  Go south from there into the swamp
region of Hyrule.  Hug the right wall and you’ll see a rock in the
wall.  Bomb there to reveal a Great Fairy Fountain.

Heal inside and go back out into the great outdoors.  Some archers hide
in the grass here, so I advise that you hug the right wall and go
south.  At the end, jump over the ridge and go right.  Follow the north
wall to see another rock.  Bomb here and enter the cave.  There are
several enemies called Moldorms here.  Defeat the first one with your
sword and use arrows on the others.  Should you run out, throw bombs
(pick them up and throw) at them instead.  Defeating them opens the
door to the east.  Talk to the man here (he’s a thief, and he’s bribing
you so that you don’t tell anyone where his hideout is).  He gives you
300 rupees and permission to raid his treasure chests.  Do so and
you’ll gain an additional 40 rupees, as well as arrows and bombs.

Exit the cave and follow the path leading right.  From the water, an
enemy called a Zola (if you’ve ever played Ocarina of Time or a few
later games, Zolas are just violent female Zoras).  Also in your path
is a green electric enemy that will stun you if you try to attack it.
To safely defeat it, stun it with the Boomerang and then take it out
with the sword.  But, to be safe, just go right.  Follow this path and
go right at the fork to end up by a cave against the north wall.  It is
useless to enter.  Instead, bomb the suspicious spot outside the cave.
Go through here and go forward to a new room in the cave.  Within the
chest is the Ice Rod.

It uses up the magic on the Magic Meter, but it sends a blast of icy
magic in whatever direction you unleash it.  As I said, you’ll use it
much later in the game.  On a different note, if you bomb the north
wall of the cave (when you enter it from the normal entrance), you’ll
be led to a Fairy Fountain.  Bottle one if you have a spare bottle.

                     +--------------------------+
                     |    The Book of Mudora    |
                     +--------------------------+

It’s time to get yet another item.  Of course, books aren’t that
exciting.  However, Link, who doesn’t speak ancient Hylian, could use a
dictionary.  Go to Kakariko Village (west of the sanctuary).  If you
enter like we did last time, go to the southeastern end and go south.
To the left is a library, long abandoned.  I guess the villagers are
illiterate.  Notice one book on top of a bookcase.  Charge the bookcase
with the Pegasus Boots and the Book of Mudora falls down.

It serves as a dictionary for the Hylian language (the language of the
people of old Hyrule.  People from Hyrule are said to be Hylian, while
things from Hyrule or in Hyrule are said to be Hyrulean).  Mudora was a
historian, or a collector of myths and legends, who compiled them in a
book.  Although its function is not clear at first, it is a mandatory
item.

               +---------------------------------------+
               |    Side Quests in Kakariko Village    |
               +---------------------------------------+

Before we set off for the next palace, let’s spend some quality time in
Kakariko Village.  To the right of the bookstore is a gambling shop.
It is an advanced version of the Money-Making Game from The Legend of
Zelda.  Pay the owner twenty rupees and you can open one of his three
chests, keeping the rupees inside.  I think that this is a terrible
waste of money, so don’t do it.  Left of that shop, though, is a long
house.  Enter it to find out that the man in here has been arguing with
his kid brother.  Therefore, he found it logical to seal the door to
his room shut.  Makes perfect sense to me.  Bomb the left wall to open
the door.

Exit the house from here and you’ll be at the beginning of a racetrack.
Talk to the girl in pink and she’ll offer to let you play.  If you can
reach the goal in fifteen seconds, you’ll get something good.  Work
your way to the north boundary of the track and use the Pegasus Boots
to dash to the left.  The Pegasus Boots’ speed increase is key to
beating the time.  Go south at the first opening and talk to the boy.
He’ll give you a Piece of Heart if you successfully beat the time.
Pieces of Heart were first introduced in A Link to the Past, and they
add quite a few side quests to the game.  Every time you get four
Pieces of Heart, you gain a new Heart Container.  It’s a great way to
increase your heart count.

Now go north to officially enter the town (the music starts to play).
Go to the northwest corner and you’ll see a cave.  It’s useless to you;
you cannot reach anything good from the normal entrance.  Get onto the
tier above it and hop down into the hole.  Doing so takes you into the
cave.  Open the chests in this portion of it for sixty rupees and three
bombs.  As long as we’re here, let’s catch that annoying man that runs
away from you when you get close.  He’s near the south end of town and
he’ll take off running as soon as you near him.  Use the Pegasus Boots
to chase after him and you might just catch him (especially if he’s
running to the right).  Instead of saying anything interesting, though,
he suggests that you dash into trees.  Thanks for the tip, buddy.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Second Bottle    |
                      +-------------------------+

We could’ve gotten this earlier, but we didn’t really need it.  To the
south is a long house with a blue-purple roof.  It is right of the man
that runs around.  Enter it from the north to see a treasure chest.
Inside is a “magic” Bottle.  Now you can hold more stuff.  Don’t worry,
though; we’ll be getting another one very shortly.

                   +------------------------------+
                   |    The Road to the Desert    |
                   +------------------------------+

From Link’s house, go south into the piece of land west of Lake Hylia.
Walk around the water and go left as soon as you’re able to.  Go left
all the way from here and then go south.  There’s a narrow passage in
the left wall leading to the pre-desert screen.  A cave to the
northwest contains a Great Fairy Fountain.  South of that is the
entrance to the desert.

                    +-----------------------------+
                    |    The Desert of Mystery    |
                    +-----------------------------+

The name of this place changes quite often.  It has been called, on and
off, each of the following names: Desert of Mystery, Desert of Doubt,
and Haunted Wasteland.  Regardless, this desert is a real pain.  It is
home to several enemies, none of which are fun to fight.  If you’re
playing the GBA version, the monsters are far more numerous than in the
original (ha, ha!  I laugh at them!).  The buzzards/vultures here are
called Takkuri.  There are also a few creatures that shift through the
sand.  The safest way to get through the desert is to dash attack
(Pegasus Boots) your way to the west.

The northwest corner of the Desert of Mystery has an altar.  This is
the entrance to the second palace.  See that writing on the slab?  Just
try to read it.  Chances are, you cannot understand what it says.  Pull
out the Book of Mudora and read the writing…  “To open the way forward…
Make the wish here…  And it will be granted.”  Link wishes, in a
prayer-fashion, that the path to the palace be opened.  To get Link out
of the prayer pose, press the Book of Mudora button again.  Now go
north into the palace.  Prepare to meet your destiny in the desert.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Desert Palace    |
                        +---------------------+

This is a very easy dungeon.  It is also about the same size as East
Palace.  In the first room you’ll be introduced to Leevers, annoying
creatures that shift through the sands to attack you.  Go forward and
you’ll see a Beamos.  These enemies (don’t even attempt to kill these
things) will shoot laser beams from their eyes should they see you.
Left of it are two pots.  Lift them and go up.  In the hall here is a
creature that creates a whirlpool of sand.  Slash it twice to take it
down in one fell swoop.  North of it is a door.  Enter it and you’ll
find a handful of Leevers, two Eyegore Statues, and a few torches.

First things first, though.  Defeat both Eyegore Statues (if you want
to conserve arrows, throw pots at their open eyes.  It takes one hit)
and then lift the pot between them.  Press the switch and open the
chest that forms for the Dungeon Map.  Now exit this room via the west
exit.  Go left once and then north into a new room.  Inside is a Beamos
as well as a torch with a Small Key on it.  Dash into the torch to
knock down the key.  Also, there’s an intercom to the north.  Check it
to talk with Sahasrahla.  His pointer is really lame this time around.
He just wants to get the treasure in every dungeon.  When you exit this
room, go south.  Get to the southwest door and go through.  Go south
and you’ll be outside.  Go down and pick up a Piece of Heart at the
end.  Defeat the Takkuri here and reenter Desert Palace to the north
(where you exited).

Inside, push the third block from the left down to open the door to the
north.  In this room are two Fairies; capture them with the Bug-
Catching Net and bottle both.  Go south and then right into the main
room of the palace.  Work your way to the opposite side of the dungeon
so that you are in the southeast corner of the room.  North of it is a
locked door.  Open it and go through the door.  The only challenge in
this room is the Beamos.  Defeat the other three enemies with a simple
sword strike and open the chest for the Compass.

Now go north a room (the door is open if you’ve beaten the enemies).
You might have heard what sounds like boulders being fired in the main
room (like in East Palace).  Well, you were hearing this room.  Two
vertically moving cannons are firing the balls down a long passage.
The easiest way to pass them is to dash by them using the Pegasus
Boots.  At the end is a chest containing the Big Key.  It is the key to
beating the dungeon (I made a funny!).

Dash south a room and then head left into the main room of the dungeon.
Head over to the upper-left side of the room.  Left of the entrance to
the room where you got the Small Key is a door.  Pass through it to be
in a room with pots and a Beamos.  Under the northwest pot is a switch.
Press it and the doors open.  Go north and open the big chest with the
Big Key for the Power Glove!  It lets you lift the white stones you
must’ve seen around.  As lame as it may seem, it is very useful.  Now
exit the room to the south, then to the east, and then go south again.
Take the door in the left wall here and go south to be outside when you
do so.  Go north to see a cave surrounded by rocks.  Lift the latter to
enter the former.  You can now explore the rest of the dungeon.

With a limited number of hearts, you’re definitely going to want to
conserve health for the boss.  When the Beamos is looking away, push
the middle block to the right down to open the door.  Go north to be in
a room in which the tiles come flying at you.  Pick up the pot to the
left for a Small Key.  Rush north and go up the locked stairs to make a
hasty retreat.  Go south from where you come up and you’ll have to
fight four grunt monsters.  Each takes one hit, as always.  Go right
after that and you’ll reach the best room ever... not.

The unlit torches might lead you to believe that you must light them
all to get a Small Key.  The monsters might make you think a similar
thing.  However, the Small Key is under one of four pots to the north.
Use it on the key in this room.  Now you’ll be in another flying tile
room.  Under the northeast pot is a Small Key; grab it and run north.
This room, which precedes the boss, is quite unique.  Shoot the red
Eyegore Statue’s eye twice and it will be destroyed.  Now use the Lamp
to light the four torches in the room.  The wall moves to the left,
revealing a door with a big lock.  Lift the pots to regain a few hearts
and then go north into the heart of the dungeon.

                       +----------------------+
                       |    Boss: Lanmolas    |
                       +----------------------+

Lanmolas have really taken a step up from The Legend of Zelda.
Originally, they were front men in the final dungeon of the first Zelda
game.  Now they’re bosses.  Also, they are quite difficult.  They do
not directly attack you, but they release huge rocks from the sand
below when they emerge.  They are actually pretty cool-looking to boot.
However, this boss has been copied many times.  Take Twinmold from
Majora’s Mask for example.  Their vulnerable spot is their head.
Either one you attack delivers damage, but they do not have collective
damage.  There are three of the beasts, so it should be easy to hit
them at first.  The weaker they get, the more clods of dirt they spew
out, and in more directions.  When you kill one, it explodes segment-
by-segment.  I think that the battle gets harder as you go in terms of
hitting them.  Nonetheless, it is a big relief ridding yourself of
them.  To make the battle go by faster, charge a Spin Attack before
they emerge (remember, Spin Attacks are twice as powerful as your
standard blade attack).
</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
When you strike down the final Lanmola, a Heart Container fall down to
you.  Take it to increase your heart count by one.  Also, a pendant,
this one blue, falls down.  It is the Pendant of Power (I think it’s
not quite a coincidence that you get the Pendant of Power in the
desert.  If you’ve ever played Ocarina of Time, you’d understand.
Think Gerudo thief), a symbol of your brawn and force.  Only one
pendant remains, and it lies to the north.

=======================================================================
============================Tower of Hera*=============================
=======================================================================

                        +--------------------+
                        |    The Flippers    |
                        +--------------------+

Now that you have the Power Glove, you can get plenty of upgrades.
From Link’s house, go right one screen.  Take the stone bridge north
here and go north twice.  Stick to the right side of the wall here and
follow it to a duo of archers.  Defeat them if you’d like and go north.
Go right now to be in the screen with a witch’s hut.  She helps you out
a bit later on.  To the right of her house is a huge white boulder.
Pick it up and toss it away.  It shatters like glass, which would lead
me to believe that Link could have just busted it with his sword.

Nonetheless, go north and then right.  Remember, you can defeat these
green enemies by stunning them with the Boomerang and then by slashing
them with your sword.  This is the best way, in my opinion.  Go south
when you can and you’ll see a pile of rocks.  You cannot lift them, and
the black stone is way too heavy to pick up.  To break the pile of
stones, ram them with the Pegasus Boots.  Now go right and take the
ladder up.  Go north past three foes to a new screen.  Go north as far
as you can and then jump off a ridge.  See the water?  Of course you
do.  The light blue water is shallow, while the dark blue water is
deep.  You can walk in shallow water, obviously.  Do so to go north.

This place is filled to the brim with Zoras, or Zolas, whichever you’d
prefer.  Follow the shallow water to the right and go north at the fork
in the road.  Follow the path by wading by the land and then go south
when you can.  If you take the southernmost path, you’ll be led to one
big Zora.

This is the first Zelda game to introduce the Zoras as a race and just
not a group of monsters.  In future games, Zoras are friends with the
Hylians and they do not attack Link.  Well, in this game, they attack
you and rip you off when the opportunity presents itself.  This Zora,
presumably the king, will sell you the Flippers if you request them for
500 rupees.  You should have them (I’ve guided you to get 100 rupees in
East Palace, 340 in the cave we stopped by before getting the Ice Rod,
and 60 more in a cave in Kakariko Town, which adds up to 500.  Buy the
Flippers and he throws in a free added bonus.  You are permitted (Zoras
will still attack you) to use the special magic waterways of the Zora.
They are whirlpools that take you to other whirlpools, a convenient
warp.

          +------------------------------------------------+
          |    The Red Shield and the Magical Boomerang    |
          +------------------------------------------------+

Now exit the Zora/Zola community.  In the screen you come out on, swim
into a waterfall here to enter a cave.  This is the Mysterious Pond.
Throw in an item, won’t you.  When you throw in an item, a Great Fairy
appears and asks you if you threw it in.  Say yes and she’ll return it.
However, two items can be upgraded here.  Throw in the Boomerang and
say that you did throw it in.  She likes an honest person and will
therefore give you an upgraded version.  The Magical Boomerang can be
thrown for much further distances.  It is far better than the original,
which required you to be fairly close to the target.  It also is thrown
faster.  Exit and reenter.  This time, throw in the Fighter’s Shield.
The Red Shield, which she gives you in return, is not only bigger,
blocking more attacks, but it also blocks fireballs.  These are two big
improvements to your arsenal, all thanks to the Flippers, so it’s all
indirectly thanks to the Power Glove.

                      +------------------------+
                      |    The Third Bottle    |
                      +------------------------+

The Flippers sure are paying off.  Starting from Link’s house, go right
one screen to see a stone bridge.  Go south of it from here and go to
the right side of the piece of ground you’re standing on. Jump over the
ledge and into the water.  Go right a bit until you can take a river
leading northeast.  Go from there and then turn left when you get the
chance.  Swim under the stone bridge and you’ll see a lazy guy camping
under it.  He’s sleeping right now.  Talk to him and he’ll give you a
Bottle to help your cause.  Hooray!  We won’t be able to get the other
bottle for quite some time.

                   +------------------------------+
                   |    Shortcut to the Desert    |
                   +------------------------------+

Just for future reference (we’re not actually going to the desert), you
can get to the Desert of Mystery in a much quicker way now that you
have the Power Glove.  If you go right of Link’s house and then south,
you’ll see a huge white stone.  Lift it and go south.  You’ll be right
by the entrance.  Just wanted to let you know about that.

                      +------------------------+
                      |    The Magic Mirror    |
                      +------------------------+

The next pendant lies in a tower to the north on Death Mountain.
Strange air has been flowing from it, making the people catch colds.
Let’s go get sick!  From the sanctuary, go left once and then go north
a bit until you’re on the next tier.  Go right from there to see a pile
of rocks.  Charge into them using the Pegasus Boots and go down the
steps to find a chest containing a Piece of Heart.  Now surface and go
west to the previous screen.  Go north once and get to the upper part
of that screen.  There you will find a huge white stone blocking the
entrance to a cave.  Lift the stone with the Power Glove and enter the
cave.  Since it has no light within, you must use the Lamp to see.  Go
forward and turn right at the fork in the road.  Go south at the next
one and go up at the end of that path.

Stop halfway and go right to find an old man.  He lost his lamp and he
needs you to lead him to the top of the mountain.  Go right with him
following you and you’ll see a hole before you.  After hearing his
warning, go around it and follow the path right until you reach a dead-
end.  He tells you to turn right again.  He says that he has a daughter
about Link’s age who was taken the castle.  She never returned... Past
some Keese to the south is the exit to these tunnels.  Go right
outside, avoiding the boulders and monsters, to another cave.  He
enters and gives you the Magic Mirror for helping him.  He tells you
that you should use it if you wander into a transporter…

                       +----------------------+
                       |    Agahnim’s Plot    |
                       +----------------------+

Enter the cave and talk to the old man you helped earlier.  He says
that the wizard tricked the king and he’s really trying to open the
path to the Dark World.  He says that you’ll need the Moon Pearl, found
in the tower on top of this mountain.  Thanks for the tip.  Talk to him
any time to heal all your hearts.  Go north of him and climb the
ladder.  Go right through a cave door.  In here, go south and enter
some tunnels.  Go south twice to exit into a higher point on Death
Mountain.

                +------------------------------------+
                |    The Portal to the Dark World    |
                +------------------------------------+

Go left from there, avoiding the boulders as you go, and you’ll see a
ladder.  Climb it to the top and go left.  Notice that you can jump off
part of the wall to the south.  See the little bit of ridge that is
elevated above the rest, right of one of the long breaks in the rail?
Stand left of it and jump off into a cave.  Go forward from there and
climb the stairs.  Go south and you’ll find a Piece of Heart and an
intercom.  On the intercom is Sahasrahla.  He says that you must
somehow make it to the top of Spectacle Rock to enter the Tower of Hera
there.  This is a text mistake!  If you’re playing the GBA version,
they call the tower the Tower of Hera, even though the official dungeon
name in the GBA version is Mountain Tower.

Anyways, go south and fall into the pit once you have the Piece of
Heart.  To the right is a Fairy Fountain.  Follow the path to the left
and go over a screen to see some worms called Moldorms, which you
may’ve already encountered before.  Slash your way past them and go
south.  Jump over the ridge and go left back up the ladder.  This time,
go right all the way.  See that blue tile?  Step into it and you’ll
reappear in some strange place… as a pink rabbit!

This is the Dark World that the old man was talking about earlier.  Go
left and you’ll see a bully beating up a ball-shaped guy.  Talk to them
to discover that the Dark World makes one change shape to reflect their
true nature.  So Link’s a rabbit on the inside?  Regardless, go north a
bit and pull out the Magic Mirror.  Use it and you’ll reappear on a
ledge in the Light World.  Glad that’s over.

                        +--------------------+
                        |    To the Tower    |
                        +--------------------+

First off, you reappear by a Piece of Heart.  Secondly, jump off the
north ledge.  Welcome to the summit of Death Mountain.  You were just
on Spectacle Rock, the hideout of a terrible thief from The Legend of
Zelda, the firs game.  Go to the northeast to see a tower.  Climb the
steps and enter if you dare…

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Tower of Hera    |
                        +---------------------+

Note: If you’re playing the GBA remake, this dungeon is called Mountain
Tower.  Of course, Sahasrahla refers to this tower as the Tower of Hera
in the GBA version, which is a mistake (it’s one or the other).  In
Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus, king of the gods.

This dungeon is your introduction to colored block switches.  The one
in front of you is an example.  Slash it to make the blocks around you
lower.  Go right until you are on the outside of those blue blocks and
hit the switch again with the Magical Boomerang.  Go north to find an
intercom.  It’s Sahasrahla, of course.  He sees that you can return to
the beginning of a dungeon by gazing into the Magic Mirror.  Further
north are enemies – a Moldorm and two enemies spewing fire.  Past them
is a chest.  Open it for the Dungeon Map.  This is a pretty small
dungeon, really.  It is six floors, but each floor is tiny.  Right now,
you’re on 2F.

Go south and hit the switch again to make the blue blocks lower.  Go
down one floor via the left staircase.  This room introduces to you red
Stalfos.  They throw bones at you when provoked, so corner them before
you try to defeat them.  Hit the switch to unleash a Moldorm.  Defeat
it and take the Small Key it was guarding.  Now hit the switch again
and go up the stairs.  Hit the switch below you and go to the northwest
corner of this room.  Unlock this door and go down into 1F.  This room
is bad for your health.

Stand in the northeast corner and face the left.  The tiles will come
flying at you.  However, if you keep up your sword (put it back up
after each tile), you won’t take any damage.  Defeating them lowers the
slammed door. Hit the switch in the corner and go right.  This room has
three Moldorms in it.  Defeat the first one with a Spin Attack and then
stand in the corners (where there should be another block) of the two
caged Moldorms’ cages.  Spin Attack them and go south again after
hitting the switch.  In here are two red Stalfos.  Defeat them and then
light all the torches.  Open the chest that forms for the Big Key.
Hooray.  Now return to 2F.

Before returning to 2F, make sure that the block switches are red.  Go
up the stairs to the southeast to be on 3F.  The enemies here are
called Hardhat Beetles.  To defeat them, either knock them into the
pits with your sword or attack them three times.  Either way, beating
them all makes a door to the left open.  Go through and you’ll see two
more Hardhat Beetles.  Also, you’ll see a star switch.  These are
almost exclusive to this dungeon, and they add a certain level of
frustration to it.  Press the first one to make the setup of the room
change.  That done, go north using the Big Key.

Defeat the Hardhat Beetles as they come.  You don’t need to press any
star switches for now, so go right and over a lowered red block.  Now
press the star switch found here.  Go right and up some stairs to 4F.
Go down, throwing pots at each Moldorm for an easy win, and then go
left into the main room.  Defeat the Moldorm here and open the chest
for the Compass.  Check the intercom above it.  Sahasrahla tells you
not to forget the Moon Pearl (which can be done quite easily, mind
you).  It lets you keep your normal form in the Dark World.  Go left,
defeating the fire enemies, and up the stairs you go.  Welcome to 5F.
Avoid the flame chain to the south and clear all the enemies of the
room.  Now hit the star switch by the flame chain.

This makes a few new holes appear.  Go to the north wall of the room.
See the snake carving in the wall?  Walk south of it into the hole.  It
is important that you fall through the north part of the hole.  When
you land, go north and open the big chest for the Moon Pearl.  Now you
won’t transform into a bunny in the Dark World.  Go south onto the star
switch and then head back up to 5F.  On the right side of the room are
pots.  If you run low on health, pick them up (but not yet, save them
for later).  For now, go north to 6F.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Moldorm    |
                        +---------------------+

The head honcho of the Moldorms is this thing (all the others ones are
actually called Mini-Moldorms, but I call drop the mini for easy
writing).  This is a pretty tough battle if you don’t understand what
to do (although it is fairly obvious).  Jump into the arena and you’ll
be pitted against the crazy thing (pun alert).  Holes surround the
entire arena, so you can get knocked off.  If you do, you must restart
the battle.  He takes six hits of the tail (Spin Attacks do the same
amount of damage as normal attacks), but he gets faster and harder each
time.  Not only that, but you bounce backwards each time you hit him.
This makes it very easy to fall off the edge.  I hope you saved those
pots on 5F.  Try to stand against the wall you jump into the arena off
of, as it is the safest place to be.

When it explodes, it leaves a Heart Container behind.  Pick up the
Pendant of Wisdom that drops down.  Now we can go retrieve the
legendary sword!  If you’ve had any difficulty playing this game so
far, or in the Tower of Hera, stop playing now because there is no way
you’ll complete it.

=======================================================================
============================The Dark World*============================
=======================================================================

                      +------------------------+
                      |    The Master Sword    |
                      +------------------------+

Now that we have proved our virtue in three separate domains, we can
pull from its pedestal the sword of evil’s bane.  From the Sanctuary,
go left a screen and then north two screens.  The house here is the
home of three lumberjacks, two if you’re playing the SNES version.
However, this is unimportant.  Go left a screen via the northwest
opening and you’ll enter the Lost Woods, home of the ultimate blade.

Go left all the way to see a sword in a pedestal!  Nope, it’s just a
fake.  Go south from there and through a log tunnel.  Here, stop and
slash the hedges to the lower-right.  Fall in the hole here and pick up
the Piece of Heart.  Now jump down a ridge and go left.  Exit this cave
and go left a bit so you pass one tree.  Go north from there and go
through another log.  Slash the hedges to the left and go left from
there to the Mushroom.  It will be used a bit later.  Now go north
through the log by it.  Go left and then south through another log.  Go
left a bit further and go through a tiny log leading north.  This is
the resting place of the sword.  Go north and read the inscription with
the Book of Mudora.  Now step behind the sword and press A to lift it
from its pedestal.  You got the Master Sword!

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    Zelda’s Abduction    |
                      +-------------------------+

It’s a glorious day in Hyrule when suddenly Sahasrahla contacts Link
telepathically.  He congratulates you on retrieving the Master Sword.
With it, we can thwart the wizard that is driving Hyrule into a ditch.
Go south through the log to reenter the Lost Woods.  It is no longer
foggy.  As soon as you step out, you hear Zelda’s voice through the
void.  Some soldiers are attacking the Sanctuary.  Quickly go south
through a log to the right and go south some more to see three logs.
Go through the left one and follow the path down to exit the Lost Woods
into the entrance of Kakariko Village.

These soldiers are pathetic now; they take one hit of the Master Sword.
Plus, if you have full health, you can send a beam of light in the
direction you slash.  The beam has the power of the Fighter’s Sword,
your original blade.  Anyways, go south into Kakariko Village.  Go
right from there all the way and go north.  Now go east twice.  Enter
the Sanctuary.  Within its walls, Zelda has been kidnapped and the monk
lies on the floor.  Talk to him and he will officially die.  According
to the monk, they have taken her to the highest tower of Hyrule Castle.
It is time to make a return visit.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    Agahnim’s Barrier    |
                      +-------------------------+

Go to Hyrule Castle, which is one screen north of Link’s house.  This
time, though, go through the gates.  The red soldiers are a new
addition to the castle, and you’ll see plenty of them.  Go further
north to enter the castle’s interior.  Dash forward from where you
start and go up a ladder.  Turn left and go through the door in that
direction.  Now go south to be back outside.  To the right is Agahnim’s
barrier.  Slash it with the mighty Master Sword and it will be
destroyed.  Now enter the tower.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    Hyrule Castle Tower    |
                     +---------------------------+

This is a separate dungeon from Hyrule Castle, and it is seven stories
high.  Go forward and into the next room.  There are two Ball & Chain
Soldiers to contend with.  Use the Magical Boomerang to stun them and
then attack them furiously.  Go right and two long swordsmen will come
at you.  Defeat them both and a chest forms.  Open it for a Small Key.
Now go north and open the locked door to ascend to 3F.  After a long
swordsman attacks you, go left a room into a dark maze.  There are
common blue soldiers and eye monsters that act like Keese.  On the left
side of the room is a chest containing a Small Key.

If it helps, light a torch with the Lamp to navigate the maze.  And, to
the southeast in this room, there is a locked door, too.  Open it to
pass into another dark room.  I wouldn’t stick around due to the duo of
long swordsmen, so run to the north.  Welcome to 4F.  Run downward so
that you are aligned with the statue and defeat the blue soldier below
you.  Meanwhile, arrows will hit the statue.  When you’re ready, defeat
the archer.  Now go left into a dark room with lots of holes.  To your
left are two torches, and north of them is another one.  Go north from
there and go right into a new room.  There are two archers and a common
infantry unit here.  Defeating one of the archers earns you a Small
Key; use it on the door to the north.

When you enter this room on 5F, immediately defeat the eye bats.  Now
check the intercom to the left, which is Sahasrahla.  He says that the
Master Sword cannot physically injure the wizard.  We must find a way
to deliver his own magic to him.  While we’re thinking, you have two
pitchfork-throwing soldiers to kill.  The Magical Boomerang works
nicely.  Go left when you can and defeat two red soldiers.  Go south
from there and immediately defeat the eye bats.  Throw pots at the
soldier here until he dies, leaving a Small Key behind.

Take it and go right into a new room.  In here, just run north up some
stairs.  You’re already in 6F.  Defeat the red soldier from your
starting point in the room and then push the statue to your left aside.
Go down, defeat the archers if you so desire, and go left.  Follow the
winding path here past two soldiers and go up two flights of stairs to
7F.  Go north once more to see Agahnim and Zelda on the bed before him.
Lifting her with his magic, Agahnim makes her disappear into thin air.
The seal of the seven sages is now completely broken.  Notice what
Agahnim says here.  He calls himself the tribe of evil.  Anyways,
Agahnim disappears.  Go forward and slash the curtains to create an
opening.  Go forward to strike down the wicked wizard.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Agahnim    |
                        +---------------------+

Agahnim cannot be injured by the power of the Master Sword alone.
However, the Master Sword can deflect his dark magic.  When he fires a
spell that looks like three orbs in a line going from biggest to
smallest, hit it back at him with the Master Sword.  This is how you do
him damage.  But, Agahnim does have a few other spells.  If you stand
south of him, he may cast lightning at you.  Also, he has an attack
that has four rotating circles of energy.  When you hit them, they
split into several smaller ones.  Other than that, Agahnim is easy.  By
the way, if you turn on your map (L), if you’re playing the GBA
version, right after Agahnim moved (his shadow is in a new position),
he’ll come up discolored.  It’s pretty fun to do.  Quite a strange
glitch indeed.

After five tastes of his own medicine, Agahnim will surrender.  Instead
of dying, he casts you into the Dark World with the same spell he used
on Zelda!  Worse than that, though, he leaves behind no Heart
Container!  This is the Dark World.

=======================================================================
==========================Palace of Darkness*==========================
=======================================================================

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    The Pyramid of Power    |
                    +----------------------------+

Immediately after you are taken into this tainted realm, Sahasrahla
contacts you telepathically.  He tells you of the Golden Land, the
place where a golden power once lay hidden.  Evil power turned the land
into the Dark World.  The wizard plans to model the Light World after
this place.  Hyrule Castle is now a huge portal into the Dark World.
The only way to save the Light World is to find that golden power.  Or,
you can rescue the maidens that descend from the seven sages to restore
the seal.  Sahasrahla points you in the direction of the Palace of
Darkness.  Check your map with L.  The Dark World is the spitting image
of the Light World, only more darkish.  The first diamond (you now
collect diamonds) is right where East Palace stood.

Right now, you’re on the Pyramid of Power, Hyrule Castle’s replacement.
Go down the first set of stairs and then down the right set.  Go right
a bit and jump off the ledge.  If you’re playing the SNES version,
there’s nothing but wall here.  If you’re playing the GBA version,
there’s a hole here.  This is the Palace of the Four Sword.  I will
cover this in my guide for A Link to the Past/Four Swords.  Anyhow, go
right from there and follow the path to a Piece of Heart.  Now go back
down and around and jump off the ledge.  These enemies here are Dark
World soldiers.  There’s also a plant-like thing here.  Also, to the
left are two Cyclops warriors.  I shall call them Hinox, as that’s
their name in a future Zelda game.  Anyways, go right and into a new
screen.

               +--------------------------------------+
               |    The Path to Palace of Darkness    |
               +--------------------------------------+

Go south past some more Hinox and go right a screen.  Now go north and
into the ruins before the palace.  Go right a bit to see two lines of
Yoda-looking statues.  Go north from there and follow the path to a
building.  A man transformed by the air in this Golden Land lives here.
Bomb the north wall and go forward.  There are several hearts under
these skulls.  Now go south twice to be back in the ruins.  Follow the
path back to the Yoda statues.  Go right some more to see an arrow
pointing north.  The ruins here are very annoying as they cover you
from sight.  Navigate the maze and go north to another arrow.

Follow it until you are left of the building you entered earlier.  Go
left of the block here (it’s an opening) and go north.  Stop when you
see an opening leading right.  Go through and enter the maze here.
When you emerge on the other side, a monkey is following you.  It’s
Kiki!  He’s a greedy monkey yes he is.  Give him ten rupees and he’ll
accompany you for a while.  Go right a bit and through the passage.  Go
north from there and go to the lower-right.  Go north through the
passage and walk up the stairs to a door.  Kiki will offer to open the
door for 100 rupees.  Pay for it and the path to darkness opens.
Thanks, Kiki!

                     +--------------------------+
                     |    Palace of Darkness    |
                     +--------------------------+

Note: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the least
linear of the Zelda games in the series.  In fact, I’d say that it is
the least linear.  Once you complete this dungeon, you can skip right
to a ton of other ones (you could do the sixth Dark World dungeon next
if you wanted to).  So, if you get the right items, you do not have to
follow the guide’s order.  I just cover them in the order the game
wants you to complete them.  For instance, after the Light World, I
normally do this dungeon, then the fourth (taking its prize and all the
items tied into that prize), then the second, then the sixth, then the
third, then the fifth, and then I go for the seventh.  Also, the
dungeon changed names in the GBA version.  It’s now the Dark Palace.

Go to the right and press the switch in the tiles.  Go north and defeat
the monster, called a Helmasaur, here.  You can slash its helmet to
beat it if you’re lucky, but it’s easier to hit its backside.  Now go
north (down to B1F).  Warp in this teleport to be in a room with an
intercom.  It’s Zelda!  She says that she’s locked in Turtle Rock on
top of Death Mountain.  She’s just urging you to get to her quickly.
Will do.  Bomb the wall to the south and pass through to a hallway.
The enemy here is a jellyfish... thing.  It becomes electrically
charged every so often.  Attack it before that happens to beat it.  Go
left a bit more and bomb the wall.

In here are two enemies called Goriyas.  Originally, Goriyas were
boomerang-wielding foes, but now they’ve become annoying creatures that
mimic your moves.  Where you move, they’ll be sure to move in the
opposite direction.  Shoot arrows at the green ones, or slash them up
close and personal.  The red variation throws fireballs at you when you
approach them.  To beat them, shoot an arrow at the space above or
below them from the other side of the room.  Then, move in the
direction that will make the Goriya walk into the arrow as it flies.
When that’s done, go north.  Avoid the enemies and walk across these
conveyor belts until you reach the end, a staircase leading to 1F.
Open the chest here for the Dungeon Map.  This place is a pretty big
dungeon in comparison to, say, any of the Light World dungeons.
Really, the size is about the same, but it feels much bigger.

The red jellyfish are harder to beat than the blue variety.  Slash them
once like the blue ones and they split into two smaller jellyfish,
which acts just like the blue ones.  When you’ve gotten some practice
beating them, bomb the wall to the right.  This is a Fairy Fountain,
just in case you need to heal at all or catch some in bottles.  Now go
back to the previous room.  Bomb the wall and go through the door.
Here you will find a Small Key.  Hooray!  Now use the Magic Mirror to
return to the entrance of the dungeon.  Go to the left and hit the
switch to open the slammed doors.  Go through the leftmost door and go
forward.  Take the ladder down to B1F and lift the skull (pots and
rocks are now skulls due to the Dark World) to reveal a switch.  Press
it and open the chest that forms for another Small Key.

Now that we have two, go up the stairs and lift the northwest pot to
unveil a switch.  Press it and go south.  Now go through the middle
door of the first room.  Use one of your dual Small Keys on the locked
door.  Welcome to what I’d say is the main room of the dungeon.  Lucky
for us, we’re almost done with it (even though we only have the map and
a Small Key).  First, the two turtle enemies here are unbeatable, for
now.  Head left and take the bridge.  See the crack in the middle of
it?  Bomb there and fall down the hole to B1F.  Follow the wall to the
northeast where you’ll use your last Small Key.  Take the stairs up and
open the chest for the Big Key.  What’d I tell you?  Jump off the ledge
to the right back to B1F.  Lift one skull here to find a switch.  Press
it and open the treasure chest that forms and you’ll have another Small
Key.  Hurry to your right and transport in another portal.  Go up the
stairs here and push the statue to the left over.  Now go north back
into the main room.

Go right this time to see two blocks blocking your progression.  Push
the lower one into the pit to the right and go forward.  Open the chest
here for a Small Key.  Blocks around here should be raised (blue).  Run
forward over the arrow tile and you’ll jump across the pit.  Take the
ladder up and go left.  Kill the Hardhat Beetle and go left to a locked
door.  Open it.  Now, very quickly, lift the skull and dash across the
bridge (it will start to crumble).  At the end lift the skulls and go
right a room.  The chest here contains the Compass.  Now go down the
stairs on the right to B1F.  Pull out the Lamp and light the torch to
the right.  Go down, collecting all the blue rupees and avoiding the
enemy.  At the end is a chest containing a Small Key.  Go left from
there to another chest.  This one contains a bundle of arrows, though.

Now go north, collecting more rupees and going up the stairs at the
end.  Go left a screen and unlock the door on the west side of the
room.  This room is dark, and it leads to the dungeon’s prize.  Note
one change, though.  In the GBA version, you cannot see the enemies.
In the SNES version, you can see the enemies even if they aren’t in the
light of your lantern.  Anyways, this room has a few fire-breathing
enemies in it.  They each take one hit of the Master Sword.  In the
northwest corner of the room is a chest containing bombs.  A chest in
the southeast corner contains a Small Key.  Above that chest is a place
you can bomb.  Do so and go out through the forced entrance.  Open the
chest for the dungeon prize – the Magic Hammer!  I will just call it
the Hammer.  With it you can stun many enemies, as well as drive wooden
stakes into the ground, which allows you to further explore the Dark
World.

Return to the dark labyrinth and go north.  Exit to the right and go
through the right door.  You see these turtles.  They are nothing when
you have the Magic Hammer.  Pound it and they flip over.  Slash their
bellies twice and they die.  Now go south through the locked door.
Pick up the skull to the left and open the chest south of it for a blue
rupee (five green).  Push the statue right of it over to bypass the
razor trap.  By the way, razor traps hurt you when you touch them.  Get
used to it.  Now go south to be back in the room that we got two Small
Keys in.  It would seem that we just wasted a Small Key, and it is true
that we did.  You see, we could’ve used the Magic Mirror and done a lot
of backtracking.  So, that was a shortcut.  Jump to the platform to the
south using the arrow tile and defeat the Hardhat Beetles populating
the platform.  Use the Magical Boomerang to hit the block switch to the
south, making it blue.

Now go right a room.  In here, go to the northeast corner and lift the
skulls.  It’s a new trick that they’ll stick to for games to come that
you’re up against.  Under one skull is a switch, but it needs to be
down constantly to keep the door open.  Push one of the statues below
onto it and then go up the ladder and through the door.  In here you’ll
find three new Goriyas.  Slash the green ones and make the red one walk
into your arrows.  Now go north.  Go forward when the razor trap is
away and hit the switch to lower the blocks.  Now go right to see a
Cyclops statue.  Shoot the eye with your arrows and the wall to the
right extends that way.  Go over and take the stairs down to B1F.

Around you are stakes.  The Dark World type is often called moles, but
I will always refer to them as stakes.  Defeat the two turtles here and
then go to the left side of the room – as far left as you can mange.
Use the Magical Boomerang on the switch to the right and then go
through the door to the left, using your last Small Key.  There’s one
turtle in this hallway.  Defeat it and go down to a new room.  Now he’s
a tough spot.  Several turtles come at you at once.  When you defeat
them all, go right to a new room.  In here, push the northeast block
left and use the portal.  Now go north to a big door.  Open it.  I
strongly advise that you have at least two Fairies for this battle.

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    Boss: Helmasaur King    |
                    +----------------------------+

Now this is a tough boss!  It is a giant Helmasaur, and only its mask-
covered face is weak enough to be hit.  There are two ways that you can
go about battling this fiend.  First, throw bombs at the mask.  Chip
away the sides and then the center to knock it off.  In the meantime,
it will be whipping you with its tail and sending fireballs that split
into smaller fireballs at you.  Avoid these as best as you can and
unmask the monster.  If you run out of bombs, hammer the mask away.
Hammering is much faster, and a lot easier, too, provided that you
hammer when it is prepping for a fireball launch.  When you unmask it,
you’ll see the face of ugly.  It has one big diamond in its head, and
that is the weakness.  Now the battle is easy.  Keep slashing the head
until it dies.  If you manage to force that mask off quickly, it really
isn’t difficult at all.  Take the Heart Container and then the crystal
that falls.

Inside is one of the seven maidens that descended from the seven sages.
After thanking you, she provides some valuable insight in regards to
your quest.  A golden power called the Triforce once rested in this
land.  But long ago, a thief named Ganon wished that the golden land be
transformed into what it is today.  She says “he” almost as if she’s
talking about Ganon...  Anyways, Agahnim wants to create a larger gate
between the Light and Dark Worlds by Hyrule Castle.  However, he has
not managed to fully open this gate.  This maiden says that, together,
they can break the barrier protecting Ganon’s hiding place.  So Ganon
is alive…  This maiden marks where all the other maidens are being held
on your map.  Say you understand and she’ll stop talking.  Now it’s
time for the maidens’ slogan.  May the way of the Hero lead to the
Triforce.

=======================================================================
==========================Watergate Dungeon*===========================
=======================================================================

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Cane of Byrna    |
                      +-------------------------+

In every dungeon, Link comes out smelling like a rose.  He gets a new
item, a new Heart Container, and he comes a bit closer to saving
Hyrule.  There are many new items available to us now, so let’s get
started.  First, go to Death Mountain.  You want to go to the portal
that leads to the Dark World there.  When in the Dark World, go south
and jump off the ledge to the entrance of a cave.  Walk in and pound
the stakes down here.  You need at least one Fairy to do this,
preferably more.

Run across the spiked floor.  You’ll steadily lose life, and you’ll die
a bit past the halfway point.  If you had a Fairy, you’ll come back and
be able to continue running for a while.  Lift the block at the end and
go forward to a treasure chest.  Inside is the Cane of Byrna!  If you
swing it, a ring of light will surround and protect you.  When
returning to exit this cave, use the Cane of Byrna (it uses magic
rather quickly) to protect your hearts from the spikes.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    The Ether Medallion    |
                     +---------------------------+

When you exit the cave, jump down off the ledge.  Go right and
eventually you’ll reach a ladder.  Climb it and go right to where the
bully is.  Use the Magic Mirror here and you’ll warp near where you
entered the Tower of Hera/Mountain Tower.  Jump off the north ledge and
go forward to the tower.  On the left side of it is a bridge.  Take it
to the west and you’ll find a stone slab.  Read said slab with the Book
of Mudora and Link will lift the Master Sword.  The tablet crumbles and
the Ether Medallion falls down.  With its magic, you can unleash polar
winds on your enemies.  It also lights a room very briefly.  It is
ideal for dealing with many enemies at once if you have the magic to
back it up.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    The Quake Medallion    |
                     +---------------------------+

Go right once screen from the base of the Pyramid of Power in the Dark
World.  Go north once and then head to the upper-right.  At the end,
lift a skull and continue along the path to see a house.  Don’t enter;
instead, go right and lift a rock.  Go right again and look down.
Charge the rock pile and go right a bit.  Go north a screen and go
forward until you see a circle of rocks in the water.  Pick up a bush
and throw it in.

A catfish emerges from the circle.  If you promise to go away, he’ll
give you the Quake Medallion.  It causes earthquakes to sweep through
the screen, defeating enemies.  By the way, if you don’t catch the
symbolism, let me explain a bit.  In Japan, it was believed that
catfish beneath the earth’s surface caused earthquakes by moving
around.  Since this game was made in Japan, it is only logical that a
catfish should give you the Quake Medallion.  It uses magic, so be wary
when using it.

                  +--------------------------------+
                  |    The Shovel and the Flute    |
                  +--------------------------------+

By far, one of the most useful items in any Zelda game is the one that
lets you warp around the map.  From the base of the Pyramid of Power,
go right one screen.  Go south from here and look in the center of the
lower corner.  There are several purple stakes in the ground.  Pound
them in with the Magic Hammer and go down a bit.  Go left once and
you’ll be in the screen that would be Link’s house.  Now it is a bomb
shop.  Go west again and go south.  Go west from there and you’ll see
two trees with eyes.  Talk to them – they’re alive.  The lower one is a
grump, but the upper one is in better spirits.  This person was
transformed into a tree.  Neat-o!  Go to the southwest corner of the
screen and use the Magic Mirror to warp into the Light World.  You’ll
be by a cave.  Enter it and take the Piece of Heart inside.  Now warp
back to the Dark World.

Go north, slashing the bushes, so that you’re in an area encompassed by
trees.  If you enter this area in the Light World, a boy playing the
flute suddenly stops and disappears.  Well, here he is.  Talk to him
and he’ll miss his flute.  Say that you’ll help him and he’ll lend you
his Shovel.  Remember, you’re only borrowing, not keeping.  Use the
Magic Mirror to go the Light World and dig in the northwest corner of
the grove by some flowers.  You uncover the flute.  Take it and return
to the Dark World.  Go forward and talk to the boy there.  He cannot
play his flute in his current form, so you can have it.  Play it for
him one last time and he will turn into a tree.  Weird…  Well, we got
to keep two items.  Cool!

                         +-------------------+
                         |    Warp Points    |
                         +-------------------+

Go to Kakariko Village in the Light World and stand before the wind
vane in the northern part of town.  Play the Flute there and the
rooster in the vane crumbles to show a real bird!  From now on, play
the Flute to summon that bird, and it will take you to any of eight
warp points around Hyrule.  Although you use it once in the Dark World,
it can only be used in the Light World in non-cinema events.  All the
warp points are near portals to the Dark World, although you cannot
access some of them just yet.

                      +------------------------+
                      |    The Magic Powder    |
                      +------------------------+

We’re just zipping right along with these items.  Due north of
Sahasrahla’s house (in the ruins by East Palace) in the Light World is
a house.  See it?  Go there as if heading to the Mysterious Pond where
you got the Red Shield and the Magical Boomerang.  When at this house,
talk to the witch there.  If you have the Mushroom like I told you to
get when we were in the Lost Woods, give it to her.  Doing so makes her
finish her brew.  After waiting, doing stuff around town, return to her
store and take the Magic Powder by her apprentice.  Its effects are not
obvious, but it does do mysterious things when sprinkled on the correct
objects.

                   +------------------------------+
                   |    The Halved Magic Meter    |
                   +------------------------------+

Warp to Kakariko Village with the Flute.  Enter the house that used to
be Blind’s, the thief, hideout.  Go down the stairs and bomb the north
wall to find a Piece of Heart.  Now exit the house and go to the
southeast corner of it.  Go right here and you’ll enter the screen
where the blacksmith lives.  His partner is missing right now, though;
he cannot temper your sword.  Right of his door is a stake for you to
pound with the Magic Hammer.  Jump off the ledge you make accessible by
doing so and you’ll fall into a cave.  Go north and you’ll see a
strange statue and what would seem to be blood in a bowl.

If you have some magic, sprinkle Magic Powder on the bowl and bam!  A
bat flies up out of the bowl.  The bat either has split personalities
or is trying to trick you.  First, he curses you for waking him up, and
then he thanks you.  The curse he uses drops your magic power by one-
half.  Although this sounds bad, it’s really very good.  It makes it so
that you use half the magic you normally would for magical items.  It’s
great for all the magic-consuming items we’ve been getting lately.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    Choose Your Destiny    |
                     +---------------------------+

As I mentioned earlier, A Link to the Past is the least linear of the
Zelda games.  Right now, you may want to consider veering off course.
That is, the fourth dungeon has a great prize that is required for
getting a lot of items, all of which will help you tremendously in the
second and third dungeon (as well as the others).  The obvious choice
for the next dungeon is the second one, as that’s the one that is next
on your map, but feel free to take on other dungeons at this time.

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    Flooding the Dungeon    |
                    +----------------------------+

The next dungeon is bone-dry at the current time, so we must do
something about that.  In the Light World, warp to the seventh location
with your Flute.  This is right in front of a temple.  Enter it and
you’ll be in a dungeon setting.  Push the blocks ahead of you on either
side forward and the center one to the side.  Open the chest for the
bombs.  Now exit and reenter.  This time, push the left or right two
blocks up and push the other ones aside.  Go north and into the next
room.  There are two levers against the north wall.  Pull the right one
and the gate opens, water-logging the place.  You’d better have the
Flippers (see “Tower of Hera” for how to do that).

Now go outside.  A Piece of Heart is in the drained water outside.
Take it and warp to Link’s house.  Go north and go through the gates of
Hyrule Castle to enter the Dark World by the Pyramid of Power.  Go
right and then go south.  Here, go south and pound down the stakes.  Go
left from here and then go south.  Go south one more time and enter the
temple that you flooded in the Light World.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    Watergate Dungeon    |
                      +-------------------------+

Note: This is called the Swamp Palace in A Link to the Past’s GBA re-
release.

You may have to flood the dungeon again.  This time, though, it is much
easier with the Magic Mirror.  Get in the water and swim to the left.
Climb the ladder here and defeat the three enemies here.  Open the
chest that forms for a Small Key.  Near it is some water that flies at
you.  Now go north, down the stairs, to B1F.  To the left is a cracked
wall in a small pocket.  Bomb it and go left a room.  Open the chest
for the Dungeon Map.  In this room you’ll notice some jelly monsters
called Gels, Zols, Bots, Bits, Chuchus – the name changes over games.
I will call them Gels.  Now go right and lift the southernmost skull up
for a Small Key.

Now go left through the locked door.  In here, there are some jellyfish
enemies as well as a flame chain and a trap.  When you slash your
sword, a fireball is launched at you.  Go left and take the ladder
down.  Go north and lift the skull for a Small Key.  Go south again and
climb the ladder.  Open the locked door and go north a room.  Pound
down the stakes and push the finger-looking thing to the left.  This
makes water appear to the south.  Go that way and swim down to the
ladder to the left.  Climb it and go left.  Take the ladder down and go
south.  Defeat the enemies that come down in here and follow the path
right to the south.  Follow this path left and then go north.  Push the
block to the right and a chest appears.  Open it for the Compass.
We’re progressing quite nicely in here.  Now go north back to what I
call the main room of the dungeon.

To the left is a staircase; take it up and go west one room.  Go left
and take the ladder down here (just avoid the flame chain, Stalfos, and
jellyfish).  Go north and open the chest for the Small Key.  Now go
south, take the ladder up, and go right back to the main room.  To the
north is another ladder.  Take it up and go left through the locked
door.  Defeat the jellyfish and the Stalfos, and then hit the block
switch here so that it is blue.  Push the switch here so that water
fills the hall to the left.  Now hit the switch again so that it’s
right.  Go right to the main room, go south, and go up the ladder to go
to the room to the right.  Swim to the left, take the ladder onto dry
land, and go through the left door.

Avoid the enemies and go left down a ladder.  Push the lower block left
and the middle block forward.  Take the ladder up and go forward to the
stairs.  Welcome back to 1F.  Push the block to the right and go north
past a flame chain.  Push the left block up and fall through the hole.
Open the chest for twenty rupees and jump off the ledge to the right.
Go down and around, take the ladder up, and then use the stairs to
return to 1F.  Push the block to the right, go north, and push the
block to the right by the hole forward.  Fall down the hole.  The
red/orange blocks should be down if you’ve been following the guide.
If so, go right to a new room.  Lift the skulls for blue rupees and
then open the chest for the Big Key.  Return to the main room.

Take the ladder in the center of this room to the big chest.  Open it
for the dungeon’s prize, the Hookshot!  It can grapple to many items.
Let’s try it out.  To the right is a skull.  Hookshot to it and lift
the skull to the right to find a Small Key.  Now go back to the big
chest and stand behind it.  If you’re playing the SNES version, you’ll </pre><pre id="faqspan-3">
see skulls to the north.  The GBA remake is a few pixels off, and you
won’t be able to see the skulls to the north.  Either way, grapple to
the north and open the locked door.

In here, go left and lift the skull pot to reveal a switch.  Push the
statue here onto it and the door will open.  Before you enter, go right
and go north through the left door here.  Go north and take the ladder
down.  Push the switch here to drain the water and then go back up the
stairs.  Go south and go right to the stairs.  Open the chests for 40
rupees and go through the door to the left.  Follow the path to the
north.  In here are several waterfalls.  Pass through the one that is
second from the right.

Climb the ladder here and deal with the jellyfish.  With the Hookshot,
you can beat them in one hit even if they are electrically charged.  Go
up the stairs to B1F and go south to a room with an annoying current.
Jump in quickly and go right to a ladder.  You can swim faster against
the current by pressing A quickly.  Lift the skull pot for a Small Key.
Now jump in the water and take it left to a ladder.  Bomb the wall here
and go north.  Beat the Gel and lift the skull pots to heal a bit.  Now
go back south, jump into the water, and take the ladder north to a
locked door.  Open it and go north to the hall before the boss.  This
was one short dungeon.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Arrghus    |
                        +---------------------+

In Greek mythology, Argus was a many-eyed giant.  Well, this boss has
one big eye and many tiny creatures orbiting it (a setup that has been
mimicked many times, not just by Zelda games).  This is really a pretty
easy boss.  First, you must destroy the puffballs orbiting it.  Each
take two hits, but you cannot injure them when they are together.  To
single them out, use the Hookshot to drag them to you.  From there, you
can easily beat them to a pulp.  At first, all of Arrghus’s attacks
revolve around the creatures orbiting him.  When you strip it of them,
it will take a different approach to beating you.  It jumps into the
air and starts to swerve wildly around the room.  When it rushes you,
slash its eye and it will jump back up.  Repeat this process until it
explodes.  Quite easy, really.  Take the Heart Container and then the
second crystal.

The maiden thanks you as usual.  This maiden reveals that the Triforce
will grant the wishes of whoever touches it.  The one who discovered it
was the evil thief Ganondorf.  Luckily, Ganondorf didn’t know how to
return to the Light World.  She also hints at the Flute, which we
already have, as well as portals into the Dark World.  You have to
destroy Ganondorf.  Say you understand to end the process.  And that’s
a wrap.  May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

=======================================================================
============================Skull Dungeon*=============================
=======================================================================

                       +-----------------------+
                       |    The Skull Woods    |
                       +-----------------------+

Nothing to it but to do it.  Adding the Hookshot does not allow us to
add any items to our arsenal, so we’re just going to the next dungeon.
Warp to Kakariko Village and go to the northwest corner.  Go north into
the Lost Woods from there.  Go north to officially enter the Lost Woods
and hug the south wall as you go right.  Go south out of the Lost Woods
and you’ll see a tree to the south.  Dash into it for a full magic jar.

Now go south and pound the stakes to lower them.  Lift the white stone
here and you’ll find a portal to the Dark World.  In the Dark World,
the Lost Woods are much worse.  Go north to officially enter it and go
right.  See those two big skulls?  Go north of them and fall into the
hole here.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Skull Dungeon    |
                        +---------------------+

Note: This is called Skull Woods in the GBA version.  I don’t see why
all these name changes were necessary.  Also, this dungeon is strung
about the dark Lost Woods; get ready to continually enter and exit it.
This is my least favorite dungeon, and luckily for us it is very short.

Take out the enemies above you (remember, Hookshot is a jellyfish’s
worst nightmare).  Now go south, avoiding Hardhat Beetles and a flame
chain.  Go east from there into a new room.  Defeat the Hardhat Beetles
as you see fit and go north a bit to a chest.  Opening it (it contains
the Compass) causes the floor to rearrange.  Yep, this dungeon has star
switches.  Regardless, go to the southeast corner and through the door
you find there.  There are two new enemies in this room.  First, the
obvious enemies are the mummies, called Gibdos.  They take quite a few
hits by the Master Sword, but it’s not so much the Gibdos as the other
enemy in this room that makes fighting them tricky.  Wall Masters, also
called Clutches, drop from the ceiling and take you back to the
beginning of the dungeon.  Talk about annoying!  When they drop (you’ll
see a shadow and hear a falling sound), run and then slash them twice
to defeat them.

When the coast is clear (that is, there are no Wall Masters yet), lift
the skulls in front of the treasure chest in the center of the room.
This will earn you a Small Key.  Use it on the locked door to the
north.  Red Hardhat Beetles have high defense, so try knocking them
into holes instead of drawing out what should be a quick battle.  Go
north a bit and you’ll see two star switches.  Step on the pair to make
some holes fill in.  Open the now-accessible chest to the right for the
Dungeon Map.  Now let’s go west.  This is another entrance/exit to this
forsaken place (why I hate it so much).  Exit here and drop into the
hole southwest of you (same hole we dropped into the first time).

This time, we’re doing things differently.  Go south like last time and
go east at the door.  This time, though, go north.  Note that a Wall
Master does reside in this room.  Defeat the Gibdo in the leftmost
pocket and open the chest for a Small Key.  Open the locked door to the
right to emerge back in the same room we exited the dungeon from
earlier.  Go south to exit the dungeon.  In Skull Woods, go north and
to the left you’ll see a skeletal tunnel made up of rib bones.  Pass
through it as if it were a log in the Lost Woods and then take another
one south from there.  Take this entrance to be in another new region
of the dungeon.  Hooray...

Wall Master alert!  There are Wall Masters in this room.  It is
especially clever to place them in this particular room, as you’ll see
in a minute.  Take out the Gibdos and then lift the central skull pot
up to find a switch.  Push the statue to the left to the left a bit and
then pull it so that you’re north of it and it is on the switch (being
mindful of the Wall Master all the way).  Go north one room and you’ll
be in another accursed Wall Master room.

However, the chest here contains the Big Key.  Now that we have it, the
Wall Master is a convenient mode of transportation.  Let it take you to
the first room and then go south to exit this place.  Go north through
the skeletal tunnels and go down the other one.  See those 3x3 bushes?
Slash the middle one and fall into the dungeon from there.  Don’t you
hate this place?

Defeat the Hardhat Beetle and the Helmasaur.  Now bomb the left wall.
Make sure that the star switch in here are pressed, and then pass
through the forced entrance you made to the west.  Pull the lever and
watch the wall to the south explode.  Go down and open the big chest
for (drum roll, please) the Fire Rod!  It matches your Ice Rod, too!
It can burn things (much more useful than the Ice Rod), light torches,
and melt ice.  Watch your Magic Meter, though.  Now that we have it, we
can leave much of this dungeon behind.  Go north a room and then go
right.  Go to the south end of the room (just walk over the star
switches) and go left at the end.  Go south to exit the dungeon into
Skull Woods.  Go north into the skeletal tunnel and follow it to
another skull entrance to the dungeon.

Enter through there and go left.  Go left in here, too.  Now go south
to exit the dungeon again.  Take the right skeletal tunnel to your
north and follow this path to a hole.  Drop in to enter the dungeon
from yet another new entrance.  Note that this is a Wall Master room
(another reason for you to add to your list of reasons why you hate
this place).  Go south a bit until you can step on the star switches.
Do so and then go south (the hole is gone) so that you can go left a
room.  In here, another hole is gone.  Also, it’s a Wall Master-
infested room.  Lift the left skull to get a Small Key.

Go through the northern door using it.  This room is pointless.  I just
thought we’d go here, seeing as how it was on the map.  Now exit the
dungeon two doors to the south.  Take the left skeletal tunnel to see a
carving of some sort of monster with an insect-like creature extending
from its mouth.  Burn it down with the Fire Rod.  Now you can
“officially” enter the dungeon, which is very short now.

Take the stairs to the left down.  Get under the bridge so that you’re
hidden from view and walk forward.  Do this until you’re blocked by a
wall, and then go around it.  Walk under the bridge again and go north.
Avoid the Spark here and continue north under the bridge until you must
go around another wall.  At the end, go east through another door.  In
here, immediately take the ladder up.  On the bridge in here is a
Gibdo.  Defeat it and dash to the south.  Just look at all the
heartache you’ve saved yourself by using the bridge.  Jump off the
ledge at the end and go left.  In this chest is a Small Key, of course.
We could’ve saved the previous one and skipped that other room, but
that’d leave a room unexplored.  Now, to avoid going through all those
rooms again, use the Magic Mirror to return to the beginning of this
segment of the dungeon.

Go north and unlock the door.  This room is home to Wall Masters.  With
that in mind, step on the star switches and make your way around the
room until you can go through the door.  First, defeat the Gibdos (they
are very vulnerable to fire) and be wary of the Wall Masters.  Now,
lift all skull pots in the room in preparation.  Starting at the
southern end, run forward, lighting all the torches as fast as you can
with the Fire Rod.  If all are lit at the same time (they eventually go
out), the door to the west opens.  Go through and you’ll be in another
fun-filled room.

First, defeat the Gibdo with the Fire Rod’s red flame.  Take out the
Moldorms before the disk of light hits you if you can help.  The disk
of light makes the Moon Pearl nonfunctional for a while, which means
that you are a pink bunny up against monsters you can’t even lift a
shield against.  Of course, there are Wall Masters here, too.  To
progress in the dungeon, slash the vines to the north, thus creating a
passageway.  Go through and defeat each enemy present in the room (save
the omnipresent Wall Master, of course).  The Gibdo leaves a Small Key
behind after its cremation.  Use it to the right.  Drop into the hole
and prepare to fight.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Mothula    |
                        +---------------------+

For some people, this boss is very hard.  I’ve found that those who
have difficulty on this boss find the next boss easy, and vice versa.
As its name implies, Mothula is a giant moth.  There are two ways to
beat Mothula, but I strongly recommend the first option I list.  You
could use the Fire Rod to beat Mothula.  After eight exposures to fire,
Mothula is dead.  You could also use the Master Sword to fight it to
the bloody death, and by bloody death I mean for you; it takes many
unnecessary hits to beat it that way.  I only suggest the latter if
you’re out of magic.  In the meantime, Mothula will fire orange beams
at you and razor traps will fly around the room.  If you can survive
for about ten seconds, you’ve got this fight in the bag.  Take the
Heart Container and the crystal (before that, notice how Link can walk
into the spikes and take no damage).

This maiden thanks you and then tells you the prophecy of the Great
Cataclysm.  If an evil person gets their hands on the Triforce, a hero
is destined to appear to stop them.  Should that hero fail, then there
is no hope.  Also, this hero must descend from the Knights of Hyrule.
Link, who is of their bloodline, is the only one left who can rescue
Zelda!  Say you understand to get it over with.  May the way of the
Hero lead to the Triforce.

=======================================================================
===========================Blind’s Hideout*============================
=======================================================================

                   +-------------------------------+
                   |    The Village of Outcasts    |
                   +-------------------------------+

The Fire Rod does not allow us to do anything more, as far as side
quests are concerned, so we’re headed straight for the next dungeon and
its crystal.  From where you enter Skull Woods in the Dark World, look
to the left to see a row of bushes.  Charge them and go south to enter
Kakariko Village’s dark doppelganger, the Village of Outcasts.  Aside
from guards, there are plenty of thieves to go around.  One of the only
complete buildings in town sells items.  The Gold Bee here is not for
sale at first, but it can be if you give the man there one (in the
place where we got the Ice Rod, enter the cave normally and charge the
statue near the end.  A Gold Bee comes out).

There are two interesting side quests in the village, although we won’t
be doing them until after we beat this dungeon.  For now, though, go to
the center of town (where the weather vane that the bird slumbered in
Kakariko Village).  In place of the weather vane is a devilish figure
holding a pitchfork lowered into the ground.  Lift the end of the
pitchfork up and you’ll roll backward.  This is the entrance to the
fourth dungeon.

                       +-----------------------+
                       |    Blind’s Hideout    |
                       +-----------------------+

Note: This dungeon is alternately called Thieves’ Town in the GBA
version.  Personally, I think Blind’s Hideout is a far better name.

If you recall from earlier in Kakariko Village, Blind was a thief that
hated the light.  His former base of operations is owned by a man in
the Light World.  Thankfully, this dungeon is really easy.  It also has
an extremely useful item in it that will let you get many new items,
all of which are very nice to have.  For starters, go forward and jump
down a tier.  The enemy here is very easy.  Slash it once and it dies.
Its only attack is contact.  Take it out and lift the skull pot ahead
of you.  To the left is a treasure chest containing the Dungeon Map.
Using it, we can see that the dungeon really isn’t too large.  The
first floor consists of four large rooms as well as a few other ones to
the north.

To the right is a red version of the enemy you encountered earlier.
Although in the first The Legend of Zelda, red enemies were weaker than
blue ones, the opposite is true for this game.  It can spit fireballs,
so beware.  Go north through the right path and defeat the enemy.  Go
north and take the ladder up.  Follow this path until you find a
cracked wall standing out along the average stretch of dungeon wall.
Bomb it and go right.  If you bomb the north wall here, you’ll be able
to observe a future room.  Boring!  Go south and then back west.  Take
that good old ladder down and go left, following the path to another
one.  Go left, following a rectangular path until you reach a chest,
which holds twenty rupees.  Now that we have it, go south, jump down a
ledge, and go south back to the first room.  Not quite as pointless as
you think.

Go right and take this path north.  Go right a screen to a new room.
Go south from here to a new room.  Continue south and take a ladder up.
Follow this path to a treasure chest that holds the Compass.  Jump off
the ledge to the left and go west once to find a chest.  Inside is the
Big Key.  Talk about easy!  Go right again and follow the north wall to
an opening.  When it opens, go left and take the ladder up.  Go back to
where you got the Compass and go south to the wall.  Follow it right
and take that path up.  Jump off the ledge at the end and go north.  Go
forward a bit and take the ladder up.  Go right to the intersection and
then go north.  Open the big door here.

There are several Stalfos here.  Follow the path to the end and lift
both skulls for a Small Key.  Now go north into the boss room.  Hey...
There’s no one in there!  Go south to exit it and go west using the
Small Key you just recently acquired.  It’s the room that you got a
preview of earlier.  Go left in here to a new room.  The enemies in
here move by expelling their centers and then floating back to them.
Slash the nucleus part when they do this to beat them.  Go left after
beating them to a long hallway.  Head north on the conveyor belt past a
host of hazards to go north.  In this room, lift the skull pot and
throw it to your right for a Small Key.  Stand against the north wall
and look down to the block switch.  Throw the Magical Boomerang at it
and then take the door north.

The intercom is inaccessible right now, but it’s just Zelda warning you
about Blind the thief’s treachery.  Thieves must have very long natural
life spans.  Lift the skull pots to the south to find a switch.  Step
on it to open the door, which you want to go through.  Follow this
hallway to the right until you reach a new room.  Inside, open the
chest for bombs.  Stand south of the light flooding the room and throw
a bomb at cracked wall ahead of it.  This should make a hole, causing
light to enter the room to the south.  Backtrack to where you ascended
the stairs to 1F and go south (in B1F, making sure that the block
switch is blue).  In this hallway, go right to a new room.  Defeat the
enemies if you’d like and go right a room.

Fight the maze of conveyor belts and take the stairs to the north down
to B2F.  Defeat each and every adversary in the room and a door to the
west opens.  Take it, of course.  In here, keep the Hookshot handy and
take the conveyor belts to the south.  Use the Hookshot to defeat
jellyfish in one blow and go right at the end.  Go right once more at
the end.  This is the jail cell in the dungeon (I made a funny!).  Take
the locked doors north and you’ll find enemies, at the end of which is
the maiden.  Cool, no boss.  She’ll tag along behind you, much like in
Hyrule Castle.  Open the chest by her for a Small Key.

Exit the jail cell room and go left a room.  Go over the conveyor belt
and unlock the locked door.  Quickly pound down the stake here and open
the big chest.  It’s the Titan’s Mitt!  This extremely useful item lets
you lift black rocks.  Many, many items are tied into this, which is
why I usually do the fourth Dark World dungeon second.  If you were
quick enough, you’ll be able to run back to the entrance of this room
before the tile starts to fall into an endless pit below you.  Now it’s
time to take the maiden out of the dungeon.

Instead of using the Magic Mirror, though, let’s take the long route.
Go out and go right a room.  Go north and lift the block here (thanks
to the Titan’s Mitt).  Now go north back to B1F.  Lift the skull pot to
the right and you’ll uncover a switch.  Use it to open the door to the
right.  Go through and you’ll be back in the hallway before the boss
room.  That’s still bothering me…  Why was there no boss?  The Compass
cannot be wrong.  Go north to check it out.

                         +-------------------+
                         |    Boss: Blind    |
                         +-------------------+

As the maiden steps into the light, her true colors are revealed.  It’s
Blind in disguise, the thief from Kakariko Village!  Blind is a very
strange man.  Due to the Dark World, he’s become a satanic creature
with a bright smile wearing a white robe.  It floats around the room
and shoots lasers from its eyes.  Easy!  Slash its head and it will
spew fireballs.  Keep slashing and the robe falls.  Blind only has a
head and his arms.  The disembodied head starts to float around the
room and Blind grows a new one!  This boss tactic is based on the
second boss from A Link to the Past (Helmethead).  This is where it
gets tricky.  Keep attacking the head while avoiding the other head and
it will eventually grow a third head and add its second head to the
floating armada.  This is where I start using the Cane of Byrna.  With
fireballs flying, rush it and attack the last head madly.  Once Blind
explodes, take the Heart Container it leaves behind.  Now pick up the
crystal.

The real maiden thanks you, but she has nothing to say about her
impersonator.  The maiden tells you the summarized version of what
Sahasrahla told you a while back.  When the sages were casting the seal
to separate the Dark World from the Light World, the Knights of Hyrule
defended them from the evil monsters gushing from the portal.  They
were nearly wiped out, but Link still lives.  He is perhaps the last
one of the bloodline (seeing as how you’re uncle’s dead and all).  You
must defeat Ganon.  Boy, these maidens are like parrots.  May the way
of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

=======================================================================
==============================Ice Palace*==============================
=======================================================================

                     +--------------------------+
                     |    The Tempered Sword    |
                     +--------------------------+

Undoubtedly, the most useful upgrade linked to the Titan’s Mitt is the
Tempered Sword.  It is the upgrade to the Master Sword.  To get it, go
the southeast corner of the Village of Outcasts.  Go south and then go
left to see a frog hopping around by some skulls.  Lift them (you are
able to now thanks to the Titan’s Mitt) and talk to the frog.  The frog
requests that you take him to his partner in the Light World.  He joins
your party and follows you around.  Use the Magic Mirror to return to
Kakariko Village (him following).  Go north and notice what this man
looks like.  He seems to be a dwarf, but he looks remarkably like
someone else we might’ve seen on our quests.  Go right from here to see
the cave where we got the Magic Meter upgrade.  This time, though,
enter the house by it.

Eureka!  These two are the Smithy partners.  For reuniting these two
lost souls, they will temper your sword.  Well, if they insist.  Exit
and reenter the shop and talk to them.  For ten rupees, they’ll temper
the Master Sword.  Let them do it and they warn you that it might take
a while.  You can do the next section event (below this one) to pass
the time by.  When you return, you’ll have the Tempered Sword in your
possession.  It is three times as powerful as the Fighter’s Sword your
uncle gave to you so long ago.  This is why I usually skip right ahead
to the fourth dungeon after the first.

                      +------------------------+
                      |    Passing the Time    |
                      +------------------------+

Go to the Smithy’s shop in the Dark World to find it in ruins.  Lift
the black rock blocking your passage before it and you’ll see many
stakes.  Pound each down with the Magic Hammer (I said I’d call it just
the Hammer, but I can’t bring myself to do it).  Go down the stairs
that form by doing it and you’ll find a Piece of Heart.  This should
sufficiently waste enough time to get the Master Sword tempered (above)
if you’re slow enough.  Like the Master Sword, the Tempered Sword
releases beams when you’re full on health.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Fourth Bottle    |
                      +-------------------------+

We can now get the final bottle.  Go to the ruins of Smithy’s shop in
the Dark World.  Inside you’ll find a chest.  The key is locked inside,
so we’ll just take it and let it tag along for now.  First, you cannot
dash or lift items when it is tailing you.  Warp to the Light World.
Now, go back to the entrance of the Desert of Mystery.  Remember, long
ago I showed you so long ago?  Go there (go south from Kakariko Village
and then go east) and go north at the first turn.  There’s a man here
that only wants peace.  Talk to him and he’ll say that he knows that
you know that he used to be a thief.  A man in the Lost Woods tells
you.  Anyways, he’ll open the chest you’ve got there if you promise to
tell no one.  Give him your word, even though you’re so going to blab
afterward, and he’ll open the chest to give you a bottle.  It’s the
last one, and we’ve waited long enough for it.

                       +----------------------+
                       |    The Magic Cape    |
                       +----------------------+

Yet another secret item that most people would never even look for.
From the Sanctuary, go right to see the graveyard.  In the northeast
corner is a grave surrounded by black rocks.  Lift the rocks and dash
into the gravestone with the Pegasus Boots.  Take the stairs down and
enter a new chamber.  Run forward and open the chest for the Magic
Cape.  When you wear it, you turn invisible.  This not only protects
you from damage, but it prevents you from being seen.  I prefer the
Cane of Byrna because it is slower in magic-consumption (maybe not, but
it feels that way).

                    +-----------------------------+
                    |    The Pond of Happiness    |
                    +-----------------------------+

We’re heading toward Lake Hylia.  Warp to the Flute’s position number
eight.  Go north from here and leap off the ledge into the water.  Swim
left and then to the northwest.  Here, enter the cave.  This is the
Pond of Happiness.  Toss in rupees and every time you collect a total
of 100 rupees, a Great Fairy appears.  She will let you carry either
more bombs or arrows.  You can hold a total of 50 bombs and 70 arrows,
which means that you need to make two trips to get each upgrade if you
max out each time.  While you’re here, bomb the wall to the right to
find a Fairy Fountain.  Honestly, this is the first time I ever found
that.  When you’re satisfied with your arrow and bomb capacity, exit
the Pond of Happiness (come with four bottled fairies and full health
from the Fairy Fountain in the pond) and lift the black rock before the
cave.  Now warp to the Dark World.  Take the stairs into Level 5.

                         +------------------+
                         |    Ice Palace    |
                         +------------------+

Note: No, the SNES and GBA versions of this game both have the same
name.  However, the wonderful people that remade the GBA game toned
down this dungeon, and this dungeon only, a whole, whole lot.  The
principal puzzle of the dungeon has been removed, which means that I
will cover this dungeon twice – first for the GBA version and then the
SNES version.  Use the GBA version for most of it, as I will only point
out the different points in the dungeon when I cover the SNES and how
to get through them.

                            ---------------
                            The GBA Version
                            ---------------

Go forward and an ice monster comes out of the wall.  Flame it with the
Fire Rod to beat it.  The intercom here, presumably Sahasrahla, says
that you need the Fire Rod.  Now go left.  Defeat the jellyfish here
with the Hookshot and a Small Key falls out.  Use it on the north door.
Go down, defeat the Gels, and step on the switch in the corner to open
the door to the right.  Push the block in the intersection to the right
and then go down.  The enemies here are called Pengators.  Defeat them
with a simple slash (two, actually) and a chest forms.  Open it for the
Compass.

Now go north.  Push the block forward and go right after pressing the
switch.  Defeat the Pengators and lift one skull here to find a switch.
Press it and go left again.  Push the block aside and go north.  Here,
hit the block switch so it is blue.  Place a bomb by the switch and run
forward to the block.  When the switch turns red, bomb the cracked
floor here.  Fall through the hole down to B2F.  By the way, there are
seven basements and one floor, making this the largest (height-wise)
dungeon yet.  Go north to the intercom.  A Stalfos Knight falls down
near you.  Sahasrahla hints at how to beat it, though.  Slash it once
and then bomb the remains to permanently strike it down.

Go south and into a room with a long hallway.  Take it left, defeating
the second jellyfish for a Small Key.  Keep the block switch here red
and go south through the locked door.  Follow this path around when the
flame chain is passed and stop at the skull pot in the corner.  Lift
it, press the switch, and then go east.  Go down the stairs.  In here
are several Pengators.  One hit of the Hookshot will beat them in one
hit.  Now go north.

Stop here as a huge razor trap flies at you.  When it is returning
north, go to the east or west pocket.  Step out a bit so it flies south
again, and then go north.  In here, the tiles will begin to fall.  Drop
in and you’ll be in B4F.  The intercom here is just Sahasrahla warning
you about magic consumption.  Go right.  Here, defeat as many jellyfish
as you can with the Hookshot and then grapple to the block to the
right.  Now go south.  Carefully, make your way left past the razor
traps and take the stairs up.

Use the Hookshot here to defeat the enemies and then cross the gap by
the skull.  Lift it and press the switch to make a chest appear.
Grapple to it and open the chest for a key.  Now go right over the
spikes (Cane of Byrna works nicely) and take the stairs up.  Defeat the
first Stalfos Knight and pound in the stakes to the left.  Lift the
block (you’ll get a Small Key) and pound the next stakes.  Pull out the
statue’s tongue to open the door to the right.  Now lift the skull pots
to find a switch.  Press it and the chest containing the Dungeon Map
forms.

Take it and go right.  Now go up the stairs here.  Open the chest to
the south for the Big Key.  Now the dungeon’s unraveling.  Go back down
the stairs and pull the statue’s tongue to go left.  Hookshot over the
spikes with the Hookshot, obviously, and open the locked door to the
left.  You’re back in the intersection.  Go left and you’ll be in a new
room.  Take the stairs down and defeat the two ice enemies here with
the Fire Rod.  Open the chest that forms for bombs.  Now bomb the
cracked floor in the area to make a hole.

Fall through and open the chest here for the Blue Mail.  With it,
you’ll take half as much damage as normal!  It also changes Link’s
outfit from green to blue.  Now go back to that intersection (it takes
about a minute with the Magic Mirror) with the large razor trap.  Go
north and fall down the pit.  This time, go south and open the locked
door.

                        CHANGE POINT (SNES-GBA)

In here, go around the path to a staircase leading to B5F.  Go down and
lift the skull to find a switch.  Press it and a chest forms.  Open it
for a Small Key.  Now feel free to go right.  Follow this icy path
north.  Under one pot in this room is a Small Key, under another is a
switch.  Press it and go left.  Go north in here and then go north
again past a Stalfos Knight and a few jellyfish, using a Small Key on
the way.  At the end, go south.  Unlock the door to the right and hit
the block switch here.  Now go back up to B5F.  In this first room,
fall through either hole to be brought to a Fairy Fountain.  Take the
portal afterward and go north up the stairs back to B5F.

Go south and go right.  Go south again, go left, and then take the
stairs back up.  Go around the path here and go through the north door.
Welcome back to this room.  Lift the central pot to find a switch.  Use
it to go left.  Now fall through the hole.  Here, go right.  We’re back
to the block.  Lift it and fall down the hole.  First, defeat the
Stalfos Knight that falls down.  Now go south a room.  Defeat the
jellyfish here and then pound the stakes to the left.  Lift the giant
block and pull the statues out.  Now pound the stakes and fall into the
hole.

                      +------------------------+
                      |    Boss: Kholdstare    |
                      +------------------------+

This boss is a tad tricky.  I hope you went to the dungeon’s Fairy
Fountain earlier and bottled them all like I told you to.  First, get
out the Fire Rod.  Use it repeatedly on the frozen Kholdstare and the
ice it is encased in will melt.  Now the cloud with an eye is free.
While blocks of ice fall on you, the cloud divides into three smaller
parts.  Follow each around and slash them many times to beat them.  At
the end, take the Heart Container and the crystal.

This maiden thanks you like the others do.  She says that those that
are true Hylians – the people of Hyrule – are becoming few.  She says
that the maidens do not possess the powers of their sage ancestors, but
that they can still help you when united.  May the way of the Hero lead
to the Triforce.

                           ----------------
                           The SNES Version
                           ----------------

The main difference between the remake and this lies in the block that
is surrounded by other blocks.  You need to lift it to reach the boss,
but it is much harder to do in the SNES version.  Seriously, you don’t
need a separate guide, except for the last paragraph before the boss.
Other than that, nothing has been changed.  After reading the text
“CHANGE POINT (SNES-GBA),” you’ll have to do some new things.  To avoid
much frustration, go to the sixth dungeon and at least get the prize
before attempting this part.

Specifically, get to the room that you must go north through a locked
door in with a Big Key, the one with the block surrounded by colored
blocks in it in my guide (doing everything before that, too).  Go north
and unlock the door here, taking the stairs down to B6F.  Go south
once.  After defeating the enemies here, lift the skull to find a
switch.  This is the switch that you need to keep down.  The problem is
that you must keep this switch pressed to keep the door to the south
open.

Well, to avoid having to go through a ton of junk that would ultimately
lead you to push a block onto the switch from above, use the Cane of
Somaria (found in the sixth dungeon) on this switch to keep it pressed.
Now go south to the room before the boss.  Like in the GBA version (the
changes are over), you must go to the left, lift the block, and fall
down the hole.  Sorry for the inconvenience of skipping the dungeon’s
Heart Container, but I assure you that the Blue Mail is not needed to
get the sixth dungeon’s item.  May the way of the Hero lead to the
Triforce.

=======================================================================
=============================Misery Mire*==============================
=======================================================================

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    The Bombos Medallion    |
                    +----------------------------+

Fly to the seventh warp point with the Flute.  Go north once and go to
the northwest corner.  Pound the stakes and lift the rock to find a
portal to the Dark World.  Now go to the south.  Go left and around
this path until you can go left no further.  See those stakes?  Stand
in them so that you are “boxed in” by the wall and use the Magic Mirror
to warp to the Light World.  Go left and read the inscription on the
tablet using the Book of Mudora.  You will receive the most impressive
of the medallions – the Bombos Medallion!  It unleashes a wave of fire
and a series of explosions to destroy every enemy on the field.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Swamp of Evil    |
                      +-------------------------+

There’s nothing to do now, so let’s just skip on ahead to the dungeon.
Strangely, enough, the Desert of Mystery has become Misery Mire (also
called the Swamp of Evil), a swampy wasteland plagued by a mysterious
ghost.  Use the Flute to warp to point 6.  Lift the black rock to the
right and use it to warp to Misery Mire.  In the GBA version of this
game, the second dungeon was called the Swamp Palace.  Any dungeon here
deserves that name, not a clearly water-themed dungeon!  Anyhow, now
that we’ve found the entrance to the swamp, let’s go north a bit.  Hop
off the ledge and go north to see the entrance to the dungeon.  It is
on some land, and you’ll see an emblem before it.  Stand on the
insignia of one of the medallions and unleash the power of Ether
(translation: use the Ether Medallion on the emblem)!  This makes the
dungeon rise from its swampy grave.  After you.

                         +-------------------+
                         |    Misery Mire    |
                         +-------------------+

This dungeon has no note because there is no change.  This is the
dungeon from the SNES, name and all.  I know that some of you just
skipped by before completing the fifth dungeon due to the SNES
complication, so I’ll make getting the treasure our first priority.  Go
forward with the Hookshot in hand and grapple across the pit to the
right.  Now take the stairs down to B1F.

To your right and left are two enemies that you might be familiar with.
They were in one of the first rooms of Eastern Palace, and they take
one hit now just as they took one hit then.  However, this room is also
home to several new enemies (as well as a Beamos).  Wizzrobes, also
called Wizrobes (the difference lies in the type.  Wizrobe refers to
the mini-boss type), warp around the room and shoot blasts of magic,
usually elemental.  At this point in the Zelda world (that is, when A
Link to the Past was first released), they had appeared in each game.
Thanks to the Tempered Sword, you can defeat them in one hit.  The
trick is keeping them still.  When you’ve smote each enemy in the room,
go north.

This is the main room of the dungeon right here.  Take the steps down
and go to the northeast corner of the maze.  Take the left ladder up
(you cannot take the right one if you wanted to) and go through the
door.  The torches in here are an old but effective trick.  They shoot
fireballs at you (this dungeon is the revival of everything old in
Zelda games).  Go right and pull out the Magic Cape or the Cane of
Byrna.  Walk across the spikes here to reach the pot.  Lift it and step
on the switch to make a chest appear.  Open it for a Small Key.  Lift
the skull pot in the northwest corner for yet another Small Key.  Two
for one room special!

Go north a room through the locked door.  Go north in here, too.  Run
forward and go left at the end of the path.  We’re at another bridge.
Go left on it and you’ll wind up in a new room.  Go to the left and
lift a skull pot in here after a few Sparks to find a Small Key.
They’re just throwing them at us.  Now hit the block switch to make it
blue.  Return to where we entered this room and go south past a bed of
spikes.  To the south is a locked door; open it and take it.  To the
south again is another conveniently placed spike bed.  Use the Cane of
Byrna to go south on it and de-equip it at the end.

Step in front of the giant razor trap, retreat, and then go south as it
retracts.  In the new room, go right immediately.  We’re back in the
main room and we got a key out of it!  Go south and refrain from
opening the locked door.  Step onto the wire net when you can and go to
the northeast corner of this net to find a skull pot.  Lift it and
press the switch to make a chest containing a Small Key form.  Now go
back to that locked door we saw earlier and go west through it.  In
here, use the Hookshot on the jellyfish for a Small Key.  Great.  Now
exit this room the way you entered.  By where you opened that chest is
a door to the north.  Take it, please.  The enemies in this room,
called Sluggulas, take one hit apiece and drop bombs.  Defeating all
four makes the door to the right open.

After taking it, we’re going north this time.  To do this, wait for the
torches to fire and push the block aside.  Go north to see an enemy-
filled room below.  Go north again and take the stairs down to a
bridge.  Go north on it to find a chest containing a Small Key (number
three in your arsenal).  Now that we have it, let’s go back to the room
where we got the Small Key from the jellyfish (south twice, left, down,
southwest).  Leave the switch here blue, ignore the enemies, and go
west through the locked door.

It’s alive!  Yes, this room pits you against flying tiles, which you
should harbor a strong hatred of ever since Desert Palace.  Stand in
the southeast corner with your sword extended and raise it each time
Link lowers it (in most games Link is left-handed.  Pretty neat, huh?).
The only problem with is the block shooting fireballs at you.  Light
all the torches and go north.  Open the chest here for the Compass.  Go
south back to the room with those terrible tiles and then go south
again.  Defeat the enemies here and go around the bend to some stairs.

Take them to 1F.  Go down, walking around the pits, to see some torches
by Wizzrobes at the southern limit of the room.  Push the sides blocks
in and then the central blocks up or down to make a clear path to the
torches.  Now go south without lighting them.  The setup is the same
here.  Push the blocks and run into each room, lighting all the torches
with your Lamp.  Doing so makes the floor tremble.  It takes so long
that the torch you just lit will be out by the time it’s over.  Go east
at the end.  Although you cannot tell now, the room just expanded quite
a bit to the north.  Head in that direction.

Actually, I lie.  A hole was made in here in the southeast corner.
That’s what the intercom (live chat with Sahasrahla!) says, or
something to that extent; when Sahasrahla talks, I kind of go blank.
Anyways, go south and fall into the pit.  Open the chest you fall by
for the Big Key.  Hooray!  Go left and use the warp here.  It leads to
a room with several Wizzrobes in it.  Go north of here, opening the
door with the Big Key.  Use the teleport in here to another new room.
This room is easy to access, so we’ll leave it for now.  Use the Magic
Mirror to return to the entrance of the dungeon and then go to the main
room.  You should see a door to your right.  Go through and go right.

In this room, quickly run to the right and onto the bridge (face
north).  Dash forward and, if you’re fast, you’ll reach a big chest.
Open it for the Cane of Somaria.  It is the second cane (but not the
last.  In The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, they introduce the Cane
of Pacci.  That is all) in the Zelda series, and definitely the
recurring one.  Swing it once to make a block appear.  Swing it again
to make the block explode, unleashing four fireballs in the cardinal
directions.  For those of you who are playing the SNES, this is the
easiest way to get past that puzzle in the Ice Palace.  For now, go
left and hop off the ledge.  We’ll return to this room later for the
treasure chest.

Go down to a ladder and go left at the end.  Welcome back to the main
room.  Jump into the maze and work your way to the northwest corner.
Take the ladder here and go down to the southwest door.  Go through,
hit the block switch (making it blue) and return to where you got the
Cane of Somaria a minute or two ago.  The easiest way to get to the
bridge before it starts to crumble is to use the Hookshot on the block.
When you reach the big chest, go left a room.  Now that the blocks are
down, open the chest for the Dungeon Map.  At this point, we’ve visited
nearly every room in the dungeon, and so it too late to be of aid.

Use the Small Key on the door to the left to make an easy shortcut to
this room and then go north.  Go north again and jump into the pit.  Go
left to be back in an old room.  Take the stairs in the center of the
room and open the locked door here with the Big Key.  In here, dash
across the bridge and take the stairs down to B2F.  It’s one of those
dark rooms.  Thank goodness we have the Lamp.  The main difficulty
factor here lies in fireballs from all directions.  Run to the left and
lift a pot.  Use the Cane of Somaria (it uses magic, so use it
sparingly) on the switch here.  Now go south.

In here, go west.  In this room, go south at first and take the path
north to see a razor trap.  When it is off to the right, run to the
left and take one of the paths down.  At the end, go left to the wall.
Follow it north and get onto some conveyor belts.  When you can, toss
the boomerang at the block switch to make it red.  Now go south and
through the door there.  Bomb the north wall to find a block switch.
Hit it to make it blue and then go south.  Go left to a new room, lit
thankfully.  Enemies drop from the roof in this room.  Dodge them as
well as the other hazards here and go north of the stairs to see a
block switch.  Hit it and then take the stairs up a floor (B1F).
Quickly run around this path to avoid the flame chain and then use the
Big Key to go north into the boss chamber.

                       +----------------------+
                       |    Boss: Vitreous    |
                       +----------------------+

What an imaginative boss!  Basically, you have a giant eye ball lying
in some gel-like substance with miniatures around it.  Like Agahnim,
Vitreous can shoot lightning bolts from its pupil.  Stand in the
southeast corner and slash your sword repetitively.  Vitreous will send
its bite-sized minions at you in groups.  They are very easy to beat if
you adopt this strategy.  When only four of its cohorts are standing,
the big eye itself comes to beat you up.  Because of its jumping
prowess, Vitreous might land an occasional hit on you.  However, if you
stand in that corner and slash repeatedly, you’ll beat it just as
easily as you defeated its juniors.  When the battle is over, take the
Heart Container and the crystal.

She thanks you and then decides to reveal more of the plot to you.
Ganon captured the maidens because he couldn’t break the seal of the
seven sages alone.  Using Agahnim as his pawn, Ganon drew the maidens
into the Dark World (we figured as much).  Ganon sure does like
crystals.  It’s his containment method of choice in Zelda games.  After
sealing up the maidens, he assigned one to each of his strongest
monsters.  That’s kind of pathetic, really.  Now only Princess Zelda
remains.  She is on Turtle Rock, and only you can save her!  May the
way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

=======================================================================
==============================Turtle Rock*=============================
=======================================================================

            +--------------------------------------------+
            |    The Golden Sword & the Silver Arrows    |
            +--------------------------------------------+

Use the warp by the Light World’s warp point # 7 (to the upper-left are
stakes; pound them and lift the rock) to enter the Dark World.  Go
right and then north to Link’s house’s equivalent, which is now a bomb
shop.  Normally, the man here only sells 30 bombs for 100 rupees.  Now,
though, he’ll sell you a Super Bomb for 100.  You want to buy the
latter.  If you cannot afford it, you can find 300 rupees in the house
that you must bomb to enter in the southwest corner of the Village of
Outcasts.  When you have it, do not dash,lift things, etcetera, and do
not jump over ledges.  If you do, the Super Bomb will detonate.  You
want to go to the Pyramid of Power with your new toy.  To do this, go
right (pound the stakes with the Magic Hammer), north, and then left.
In here, go up the first set of stairs and go left to a cracked wall.

Bomb it with the Super Bomb and it will open.  Hooray!  Enter to find a
Mysterious Pond, much like the one that we got the Magical Boomerang
and Red Shield at.  This time, though, throw in the Tempered Sword.  A
very fat fairy appears.  According to her, Ganon used his evil magic to
transform her.  Anyways, the Golden Sword is far better than any blade
you’ve wielded yet.  It’s true; you can feel the power throbbing in
your hand.  It is four times more powerful than the Fighter’s Sword.
Exit and reenter to throw in your Bow & Arrow.  For being honest, the
fairy will give you the Silver Arrows.  To deal the final stroke to
Ganon, you need them.  However, we still have a while until we’ll use
them.

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    The Ninth Warp Point    |
                    +----------------------------+

On your Flute, you currently have eight different warp points.  Warp to
the first one in the Light World.  Go to the right and enter the cave.
Talk to the elder and he’ll comfort your weariness.  Take the stairs
behind him and go right.  Follow this path to the southeast and go
south in these tunnels to emerge back on Death Mountain.  Go left and </pre><pre id="faqspan-4">
take the ladder here up a tier.  Take the portal here into the Dark
World, go left, and use the Magic Mirror to return to the Light World.
Jump off the north ledge and you’ll see the Tower of Hera/Mountain
Tower to your right.  Right of it is a bridge by stakes.

Cross the former and pound the stakes at the other side in with the
Magic Hammer.  Defeat the red Tektite to your right and continue right.
Follow the path right and you’ll see an elevated piece of land on the
mountain.  Lift the black rock before it and take the ladder to the
top.  Pound the right stake, then the north stake, and finish with the
left one.  This makes a portal to the Dark World appear.  Take it.  You
are now standing on the entrance to Turtle Rock.  Use the Quake
Medallion on the emblem here and the path to the dungeon opens.  Drop
down and enter.

                         +-------------------+
                         |    Turtle Rock    |
                         +-------------------+

Now this is a hard dungeon if you don’t know how to attack it.  First,
you need many of the magic-consuming items, like the Ice Rod, for
instance.  You need to use your magic very carefully, as Sahasrahla
warns you using the intercom to the left.  If you need it, you can buy
the Medicine of Magic for 60 rupees at the store in the Light World
that we got the Magic Powder from.  Go forward and you’ll see a line
with question marks at either end.  This is the second function of the
Cane of Somaria.  Swing it over the question mark to make a platform
appear.  Step on it and ride it across the gap.  Go north in here to
the main room of 1F.  It is the hub for quite a few rooms.  Due to a
Small Key shortage, you’ll have to go through one of the most memorable
rooms of the dungeon.

Make a platform appear on the mark ahead of you and ride it to the
right to two more question marks, going north at the intersection.  Go
through the door to the right to find yourself in a maze.  You must
light all the torches here to make a door to the north open.  However,
you must keep them lit, and you must use the Fire Rod.  To do this most
effectively, go south.  At the very end, you’ll have an opportunity to
light all four of the torches very quickly.  Don’t take the little
detour and go north as soon as you can.  If you’re fast enough, you’ll
make it through the door in time.  Here, go north a bit (with the Magic
Cape on if you want) and you’ll find two chests.  In one is a Small
Key, while the left one holds the Dungeon Map.  Both are valuable
items. Lift the skull while you’re here to relieve your magic, even if
it is slight.

Go south and hang a left to return to the main room of 1F.  This time,
use the Cane of Somaria on the question mark to the left and go forward
to another door.  Take it after whooping that Stalfos and you’ll be in
a flying tiles of doom room.  Stand in the southeast corner with an
extended sword (that is, as close to the spikes as you can be without
standing in them).  When the tiles hit your sword, raise it again, and
continue this until the door to the north opens.  Go north and you’ll
find a Fairy as well as a magic jar under the skull, completely
refilling your magic.  Now go south twice back to the main room.

Make a platform form with the Cane of Somaria and go left, turning
south at the intersection.  Then go left at the four-way fork in the
line, and go south afterward.  Stop and take the recovery heart beneath
the skull, then go right to the next stop.  Go south through the cave
in here and walk straight down.  You experienced eyes that shoot lasers
on the walls in the room of Misery Mire that you got the Cane of
Somaria in.

Well, they’re back in force in this dungeon.  They do not shoot when
you’re back is facing them, so run down to the chest.  Quickly open it
for the Compass.  Now face the south and swing the Golden Sword.  Keep
it extended until it begins to sparkle.  While charging a Spin Attack,
you cannot turn around, making this the ideal way to go north back into
the main room undetected.

Take the path to the northwest ledge.  Here, open the locked door
(don’t you just love how this dungeon is set up like a cave?  No?  I
didn’t think so).  The enemy in this room resembles a Pokey from Super
Mario Bros. 2.  That is, it is a layered monster that splits as you
attack it.  It’s best to attack them with a Spin Attack to take out two
layers at once.  They bounce around after you make contact, making them
quite annoying.  When you’ve beaten it, a Small Key drops.  Use it on
the door to the north.  This is it for the first floor.

In this room you’ll see two Chain Chomps, another Mario enemy.  Just
leave them alone.  Use the Magical Boomerang to hit the block switch
from behind the orange block line and then go to the southwest corner
of the room.  Push the upper block here to the right to make a chest
appear.  Step out of the blue box and hit the switch again to lower the
orange blocks.  Open the chest for a Small Key.  Now go north down the
stairs.  Make sure that the block switch was red.  B1F introduces to
you a tunneling system exclusive to this dungeon.  Hop over the ledge
and go east.  Lift the pots to refill on supplies.  Take the stairs
back down and run south.  Take these steps up and enter the tube to the
left.  It will take you across the room to an exit.  Neat-o!  Now go
left to a new room.

It’s the tunnel maze.  Take the right pipe.  Go left from it to a new
room.  Go south a bit, hit the block switch, and slash the Staflos and
the Pokey until they die.  One drops a Small Key that you need to use
on the door to the right.  Take the pipe here to the chest containing
the Big Key.  It’s been smooth sailing so far.  Now take the pipe south
of it.  Go through the door that it leads to.  Take this pipe to a
skull pot covering a magic jar.  Use it to refill all your magic power.
I wish they had those in Adventure of Link...  Anyways, jump off the
ledge to the right and take the ladder up.  Use another pipe and go
through the door to the left.  This time, take the left pipe.  Go south
from where you pop out to a new room.  In here, beat down those Pokeys.

Doing so opens the doors to the east and south.  Let’s go south.  In
here, go left.  There are five laser-emitting eyes in here, which
complicates things.  Two of them will shoot you even if you’re back is
toward them, so face south, charge your sword, and rush to the left to
stand between them.  Lift the skull pot and bomb the wall to the south.
Take the door outside to Death Mountain.  Go to the right and stop.

Before entering, use the Magic Mirror to warp to the Light World.  This
is a special cave, and you should enter it now instead of waiting.
Pound the stakes down to the north and defeat all the enemies in the
room to go north one room.  Open the chest in here for a Piece of
Heart, which not only refills your health, but may also add a Heart
Container to your count (very useful in the middle of a dungeon).  Now
go back outside, warp back to the Dark World, and go north into the
dungeon.

Use the Cane of Somaria on the pit and cross over it to the big chest.
The prize of this dungeon is the Mirror Shield!  The Fighter’s Shield,
your first defensive item, was tiny.  It could block against arrows and
that’s about it.  The Red Shield was a bit better as it blocked
fireballs.  Well, the Mirror Shield blocks lasers and it is loads
bigger.  Not only that, but it reflects them.  Go north with it.
Although you cannot tell right away, the door here only requires the
Big Key.  Go through it and then take the pipe here.  Go north from
where you emerge.  Here, a single Spin Attack can defeat the Pokey.

Bomb the right wall and go through.  Aside from Gels, there are no
enemies.  Push the block here and pull the tongue of the statue to the
left.  Now go north.  This room is filled with blue rupees.  If you
have the magic to support the Cane of Byrna, you can get rich off this
room.  Go south when you’re satisfied with your rupee count and then go
west.  Bomb the upper wall this time.  Go through and you’ll see a
switch to the north.  Run into the boxed off area when the spiked
cylinder is to the right, and then boomerang the block switch.  Run to
the left and open the chest for the Small Key.

When the cylinder starts to go left, boomerang the switch again and
open the locked door.  Ugh, I hate this room.  First off, it’s dark.  A
bunch of flame chains in here (which would normally light a room) make
the ride down the lines painful and unpleasant.  At the same time you
must find a switch, press it, and open the door in the southwest
corner.  Good luck, my friend; you’ll need it.  By the way, the switch
is under a skull pot about in the center of the room.

In the next room (don’t worry, the dungeon is almost over), dash to the
south and stop near the stop.  Go south at the end to another hallway.
Remember that you have the Mirror Shield, allowing you to deflect
beams.  There are several chests in here.  To assure success in the
dungeon, dash to the south and bomb the wall.  Exit and reenter.  Why
do this?  Well, it allows you to restart here should you die.  Also, if
you warp to the Light World here and take the stairs down in the cave
there, you’ll find two fairies (fill your bottles and your hearts).

Anyways, aside from several rupees, there is a Small Key in the
southernmost chest.  Go back north and go through the door to the left
using your Small Key.  In here, you must get to the north.  Immediately
hit the block switch and use the Hookshot to stun the Helmasur.  Beat
it and then follow the path as far to the north as you can go.  Stand
in the box with three orange blocks around it and a block switch to the
right.  Boomerang this switch and go left to the final box.  Boomerang
the switch to the left and then go north.  Take the stairs down to B3F.
Lift the skull pots for a recovery heart and a full magic jar.  Thanks
to those two fairies we captured before coming in (read the start of
this paragraph), use the Cane of Somaria to cross the gap and reach the
boss door.  Take a deep breath.  Now go north.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Trinexx    |
                        +---------------------+

This is a difficult boss if you’re unprepared.  I don’t think it’s one
of the hardest in the game, but it requires a certain level of caution.
When you enter, you see a giant turtle with a rocky exoskeleton (or
shell, whichever you prefer).  Shortly after you glimpse the rocky
head, you see two other heads rise from the shell – a fire and ice one!
They are weak only to the Ice and Fire Rod, respectively.  They also
breathe an element.  I suggest that you defeat the icy head first by
burning it with the Fire Rod and then attacking it furiously.  The icy
one breathes ice, making the arena permanently slippery, which might be
your undoing in the long run.  Then take out the fiery head, which
breathes temporary fire.  In the meantime, the invulnerable rock head
will reach out and nip at you occasionally.  After four hits of the
Golden Sword delivered to each of the elemental heads, the earthen head
breaks loose from its shell.  After exploding, it looks like you’re
done with it.  Three slashes to the glowing segment will kill Trinexx.
Without full magic, just imagine fighting this creature.  However,
Trinexx is not too difficult.  It does major damage, but your reward is
a Heart Container.  After getting the final crystal, Zelda appears
before you at last.

Long time no see!  As she suspected, you are the legendary Hero.
According to her, Ganon is within the tower here on Death Mountain.
He’s just waiting for a chance to pass into the Light World.  Once
there, Ganon will be unstoppable.  But, in this world, he has few
options for escape.  Now!  We must use the combined powers of the
crystals to open a path to Ganon’s Tower and defeat him once and for
all!  May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.

=======================================================================
============================Ganon’s Tower*=============================
=======================================================================

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    Breaking the Barrier    |
                    +----------------------------+

With full hearts from Zelda, make sure that you have as many hearts as
you want.  If you’ve been using my guide, you have three hearts more
than you normally would, but you also have three less than the maximum.
See “Pieces of Heart” in Section 3 of this guide for details on
collecting the other twelve Pieces of Heart.  Now, from Turtle Rock go
left a screen.  Go to the left past a large stone to see a dragon-like
beast.  It’s a Lynel, an old The Legend of Zelda enemy.  Defeat them or
skip them, whatever you prefer, and go left over a bridge.  Left one
more screen is Ganon’s Tower, the ultimate destination on Death
Mountain.  Stand before its opening and let the combined force of the
maidens open it for you.  The barrier will be broken in a flash of
light.  Stairs reach down to you.  Take them into Ganon’s Tower.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Ganon’s Tower    |
                        +---------------------+

Like any other dungeon, this has a Map, a Compass, a Big Key, and a
prize.  I think you’ll like it.  Well, this place is gigantic.  It is
the last dungeon, unless you’re playing the GBA version and you count
the Palace of the Four Sword.  If you’re not full on fairies, I
recommend you stop.  Turtle Rock is nothing compared to this.  This is
HARD, especially if you didn’t have my walkthrough to use.  It is
difficult just reaching the top of this 8-floor dungeon with enough
hearts to fight the boss, let alone explore the entire place.  Get
ready for a wild ride.

Go forward and you’ll find yourself in a huge room.  There’s nothing in
it, though, save two staircases leading down and one leading up.  Take
the leftmost staircase down to 1F.  In here, defeat the red Stalfos
with a single stroke of your awesome sword.  Now dash into the torch
with a Small Key resting on it.  Instead of using it, go left.  First,
lift the pot to the south for another Small Key.  Use the skull as a
projectile to kill the jellyfish with.  The puzzle here is rather
straightforward.  Smash stakes on both sides of the central block and
push the block there over.  This fills the gap in the room, allowing
you to go west once more.

From where you enter, grapple to the block ahead of you using the
Hookshot.  Walk around and grapple to the block on the northernmost
platform.  Now go through the door.  In this room are four chests
guarded by Stalfos and sword-activated fireball-throwers.  To avoid
using your sword, kill the Stalfos with the Silver Arrows.  Then open
the chests.  Not much, but it’s something.  Go down to the previous
room.  Here, grapple to then skull pot to the south.  Grapple to the
block to the south of the northernmost block (directly), then grapple
east and south.

Although you cannot see it clearly due to the razor trap, use the
Hookshot to get over the gap to the south.  Aside from two block
switches, there’s a locked door to your right.  Take it to a room with
dual flame chains.  When you can, open it for the Dungeon Map.  If you
look at it, this place is HUGE.  It’s the biggest dungeon we’ve ever
played in.  A lot like Spectacle Rock from The Legend of Zelda, there
are many rooms, but we only need to visit a few of them.

Go back to the previous room.  Hit the crystal switch and go plant a
bomb by it.  Quickly run past the blue blocks and wait for the bomb to
explode.  When the switches are red, go south.  Here, we have a similar
setup.  First, lift the skull pot in southeastern corner for a Small
Key.  Then leave a bomb by the fireball launcher so that the explosion
affects only one switch.  By this time, you should be standing by that
skull pot you lifted.  Use your newly-acquired key on the door to the
right.

This room is a disaster waiting to happen.  If you hit the switch,
razor traps will no longer be confined to the edge of the room and will
be merciless.  Hit the switch from behind the easternmost blue block.
Fancy footwork will get you to the warp pad they’re guarding unscathed.
This room is a maze with flame chains rooting you out.  You may want to
use the Cane of Byrna here.  Take the southernmost path up and then go
up at the end to see a block.  Push it forward and a chest forms.
Hookshot to it and then open it for a Small Key.  Use it to go south.

You can imagine how much fun this is going to be – a room filled with
teleportation tiles.  Step on the right one first.  Take the left one
this time, and then the portal in the southwestern corner.  Follow this
path past some Hardhat Beetles to a teleport.  Take it and you’ll be in
a new room.  You’ve no choice but to take the one above you.  Now go
right into a new room.  If there was a word for how annoying this part
is, I’d use it.  However, there really isn’t.  Go south and follow this
to a bridge.  Take it and defeat any enemies you encounter.

To the north is a door.  Do not take it.  Instead, use the Fire Rod to
light the torch to the right.  This makes a formerly invisible path
visible (the first time I tried to cross it was strictly using the Cane
of Somaria...).  Now, I hope you didn’t discard the pots to the right.
Hookshot to them and dash across this path.  Rather than engaging the
Hardhat Beetles, Hookshot them to freeze them.  If you’re pretty fast,
you’ll be able to reach the door with time to spare.  Go through the
northern door.  First, the chest in here contains 10 arrows.  If you
think that’s good enough to release a monster, then do it.  Of course,
you’ll have to anyways.  Drop a bomb on the crack here and fall
through.

Hey look!  It’s our gold old buddies, the Armos Knights.  Hey, I
thought we lost you guys at Eastern Palace!  Well, these losers want a
rematch and they’ve chosen an icy arena to stunt your movement.  They
each die instantly when you shoot a Silver Arrow at them.  The only
remotely hard one is the last one, which you should stand, face the
right, and slash to beat.  Doing so makes two doors open (and no Heart
Container!  Go north as opposed to west.  There are three chests here.
One contains the Big Key, one a bundle of bombs, and the other ten
arrows.  With them in hand, go south and then west.  Before taking the
stairs up, bomb the north wall to gain access to a Fairy Fountain.
Either heal up or bottle some if you’re low.  Now take the stairs up to
1F.

Push the block aside and open the big chest for…  the Red Mail!  Even
better than its predecessor, you now take a quarter of the damage that
you’d take with the starting tunic.  Now go north back to the second
room of the tower.  Go north to 2F and take the middle staircase to 3F.
Now here’s a tricky room.  First, use the Hookshot to lower the blue
blocks via hitting the switch.  Follow this path to the southwest where
you’ll be able to lift a skull pot.  Throw it at the switch and go left
to two blocks.  Push the upper one forward and then go south through
the door you opened.

There are several hazards here, the most noticeable being the Goriyas.
However, we can avoid the first one.  Pull the statue back and then
push it down so that it is blocking the razor trap.  Now push the
statue over until the Goriya breaks free and you can go south.  Defeat
the mimicking monster anyways (you have to and look south for another
one.  Defeat it (you can control where it goes by pushing against the
block) and go east.  In here are two Beamos and just as many Goriyas.
Even with the Mirror Shield, you cannot block the lasers of the Beamos.

Just beat the red Goriyas as quickly as you can to open all doors
leading out of here.  Remember that you can block fireballs from the
Goriyas, though.  Go north to exit this room.  Aside from a few
statues, you’ll need the Big Key to go north here.  Use it and stick to
the left wall in here.  When you see the second block switch, jump into
the pit and hit it.  Two Eyegore Statues (as I call them) come at you.
Shoot their open eyes to beat them and lift the skulls they were
guarding.  Under one is a switch.  Press it and the door here opens.
Now make your way to the south to exit the pit and go through the door.

In here, the Magic Cape is advised.  Walk across the bridge that is
under fire from cannons to reach a door.  Take it to 4F.  This room
features some Stalfos and those lovable creatures from Blind’s dungeon.
Defeat them and go left.  This room, containing a Beamos and four
Stalfos, has a conveyor belt in the center.  Defeat the enemies here
and then go south.  This room is much like the last except there are
two Beamos and the enemies are easier.  Go south again to find another
room with harder enemies, ice, and two Beamos.  Go south from it and
you’ll be in another icy room.  Dash into enemies if you want to defeat
them.  Here, stand behind the statue to avoid getting hit by the
magical disk.  If you do get hit, wait for a few seconds to reassume
human form.

Now go left into a new room.  Oh, joy.  We get to fight the Lanmolas.
Of course, we’re far stronger than we were then (four times to be
exact), but they have a fireball-emitting block this time.  Each of
them takes three hits, so get it over as fast as possible.  Go north at
the end.

In this room, heal as much as you can at the skulls and then go north
to 5F.  This room is home to an invisible path as well as three
Wizzrobes (we’re slowly reviewing each and every former dungeon).
Defeat them all to open the door to the south.  Use the Ether Medallion
to see the floor for a short time and then rush to the south.  Welcome
to a long hallway.  Dash across to avoid the enemies and go north.
Defeat all four Wizzrobes in here (they always appear in the same
place, so position yourself wisely) and go north.  A long hallway…
Your first instinct might be to dash across.  If so, you’re right.  At
the end, quickly go right to a much-hated room.  Of course, everyone
hates every room anyways.

Despite a flame chain, you must light all the torches in the room.  Get
out to where the flame chain is and, with some good timing, lift all
the skulls in front of the torches.  Starting with the north, light the
torches in a clockwise manner (Fire Rod highly advised).  Now go
through the door to the east before the flames go out.  In here, lift
the pots for magic and use the Mirror Shield to block laser attacks
from the wall.  Take the stairs up to 6F.  Of course, the place is
littered with holes leading to previous floors.  But, after this, we
have only 7F, two rooms, to deal with.  This rather difficult room
requires the Fire Rod.  Quickly run to the right and go down, lighting
both torches as you go.  Then run north, lighting both these torches.

Go north to escape this room.  Under a skull in this room is a Small
Key.  Use it go left.  The chests contain bombs, by the way.  In the
new room, go south when you can and bomb the wall.  Now run to a new
room.  The enemies in here are your best friends.  I haven’t told you
this until now, but you can sprinkle Magic Powder on those magic-
consuming enemies (like the one trapped below) for Fairies.  You don’t
need it, but you can open the chest in here for a Small Key.  Also, a
pot here holds a magic jar, refilling your Magic Meter.  Now go south.
Be careful, for you must fight the Moldorm boss from the Light World
equivalent of this very tower.

If you fall, you’ll end up in a hazardous room in 5F that is not
accessible in any other way.  To exit it, go to the northeast and take
the stairs back up to the arena.  If you’re having a lot of trouble
(you get knocked off each time), use the Magic Cape or the Cane of
Byrna.  That way, you cannot fall off quite so easily.  Two hits beat
the fiend.  A chest forms to the south.  It contains twenty rupees, but
you need it as a Hookshot target.  Now go south up the ladder and push
the blocks aside to go left.  In here, dash to the north as much as you
can and you’ll reach the stairs to 7F.  Get ready for the boss battle.
I know, we skipped the Compass, but it wasn’t worth getting.  Follow
the path here to a locked door.  Open it with the Big Key and pass
through.

                        +---------------------+
                        |    Boss: Agahnim    |
                        +---------------------+

In this dungeon, you fight every single Light World boss.  This is true
of Agahnim, too, except he’s got a new trick up his sleeve.  This time,
two faded versions of him warp across the room to attack you.  These
illusionary counterparts can hurt you, though, and their spells can
hurt the real dark wizard.  Remember how to beat him?  When he fires an
energy attack with three balls lined up, ranging from greatest to
smallest, hit it back at him with the Golden Sword.  This is how you do
damage.  However, Agahnim and his clones have other attacks, too.
Also, they don’t have to use the same spell when they fire.  Remember
to never stand against the door, or be directly south of Agahnim.  If
you do, he may use a lightning bolt attack.  He also has another attack
in which he fires a circle of blue orbs that burst into smaller ones on
contact.  Of course, this battle isn’t too hard.  It also has a strange
glitch in it.  If you bring up the map at just the right time, Agahnim
will be discolored (in the GBA version).  The right time happens to be
when he has just warped and is coming out of the shadowy ball he uses.
I don’t recommend this, however, as it makes it harder to differentiate
between his doppelgangers.

When you’ve delivered the final hit to him, a strange creature emerges
from its body, turns into a bat, and flies off.  The bat flies through
the roof of the Pyramid of Power.  Link automatically uses the Flute to
call the bird to follow it.  Although you don’t have to, if you fall
into the hole now, you’ll engage that creature.  I suggest that you
refill your Fairies and hearts first, though.

                         +-------------------+
                         |    Boss: Ganon    |
                         +-------------------+

In my opinion, this is the best Ganon that they’ve ever used (pigs can
look cool).  The first Ganon looked stupid (he struck a dumb pose when
you hit him) and he was easy.  When they reintroduced Ganon in this
game, he became significantly harder and cooler.  When you fall in, you
can get four good stabs at Ganon before he starts talking.  Now, since
I love listening to Ganon talk (he’s just so cool), I’ll record what he
says here.  “I never imagined a boy like you could give me so much
trouble.  It’s unbelievable that you defeated my alter ego, Agahnim the
Dark Wizard, twice!  But I will never give you the Triforce.  I will
destroy you and make my wish to conquer both Light and Dark Worlds come
true without delay.”

Let the battle begin!  You need the Silver Arrows to finish him off, so
come prepared.  The background music is the perfect backdrop for the
ultimate battle.  At first, you must only slash him.  This is easier
said than done because he warps around the room and use the Magic
Trident to cause you pain.  He either throws it at you like the
Boomerang or he swings it make a circle of fiery Keese appear and
attack you.  Eventually, Ganon starts warping around the room like
crazy and he jumps, dropping down to knock parts of the tile off.  If
you need to stop the battle, fall through the tiles.  This is why
there’s that one opening that you can’t reach in the Pyramid of Power
(for escaping).  As he warps, follow him with a charged sword so you
can use a Spin Attack when he stops.

Eventually, Ganon will say, “You are doing well, lad.  But can you
break through this secret technique of Darkness?  En garde!”  The room
becomes dark and Ganon becomes invisible (the same strategy he used in
The Legend of Zelda).  You must light the torches to make him visible.
Do this with the Lamp to conserve magic power, although the Fire Rod
will work.  When completely visible, Ganon will pull his cape in front
of him.  This is your chance to slash him.  He’ll turn chrome, allowing
you to shoot a Silver Arrow at his stunned body.  After four hits of
this nature, Ganon will explode.  You finally defeated the King of
Evil!  Go through the door that forms.  Three golden triangle rise.

This is the Essence of the Triforce, which is basically the goddesses
that created it using the Triforce to talk to you.  The Triforce will
grant the wish of the person who touches it in their heart.  If a good
person should touch it, then goodness will come of it.  If evil, then
evil only can rise.  The stronger the wish, the more powerful the
expression of that wish the Triforce will make.  Ganon wanted to
conquer the world, and this transformed the Golden Land into the Dark
World.  After building up his power, Ganon planned to seize the Light
World.  But now that he is dead, his Dark World will vanish.  Link is
now the master of the Triforce.  With it in his hands, Link touches it
and his wish is granted.  Let the credits roll!

First, the King of Hyrule resumes his position on the throne (not
dead).  The monk comes back to life in the Sanctuary, and Sahasrahla
comes back to life.  The thief in the desert can practice his art, and
the bully of Death Mountain makes a friend.  Your uncle comes back to
life (he has the Fighter’s Sword), and the Zoras resume selling
Flippers in peace.  The witch’s apprentice and the witch resume selling
their potions, and the twin lumberjacks continue to cut.  The Flute Boy
plays again in Haunted Grove, and Venus, Queen of Fairies, takes her
normal shape.  The Dwarven Smiths are united, and the bug-catching kid
gets well.  The old man of Death Mountain explores a peaceful mountain,
and the thieves in the Lost Woods rob again.  And the Master Sword
sleeps again…  Forever!  And at the end, the Triforce splits into three
parts and is separated again.

Congratulations!  You beat the game!  But wait; there’s still more to
do in Hyrule.  Whether you want to complete your file or just save the
world again, this game never gets old.  Plus, at the end they show how
many times you died and where.  Your goal is to get a perfect score
everywhere, so keep trying!  May the way of the Hero lead to the
Triforce.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
   _________________________________________________________________
  /                                                                 \
 /                                                                   \
||----------------------------Section 3*-----------------------------||
 \                                                                   /
  \_________________________________________________________________/

=======================================================================
==========================Equipment Upgrades*==========================
=======================================================================

The Legend of Zelda has always been a great series for many reasons.  A
big role in the game is your ability to collect and keep items, which
was very new at this point in time.  Well, what’s the point of having
an item if you cannot upgrade it?  Many of the items in A Link to the
Past can be upgraded, and there are a few optional items, too.  Here,
I’ll make a list of them for those who cannot find the information in
my guide.

=======================================================================
                            Sword Upgrades
=======================================================================
Fighter’s Sword

Obtain: This is your first sword, given to you by your uncle.  When you
find him dying in Hyrule Castle, he hands it over to you (along with
the Fighter’s Shield).

Function: This is your basic means of attack, at least until you get
the Master Sword.  It is weak, though, taking two slashes to defeat a
common green soldier.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Master Sword

Obtain: Once you’ve beaten the first three dungeons of the Light World,
you’ll have each Pendant of Virtue.  If you go to the Lost Woods and
locate the Master Sword, you can pull it from its pedestal.

Function: This is basically the Fighter’s Sword only it’s advanced.
That is, it is twice as strong (but it’s still pretty weak).  Also,
it’s the only weapon in your arsenal that can deflect Agahnim’s dark
magic.  However, I should note that you can deflect the magic with the
Bug-Catching Net, too.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tempered Sword

Obtain: Once you’ve obtained the Titan’s Mitt from Blind’s dungeon, you
can lift a rock in southern Village of Outcasts to find a frog-man.
Use the Magic Mirror to take him and yourself back to the Light World
and go to the Smithy’s shop in Kakariko Village.  The united smiths
will temper the Master Sword if you give them the chance, plus ten
rupees.  Go pick it up after a while and you’re set.

Function: The Tempered Sword is three times as powerful as the
Fighter’s Sword.  Although this is good, it is not the ultimate sword
in the game.  Remember, it’s still the Master Sword on the inside.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Golden Sword

Obtain: You must have beaten Misery Mire to get this.  In the bomb shop
located where Link’s house was in the Dark World, the merchant there
starts selling the Super Bomb for 100 rupees.  If you buy it, do not
dash, pull/push anything, or jump over ledges.  Go to the Pyramid of
Power and take the first set of stairs up.  To the left is a crack; use
the Super Bomb on it.  When it explodes, go through the crack to a
Mysterious Pond.  Throw the Tempered Sword in and the Great Fairy there
will ask if the sword is yours.  Tell her that it is and she’ll give
you the Golden Sword in exchange for being honest.

Function: The Golden Sword is the best blade in the game.  It is four
times as strong as the Fighter’s Sword.  It can take down most enemies
in one hit.
=======================================================================
                           Shield Upgrades
=======================================================================
Fighter’s Shield

Obtain: When you find your dying uncle in Hyrule Castle, he’ll give you
the Fighter’s Sword and the Fighter’s Shield, hoping that you’ll use
them to rescue Princess Zelda.

Function: The Fighter’s Shield is tiny and really not befitting of a
hero.  In a future Zelda game (the Minish Cap), they call it the Small
Shield.  The only thing it’s good for is blocking arrows.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Shield

Obtain: When you have the Flippers, swim into the waterfall near the
entrance to the Zora community (northeast of Witch’s Hut).  Inside is a
Mysterious Pond.  Throw the Fighter’s Shield into the pond and say that
you did, indeed, throw it in.  The Great Fairy will give you this in
return.

Function: The Red Shield is a mite bigger than the Fighter’s Shield,
allowing it to better cover your body.  Better yet, the Red Shield
blocks fireballs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mirror Shield

Obtain: This is the dungeon prize of Turtle Rock.  Please see that
section for detail.

Function: The Mirror Shield is the biggest and best shield in the game.
In most Zelda games it reflects light (which would’ve been useful when
fighting Blind), but in this game is has another function.  It blocks
most lasers, although the lasers from Beamos still hurt you.
=======================================================================
                            Mail Upgrades
=======================================================================
Kokiri Tunic

Obtain: You start wearing this.

Function: Also called the Green Mail, this item is your only other
defense aside from your shield.  It is pretty lousy, though; weak
enemies can do a heart of damage in one swipe.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Blue Mail

Obtain: This is the prize of Ice Palace.

Function: The Blue Mail makes it so that you take one-half the damage
you would normally take.  It is very useful, but Link still takes
ridiculous amounts of damage.  Also, Link’s tunic becomes blue and his
hat becomes yellow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Mail

Obtain: This is the dungeon prize of Ganon’s Tower.

Function: Talk about handy!  This not only changes Link’s outfit’s
color (I don’t understand the colors.  Red tunic and a purple hat?),
but he takes a quarter of the damage that he would originally.  Since
quarters of heart haven’t been introduced to the Zelda world yet (in
this game, you can have a full heart, incomplete heart, or no heart,
but future games divide hearts into four parts), some attacks do no
damage at all.
=======================================================================
                               Bottles
=======================================================================
Magic Bottle

Obtain: The first bottle is rather obvious.  In the northwestern part
of Kakariko Village, you’ll find a merchant selling bottles.  For 100
rupees, you can have one.  You can only have one, though.

Function: Bottles are able to store items.  Their most useful for
storage of Fairies, but they can hold a variety of other items, such as
potions, bees, fish and fish.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Bottle

Obtain: In Kakariko Village, one particularly long building has a back
entrance.  If you take it, you can find a chest with a bottle inside.

Function: It holds items.  See the above entry for more detail.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Bottle

Obtain: When you’ve acquired the Flippers, go to Lake Hylia and get in.
Swim to the north and you’ll find a river that passes under a stone
bridge.  Under that bridge is a homeless man camping there.  Since he
has nothing else to help you with, he gives you a bottle.

Function: See the first entry for bottle.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Bottle

Obtain: This is not very obvious.  Once you have the Titan’s Mitt, go
to where Smithy’s shop would be in the Village of Outcasts.  In the
ruins of the building there is a chest, the key to open it locked
inside.  As a result, you just carry it around.  Warp to the Light
World and go to the screen before you enter the Desert of Mystery.
There’s a man here who used to be a thief who wants to live in
solitude.  Talk to him with the chest and he’ll open it if you agree to
keep his former life a secret.  Do so and he opens the chest.  Guess
what’s inside?

Function: The bottle holds items.  See the entry three up from this
one.
=======================================================================
                     Magic Items & Magic Upgrades
=======================================================================
Magic Meter

Obtain: When you get the Lamp (open the first chest in your house), you
get the Magic Meter.

Function: The Magic Meter lets you use magical items, which are
generally more powerful than non-magical items.  The Lamp is the first
example of such an item.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Powder

Obtain: One part of the Lost Woods has an item in it called the Magic
Mushroom.  Take it and then go to the Witch’s Hut, north of
Sahasrahla’s home in the ruins around Eastern Palace.  Give the
mushroom to the witch and she’ll make Magic Powder.  Enter the shop and
take it from the apprentice.  Using it frequently will cost you some
magic power.

Function: You can sprinkle Magic Powder on various items to get certain
side effects.  If you go through the riddle side quest (GBA only), for
instance, you’ll be able to sprinkle some on the figurines for a
mysterious result…  Sprinkle it on one lady in Kakariko Village and she
turns into a fairy.  However, the best use for the Magic Powder lies in
the Bubble enemies that look like skulls with four pink balls around
them.  Sprinkle Magic Powder on them and a Fairy comes out.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1/2 Magic Meter

Obtain: Once you have the Magic Powder and the Magic Hammer, go to
Smithy’s shop in Kakariko Village.  Go to the door and look right to
see a stake.  Pound it down and jump off the ledge into a cavern.  Go
north and you’ll see a bowl of what would seem to be blood.  Sprinkle
Magic Powder on it and a bat rises from it.  To “curse” you, the bat
halves your Magic Meter.  This is actually a good thing, because now it
takes one-half the magic to use items.

Function: Like I said, you only use half the magic you normally would
when using items that take magic power.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice Rod

Obtain: Go to the northeastern corner of Lake Hylia.  There should be a
cave here, but it leads to nothing.  Bomb the wall left of the cave
opening to make a new passage.  Go through and go north to find the
chest containing this item.

Function: Needed to beat Trinexx, one of the dungeon bosses, the Ice
Rod shoots a blast of icy magic.  It freezes most enemies.  Most of the
time, when you shatter an enemy by pounding them with the Magic Hammer
after freezing them, they give you a magic jar (completely filling your
Magic Meter).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ether Medallion

Obtain: You need the Master Sword.  Left of the Tower of Hera/Mountain
Tower is a bridge leading to a stone slab.  Read the tablet using the
Book of Mudora and Link will raise the Master Sword to the sky,
although any later sword will do.  Down falls the Ether Medallion.

Function: This magical item is needed to enter Misery Mire, a Dark
World dungeon.  However, it is also effective when you want to defeat
all the enemies on the screen.  Also, it shows invisible paths when you
use it, if only for a moment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Quake Medallion

Obtain: In the Dark World, go north of the Palace of Darkness and
you’ll see a circle of rocks in the murky water.  Throw a bush into the
water and a huge catfish rises from it.  It gives you the Quake
Medallion if you promise to leave it alone.

Function: Needed to enter Turtle Rock, the Quake Medallion causes
earthquakes to sweep through the screen and beat up enemies.  Notice
that a catfish gives it to you.  In Japanese mythology (this game was
made in Japan) it was believed that giant catfish beneath the surface
of Earth caused earthquakes by flailing about underground.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombos Medallion

Obtain: West of Watergate Dungeon/Swamp Palace is what would be the
entrance to the Desert of Mystery.  Go as far to the left as you can
here and stand in the areas that is “fenced off” by stakes.  Use the
Magic Mirror to warp to the Light World and go left to a stone tablet.
After lifting up the Master Sword, the Bombos Medallion falls from the
heavens for your exclusive use.  The medallions eventually make a
reappearance on the GCN game Four Swords Adventures.

Function: This is the only unnecessary medallion, although it is the
coolest one by far.  Fire sweeps through the screen and a series of
explosions rock the world.  It is used to beat many enemies at once.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cane of Byrna

Obtain: Once you have the Magic Hammer, go to the Dark World’s Death
Mountain using the portal that you used the first time.  To the south
is a break in the edge of the mountain, which allows you to jump off to
a lower screen.  When you fall to a ledge, enter the cave and pound
down the stakes.  You’ll need at least one Fairy to do this, and that’s
assuming that you’re in good health.  Run across the spike bed on the
floor and you’ll reach a block.  Lift it and go forward to the chest
containing this item.  You can practice using it as you exit the cave.

Function: This is a really useful item.  When you use it, a ring of
light surrounds you.  First, it protects you from taking damage – even
on spiked floors or from bosses.  Second, the ring of light is damaging
to enemies.  It does not do that much damage, but it’s pretty fast.
Also, it uses magic at a slower rate than the Magic Cape.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Magic Cape

Obtain: You’ll need the Titan’s Mitt to do this.  Go to the graveyard,
right of the Sanctuary, and lift the black rocks in the northeastern
corner.  Dash into this particular grave with the Pegasus Boots to
force it backward, revealing a staircase.  Take it down to the chest
containing the Magic Cape.

Function: Although not as good as the Cane of Byrna, the Magic Cape
makes you invisible for a short period of time.  Invisible, you are
immune to damage, but your magic power is eaten up very quickly.  I
never use this because the Cane of Byrna is so much better, although
this item can help you get the Cane of Byrna.
=======================================================================
                         Projectile Upgrades
=======================================================================
Magical Boomerang

Obtain: Once you have the Flippers, swim through the waterfall that is
near the entrance to the Zora-populated area that you buy the Flippers
in.  Throw the Boomerang into the Mysterious Pond and claim it when the
Great Fairy appears.  Since she likes an honest person, she rewards you
with something better – this.

Function: The Magical Boomerang flies farther and faster.  Plus, you
can change its course by moving the D-Pad (the + you move with) when
you throw it.  The Magical Boomerang can retrieve minor items like
rupees.  It also stuns enemies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Silver Arrows

Obtain: After clearing Misery Mire, the Bomb Shop that replaces Link’s
house in the Dark World starts selling the Super Bomb for 100 rupees.
Do not dash, pull/push things, or jump over ledges with this.  Take it
to the Pyramid of Power and go up the first set of stairs.  Bomb the
wall to the right with it and go through the opening to a Mysterious
Pond.  Throw the Bow & Arrows in and claim them as yours.  The Great
Fairy will give you the Silver Arrows in return.

Function: These are needed to deal death to Ganon.  They are also much
more powerful than the normal arrows.
=======================================================================
                              Other Items
=======================================================================
Bug-Catching Net

Obtain: One boy in Kakariko Village caught the cold from the evil air
flowing from Death Mountain.  Talk to him and he’ll give you his net,
just to borrow.

Function: The Bug-Catching Net is the only way that you can catch
certain items (Fairies and Bees) to put in your bottles.  Also, it can
be used to deflect Agahnim’s dark magic instead of the Master Sword and
its upgrades.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Flute & Shovel

Obtain: In the Dark World, go to Haunted Grove (the patch of forest
between Link’s house and Kakariko Village.  In it, a boy plays his
flute and then disappears when you walk near him.  Talk to the boy here
and he’ll say that he misses his flute.  He buried it for safe-keeping
in the Light World, so he gives you his Shovel to retrieve it.  Warp to
the Light World and dig in a flower bed in the upper-left corner to
find the Flute.  Play it for the boy in the Dark World and he’ll turn
into a tree, letting you keep it.

Function: The Shovel can be used to dig for items (i.e. rupees, hearts,
etc.).  The Flute is much better.  Play the Flute in front of the
weather vane in Kakariko Village that serves as a compass and a bird
pops out.  Every time you play the Flute, the bird appears and takes
you to different warp points in Hyrule.  At first, there are eight, but
another one is added after you’ve visited Turtle Rock.
=======================================================================
                          Capacity Upgrades
=======================================================================
Bomb Bag Upgrade

Obtain: In the Light World, the cave that would normally be Ice Palace
is the Pond of Happiness.  Every time you throw in 100 rupees, a Great
Fairy appears and asks what you’d like to be able to carry more of.  If
you choose bombs, you’ll receive the upgrade.  You can only be able to
hold up to 50.  After that, if you choose the bomb upgrade she’ll
return your money.

Function: You can carry more bombs.  You start out able to carry ten,
so it’s a big increase.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Quiver Upgrade

Obtain: In the Light World, go to the Pond of Happiness like you would
in the above entry.  If you choose to carry more arrows, you’ll receive
the upgrade.  You can hold a maximum of 70 at a time.

Function: As the name would imply, you’re able to carry more arrows,
which is never a bad thing.  You stat out able to carry 30, which makes </pre><pre id="faqspan-5">
for a 40-arrow increase in total.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And that’s how you get every single upgrade.  Tada!  It’s possible to
go through the game oblivious to most of them, so don’t let it happen.

=======================================================================
===========================Pieces of Heart*============================
=======================================================================

This is a Zelda game of many firsts.  This was the first game ever to
use the Piece of Heart system.  That is, in both the previous game,
your Heart/Life Meter was augmented each time you found a Heart
Container.  In this game, your Heart Meter is increased by one every
time you find four Pieces of Heart.  Although it’s not quite as clean
as the whole Heart Container method used in the first two games, it
adds many more side quests and has been used in almost every Zelda game
since, the exception being Four Swords Adventures.

Now, you start out with three Heart Containers.  This is the standard
number for Zelda games (except for Adventure of Link, which used a Life
Meter system similar to the Magic Meter in this game only horizontal).
However, you can increase your heart count by finding Heart Containers.
In this game, you get them from beating bosses, except for the last one
and Agahnim, and there’s one in the Sanctuary as a reward for clearing
Hyrule Castle the first time.  So, that adds up to a total of fourteen
hearts at the end of the game.  Therefore, there are six more Heart
Containers to collect, which means that there are 24 more Pieces of
Heart to collect.

If you used my guide to the letter, than you collected twelve Pieces of
Heart already.  However, I’ll list all twenty-four for those who didn’t
use my guide.  Long live Link!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
#) Location

Obtain:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Above is the setup for each entry.  Now for the list.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Kakariko Village

Obtain: Go to the northwest corner of the town and you’ll see a pit by
a cave.  Jump into the pit from the above ledge and you’ll be in the
upper part of the cave.  Open the chests for treasure and then bomb the
northern wall.  In this cave is the Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
2) Kakariko Village

Obtain: Right of the aforementioned cave (see # 1) is a house with a
green roof.  This is Blind’s ex-Hideout in the Light World.  Enter and
take the stairs down to the basement.  Bomb the north wall to be led to
a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
3) Kakariko Village

Obtain: In the southernmost part of Kakariko Village are a few houses,
one of which contains who’s sealed the door to his brother’s room
because they’re fighting.  Bomb the left wall to break the seal and
then go south out of the house.  Talk to the girl here and she’ll let
you play through a timed obstacle course.  Get through in under twenty
seconds for a prize.  The key to winning here are the Pegasus Boots.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
4) Death Mountain Foothills

Obtain: The area that the Sanctuary is in is called the Death Mountain
Foothills.  West of the Sanctuary is a pile of five rocks.  Dash into
them and you’ll create a staircase.  Take it down to the Piece of
Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
5) Death Mountain Foothills

Obtain: North of the entrance to Death Mountain are two lumberjacks
sawing a tree.  Once you’ve beaten Agahnim for the first time, they
stop working on it.  Dash into that tree and the leaves will scatter,
revealing a hole.  Drop in and not only will you find a Fairy Fountain,
but you’ll find a Piece of Heart through a cave.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Desert of Mystery

Obtain: As soon as you enter the desert, go north.  In the northeastern
corner of the desert is a cave.  Enter and take the stairs up to go
right.  A sage in here (he looks just like Sahasrahla) says that you’re
destined to be the hero.  Bomb the wall to the south of him to find a
chest containing a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Desert of Mystery

Obtain: While in Desert Palace, you must exit through a door to the
west so that you can go north and enter the latter part of the dungeon
where the boss is found.  When you first step outside, go south until
you see a Piece of Heart surrounded by vultures.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
8) Desert of Mystery

Obtain: Once you have access to the Swamp of Evil (the Dark World
equivalent of the Desert of Mystery), go to the far east.  On the map,
it is the northeastern-most point (as far east as you can go while
being as far to the north as possible).  Use the Magic Mirror to warp
to the Light World.  Lift the rock here to find a staircase.  Take it
to a block maze, at the end of which is a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
9) Desert of Mystery

Obtain: Start at the Bomb Shop that replaces Link’s house in the Dark
World.  To the west, south of Haunted Grove, is a circle of bushes by
two talking trees.  Use the Magic Mirror there and you’ll warp to the
Light World.  Enter the cave to the left to find a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
10) Zora Domain

Obtain: The name is probably wrong, but you want to find this in the
area where you bought the Flippers.  From where you bought the Flippers
from the big Zora, go south and over a waterfall.  Keep going south in
the shallows until you see another waterfall.  Do not swim over it.
Instead, go left onto some grass and get onto the elevated part of it.
Go left from here until you reach the Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
11) Death Mountain

Obtain: Obviously, when you are going to Tower of Hera/Mountain Tower,
there’s a Piece of Heart lying on the elevated land that you use the
Magic Mirror to warp to.  You’d have to go out of your way to skip this
one.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
12) Death Mountain

Obtain: After taking the ladder up in Death Mountain by the cave that
leads to Kakariko Village, go right and you’ll see a break in the
“rail” below.  Jump off at the right point and you’ll fall to a ledge
with a cave on it.  Enter and follow the path to the end for a Piece of
Heart.  Alternatively, if you enter the cave that Piece of Heart # 8
was on, you can Hookshot to the intercom over the gap, which leads
right to the Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
13) Death Mountain

Obtain: Most of this is done in the Dark World, but the Piece of Heart
is in the Light World.  Go to the entrance of Turtle Rock.  Instead of
entering it, though, go left a screen.  See the large rock here?  Lift
it to find a staircase.  Take it down and walk north until the path
ends.  However, this is an illusion.  Use the Ether Medallion to see
the rest of the path, and follow it to a weak part of the wall.  Bomb
it and go through the opening to a + - shaped room.  Bomb the north to
find a Great Fairy Fountain.  Bomb the west to find a new hallway.  In
it, go south and exit the cave.  Use the Magic Mirror here to warp back
to the Light World where you’ll find the Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
14) Death Mountain

Obtain: I recommend you get this the first play Turtle Rock.  Before
you enter the room where you get the Mirror Shield you’re outside,
correct?  Warp to the Light World from that point (right before the
cave you reenter Turtle Rock by) to find a Light World cave.  Enter it
and defeat the enemies inside to go north.  From there, take the Piece
of Heart.  Although it is a very minor change, the enemies are
different in the SNES and GBA versions of the game.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
15) Lost Woods

Obtain: There’s a tree stump with an entrance (like a cave opening) in
the Lost Woods.  North of it is a patch of hedges.  Cut the 3x3 hedges
and fall through the hole in the middle.  You’ll fall right to the
Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
16) Lake Hylia

Obtain: Start in the Lake of Ill Omen (Lake Hylia’s counterpart).  West
of Ice Palace is a circle of several stones around some shallow water.
Use the Magic Mirror there and you’ll reappear on an island in the
Light World, on which is a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
17) Marsh

Obtain: Between Lake Hylia and the Desert of Mystery is a marshy area.
In it is a temple that you must flood to advance in the second Dark
World dungeon.  After flooding it, the pond outside the temple will be
drained, revealing a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
18) Pyramid of Power

Obtain: From the top, go down the right staircase and go as far to the
right as you can.  Jump off the ledge here and follow the path to a
Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
19) Dark Death Mountain Foothills

Obtain: Once you have the Magic Cape, go the Dark World equivalent of
Death Mountain Foothills.  That is, go to the part of the Dark World
that you would normally enter the cave with the old man inside in the
Light World by.  Enter the cave and go forward past some Hardhat
Beetles.  Take the stairs up and you’ll see a pit.  Hookshot over it
and go south to see a bumper.  Use the Magic Cape to walk through it to
the exit of the cave.  Here’s your Piece of heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
20) Graveyard

Obtain: East of the Sanctuary in the Dark World is an area filled with
statues and monsters.  To the north is a ladder leading up to nothing.
On that nothing, warp to the Light World using the Magic Mirror.  Enter
the cave in the Light World form here and bomb the north wall inside.
Here’s your Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
21) Village of Outcasts

Obtain: The northwestern part of the Village of Outcasts has a mini-
game shop that entails opening chests.  If you’re really lucky, you’ll
open one chest for a Piece of Heart.  For me, it was the northwest
corner chest, but it may be different for you.  It costs 30 rupees per
try to play, so come prepared.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
22) Village of Outcasts

Obtain: Go to where Smithy’s shop would be in the Light World.  Pound
all of the stakes down here and a stump morphs into a staircase to the
south.  Take it to a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
23) Village of Outcasts

Obtain: In the southern region of Village of Outcasts is a digging
mini-game.  She provides you the shovel if you don’t have one, but you
cannot keep it.  This game is located where Piece of Heart # 3 was.  At
the cost of 80 rupees you can play the game and enter the treasure
field.  Dig like crazy and you just might find a Piece of Heart.  It’s
real pricy and you might not be able to do it continuously, but you’ll
find it eventually.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
24) Swamp of Evil

Obtain: Along the western wall is a thin structure with two yellow eyes
and a mouth-like entrance (kind of like the entrance to Misery Mire,
but to the left).  Enter it and go forward past the Sparks to two
treasure chests.  Move the blocks around to open them.  One contains
twenty rupees while the other holds a Piece of Heart.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And that’s how you get every Piece of Heart.  For the record, I should
tell you about the Three-Heart Challenge.  In every Zelda game, players
challenge themselves to pick up as few Heart Containers as possible
(none, to be exact).  If you think you’re good, give it a shot.  Also,
pick up as few items as possible (like the Blue/Red Mail, the Mirror
Shield, etc.).  It definitely changes the game.

=======================================================================
==========================Secrets and Tricks*==========================
=======================================================================

Here I will list a few of the secrets and Easter eggs of the game for
your convenience.  The rupee trick is listed here, so pay attention.
Some of these tricks only work on the GBA version and vice versa.

                       +----------------------+
                       |    The Fish Trick    |
                       +----------------------+

When entering Watergate Dungeon/Swamp Palace, you had to pull a switch
in the Light World.  This caused the water outside to drain.  Well, if
you capture the fish by picking it up and you bring it to the man in
Kakariko Village that sold you the Magic Bottle, he’ll give you some
supplies.

                       +-----------------------+
                       |    The Rupee Trick    |
                       +-----------------------+

You know the ex-thief that hangs out in the desert (he follows you if
you pick up his sign)?  South of him are rocks, under one of which is a
staircase.  The thief that lives here clues you in about the cave that
the Ice Rod is in, but the pots around him are also filled to the brim
with rupees.  Throw them and take the contents until you’ve collected
them all.  Then exit the cave and reenter it.  Repeat this until you’re
satisfied with your rupee count.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    The Magic Jar Trick    |
                     +---------------------------+

Quite often, when you freeze an enemy with the Ice Rod and then crush
them with the Magic Hammer, they’ll leave behind a decanter, or a magic
jar.  It’s useful in some dungeons I can think of…

                       +-----------------------+
                       |    The Cucco Trick    |
                       +-----------------------+

In Kakariko Village there are many Cuccos, or chickens.  If you attack
them enough, they’ll come after you in force.  Seriously, run away.
They will beat you to a bloody pulp, even kill you, if you don’t
escape.

                +-------------------------------------+
                |    The Good Bee/Golden Bee Trick    |
                +-------------------------------------+

Some people might be wondering how you buy the Good Bee, called the
Golden Bee in the GBA version of this game.  Go to the northeastern
part of Lake Hylia (the cave where you got the Ice Rod).  Enter the
cave from the normal entrance and bomb the north wall.  This is a Fairy
Fountain.  Dash into the statue of a Great Fairy here and the special
bee comes out.  Bottle it and show it to the salesman in the Village of
Outcasts.  He’ll start selling them.  Bees are good only if you unleash
them to attack enemies.

                +------------------------------------+
                |    The Discolored Agahnim Trick    |
                +------------------------------------+

When fighting Agahnim, if you bring up the map when he warps and is
just coming out of that shadow ball he uses, he’ll be discolored.  Keep
doing it and the colors will continue to change.  I’ve only done this
in the GBA version.

                  +--------------------------------+
                  |    The Mario Painting Trick    |
                  +--------------------------------+

Mario and Link were both the brainchildren of the brilliant Shigeru
Miyamoto.  Very often, the two makes cameos in the other’s games.  One
such instance of this is in Kakariko Village.  Although a picture of
Mario is located in the house that belongs to the sick kid, another one
is in the empty house to the south of when you first enter from Death
Mountain Foothills.  Pull the moustache of this painting and four blue
rupees fly out.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    The Healing Trick    |
                      +-------------------------+

By talking to certain people, your hearts are refilled.  The old man on
Death Mountain, the monk while he’s alive, and the Witch’s assistant
are all examples of such people.

               +--------------------------------------+
               |    The Quick Fairy Fountain Trick    |
               +--------------------------------------+

To the left of Link’s house is a stack of stones that you can dash
into.  Take the stairs down here to find a Fairy Fountain.  You can
heal here and bottle Fairies quickly and conveniently whenever you so
desire.

                  +---------------------------------+
                  |    The Disguised Fairy Trick    |
                  +---------------------------------+

In Kakariko Village, near the man that runs away from you when you
approach, is an old woman sweeping outside of a house.  Sprinkle Magic
Powder on her and she’ll turn into a Fairy.

               +---------------------------------------+
               |    The Other Disguised Fairy Trick    |
               +---------------------------------------+

Much more useful, whenever you see the enemies that look like skulls
with four pink bubbles around them (they drain your magic power on
contact), sprinkle Magic Powder on them.  Fairies will come out.

                 +----------------------------------+
                 |    The Babbling Monster Trick    |
                 +----------------------------------+

You know the green enemies that shock you when you touch them?
Sprinkle Magic Powder on them and they’ll turn into strange monsters
wearing glasses.  Talk to them and they’ll say stupid stuff about
Sahasrahla.  A single slash of the sword will bring them down, though.

                    +-----------------------------+
                    |    The Random Item Trick    |
                    +-----------------------------+

Before you enter the Dark World for the first time, a creature is
hopping up and down on the east side of the marsh south of Link’s
house.  Each time you touch it, an item ranging from a Fairy to 300
rupees pops out.

                    +----------------------------+
                    |    The Rupee Rock Trick    |
                    +----------------------------+

Only in the GBA version, if you see a sparkling rock, slash it.  It
causes rupees to come out for a while.  This is random, mind you.

                     +--------------------------+
                     |    The Figurine Trick    |
                     +--------------------------+

After getting the figurines from the lumberjack in the GBA version,
sprinkle Magic Powder on them.  One time makes them colored, while
another changes the figurine to another form (Link to the bunny, for
example).

                   +-------------------------------+
                   |    The Chris Houlihan Room    |
                   +-------------------------------+

Only in the SNES version of the game, if you start at the Sanctuary and
use the Pegasus Boots to dash all the way to where you fell into Hyrule
Castle at the beginning of the game, you’ll enter the secret Chris
Houlihan room.  In this room are 45 rupees.  It was the reward (to a
boy named Chris Houlihan, apparently) for some Nintendo Power contest
many years ago, I’d say 1990 or 1991.

            +--------------------------------------------+
            |    The Ghost of the Swamp of Evil Trick    |
            +--------------------------------------------+

Although not a particularly helpful trick, it is quite interesting.  In
the Swamp of Evil, sometimes you’ll be slashing around and your sword
will make the sound that is made when you hit an enemy.  However,
you’ll have been slashing at thin air.  It works in either version, and
it’s hard to say what the creature is.  However, if you want to “see”
it, jump off the ledge at the beginning of the swamp and use the Bombos
Medallion.  Afterwards, you’ll probably see a bit of flame hit thin air
and then a bomb will drop.  There are two more of these ghosts in the
swamp, but that first one is the easiest to see.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    The 000 Bunny Trick    |
                     +---------------------------+

If you beat the game without losing a single life, the next time you
enter the Dark World you’ll be a bunny.  I don’t know if this is a
glitch (it’s only in the GBA version) or not, but it’s very odd
regardless.

Those are all of the significant glitches.  There are some more, but
they can really mess up your game and I don’t want to be held
responsible.  These are all clean, and most of them aren’t even
glitches.

=======================================================================
========================Changes in Re-release*=========================
=======================================================================

Here I will list all the differences between the SNES and the GBA
versions of this game.  Yes, Nintendo decides to modify the game quite
a bit.  Note that I always compare the GBA version to the SNES version,
so all entries are changes from SNES to GBA not the other way around.

=======================================================================
               Non-In-Game and Control/General Changes
=======================================================================
 - There is now a sleep option for the game used to conserve power if
you don’t want to turn off the game.

 - When you start the game, you can skip the formation of the Triforce
scene.  Also, the screen does not flash as many colors in the GBA
version after the Master Sword drops through the Z.

 - When you start a new file, you cannot skip the introduction.

 - Another game called Four Swords is on the GBA re-release.

 - The names of several dungeons have been changed (Tower of Hera is
now Mountain Tower, for instance).

 - Text has been changes numerous times.  Often, it is a change is what
is said due to changed controls.  Nintendo really thought better of
saying many things.

 - You do not lose a life when you save and quit like in the SNES.

 - When you enter a dungeon, its name is displayed on the screen.

 - The icons at the top of the screen have been repositioned.  That is,
the secondary item (the Lamp, the Boomerang, etc.) is now on the
opposite side of the screen.

 - When selecting an item, two green parentheses appear around the item
as opposed to a green circle.

 - The bottle used to have its own sub-menu bar that came out when you
selected it.  It is now on the right side of the screen and the Shovel
goes where it used to be.

 - An item that you get in the riddle quest now has a “?” mark on the
item select screen.

 - The text of the maidens and the Essence of the Triforce is now
erased when you press A.

 - You are no longer able to start on Death Mountain with the old man
as you were in the SNES version.  Instead, you have the option of
starting at your last saved place in the Light World.

 - You can pick up items using your sword by touching them.

 - If you beat the game without losing a single life, you start in the
Dark World as the bunny.

 - If you do a Spin Attack in a field of grass, nine patches are cut
instead of eight (the one you are standing on is also cut now).

 - There are sparkling rocks added to the game that randomly appear in
certain areas.  Slash them and rupees come out.

 - The screen is off a few pixels.  That is, you now have a smaller
view.  In the SNES version of the game, you could see about the width
of a pot more than you can now.

 - If you beat both A Link to the Past and Four Swords in the GBA
version, you’ll be able to access a secret dungeon called Palace of the
Four Sword.

 - New sword techniques can be acquired by progressing in Four Swords.
These moves were not in the original.

 - A lumberjack now lives in the house in Death Mountain Foothills.  He
is involved in a riddle side quest.  If you do it, you can get
figurines in Link’s house.

 - When swimming, you can dive by pressing B.

 - When listening to the Essence of the Triforce talk, you can speed up
its speech by pressing A quickly.  In the original, it was a cinema
that went slowly no matter what.

 - The credits have several name changes, of course.
=======================================================================
                       Item and Weapon Changes
=======================================================================
 - Magic Powder and the Golden Sword can break pots.  That is a much-
appreciated change.

 - Silver Arrows break through a row of pots, and a normal arrow will
break through one pot.

 - The Boomerang can cut down signs, and the Magical Boomerang can cut
down bushes and grass.

 - The Fire Rod can go through rows of bushes or grass, stopping at
enemies like the Boomerang does.

 - The Magic Hammer can destroy bushes and small white rocks.

 - You can use the Shovel upwards and downwards.  Also, in the GBA re-
release you keep the Shovel even after getting the Flute.  In the
original, you lost the Shovel when you got the Flute.

 - Using the Flute, you can now warp to Turtle Rock as a ninth location
after you’ve gone through the portal there to the Dark World.

 - Getting a magical item refills your Magic Meter.

 - Every sword except for the Fighter’s Sword can chop down signposts.

 - The Lamp can hurt enemies.

 - A few items have changed names.  Namely, the Good Bee, the Faerie,
and the Pegasus Boots (which are now the Golden Bee, the Fairy, and the
Pegasus Shoes) have undergone an identity change.
=======================================================================
                      Sound and Graphic Changes
=======================================================================
 - When Link slashes his sword, he yells like young Link does in
Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask.

 - The sound of the sword swipe is different.

 - In dark rooms, there is a sort of spotlight on Link until the room
is lit.  In the GBA version, it remains even after the room is lit a
bit (when it is half-dark, half-light, like after lighting one torch).

 - When bombs or the Cane of Somaria blocks fall down a pit, they make
the falling noise.

 - When you slash or destroy a sign, there’s a new image and sound.

 - Some enemies have changed colors (very slightly).

 - The Hookshot has a new sound.

 - When you defeat a Zora in shallow water, the bomb floats on the
water like it was ground.  In the original, it sank a bit.

 - The timer for the Super Bomb has a new font.

 - The Super Bomb now pulsates when you drag it.

 - When you enter a Great Fairy Fountain for the first time, four harp
chords will play.  Afterward, they will never play in that particular
fountain.  They sounded every time on the Super Nintendo.

 - The way Link climbs certain staircases (like the ones leading into
Ganon’s Tower) has changed a tad.  Link used to make a short hop when
climbing them, but now he does not.

 - Link runs on the start screen.

 - When you bomb a wall, dust no longer falls over the entrance you
just created.

 - Over the Heart Meter, there used to be “—Life –“ written over it.

 - When you have the maximum number of arrows, bombs, or rupees that
you can hold, the text becomes yellow instead of white.  This is
popular among more recent Zelda games.

 - When you throw an item into a Mysterious Pond, it appears next to
the Great Fairy floating up and down.  It was stationary in the
original.

 - A broken bridge has been added over the river leading west to the
Village of Outcasts.  It is probably there to help you see the skulls
you should Hookshot to.

 - Since the water is murky, you made a sloshing kind of sound much
deeper than normal when walking in the Swamp of Evil.  Now, it is the
same sound made when walking through normal shallow water.

 - As a bunny, your mail is the same as the type you have.  In the
original, you always wore green despite your current wardrobe
selection.

 - Originally, the witch’s assistant looked like one of the merchants
at a store (they have robes with hoods on and such).  Now, the
assistant looks like Maple from the Oracle of Seasons/Oracle of Ages
games.

 - When warping between the Dark and Light World, there’s a new sound.
=======================================================================
                      Dungeon and Enemy Changes
=======================================================================
 - This is the most noticeable difference between the games.  The Ice
Palace puzzle that a lot of people just skipped until they got the Cane
of Somaria has been replaced by a fairy easy puzzle.

 - Like Likes, pulsating tubes of flesh that steal shields and rupees,
have been added to the Dark World.  One can find them in the Palace of
the Four Sword, for example.

 - After defeating a boss, you won’t be able to use your secondary
item.  Of course, it has no use at that point anyways.

 - There are now more sand monsters in the Desert of Mystery.  They are
also faster.

 - When in Turtle Rock, if you were to warp to the Light World using
the Magic Mirror when outside (before the cave that the Mirror Shield
was in), you’d find a cave with Goriyas.  In the remake, the Goriyas
have been changed to the one-eyed monsters you need your arrows to
beat.  This cave holds a Piece of Heart.

 - In Palace of Darkness, there are some flame-breathing enemies in the
room before the big chest.  You used to be able to see them and their
flames, but now you need the Lamp’s light to view them.
=======================================================================
                            Other Changes
=======================================================================
 - It is now impossible to access the Chris Houlihan room, although
I’ve heard that it can be reached in emulators.

 - Sometimes you’ll find mines, or bombs buried underground.  If you
dash over it, they won’t go off.  In the SNES version, dashing over
them was the only safe way to detonate them.

 - Some trees, like two of them in Haunted Grove, now give rupees only
once when you dash into them.  In the original, they gave new rupees
each time you started playing (save and quit and play again).

 - The unfriendly talking trees in the Dark World would spit bombs at
you when you got near them.  Now, they spit a bomb after talking to
you.

 - A shop in the Village of Outcasts now sells a Golden Bee as well as
a Bee and a Fairy.  There wasn’t even a building there before.

 - A shop in the Dark World has changed its merchandise to accommodate
shield enthusiasts.  This shop is located between the Village of
Outcasts and the Pyramid of Power.

 - There’s a creature in the marsh area south of Link’s house that is
there until you enter the Dark World for the first time.  Each time you
touch it, you get a random item (good for getting rupees if you’re
lucky).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And I do believe that those are all of the changes.  I really don’t
care if there are more, so please don’t send me any.  This is pretty
accurate as it is.  All changes in the two games have been accounted
for in the guide and I suggest alternate strategies for those areas.
In Ice Palace, there are actually two guides for the dungeon.  Also,
the games are on different systems with different controls (really?).

=======================================================================
=============================Enemy Index*==============================
=======================================================================

I just knew this would be fun.  A Link to the Past is the only Zelda
game I can think of that has lots of unnamed enemies.  Well, they do
have names, but they vary between guides.  So, I will list them to the
best of my abilities.  If I’m stumped for a name, I’ll go with the
standard name excepted by everyone.  However, many enemies are from
other games are already have names from those games (like Ropes, for
instance).  The setup is below.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Enemy Name

Location:

Notes:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the list of enemies.  Of course, it’s alphabetized (my hobby).
Also, I do not include the names of bosses unless they appear as common
enemies (like those that do in Ganon’s Tower).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Armos

Location: Eastern Palace Ruins

Notes: Armos are statues that come to life when you near them.  Slash
them with your sword and they are knocked back.  Repeat this until
you’ve beaten them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Armos Knights

Location: Eastern Palace, Ganon’s Tower

Notes: The first time you fight these monsters they are a boss.  Shoot
down each of them until there is only one left, at which point you
should slash the last one as you stomps around.  Keep the sword
extended to do so; they’ll fall right on your sword should you keep it
out.  The second time you fight them in Ganon’s Tower, the floor is
icy.  However, the Silver Arrows can defeat one with a single blow.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ball & Chain Soldier

Location: Hyrule Castle

Notes: The enemy that guards Zelda in Hyrule Castle is part of the most
elite group of soldiers in the Hyrulean army.  They are the toughest
soldiers, but can be defeated easily when there’s only one.  Throw pots
at them to weaken them and then stun them with the Boomerang.  Swoop in
for a slash and then retreat.  Repeat this until you win.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Beamos

Location: Dungeons

Notes: The statues with eyes that shoots lasers are called Beamos.
They cannot be defeated, and no shield can block their lasers.  Were I
you, I’d run.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bee

Location: Various

Notes: Sometimes you’ll find a Bee when you slash a bush or a patch of
grass.  They take one hit of any sword, but they are small and
aggressive.  If you catch one using the Bug-Catching Net, you can
unleash it on enemies.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Beetle

Location: Various

Notes: This name was provided by Minish Cap.  Sometimes, black spiders
run out of bombed walls.  They take one hit apiece, but they are
endless.  I recommend skipping past them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombclops

Location: Dark World

Notes: These creatures are Hinox that throw bombs.  Bomb them (how
ironic) to beat them quickly, or just slash them repeatedly.  They
almost always drop bombs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bouncer

Location: Turtle Rock

Notes: I call these Pokeys in my guide because of the resemblance, but
most everyone else calls them Bouncers.  These are layered monsters
that you must slash to defeat.  I suggest using a Spin Attack to defeat
each layer at once; regular attacks will cause the balls that make up a
Bouncer to ricochet around the room.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bubble

Location: Dungeon

Notes: These skulls surrounded by barriers are almost invincible.
Although one wouldn’t think to do so, if you sprinkle Magic Powder on
them, they turn into Fairies.  This is very handy in dungeons.  These
enemies bounce around the room against walls and other solid objects.
If they hit Link, he’ll lose magic.  You’ll be sure to see plenty in
the later dungeons, trust me.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Buzz Blob

Location: Various

Notes: When you throw a Boomerang at one of these creatures, they stop
generating electricity.  At other times, touching these green enemies
zaps you, even with the sword.  The Golden Sword does not conduct it,
so you can defeat them with it.  Also, sprinkle Magic Powder on Buzz
Blobs and you get a Cukeman.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Chain Chomp

Location: Turtle Rock

Notes: Yes, there are Super Mario characters.  However, they are
vicious enemies in this game, too.  They lunge at you as soon as you
get close, so be thankful that they are few and far between.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Crab

Location: Lake Hylia

Notes: Around Lake Hylia are these creatures.  They look like crabs and
so they are called such.  They are kind of annoying because they
scuttle around to the sides quickly, but they aren’t tough.  They only
attack by colliding with you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cricket

Location: Blind’s Hideout/Thieves’ Town

Notes: These are Dark World rats that are found on the topmost room of
Blind’s dungeon only.  You could go through the game without ever
noting them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Crow

Location: Death Mountain Foothills

Notes: This name has been verified thanks to Minish Cap.  Anyways,
these birds fly at you to attack and will repeat this.  They are pretty
weak, so slash them when they come at you.  The same goes for their
Dark World counterparts, which some may consider Takkuri (names are
often reassigned over various Zelda games).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Cukeman

Location: Various

Notes: When you sprinkle Magic Powder on a Buzz Blob, the result is a
Cukeman.  They are strange creatures with poor vision (they have
glasses) that can talk.  In this game, they sing songs of Sahasrahla.
One slash will do them in.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dodongo

Location: Dungeons

Notes: Some enemies that shoot fire are found in dungeons.  They each
take one hit and are very easy to beat.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dragonman

Location: Blind’s Hideout/Thieves’ Town

Notes: I’m not quite sure on the name, but these creatures come in red
and blue.  The blue type just walk around passively, but the red type
shoot fireballs at you.  Both require a hit of the Tempered Sword.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Eyegore Statue

Location: Dungeons, Caves (GBA)

Notes: I got the name from Minish Cap, but it may very well be wrong.
These Cyclops statues come to life and run (they are much faster than
you’d think) after you when you get near them.  Shoot arrows in their
eye or slash them to beat them, although slashing only works on the
green kind.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Flying Bomber

Location: Lake of Ill Omen

Notes: Know that this name is made up.  I have no idea what these
things are called.  They look like mushrooms flying around and dropping
bombs.  Slash them if you’d like, although you’ll rarely encounter them
out of the water.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gel

Location: Various

Notes: Gels are also called Bits, Bots, ChuChus, Blobs, Slimes, and
maybe more names that I’m not aware of.  They are blobs hardly worth
your time.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gibdo

Location: Skull Dungeon/Woods

Notes: Gibdos are mummies that walk around and take quite a few hits.
Slash them continuously or burn them with the Fire Rod.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Goriya

Location: Dungeons

Notes: Many Dark World dungeons feature these creatures.  They mimic
your movements and the red type are known to throw fireballs at you.
Slash the green type and shoot an arrow in the direction, but not at,
the red type.  Then move so that the Goriya will mimic your moves, thus
moving into the arrow.  Originally, Goriyas threw boomerangs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Goron

Location: Death Mountain

Notes: Yes, the races we love – the Goron and Zora – started out as
enemies.  In both case, they looked much different after they became
civilized.  Gorons cannot be killed in this game and they are quite
irksome.  Slash them and they freeze for a moment.  If you don’t, they
run around quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hardhat Beetle

Location: Dungeons, Caves

Notes: Hardhat Beetles are soft enemies that you will bounce back from
when you slash.  The easiest way to beat them is by knocking them into
pits, especially the red kind.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Helmasaur

Location: Dungeons

Notes: These monsters have masks on their faces and are weak only on
their backsides.  Slash their for a quick win, or throw pots at them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Hermit Crab

Location: Marsh

Notes: I’ve only found these in the area south of Link’s house.  Under
some rocks or bushes are spider enemies that walk around when you get
close.  Slash them to beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ice Beast

Location: Ice Palace

Notes: Not quite sure on the name, but it’s listed.  Ice Beasts come
out of the walls quickly, but they move from side-to-side slowly (kind
of like Crabs).  The only way to beat them is to melt them with the
Fire Rod.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jellyfish

Location: Dungeons

Notes: I’m fairly certain that this isn’t the name, but I’ll list it
like this.  These are floating jellyfish that are electrically charged.
The Hookshot is the best way to deal with either color.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jumping Piranha

Location: Dark World

Notes: These are common plant enemies that hop around and sniff things
like dogs (that’s what they remind me of at least).  One good example
is at the base of the Pyramid of Power.  A few slashes do the trick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Keese

Location: Various

Notes: Bats in the game are common enemies that take one hit.  They are
really easy, although Fire Keese can be a hassle.  They only appear in
the final boss battle.  Another variation of the Keese is an eyeball
with bat wings found in Hyrule Castle.  Groups of such eyeball bats are
called Patras.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Knight

Location: Various

Notes: The brainwashed Knights of Hyrule, also called the Royal Guard,
are out in search of Link, “the kidnapper of Zelda.”  Green knights are
the weakest, red knights are the strongest, and they come in many
different styles.  There are archers, short swordsmen, pitchfork-
wielders, Knights with knives, and even an elite bunch with ball and
chains.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lanmola

Location: Desert Palace, Ganon’s Tower

Notes: These huge worms rise from the sand to attack you.  They are the
bosses of Desert Palace and are common enemies in Ganon’s Tower.  Both
times, attack the heads with the sword repeatedly to win while avoiding
the clods of dirt they fire at you.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Leever

Location: Desert Palace

Notes: Sifting through the sand, these enemies appear below you.  Slash
them to beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Like Like

Location: Lake of Ill Omen, Palace of the Four Sword

Notes: Only in the GBA version, Like Likes are pulsating tubes of flesh
that steal your shield or rupees.  Beat them quickly to reclaim your
property.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lynel

Location: Dark Death Mountain

Notes: There are three Lynels in the game, each of them on Death
Mountain in the Dark World before Ganon’s Tower.  They are dragon-like
creatures that fire flames at you, so watch out and slash them quickly.
The Mirror Shield can block their attacks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini Moldorm

Location: Dungeons, Caves

Notes: Mini Moldorms are small worms that move in unpredictable
patterns.  Slash them and they curl up into a single ball before
resuming their former plan of attack.  Keep slashing to beat it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Moblin

Location: Various

Notes: The equivalent of a soldier in the Light World, Dark World
Moblins have spears and pitchforks.  Slash them to beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Moldorm

Location: Tower of Hera/Mountain Tower, Ganon’s Tower

Notes: There are two in the game, one a boss and the other an obstacle.
The tails are weak, and you should slash those.  They are dangerous
because they may knock you off the ledge and down a floor.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Octorok

Location: Southern Hyrule

Notes: In the Lake Hylia and marsh region are Octoroks, classic enemies
that have appeared in every single Zelda game to date.  In this game,
they run around and shoot rocks in all directions very quickly.  Slash
them when you get close for a quick victory.  A very similar version of
this enemy is found in the Dark World, and will therefore be classified
as the same enemy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pengator

Location: Ice Palace

Notes: Pengators are green penguins that roll into you on their bellies
using the icy floor.  You can beat them by slashing them.  Also, the
Hookshot is very effective.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Poe

Location: Graveyard

Notes: These are rare ghosts.  Slash them to beat them, although you
won’t be getting much practice doing so.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Puffer

Location: Lake Hylia

Notes: There is a grand total of one of these enemies in the game.
Also, the name may not be correct.  This red balloon explodes into
tinier creatures of the same nature that scatter.  Just skip over these
blowhards.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rat

Location: Sewers

Notes: They run around quickly and often leave many rupees behind.
They each take one hit.  Pathetic.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Razor Trap

Location: Dungeons

Notes: Sharp metal objects are called razor traps.  Most will guard
doors and will charge at you when you approach them.  There are also
large ones introduced in Ice Palace that are yellow.  They cannot be
defeated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Red Blob

Location: Blind’s Hideout/Thieves’ Town

Notes: These enemies are exclusive to Level 4.  The only way to beat
them is by slashing their centers, which they expel in search of food.
This enemy is just like a starfish.  Also, the name is probably
incorrect.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Rope

Location: Various

Notes: Snakes in this game are called Ropes.  Some wear masks, like the
kind in Watergate Dungeon/Swamp Palace, but they are all the same.
Slash them as they come at you to beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sand Worm

Location: Desert Palace

Notes: These creatures are somewhat similar to Leevers.  When Link gets
too close, a whirlpool forms in the sand and out comes this enemy to
shoot a fireball at you.  Quickly slash it before it escapes or you’ll
be facing it again, be assured.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sandman

Location: Desert of Mystery

Notes: This name is most likely wrong, but I have no idea what these
things would be otherwise (they’re not Leevers…).  These strange
monsters appear from the sand and shift across it to attack you
quickly.  Just run from these.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Skull

Location: Dark World

Notes: Some rocks in the Dark World are monsters in disguise.  They
took a few hits of the sword and aren’t tough at all.  They flash right
before coming to life.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sluggula
</pre><pre id="faqspan-6">
Location: Misery Mire

Notes: These enemies are very rare.  They leave bombs behind, which
makes them quite unique.  Slash them a few times to finish them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Snake Bushel

Location: Various

Notes: These are really weak enemies that take one hit.  They look like
a bunch of worms moving around in a united body, but it really doesn’t
matter, now does it?  I’m not quite sure on this name.  There is also a
slightly stronger version found all over Skull Woods.  Since I don’t
know the name, they don’t get their own entry.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Snapper

Location: Palace of Darkness

Notes: The name confirmed, Snappers are the turtle enemies that are
invincible…  at first.  If you knock them over with the Magic Hammer
and then attack their underbellies, you’ll get the job done quickly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Spark

Location: Dungeons

Notes: Sparks are round orbs of energy that always “orbit” around
objects like chests or walls.  They cannot be defeated.  In the guide,
when many orange Sparks form a line, I call them flame chains because
of their resemblance to the Bowser’s Castle flame chains from Mario.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stalfos

Location: Dungeons

Notes: These are skeletal warriors that come in three variations.
First, they might be blue.  If this is the case, they jump around to
fight.  Red ones throw bones as well as jump.  Also, the heads of some
might appear.  They are harder to beat, and some are invulnerable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Stalfos Knight

Location: Ice Palace

Notes: These are enemies that drop from the ceiling to fight.  They are
like Stalfos but are taller and cannot be defeated by the sword alone.
Down them with a slash and then bomb their remains before they revive.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Takkuri

Location: Desert of Mystery

Notes: Vultures in the desert are called Takkuri.  They circle around
Link, rarely attacking, and can be defeated with a few well-timed
attacks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tektite

Location: Death Mountain

Notes: These are spiders that jump around to attack.  A few slashes
does the trick.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thief

Location: Lost Woods, Village of Outcasts

Notes: Thieves will rush you and steal your supplies, mostly rupees.
They cannot be killed, but you can stun them momentarily with a quick
slash.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Torpedo Fish

Location: Watergate Dungeon/Swamp Palace

Notes: These are orange fish that bolt across the water and attack you.
They are endless and come from pipes in the wall.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wall Master

Location: Skull Dungeon/Woods

Notes: These are ringed hands that fall from the ceiling.  They do no
physical damage, but they do carry you off to wherever you entered the
dungeon by.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Water Bug

Location: Watergate Dungeon/Swamp Palace

Notes: This is an aquatic version of the rat.  It is pretty quick,
though.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Water Worm

Location: Swamp of Evil

Notes: Not quite sure on the name, but these enemies rise from the
swamp to attack you.  Slash them with the sword to beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Wizzrobe

Location: Misery Mire, Ganon’s Tower

Notes: These are wizards that warp around the room and cast magic
spells to attack you.  See where they are warping and slash there to
beat them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Zola/Zora

Location: Water

Notes: In many lakes and rivers around Hyrule you’ll find Zola or
Zoras.  Zolas are female Zoras that are so violent that they’ve been
exiled from Zora society.  They shoot fireballs at you, so I would just
dodge the latter and ignore these things.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

And that’s a wrap.  Many of the names may be incorrect, and I may’ve
missed a few.  However, I think that it is useful in itself.  Sadly,
the guide is almost over…

=======================================================================
============================Zelda Timeline*============================
=======================================================================

I use the below timeline for all my guides.  I think that it’s very
good in comparison to my timeline in, say, Four Swords Adventures
(which was the same but I didn’t list the reasons quite so clearly).
Get ready for my generic timeline theory!  Everything below this point
and above the beginning of the FAQ section is the norm timeline.

Note: Reading this might spoil the endings for a few of the Zelda
games.  Read only if you know what happens in each, because I need to
draw from important game events to make the timeline.  Read at your own
risk.

The Legend of Zelda is a series of twelve separate games at the present
time.  Since these games were not released in an order that made sense,
many people argue with one another about just how it should be
organized.  That’s what this timeline is here for – to express my views
on the subject.  I think that the series in bad need of better
organizing.  Many timelines are awful and don’t make sense.  The
timeline must abide by certain rules.  But before that, here’s a list
of every Zelda game that either was new when it was released or had
something new on it.

The Legend of Zelda
1987 for the NES
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
1988 for the NES
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
1991 for the SNES
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
1993 for the GB
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
1998 for the N64
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
2000 for the N64
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of the Ages
2001 for the GBC
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of the Seasons
2001 for the GBC
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past/Four Swords
2002 for the GBA
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest
2003 for the GCN
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
2003 for the GCN
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
2004 for the GCN
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
2005 for the GBA

Note that these release years are all North American.  First, notice
that A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time are listed twice.  This is
because those games had a new game on them when they were re-released.
Ocarina of Time had Master Quest, which was a harder version.  Master
Quest has the same events in it as Ocarina of Time, so it will not be
counted.  A Link to the Past was re-released with a multi-player game
called Four Swords.  Link’s Awakening DX does not count because it only
included an extra dungeon.  It is an actual game, and it shall be
counted.

As I said, there are a few rules one must follow when making their
timeline.  Here are common errors people make.  First, what Link or
anyone else looks like has nothing to do with the chronological scheme
of things.  Wind Waker Link was a very popular look so Nintendo showed
him that way in a few extra games.  This doesn’t make Link different.
Secondly, items (unless they are extremely important, like the Master
Sword) do not determine anything.  That is, whether Ganon used his
trident in one battle or not does not give us a good timeline.  Third,
there is only one timeline.

Many people think that there are two (the Alternate Timeline Theory)
because Link time-traveled in Ocarina of Time.  If you think about it,
this is a really stupid theory.  After all, at the end of Ocarina of
Time, Zelda sends Link back to relive the seven years of his childhood
that he lost (to quote Zelda exactly, “Link, give the Ocarina to me…
As a sage, I can return you to your original time with it.”).  It is as
if the latter part of Ocarina of Time never happened.

Fourth, there will be no dates.  Many people try to use dates in their
timeline and that is completely false.  Fifth, comic books have no
bearing on the timeline.  Sixth and foremost, if it’s not in the game
or the manual, then it is speculation and it doesn’t count.  For
instance, one could add tons of different events that weren’t in the
games or manuals and connect things together (like Ganon revivals,
descendants, and other “events”).

Now we can truly start.  This is quite anticipated because everyone
wants to know how Minish Cap is placed on the timeline.  Remember that
the timeline tries to string the games together in an order that makes
sense for the existing games only.  It will be modified should a new
game be released.

Note: In my timeline, it is very important to remember that Link did
not have the Triforce piece of Courage at the end of Ocarina of Time,
nor Zelda or Ganon theirs.  He had it when he was an adult, but Zelda
sent him back to the past “to regain his lost years.”  Even if you do
disagree with this for whatever reason, it wouldn’t matter (if he did,
Link would lose the Triforce of Courage in Majora’s Mask due to what
the King of Red Lions says in Wind Waker).  Also, the timeline focuses
a lot on Ganon.  Ganon is the only character that is completely unique
(that there are no descendants of) and he has different conditions in
each game.

Ocarina of Time is obviously the first game.  This is a universally
accepted fact and it should not be argued with.  Then comes Majora’s
Mask.  Again, this is universally accepted.  The best reason for
Majora’s Mask coming next is that Link has the Ocarina of Time in it,
although there are many more.  Now here’s where my timeline becomes
unique.  Now, recall that I said earlier that the adult part of Ocarina
of Time didn’t matter.  Well, it basically never happened as far as the
timeline is concerned because Link was sent back to his past to relive
his childhood.

Ganon is, therefore, trapped in the Sacred Realm/Dark World whatever
you want to call it at the end of Majora’s Mask.  There are only a few
games that start out with Ganon in the Dark World.  Four Swords could
come next (although it really can’t, as I will explain later) and Four
Swords Adventures would follow.  This cannot be because the Four Sword,
which is used in both those games, is broken and you must restore it in
the re-release of A Link to the Past in an optional side quest.  Yes,
it seems like a cheap shot, but it is how things happened.  The only
other game in which Ganon starts out imprisoned is A Link to the Past.
Therefore, it is the only game that actually can come next logically.

This presents a new problem.  At the end of A Link to the Past, it
would seem that Ganon is dead.  Yes, one might think that Ganon really
is dead, but in truth, he is not.  Again, this is a very random
observation, but in the credits of A Link to the Past (by completing
different events you can see different credits) they show Link’s uncle
and the king of Hyrule.  This is important because both of these people
were dead earlier in the game.  Also, in one scene of the credits (“The
Bully Makes a Friend”), they show two characters on Death Mountain that
would normally be in the Dark World in the Light World.

This means that, when Link’s wish was granted by the Triforce, he
wished those that died as a result of Ganon back to life and that all
those in the Dark World be transported to the Light World.  Well, this
includes Ganon, which means that Ganon is alive again and he’s in the
Light World.  There are only two games like this at the beginning and
Wind Waker cannot come yet (if it did, Adventure of Link would later
and this is impossible).  Therefore, the original The Legend of Zelda
has to come next.

Ganon dies at the end of The Legend of Zelda.  Even more importantly,
he dies leaving a pile of ashes behind at the end of The Legend of
Zelda.  This is very important.  There are only two games in which
Ganon is dead throughout the entire game.  These games are Link’s
Awakening and Adventure of Link.  Now, all games in which Ganon is dead
in must be consecutive, right?  If you disagree with me, think about it
for a second and you’ll realize what I mean.  So, this leaves us to put
Link’s Awakening and Adventure of Link in the right order.  At first
glance, it seems like it doesn’t matter, but it actually has a huge
bearing on the timeline.  Remember that in Wind Waker the King of Red
Lions tells us that the legendary hero of ages long past left the land
of Hyrule and lost the Triforce by doing so (the guidebook of Link’s
Awakening says that Link traveled to many different lands to seek
enlightenment)?

Well, Link gets the Triforce piece of Courage in Adventure of Link.  If
Adventure of Link came first, Link would lose the Triforce piece in the
very next game.  Besides, the next two games in the timeline (the games
in which Ganon is resurrected) have Link using his piece of the
Triforce at the very beginning.  Even though the instruction booklet of
Adventure of Link says that Link never left Hyrule after The Legend of
Zelda and before Adventure of Link, he has to.  However, we know that
Link MUST have the Triforce piece in the game after these two, and that
Link’s Awakening must come either before or after this one.  So, Link’s
Awakening comes first (Link would not lose the Triforce piece in this
scenario) and then comes Adventure of Link.  Easy.

Now, we are out of games in which Ganon is dead, and that means that he
must be resurrected in the next game.  However, it takes two games to
revive Ganon.  These games are the Oracle of Ages and the Oracle of
Seasons.  In the secret ending in a Beowulf-like plot, Kotake and Koume
(Ganon’s surrogate mothers) revive their son after trying to kill Link.
After another defeat by Link, Ganon is sent back to the Dark World
right after being revived.  There are few games remaining, and they are
rather easily sorted.  First, Four Swords comes before Four Swords
Adventures.

The proof for this is rather obvious.  The Four Swords Adventures
manual refers to three separate occasions in which Vaati appeared (Four
Swords, Four Swords Adventures, and a very long time ago).  Well, this
means that Four Swords comes next and then comes Four Swords
Adventures.  Now we’re left with two games, The Minish Cap and Wind
Waker.  The Four Sword was forged in The Minish Cap, but it was used in
Four Swords (Adventures, too).  This means that Wind Waker comes next.
So far, I have only covered the previous eleven games.  Now I’ll give
Minish Cap a home on the timeline.

There are three proofs of my theory.  I’ll list them in order of their
obviousness.  First, the Four Sword was created in Minish Cap.  It is
later used in Four Swords.  Therefore, Minish Cap must come before Four
Swords.  However, the Four Sword also made a brief appearance in the
re-release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, which means that
Minish Cap comes before ALttP.  However, since Zelda had a piece of the
Triforce in Minish Cap (that’s what the light force is, obviously),
then Minish Cap must come BEFORE Ocarina of Time.  If Minish Cap came
after Ocarina of Time or Majora’s Mask, then Ganon would not have the
complete Triforce in A Link to the Past, which he does.  That is proof
one.

Proof two and three are a bit smaller and not as effective, but they
get the job done.  First, Vaati appeared as a black eye-like creature
in Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures.  Well, a figurine in Minish
Cap (# 135.  To quote it exactly, “Once Vaati’s body has been
shattered, this dark form rises up, all that remains of the evil
sorcerer.  Only the sacred Four Sword can defeat him.”) says that
Vaati’s human body had been shattered.  This means that Vaati appeared
in FS and FSA the way he did because something happened to him before.
The instruction manual of FSA makes reference to a boy who split into
four to beat Vaati before even Four Swords.  This just supports what I
said earlier, although this proof alone cannot move this before Ocarina
of Time.

The third “proof” is implied.  At the end of Minish Cap, Ezlo returns
to his Minish-sage form and he gives Link a green hat, a token to
remember him by.  This seems to imply that this is the first time Link
ever wore such a hat, and it became a tradition afterward for heroes of
Hyrule.  That’s a bit of a stretch, though.  Why would the Kokiri have
adopted it?  Like I said, proof one up here is the best answer to the
placement question.

Below I have a list made of where the games in the timeline go
according to my theory.  Notice that Oracle of Ages comes before Oracle
of Seasons.  I decided to alphabetize them.

The Minish Cap
Ocarina of Time
Majora’s Mask
A Link to the Past
The Legend of Zelda
Link’s Awakening
The Adventure of Link
Oracle of Ages
Oracle of Seasons
Four Swords
Four Swords Adventures
The Wind Waker

Now I will try to clarify things by explaining a few items mentioned
here.

---------------------------------Notes---------------------------------

                      +------------------------+
                      |    The Picori Blade    |
                      +------------------------+

A lot of people would consider the Picori Blade and the Four Sword the
same weapon.  Well, newsflash people, they aren’t.  First off, “Four
Sword” and “Picori Blade” are definitely human names.  That is, these
are the titles of the swords as declared by the Hylians.  Why,
therefore, would these titles be different?  And, if you think about
it, the broken Picori Blade is mended by Melari using two elements.
This makes it the White Sword.  Well, the Picori Blade must not contain
any elements at all.  So, these two swords are different, which keeps
my timeline in check.  By the way, if you think that Four Sword is the
Minish name for the Picori Blade, you’re wrong.  After all, it is
referred to as the Four Sword by many humans.

                 +----------------------------------+
                 |    The Light Force = Triforce    |
                 +----------------------------------+

Vaati and the guards of Hyrule make several references to the light
force.”  This is the Triforce, but to be specific, it is the Triforce
piece of Wisdom.  We find out that Zelda contains the light force near
the end of the game.  They show stained glass that details the legends
of the Picori in the Elemental Sanctuary.  Since they show Zelda
holding one golden triangle, we can safely assume that this is her part
of the Triforce.  By the way, Vaati does take some of the Triforce from
Zelda, but she gains it back when she wishes on the Minish cap at the
end.

        +-----------------------------------------------------+
        |    The Adventure of Link/Link’s Awakening Theory    |
        +-----------------------------------------------------+

It’s not uncommon for people to say that Link’s Awakening, which we
find out is a dream, happened during the raft ride in The Adventure of
Link (when you have to raft from western Hyrule to the east).  Well,
this can be easily disproved.  Who could forget the opening cinema in
Link’s Awakening.  Remember Link, journeying on his ship into the
storm.  Well, ships and rafts are two different vessels.  I think that
that is a very important difference made in his journey across the sea.
It doesn’t affect the timeline that much, but it is a storyline flaw in
many a timeline.

                   +-------------------------------+
                   |    The Wind Waker Theories    |
                   +-------------------------------+

Many people think that the timeline should start with OOT, MM, and then
go to WW.  At first, I could not disprove this theory.  But now I can.
In WW, Ganon died.  Since it’s the last game in my timeline, this makes
no difference.  However, it does in the proposed theory.  You see, if
this were true, than Adventure of Link would have to come after Wind
Waker.  In Wind Waker, recall that all knowledge of Hyrule was lost.
Adventure of Link had towns named after characters from Hylian myth
(the sages of Ocarina of Time, plus Mido and someone named Kasuto).  If
all knowledge of Hyrule was lost, how could they regain it?  Clearly,
Wind Waker comes last in the series.

                 +----------------------------------+
                 |    The Nature of the Triforce    |
                 +----------------------------------+

The King of Red Lions and Sheik, collectively, told us a lot about how
the Triforce works.  First, the Triforce does one of two things when a
person touches it.  But first, I should explain that the Triforce is
divided into three equal parts, each representing the goddesses that
created the world.  There is Wisdom (Zelda), Power (Ganon), and Courage
(Link).  When there is an imbalance of virtue in the person that
touches it (that is, they believe in one of these forces more than the
others), that person receives the one that they believe in most.  The
other two pieces are placed in other “chosen ones.”  The person who
touched it must gather the pieces to get a wish granted.

You see, the Triforce grants a wish that reflects a person’s soul.
Regardless, there is another possibility.  If someone with balance in
the virtues touches the Triforce, their wish is granted automatically.
However, the Triforce has another strange property, revealed to us by
the King of Red Lions in Wind Waker.  If a person that harbors a piece
leaves the land of Hyrule, then they lose their piece.  This is very
important to know in understanding the order I placed the games in.
Note that the Triforce piece of Courage is used by Link in the
beginning of Oracle of Ages.  I hope this clarifies things – why Link’s
Awakening must come before Adventure of Link.  In AoL, Link gets the
Triforce piece of Courage.  If he got it in that game and Link’s
Awakening came next, he would lose it right away.  And since Ganon’s
revival has to come next, he would have no Triforce piece in Oracle of
Ages, which we know that Link does.

                     +---------------------------+
                     |    The Losers of Zelda    |
                     +---------------------------+

A company called Phillips released three hugely unsuccessful games –
Link: Faces of Evil, The Legend of Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon, and The
Legend of Zelda: Zelda’s Adventure.  Well, these games were AWFUL.  I
have never played them personally, but I’ve seen screenshots, examples,
etc. enough to know.  First, they were made by Phillips using a system
that was a complete and utter flop called the CD-i.

These games were all very corny.  For instance, two of these games use
Zelda instead of Link and they take place in different lands (one land
is called Tolemac, which is Camelot backwards).  Also, Ganon kidnapped
(but didn’t kill, for some reason) Link in two of these games, as well
as the King of Hyrule in one of them.  From what I’ve heard, all three
of these games were not good, actually terrible, and that Zelda’s
Adventure was the best.  Well, that’s all well and good, but why I am
writing this?

Simply put, these three games are not counted in the timeline.  They
are not, after all, Zelda games.  Maybe they are legally, but I will
never consider these games to be a part of it.  After all, they were
not made by Nintendo, and the makers were obviously uneducated when it
comes to Zelda (for example, they call Ganon the dark king of the
underworld).  Also, Soul Caliber 2 and the Super Smash Bros. series do
not count (they’re fighting games where people get to use different
characters from different series).

                   +-------------------------------+
                   |    A Re-Release Side Quest    |
                   +-------------------------------+

I mentioned that the re-release of A Link to the Past allowed me to
safely determine the placement of Minish Cap.  I think, personally,
that this is pretty under-the-belt, but in A Link to the Past’s remake,
they included a side quest that involved the Four Sword.  Since it was
forged in Minish Cap, Minish Cap must come before.  Since Zelda has her
Triforce piece in Minish Cap but not in Ocarina of Time or Majora’s
Mask, Minish Cap comes first.  If I didn’t explain things well above,
here it is in simplified form.

These are the most common e-mail objections I get, so I disproved them
in full for you above.  If you want to argue with me, please read all
the notes above and consider how your theory affects the timeline as a
whole.  I’ll be happy to disprove you, but you could lessen my e-mail
load that way.  You can write to me at Kirby0215@aol.com.

=======================================================================
=================================FAQ*==================================
=======================================================================

Let the interrogations begin!  Here, I answered Frequently Asked
Questions, which is what FAQ stands for.  Please read this section
before you e-mail me with a problem.  That way, you won’t waste time e-
mailing me nor I responding.

Question: Who is Link?
Answer: Link is the real name of the character that you play as in the
Zelda series.  Many people think that he’s named Zelda (really, I’m not
quite sure why they named the series The Legend of Zelda).  For
instance, have you ever noticed that the game is called A Link to the
Past, or other games are called Link’s Awakening, Adventure of Link,
and so forth?

Question: How do I get the Zora’s Flippers?
Answer: I cover this under “Tower of Hera,” in case you want more
detail.  Basically, go north Eastern Palace and you’ll reach a Zora-
filled area.  Follow the correct path in the shallows to reach a huge
Zora that will sell you the Flippers for 500 rupees.

Question: How do I access the Palace of the Four Sword?
Answer: In the GBA version, you can enter it via a crack in the Pyramid
of Power which you can jump down from a higher ledge.  However, you
must’ve beaten Vaati in Four Swords and the boss of A Link to the Past
for the guy there to step aside.  The bosses are really difficult and I
recommend you go with full hearts.  I didn’t cover it in this guide
because this guide is for the SNES version of A Link to the Past.

Question: Will you make a GBA version of the guide?
Answer: Yes.  When I can track down a friend to play Four Swords with,
I’ll cover it in a guide, as well the riddle quest and the Palace of
the Four Sword.

Question: Riddle quest?
Answer: By meeting certain condition in the extra game, Four Swords,
you can unlock a quest in which the third lumberjack added to the game
gives you riddles that you must solve.  As a reward you receive
figurines that are kept in your house.

Question: I can’t beat ______!  Help!
Answer: That’s not a question, but I’ll run with it.  First off, I hope
that’s not a Light World boss.  I can understand not being able to beat
the Lanmolas on your first go (five hearts is a bit restricting), but
none of the other bosses in the Light World should pose a threat to
you.  Take Fairies with you in bottles (see “Equipment Upgrades”) to
help you out.  If it’s a Dark World boss, get the Cane of Byrna before
you face it.  This will help you out tremendously.  Other than that,
please see the guide.

Question: How do I beat (dungeon name)?
Answer: Please see the guide.  I don’t normally memorize how to beat
the dungeons step-by-step.

Question: How do I get the [insert item name here]?
Answer: If it’s an optional item, then you can find out in “Equipment
Upgrades.”  More likely, though, it’s a dungeon prize, in which case
you should see my walkthrough.

Question: I disagree with your timeline!
Answer: Great!  E-mail me about it and I’ll respond.  Timeline e-mail
is some of my favorite e-mail.

Question: Do I have to get the Pieces of Heart?
Answer: No, but they help.  In truth, you don’t have to get most items
to beat the game.  For instance, if you tear apart the game with
glitches, you can beat the game in three minutes without ever getting
the Master Sword.  Personally, I don’t think that this is particularly
fun, so I wrote the normal guide.

Question: What is Four Swords and how do I play it?
Answer: Four Swords is an optional game included on the GBA version of
A Link to the Past.  You’ll need a friend to play it, two Game Boy
Advances, two A Link to the Past games (on the GBA), and a link cable
to play it.  You can play with a minimum of two players or a maximum of
four.  Later on, the idea was expanded upon to create an extremely fun
game called The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures.

Question: What game changes are made in the two versions?
Answer: Please read “Changes in Re-Release.”  I list them all formally
there.  If you need an alternate guide for Ice Palace, please see its
section.

Question: How do I use the Magic Mirror?
Answer: There are only two places you can use the Magic Mirror.  If
you’re in the Dark World, you can warp to the corresponding Light World
place, if it is a legal place to stand (you cannot warp on top of
houses, for instance).  In any dungeon, you can use the Magic Mirror to
reappear at the beginning.

Question: What’re your favorite and least favorite Zelda games?
Answer: Like I said in my introduction, A Link to the Past is my all-
time favorite Zelda game.  My least favorite Zelda game is,
undoubtedly, Link’s Awakening.  Why?  Well, I don’t see how it has any
following at all.  However, it was on the top ten best-selling list for
over 90 months, more than seven and a half years.  I just don’t
understand…

Question: I can’t get that stupid Super Bomb to the Pyramid of Power!
Is there something wrong with my game?
Answer: There could be, but it’s far more probable that you are
forgetting a few pointers on the Super Bomb.  You cannot dash, push or
pull, or jump over ledges when it is following you.  The same goes for
the chest in the Smithy’s shop in the Dark World.

Question: How do I contact you?
Answer: E-mail me at Kirby0215@aol.com.  Capitals do not matter.  You
can also IM me at that address, but you’d better be armed with a
rabbit’s foot and an assortment of four-leaf clovers because chances
are I’m not going to respond.  Please include “A Link to the Past” in
the subject of the e-mail or please identify the game as A Link to the
Past in the body of the e-mail.  Please remember that my e-mail is
given strictly for your problems with the game, not for socializing.
Also, try to be specific so I not exactly how to help you.

Question: Can I put your guide on my site?
Answer: Absolutely not.  No way.  Never.  Only GameFaqs is permitted to
use my guide on their site.  I don’t care how long yours has been up or
what you promise.  It is very convenient for me to keep it on
GameFaqs.com alone for several reasons, mostly updating.  If you don’t
update my guide regularly, I receive more e-mail than I should, and I
won’t be happy and neither will you.  Plus, many people would
plagiarize this guide.  So, to answer your question again, NO!

Question: What other guides have you written?
Answer: This is my twenty-first, which means that there are twenty
others.  Pretty nerdy, huh?  Anyways, I’ve written one, in this order,
for each of the following: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures,
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and 1, Sonic
Heroes, Mario Kart: Double Dash, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time,
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time/Master Quest, The Legend of Zelda:
The Wind Waker, Super Smash Bros. Melee, The Legend of Zelda: The
Adventure of Link, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, The Legend of
Zelda, Super Mario 64, Super Mario 64 DS, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's
Mask, Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine,
The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and you’re reading my twenty-
first.  All can be found on Gamefaqs.com.  For an up-to-date listing of
games I’ve written for, use the below address:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/46879.html

And that’s a wrap.  Yes, I know that the guide is nearly over, but you
have the legal section to look forward to.  So, without further ado,
prepare for the ultimate in legal boilerplates.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
   _________________________________________________________________
  /                                                                 \
 /                                                                   \
||----------------------------Section 4*-----------------------------||
 \                                                                   /
  \_________________________________________________________________/

=======================================================================
====================Credits and Legal Information*=====================
=======================================================================

Most of this section has been extracted from another guide.  If you’re
a stalker (admit it) or if you’re really bored, you’ll know which one.

Reading legal sections is about as fun as watching a foreign-language
film about the making of boxes in black and white.  First, though, the
credits.  Yes, I know that everybody is dying to know who helped me
write this.  Let's get started, shall we?

                           +---------------+
                           |    Credits    |
                           +---------------+

First, I'd like to thank myself for writing the guide, playing the
game, and for posting it.  The man!  The myth!  The legend!

Second, a big round of applause to Nintendo.  They made The Legend of
Zelda and this game, and this guide wouldn't be around without them.

Third, let's all thank GameFaqs, the great site that is the only place
where you can find my guides.  Without them, you wouldn't be reading
this.

Recently, some more people have helped me out.  Here's a list of who
they are and what they did.

That's it for now, but I'm sure that list will grow.  Now for the legal
section.  If you're really obsessed with my guides, you'll know which
one I copied the legal boilerplates out of.

                      +-------------------------+
                      |    Legal Information    |
                      +-------------------------+

First of all, I take no credit for the creation, distribution,
productions, idealizing, or in any way making this game.  That honor
goes to Nintendo, not me, and I do not deny this.

Second, this document is Copyright 2005 Brian McPhee.

Third, this may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for
personal, private use. It may not be placed on any web site or
otherwise distributed publicly without advance written permission. Use
of this guide on any other web site or as a part of any public display
is strictly prohibited, and a violation of copyright.

To phrase that first item legally, all trademarks and copyrights
contained in this document are owned by their respective trademark and
copyright holders.

To make it clear for those of you who might having problems absorbing
information, no one but the website GameFaqs may use my guides on their
sites, books, magazines, etc.

That was awesome.  Seriously, I am shaking right now.  Anyways, it’s
been an absolute blast playing the game and writing the guide.  A Link
to the Past is positively phenomenal, and I’ve had a great time writing
this.  I know, we’re only a few sentences from the end, but let’s not
say good-bye.  Instead, let me finish this guide using my legendary
good-bye phrase.  It’s time to Houdini out of here in high fashion.
It’s the catchy slogan that’s stood the test of time!  Get ready for
it…  Adios.  No, seriously, that wasn’t it.  See ya later.