LINK'S AWAKENING DX FAQ/WALKTHROUGH By Karl Schaumann (the Last Avenger) Email: lastavenger@yahoo.com General Information Link's Awakening is an adventure game, with enemies, puzzles, and a plot that slowly unfolds as you progress throughout the game. The main idea is to awaken the Wind Fish in order to return home from an island which you landed on after being shipwrecked (incompetent sailors, these days.) Now that that's out of the way, we will go into the beginning stuff that you should know. First of all, you can use up to two items at a time. Normally, this would not be good, but the game is specially suited that you only really need two items at a time. You can assign different items to buttons by pressing Start, and going over the item you want and pressing the button you want to assign it to. Plain and simple. Just so you know exactly what can be equipped, I've compiled an inventory list of what you can use, as well as the effects it has and where to find it. Shield (Level 1): Tarin gives it to you at the start; otherwise you can buy one at the shop or win one at the Trendy Game. This will block most attacks, keeping you safe from the front and in one case from the sides as well. Press the button and hold it to keep the shield in ready position. Sword (Level 1): You can find this in Toronbo Shores (refer to the walkthrough below to find out how to get it.) This is your main weapon, and it is used to cut down bushes, grass, as well as attack enemies and some other uses. You will have this throughout the game. Roc's Feather: You find this in the first dungeon, Tail Cave. This item is essential, as it allows you to jump, over pits, over enemies, or snag items that are floating in the air. Just press the button assigned to it to leap high into the air. Once you get the Pegasus Boots, you can jump 3 tiles. One full leap takes you approximately two tiles. Power Bracelet (Level 1): You can find this in the second dungeon, Bottle Grotto. This item will allow to lift a wide variety of objects, allowing you access to many places you could not go before. You can lift up something by pressing and holding the button next to it and, while still holding the button, try to move in the opposite direction. You will pick the item up. Press the button again to throw the object. Sometimes, liftable objects have stuff under them, like arrows or bombs. You can collect these as normal. Pegasus Boots: This is found in the third dungeon, Key Cavern. These boots allow you to run super fast, and if you have your sword as your other item you can make a charging attack. This can break a specific obstacle, which will be referred to later. If you have the Roc's Feather as your other item, you can jump much farther than normal. Simply hold down the Pegasus Boots, and when you reach the edge of the pit (or whatever) you want to jump over, press the Roc's Feather. This allows you to clear about three tiles if timed right. Flippers: These are "always" equipped, meaning that you use them automatically when you enter the water, and are not assigned to any button. These are found in the Angler's Tunnel, and allow you to reach many areas. When swimming, press A to move faster and B to dive, which will make you temporarily invincible and can sometimes uncover objects. Hookshot: This handy tool has many uses, but its main purpose is to allow you to cross chasms. Just press the button assigned to it and the chain will extend. If it hits a "grabbable" object, you will pulled right next to it, otherwise, nothing will happen. This can also grab objects dropped by enemies and attack them as well. Some enemies won't take damage but will freeze, allowing you to slip through them. This is found in level 5 after defeating Master Stalfos for the fourth time. Be careful with this if used as a weapon, because recovery time is slow and you may take damage while you're waiting for the hookshot to reset itself. Power Bracelet (Level 2): Found in the six dungeon, the level 2 power bracelet does nothing more than allow you to complete that dungeon by lifting the elephant statues. Other than that, it does not increase range or damage inflicted by hurled objects. Shield (Level 2): This is found in the Eagle's Tower, level 7. It actually is not all that much different, but it covers a wider radius and can reflect laser beams and fireballs. Sword (Level 2): Received in the Seashell Mansion after collecting 20 secret seashells, the level 2 sword is twice as powerful and shoots a laser beam when you have full health. Magic Rod: All right! This baby shoots fireballs which defeat most enemies in one hit, and allows you to light torches on top of that. Recovery time is great, as you don't stop moving when firing, so it takes very little time to shoot another fireball. This is found in the eighth dungeon, after defeating the hardest miniboss in the game, though, so it's a little late. Magic Powder: You can find this in the Trendy Game or, the real way to do it is to find the mushroom and have the witch make some for you. Lights torches, hurts some enemies… many uses. Not used all that often, though. Shovel: What do you think this does? You can sometimes find items while digging. Note that you can't dig certain types of grounds. This is bought at the Tool Shop for 200 rupees. Bow and Arrows: This set is horribly expensive (980 rupees!) You probably won't use it much, but it's the best ranged weapon next to the Magic Rod. However, unlike the Magic Rod, which has unlimited shots, you can only shoot arrows if you have them. You can carry up to 30 arrows, and can by more at one rupee per arrow (bought in groups of ten.) Bombs: Though these can be used to attack enemies, their main use is to blast holes in dungeon walls. Set one, and throw it. It will explode after a few seconds, but you cannot get hurt even if you are in the blast radius. You can buy these at the same price as arrows once you have bought the shovel. Absolutely essential in some dungeons. Boomerang: You find this in Toronbo Shores after finding the magnifying glass. There is a bombable wall around there. Bomb it and the guy inside will trade you something for the boomerang. You cannot trade something with numerical uses like the bow or magic powder, but you can trade anything else. Trade the shovel, and you get the boomerang. It has good range, picks up items like the hookshot, destroys bushes like the magic rod, damages like the bow, and recovers very quickly. It can also hit enemies on the way back so if your first throw misses, the second one may hit if the enemy comes into the line of fire. Ocarina: Some sort of instrument you can find in the Dream Shrine. It plays up to three different songs that do a variety of things: Marin's Song (Ballad of the Wind Fish) which is used to wake the Wind Fish, Manbo's Song, which will warp you back to Crazy Tracy's house, or in the case of a dungeon, back to the beginning. And the last is Mamu's Song, which "livens things up", used to revive a … blue rooster. Blue/Red Suit: You get one of these after you complete the Color Dungeon. The blue suit halves the damage you take, and the red one a. doubles your attack power and b. gives you a permanent Strong Blow (see Battle Strategies below for information about what Strong Blow is.) That's it for the inventory list. Now, we go to the other list, which is stuff that enemies sometimes drop when you defeat them. This applies only to certain enemies, and with the exception of fairies, never bosses or mini bosses. Piece of Power: This resembles a flashing triangle. Pick it up, and your sword will begin to flash, too. Damage with your sword will be doubled, and you seem to move a little faster too. Can often help when fighting bosses as it halves the amount of hits they need. The Strong Blow ability is activated as long as your Piece of Power is active. Guardian Acorn: This resembles, well, an acorn. Pick it up and all damage against you will be halved. Note that if an attack seems to do zero damage to you, the attack actually does a quarter of a heart but you can't see it. Not as useful with the bosses, but can be good if you are at low health and need protection while searching for hearts. If you combine this with the blue suit, you can get temporary invulnerability against monsters who deal ½ heart of damage. Note that both Guardian Acorns and Pieces of Power will last until you enter a dungeon, beat a boss, or get hit a few times. If you pick up one, and then the other, the second one will cancel the effects of the first, so only the second will take effect. Rupees: This is the currency in almost every Zelda game. You use these to buy stuff and services. They are very common and can be found in many chests. Defeating enemies and slashing bushes can uncover rupees, but only one at a time. You get TONS of these in the game. Hearts: You lose all of these, you die. Fortunately, enemies and bushes sometimes reveal hearts, which restore one heart (duh) of damage. In dungeons, the "winged" hearts restore three, which can be quite handy. Fairies (rare): Some of the stronger enemies will release fairies instead of hearts, which will restore up to six hearts if you catch one. However, their orientation skills totally stink and won't always come to you. Mini-bosses always drop these and sometimes you can find them by charging into trees or lifting pots. Now the dungeon item list. You can use these items to help you conquer the dungeon. Each dungeon has its own map, compass, stone beak, small keys, and Nightmare Key. However, only the item corresponding to its dungeon can be viewed; for example, if you have the map from Tail Cave you cannot use it in Bottle Grotto. Compass: This is used for three things; locating the Nightmare, locating chests, and alerting you to a chest in a room, whether it's visible or not. It alerts you with a tone when you first enter if a chest is hidden. Map: This shows all the rooms and the layout of the dungeon. The bright white rooms are the rooms you have been to and the small dark ones are rooms that you have not yet visited. Note that it does not reveal secret or underground passages. If you have both the map and the compass, you have a complete guide to the dungeon. Stone Beak: These are used in conjunction with the owl statues throughout the dungeon. They supposedly give you hints, but they really aren't all that useful, because 1) it's obvious or 2) it's too cryptic to be of any use. Get it if you want, though. Small Keys: You find these in dungeons. You can use them to either open a locked door or get rid of blocks getting in your way. That's all there is to it. Nightmare Key: You need each and every one in order to fight the eight bosses. There is one Nightmare Key in each dungeon, and you use that to access the Nightmare's lair. Refer to the walkthrough below for information on where to find these. Winged Items: Found mostly in the later (and especially last) dungeons, these winged supply depots can be very handy. The winged hearts will refill three heart containers as opposed to one when you defeat an enemy or slash a bush or crystal. The winged bombs, arrows, and magic powder give you 10 bombs, arrows, and doses of powder respectively. Enemies This game is crawling with all sorts of enemies who will basically make life difficult for you. Some require special methods of defeating, while others are dead with a swing or two of a sword. This is an attempt to list all enemies in the game. Moblin: You find these aplenty in the Mysterious Woods. They look sorta bluish, and they walk around. If you touch them or are hit by their arrows, they take away ½ heart. Two slashes finish them off, but anything else can take them out in one hit. Armored Moblin: These guys look like normal Moblins except they have a sword and shield. Attack them by hitting them on the shield twice, as they cannot defend with it. Don't try to whack them on their sword because it won't do anything. Watch out because they often chase you and you can take heavy damage. Keese (Bats): There are a lot of these, and are found in almost every cave and dungeon. They fly in circular patterns and contact results in half heart loss. One hit does them in, and they often drop Rupees and Guardian Acorns. Green Slime: These little green blobs are also common. They wait until you get right next to them, then they pop out the ground and attack. One hit with a sword is all you need. They also drop Rupees often. Red Slime: Same thing as the Green Slimes except when hit they split into two smaller versions. The little ones can't hurt you but they slow you down and prevent you from using items if they latch onto you, which lasts about three seconds. Walking Slime: These aren't as common as the green slimes, but they are far deadlier. They look like little green peas with a pair of eyes and legs. They deliver one full heart of damage, and if you attack with a sword, the screen does this weird black and white thing and you take one heart of damage as well. An arrow will kill them, as well a magic rod or magic powder. You can also use the Hookshot to freeze them for a while as you slip by. Flying Mushroom: Yes, the name sounds funny but the enemy isn't. They look like flying red mushrooms and throw bombs at random. They take two hits with a sword, but hitting them is quite difficult as they often move out of range. The hookshot is ineffective as well, but the bow and magic rod work well against him. He's a fairly common, so be careful. Sea Urchin: These little guys are only found in Toronbo Shores. They stay still but hurt you if you touch them. Use the sword to defeat them with one hit or the shield to push them aside if you don't have your sword yet. Burrowing Spikes: These are found in Toronbo Shores, Yarna Desert, and the entrance to the eighth dungeon, Turtle Rock, They look like sea anemones with spinning spikes. They take two sword swipes but can burrow into ground and pop out somewhere else. Be careful if you have not recovered your sword yet. Crabs: Also unique to Toronbo Shores. These guys are found near the beach and are always in pairs. Two sword slashes gets rid of them, but they can charge at you, so be careful. Pea Shooter: Found mainly in and around Toronbo Shores, these pink guys spit rocks at you. One hit kills them, but watch out for their projectiles. Winged Pea Shooter: Same as above, except if you slash they jump around behind you can shoot from there. The best way of dealing with them is to predict where they'll land and swipe there as soon as they touch ground before they can jump again. Fireball Fish: I know it sounds stupid, but their fireballs aren't. They are found in water, and when you walk by, you might see a small whirlpool. If that happens, hold you shield up because soon the fish will pop out and spit a fireball at you. You can't usually kill them, because they are out at sea, but the fireballs are easily blocked or dodged. Pit Pincer: Found in Ukuku Prairie, these guys can be a nuisance. When you walk by a pit, if you see a pair of eyes appear, get out of the way. The pit pincer reaches out with surprising range, but often miss if you move quickly. Two hits will do them in. Pit Spider: This enemy is only found in Ukuku Prairie. They crawl out of a hole and attack you. Actually, there is only one place where they appear, so they really aren't super difficult. Watch out though, because there is an unlimited supply of them and can do damage quickly. Green Stalfos: It's a… hopping skeleton. They try to leap up on top if you and bite you or something. Face them to block the attack. Two sword swipes will finish them off, but be careful, because they often jump out of range. Red Stalfos: Same as the green except for in the later dungeons they throw bones at you if they jump over an attack. Stalfos Knight: Exactly the same as a Moblin, except for they look different. They look like blue-robed guys with screaming faces. Stalfos Swordsman: Same thing as the armored moblin except looks different. Refer to the above description for details. Spiked Mole: These are only found in Tail Cave and Angler's Tunnel. They charge at you and do damage, plus they can't be hurt unless you hold you shield up. Touch one with it and it will flip over. Whack it twice to finish it off. Shelled Mole: Fortunately, these enemies are somewhat rare. They can't be hurt by anything, but a sword slash will knock them back a ways. The best (and only) way to get rid of them is to knock them into a pit. Use the Hookshot to paralyze them if you want to get away. Be careful though, because they always reappear when you re-enter the room. Worm: Only found in Tail Cave, Face Shrine, and a few spots in Tal Tal Heights. They look like black worms that fly around. Two hits to the head takes care of them, or one shot with the bow, hookshot, or magic rod. Mimics: Very rare. They look like Stalfos Knights except they are in red. Every time you move, they move too. Work it out so that you and they are close back-to-back and use the whirling sword to kill them. Bean Mimics: These are common in the Dream Shrine, but there are a few in Turtle Rock as well. They're essentially the same as above, but in the Dream Shrine the floors are cracked so you probably won't have enough time to position yourself and power up the sword. Instead, charge straight at them with the Pegasus Boots and sword. Pols Voice: Don't ask me why they're called that. They look a lot like bunnies. If you don't know what a bunny is, go look it up. You see these in Bottle Grotto and Face Shrine. In the former level, throw pots at them. In Face Shrine, play 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' on the Ocarina and they will self-destruct. Zombies: Why are these found in the graveyard? Let me think about that for a moment… anyhow, they look like super-deformed red cat things. They are constantly appearing and reappearing but they usually drop Rupees and only take one hit. Ghost: Also exclusive to the cemetery, the ghost hangs around gravestones, and touching some of them sometimes releases more ghosts. These guys are quite hardy, taking eight hits before dying. Sometimes, if one dies, all other ghosts will, but not always. Big Ghost: If you touch a gravestone, instead of a normal ghost, a big ghost will sometimes appear. They seem to be exactly the same, as a normal ghost, though Crows: These birds hang out around the graveyard, but there is one near Kanalet Castle, which you can defeat to get a Gold Leaf. Walk up to them, and as they take flight and attack, hit them twice. If they fly off the screen, if you go back that screen it will be back. Telepenguins: These are unique to Key Cavern, and they're pretty tough. As soon as you go near them, they blink out and reappear somewhere else, after which they will through a star-like projectile at you. To kill them, find out where the will teleport to and as soon as they appear, whack them before they can throw their stars. Two hits each will finish them off, and a Piece of Power is highly desirable when fighting them. I'm almost there… Just a few more to go… Starfish: These look like starfish that zoom across the screen. One trusty sword swing will take care of them. Specter: Easily the most annoying enemy in the entire game! They look a little like staticky balls that orbit around a set place, or sometimes around the entire room. They drain one half heart on contact and are undefeatable. Be careful around them. Skull Specter: Same as above, except that they are square, have a skull design in the middle, and bounce wildly about the screen. Wizards: Most common in the Face Shrine, these green wizards pop out of the floor, throw an energy bolt at you, and go back down. To kill them, set a bomb where they appear just after they burrow down inside and you cannot see them. If they're close enough together, you can kill two with one bomb. Slug: Kill then with one sword swing. Flying Flowers: Another stupid name, but it does the job. They lift up above the ground and float there in a helicopter-like fashion. They don't follow you but can be annoying. Don't waste anything on them as they're indestructible. Armored Moles: There are a few in Angler's Tunnel and Catfish Maw. They have these big masks in front of them which makes them invincible to all attack except from the back. Hit them twice to kill them. Sea Anemones: Found in Goponga Swamp, these small flowers guard the entrance to Bottle Grotto. You can't kill them until you get the Hookshot, or BowWow. Refer to the walkthrough to find out more. Fireflinging Flowers: A cool name for once! These big flowers are extremely rare and are only found in Goponga Swamp. When the spot you they open up and shoot a fireball at you. Easily dodged or blocked. Shark: You can find these in many caves and tunnels. You can only see the top fin until they leap. Hit them when they're in the air to destroy them. Hopping Spider: Found mainly in Tal Tal Heights, these red spider guys try to hop on top of you, much like the Green Stalfos. Two hits to kill, two hits to kill. Goompas: Recognize these from Mario? Slash them once to kill them, or jump on top of them with the Roc's Feather to receive a heart. Carnivorous Plants: Also from Super Mario. These man-eating plants come up through tubes and eat… air. Hit them twice to vanquish them. Spirit Bubble: There are two spirit bubbles, and they are both in an underground passage in Face Shrine. They are big and reasonable fast, and do ½ heart per hit. Fairly easy, but not smack-you-in-the-face easy, to dodge. Kirby: I think Nintendo has a little problem with originality, don't you? He is from Kirby's Dreamland, obviously, and tries to suck you in. Run away from him and avoid his touch. Laser Turret: These are located in Eagle's Tower for the most part, although there is one in Face Shrine, and a couple in Turtle Rock. When it sees you, it fires a green laser at you. Dodge it, or if you have the Mirror Shield (level 2 shield) block it. Like the specters and flying flowers, you cannot destroy it, Earthworm: Found mainly in the outskirts of the Mysterious Forest, these pink wrap-arounds cannot hurt you. Instead, they "eat" you so that you cannot move. After about five seconds, it will let you go, but if you have a shield equipped, you have to pick it up. Bushcrawler: This rare fellow hides under bushes and charges toward you if you come within range. One sword swing gets rid of him. Rockcrawler: A harder version of the previous that hides under rocks and charges toward you protected by its rock. The only way to kill him is to lift the rock from over him and slash him, but it's easier to dodge him instead. Skullcrawler: Same as above, except it hides in green skull pots instead of boulders. Cactus Snake: Found in Yarna Desert, these three-piece cactus snakes require two hits to knock the two pieces off, and another two to the head. Pigman: Same thing as Moblin. Armored Pigman: Same thing as armored Moblin. Archer: Found around Kanalet Castle. Exact same thing as Moblin. Swordsman: Also around Kanalet. Same as armored Moblin. Walking Bomb: There are a few of these in Key Cavern, right near the beginning of the dungeon. Hitting them will make them go bouncing all over the place and will eventually explode. Hold your shield up right after you hit them and hope that you're somewhere else when they explode. Homing Bomb: A more powerful version of the Walking Bomb, the homing bombs are found in a group of three in one room. If you whack one, it will grin evilly for a while, and then there will be a 3-2-1-0 countdown. My suggestion for beating these is to equip the Roc's Feather and the Level 1 sword. Try to hit all three at once, and go to the left, where the door is. As soon as they're about to explode, jump to the right as much as you can. Even if you get hit, you will only take one heart of damage, as opposed to three hearts if you took them out one by one. Tractor Beam Tile: There are a few of these throughout some dungeons, but only one of them is defeatable, and that one is in Key Cavern. These tiles suck you toward them, but it is possible to counteract this by moving in the opposite direction. To kill the one in Key Cavern, charge it with Pegasus Boots + Sword. Possessed Floor/Pot: The possessed floor tiles are in Face Shrine and Eagle's Tower. The possessed pots are found only while fighting the boss of Face Shrine. To beat them, swing your sword like heck or hold up your shield, which, for some reason, will offer complete protection from the sides as well. Water Strider: These are mostly in Angler's Tunnel. They walk over any water, shallow or deep, but only take one hit to defeat. Jellyfish: There are two in Catfish Maw, I believe. Use the sword or Hookshot. Angel Fish: Four of them in Catfish's Maw. Shoot them with an arrow to kill them. Mummy: Look, it's… a mummy (what did you expect?) Very rare, you only fight three on Eagle's Tower and two in Turtle Rock. They take eight hits like the ghost but watch out, as they do not recoil if hit by a sword (a.k.a. if you whack one and it's coming toward you get out of there!) The Hookshot will paralyze them and the Magic Rod will turn them into red Stalfos. Spike Star: Somewhat common, these enemies are usually found in two, but in line with each other. If you get near enough, they abruptly charge forward at the same times and effectively form a barrier. Get past them by waiting until they have charged together, and as they're going back run by. Demon: There are a few demons throughout Turtle Rock and they can be a pain if you do not have the Magic Rod yet, which you probably won't. At any rate, they spit two energy balls at you, block them with either sword or shield. Sometimes, he will charge at you. Hit him with your sword, but he sometimes balks halfway through, so your sword swing will miss. Real pain in the neck, too. Falling Rock: These are found just before the cave leading to Turtle Rock. They look like rocks… they fall… they do damage… done. Dodge them as you cannot block them (It rhymes!) Their direction is sort of random, so take care when dodging them. Color Goon: Unique to the Color Dungeon, these things hide in colored tiles. When you get close enough, they chase after you and turn into big scary monsters. Hit them once with the sword. Skull Flier: Also in the color dungeon, the skull fliers fly around and drop bombs. Hit them once to turn them into bouncing skull men, or just use the boomerang/arrow. Bouncing Skull Man: The easiest way to defeat them is to just let them bounce on a red tile and they'll fall through a pit (dimwit). Otherwise, hit them with your sword twice or use a missile weapon. Color Spinners: Again, the color spinners only show up in the color dungeon. They look like weird things with two discs that will either be red, blue, or green. Hit them and their discs will contract. Pick them up with the Power Bracelet and throw them into their corresponding color hole. If they land in it, they will stay there. Once you have done so with all of them, you will get something (a small key, access to the next room, etc.) Card Penguins: These are found in groups of three. You can't really defeat them; you have to whack them. The suit on their bellies changes every half-second or so. Every time you hit one, it will freeze on the suit they are on. Get all three on the same suit and they will disappear, leaving something behind either a stone beak (Tail Cave, Eagle's Tower) or chest (Eagle's Tower.) If you stop all three on hearts, they turn in to hearts. If you stop them all on diamonds, they leave behind rupees. Stone Knight: These enemies are found only on your way to the Southern Shrine. Some of them are inanimate, but other come alive (by shaking a little) when you nudge them. The arrows will kill then in one hit, plus they leave one behind so that you will never run out. The boomerang will kill them in two hits. The hookshot will paralyze them for five seconds, where they cannot move or hurt you even if you touch them, allowing you to slip by. Whew! That was excruciating! Did you know that you just read through descriptions of 66 different enemies? Thanks for sticking with me through it, we can now mosey over to the weapons list! How to use this list: This list is arranged as such. The "Attack" score refers to the amount of damage the item inflicts, using the level 1 sword as the base of 1 hit point of damage. The "Range" row refers to how far away the weapon can be used at effectively. The lag time and recovery time refer to how much time it takes before you can move again and how much time it takes before you can use the same weapon again, respectively. The faster and more range, the better. Slow lag time means that you stop moving for several seconds, whereas slow recovery time means you have to wait a while before you can use it again. Medium lag time means that you pause while moving for about half a second. Fast lag time means that you do not stop moving if you use it, and fast recovery means that you can attack again very quickly. Level 1 Sword Attack: 1 Range: 1.5 Lag Time: Medium Recovery Time: Fast Comments: This is your main weapon until you get the level 2 sword. Despite its seemingly low scores it is quite useful, and is the only thing that can cut down grass and bushes instead of just bushes. Magic Powder Attack: ???? Range: .5 Lag Time: Fast Recovery Time: Fast Comments: Not really a weapon, this is not used often. It has poor range and attack power can vary according to the enemy. However, it is essential to the game. Thrown Item (pots, boulders, etc.) Attack: 2 Range: around 3 Lag Time: Fast Recovery Time: --- Comments: This isn't really a weapon either. You don't need to throw things to defeat much in the way of enemies. Overall, just easier to use the sword. Charge (Pegasus Boots + Sword) Attack: 2 Range: Not applicable Lag Time: Not applicable Recovery Time: Medium Comments: You probably will overlook this attack as it isn't used often. However, it is needed to defeat a boss and possibly a miniboss. Not too useful, although it can mow down several enemies at once. Hookshot* Attack: 2 Range: 8 Lag Time: Slow Recovery Time: Slow Comments: The hookshot isn't really meant for use as weapon. It is slow to extend and come back, but after careful observation, I found that as long as it is being used, you are invincible to everything! It can also freeze certain enemies and is handy against those masked moles. Bow and Arrow Attack: 4 Range: Unlimited Lag Time: Fast Recovery Time: Fast Comments: Probably the third best missile weapon in the game, the bow costs a LOT of money, but is probably worth it. With low lag time and recovery, this is also good because you can shoot arrows ridiculously fast. The unlimited range helps too. Boomerang Attack: 4 Range: 5 Lag Time: Fast Recovery Time: Slow Comments: Though this is a decent weapon, I was slightly disappointed with this. It can pick up items like the hookshot and has the best attack power, but it does not have the recovery time or range of the bow. Still a good weapon in a pinch, though. Level 2 Sword** Attack: 2 Range: Unlimited Lag Time: Medium Recovery Time: Fast Comments: This laser is a pretty much essentially the same as the bow with lowered attack power and times. However, it does have unlimited shots which does give it a definite advantage over the bow. Magic Rod Attack: 4 Range: Unlimited Lag Time: Fast Recovery Time: Fast Comments: You got the Magic Rod! Now you can burn things! Burn it! Burn, baby burn! *The Hookshot does not affect stronger or flying enemies than the spiked moles and freezes walking slimes, mummies, and shelled moles. **This refers to the lasers the sword shoots out when you have full health. In all other respects save attack, it is the same as the level 1 sword. Link's Awakening FAQ In the first section, I will explain a little about the dungeons, the mini-bosses, and their bosses and instruments. Also included is a "Getting There" section which tells you exactly how to get there, either from Mabe Village or the last dungeon you went to (it's not reasonable to expect me to tell you how to get to Turtle Rock from the village!) Level 1: Tail Cave Difficulty: Easy Main Treasure: Roc's Feather Mini-boss(es): Rolling Bones Boss: Moldorm Instrument: Full Moon Cello Getting There: Well, to get here you need the Tail Key, which is found in Mysterious Woods. Once you have that, go back to the village and find the library (it's the screen with the two kids playing catch). Now go down one screen, then go right. Kill the pea shooter and continue right for two screens. Destroy the bushes and pea shooters and go left this time. Knock the enemy into a pit, then go down. If you see one tree in the lower-left area of the screen, you're on the right track. Go right. Insert your key in the middle slot and the gate will open. Enter the cave. From the start, you can go either forward or left. First, go left. Knock the two shelled moles into the pits on the sides of the room and claim your first small key. Continue left. At first, nothing seems to be in here, but go in a little ways and the door will slam shut behind you. Try to open the treasure chests and four green slimes will ambush you. Kill them quickly or the torches will shoot fireballs at you. Once they are gone, your way out of this room will be accessible. But before you do, open the chest for the Compass. Now, go right and ignore the shelled moles. Go right and you should be back at the entrance. Now, go up. Get rid of the shelled mole and small red slimes and step on the button. After about a second, another chest with the second small key will appear. Go right. Kill the Stalfos and Keese and get the map from the newly appeared treasure chest. Go up and get rid of some more enemies, and now go left. Kill the worm and dodge the specters, opening the treasure chest for the last small key of this level. But now, continue left, kill the worm again and get twenty rupees from the treasure chest. If you go down, you fight some Keese, but don't do that yet. Instead, go up. Dodge the spike trap and continue forward, opening the locked door. Go right, dodge the specters, and take the upper path that leads back left. Find the lone block in this level and push it upward. Go left again and kill the spiked moles, and a staircase will appear. Go down it. The side- scrolling level should be no problem. When you emerge, go forward (you don't exactly have much choice) and ignore the heart for now; you can't get it yet. Go up, trick the spike stars, and open the chest for the Roc's Feather. Equip this and you can bypass most of the obstacles in this dungeon. Now go back down and jump when you're below the winged heart and you will be restored to full life. Kill the spiked moles again, or just go right (I can't remember if you have to kill them for the door to open.) You can simply jump over the pit here, so do that and go down. Dodge the spike star and Keese and go down again. Get rid of the worm if you want to, and go right. Now look carefully. To continue right, there are two paths, one near the top and the other near the bottom. Take the top one. From here, go up. Jump across the pit and open the block. Go left, and open the chest for the Nightmare's Key. Go right, down, left, and take the lower path this time. Go right, kill the enemies if you wish, and if you want the stone beak go up and kill the Card Penguins. But when you're done, jump across the pits, unlock the door and you get to fight Rolling Bones. He rolls this spiked rolling pin at you. Jump over it and hit him from close up with your sword as many times as you can. Continue to leap over the pin and hit him when you're able… he shouldn't be much of a problem. Now, go up, dodge the spikes, and unlock the door leading to the Nightmare's lair. Go up, and you face the boss of this dungeon. With an angry buzz, this giant worm will fly around the room. Get to the center of the room with your shield up and hit him on the glowing spot on the tail when it becomes exposed to you. If you get pushed into a pit, you will fall into Moldorm's dungeon. Go right and up the ladder, then go up and try again. Whenever you hit him, he will fly around really quickly. Dodge him as best you can and hit him as much as you can. After four hits, he will vanish and leave behind a heart container. Pick 'er up and go north for the Full Moon Cello. Boss 1 Data: Difficulty: 2 Hit Points: 4 Items needed: Shield, Level 1 Sword Level 2: Bottle Grotto Difficulty: Medium-easy Main Treasure: Power Bracelet (Level 1) Mini-boss(es): Hinox Boss: Genie Instrument: Conch Horn Getting There: Okay, first you need to save BowWow from the Moblins. Then, go left and then down. You will see part of the swamp but two boulders block your path. Now, go left three screens (the last one will be where you got the Tail Key. Go left here.) Do not jump over the pit. Get rid of the Moblin and go up. You will see a house and some pits guarding it. Do not jump over these. Instead, go right. Again, ignore the pits, kill the earthworm and Moblin and continue right. Congratulations! You've made it to the swamp! Go up now. BowWow will probably eat the shark. Now take the path that goes down (next to the flower) and BowWow will eat the shark. Go right again, shark gets eaten… go up. The big flower will shoot fireballs at you if you wait too long so hurry past it (BowWow will eat this but not always.) Go right. Ta Dah! See the entrance? Have BowWow eat any of the flowers around it, and go in. Is it just me, or does that music creep you out? Anyway, ignore the treasure chest, as you can't lift up the pots. Go up. Sprinkle some Magic Powder on the torches on the pedestal in the center of the room and go right. Kill the Stalfos and get your key. Now go right. Whack the crystal switch so the barriers are down. Go down. The Stalfos Swordsman should be no trouble at all. Open the chest for another small key. Again, hit the switch so that the barriers are down and now go right. Jump across the pits and step on the switch. Jump upward to find a key-containing chest and open it. Make your way up. Kill the Mimics and go back all the way around and get the fourth key. Now, find your way back to the Mimics room and go right. You don't have to kill the spiked moles, so just unlock the door. Go up. The Keese will be little challenge to a warrior such as yourself. Push the blocks so they are together and a staircase will appear. Go down it and travel the amazing depths of easy-dom and go up the stairs. Jump across the pits (you may have to light one of the torches) and take the spinning door to face the mini-boss of this level. Hinox seriously needs some mental aid. Help him out by swinging your sword until your arms ache. He throws bombs at you, or will even charge and throw you instead. If he throws you onto a cracked floor, you will probably fall through. Fortunately, there are no special methods of defeating him, just whack him to oblivion. It's easiest if you get him against a wall so you don't have to chase him around. Okay, once he's gone to cyclops heaven go right (boy, right is popular in this dungeon!) and jump across the pits. Go up, and just let the tile suck the Keese in (the chest contains the map- be careful if you decide to get it) and continue upward. Unlock the door to your left and go in. Defeat the ghosts by sprinkling Magic Powder in the lanterns, then hit them with your sword. The chest with the Power Bracelet will appear. Open it and don't argue with me. Go back and have a grand ol' time throwing pots around for no particular reason. No wait, you need to do this. Take the upper path. Fool around with the switch until you can get to the chest. Open it for yet another small key. Now go back and take the lower path. Continue right and defeat the enemies here. Jump across the pits and go right… again. Open the locked door, and tackle this puzzle as follows: Kill the Pols Voice, then the Keese, and finally the Stalfos Knight. Piece of cake. The chest contains the Nightmare Key and it really wouldn't hurt to open it. Now go up, and right. Kill all the enemies in this room, go down the staircase, and get through this pathetically easy side-scrolling stage. You will end up below the room where you face the Nightmare. The Genie is harder than Moldorm, but not overly frustrating. He starts by throwing eight fireballs; simply run from side to side and you should be okay. After a while, he retreats inside his bottle. Pick it up with the Power Bracelet and throw it against the wall. Rinse and repeat. After the third time, he will get mad. (Ooooooooh, the poor wittle baby wost his botto! He even goes Waaaaaah! Sad!) Then he does this fade trick and tries to surprise you. Jump over his fireballs with the Roc's Feather and hit him. Six hits will do him in. Boss 2 Data Difficulty: 4 Hit Points: 3, then 6 Items needed: Sword, Power Bracelet (part 1) Roc's Feather (Part 2) Level 3: Key Cavern Difficulty: Medium Main Treasure: Pegasus Boots Mini-boss(es): Dodongo Snakes Boss: Slime Eyes (EEEEEEWWWWWW!) Instrument: Sea Lily Bell Getting There: First you must complete Kanalet Castle. Once you have done so, talk to Richard back at his villa. He moves aside. Push the crate to the right and go in the staircase, taking the left path for a seashell or the right path to get the key. Push the blocks around and exit the cave. Maneuver through the pothole field until you reach the owl statue. Dig right in front of it and the Slime Key will be found. Get it. Now go back to Richard's Villa. Go up three screens. Insert the key into the statue and the gate will open. Go down three screens and get back to Richard. Go right, up, up, and you should see some water. Jump to the small island with the Roc's Feather then make your way there from here. Ever wonder why the key to this level is called the Slime Key? It's because it would sound stupid if it was called the Key Key. Anyhow, the only enemies to watch out for are the walking and homing bombs as well as the telepenguins. Similarly, there are lots of keys in this level and guess what? The cavern is shaped like a key! Isn't that COOL? There are two floors to this place as well. From the start, you can either go up or right. Unfortunately, the door going up will close no matter what. Don't go right yet. Instead, lift up a pot and throw it against the closed floor. It will open. Go up, and watch out for the bombs. Kill all the enemies and a key drops. Pick it up. Now go up, and kill the two Stalfos. Go up again and down the staircase. Right off the bat, a group of green slimes will attack you. As soon as you descend, hold down the sword button and when it's powered up release. The sword will swing around and kill all the enemies instantly, even if they weren't yet touched. Interesting… Now open the locked door that leads left. There are two slimes and a pair of telepenguins in here. It helps if you kill the slimes first. If you're low on health, grab the winged heart. Jump over the long black stripe (it's a pit) and kill both telepenguins. Grab the key before it falls, otherwise if it does, exit the room and come back in and jump over the chasm to get it. Now, exit this room and open the upper door. Kill both enemies in the room, get another key, and hit the switch once. Note: If you want the key and Stone Beak, go back upstairs. If you're perfectly content how you are, go down two screens, unlocking the bottom door. The telepenguin, Stalfos Knight, and a few slimes are hidden on the complicated series of conveyor belts. Kill all the enemies except for the telepenguin, and throw a pot at it from a distance to kill it. Get your… fourth key, and open up the last door, to your right. The telepenguin shouldn't be any trouble as the stars it throws will be blocked by the crystal things. Watch out for the Keese in this room (and in all the dungeons, in fact) because they're a little hard to spot. Go up the staircase. Kill all the slimes in this room (you will have to walk all the way around) get the key, and go up. The Stalfos Knights patrolling this area shouldn't hinder you at all. Go left. A whole group of slimes is present. Make them into Slime Jelly, and here you have to choices. One is to go up, the other is to continue left. If you go up, make sure you have 20+ bombs. I'll start by going left. Kill the telepenguins and get a key. Go up, kill the Stalfos and slime, and continue up. The enemies here might take a bit of maneuvering to kill but they won't be too difficult. Go around the barriers and pots, and go down. The chest contains 50 rupees, grab it if you feel like it, and go down again. Push the block downwards and now go up to fight the Dodongo Snakes. There is only one way to hurt these guys, and that is to force feed them a handy little explosive the world calls a bomb. You have to set one right in front of it, but watch out because they have this VERY annoying habit of either missing it or turning toward a different direction just as they're about to eat it. You might run out of bombs; if you do, you will have to go all the way back to Mabe Village so use your bombs wisely. Three bombs in each snake and these slithering suckers will be no more. Go right. To open the chest, push the lower block left and the middle one up. The chest contains the treasure of this whole cavern, the Pegasus Boots. Get rid of the green… things, I guess, and push the block to the side, and go right. The enemies here are very easy. Kill them and go up. The Homing Bombs here are a little tough, so watch out. Once you have killed them all, go left. The chest contains the compass, and some slimes are hiding around it. The Stalfos Knight is in your way so kill. Now, find the weak point in the left wall and bomb it. Kill the enemies here for a key. By now, you should have three small ones. Find the room with the two Stalfos Knights in it and bomb between the torches. Long jump across the chasm and go up. Jump again and open sesame for the Nightmare Key. Go down and jump down the ledge. Now, you need to go back to the beginning. Just do it. From the very beginning room, go right. Charge the tile, it might be hard because it often forces you into pits but hopefully you won't have much trouble. Open the chest for the fourth key. Now go all the way back to the room south of the snakes. There is a block here. Unlock and follow the path, unlocking the other blocks. Go down the stairs. The big block here is "defeated" by charging it. Once you have done so, jump across the huge pit, avoid the plant, and go down. Now that you have the Pegasus Boots, charge the penguins before they can teleport. If you are in need of life, grab the heart here. Go left, and unlock the door, killing all the Keese for an extra key. The Nightmare's Lair is right before your eyes. The Slime Eyes might give you some trouble, so you might want Crazy Tracy's medicine before fighting him. Start by charging the wall opposite you. The slime eyes will come down. In its first form, it is quite slow and won't be able to do much damage. Charge it right between in the middle several times and you should see it start to separate. The thing that is frustrating about this form is that he moves around and come back together if you hesitate, which you will if you get off-center. Anyhow, once you have separated them, they become slightly faster. Equip the Roc's Feather and Sword. Each eye will take about three hits, but every time you hit one it will jump up high in the air. When you see it's shadow, quickly jump to one side, thus avoiding the eye and getting knocked down. Once you have killed them, pick up your heart container and go north to find the Sea Lily Bell. Boss 3 Data Difficulty: 5 Hit Points: 3 per eye, about six the first time Items needed: Pegasus Boots (Part 1), Roc's Feather (Part 2), Sword Level 4: Angler's Tunnel Difficulty: Moderate Main Treasure: !!!Flippers!!! Mini-boss(es): Cue Ball Boss: Angler Fish (surprise!) Instrument: Electric Guitar (just kidding, it's Surf Harp) Getting There: All right, this is a long one. First off, find the warp point in Ukuku prairie. From here, go right and follow the trail until you reach the tree with Tarin next to it. Talk to him and he will try to knock the honeycomb (I like Basic 4 better) out of the tree. The bees will chase him off. Pick up the honey and now find your way back to the area where you first jumped to an island to get to Key Cavern. Now, go right. From here, go down, and right. If you see a lone bush next to some trees, you're in the right place. Otherwise, go down and then right. Regardless, once you get there, cut down the bush to reveal the staircase. Go right, destroy the crystals, then go up. Go down two screens and avoid the slimes. There should be four bushes in a square pattern and some grass. Go right. You are now in Animal Village. Go to the lower-right hand corner of the village and go in the house. The bear there wants to trade your honeycomb for his pineapple. Do it and don't argue with me. Now, you need to go all the way back to Mabe! Fortunately, south of the bear's house, a trail leads into the water, where you can find a warp point. No, Marin is NOT in Mabe. She's conveniently gone all the way down to Toronbo Shores. To find her, follow the sandy (not beach, it's the area where Sales is) until you see the treasure chest with a few rocks around it (it contains fifty rupees, get it if you want) then go south. Marin will be there. Approach her and say yes to her question. Evidently some plot is supposed to be being expresses here but it's just boring so just get through it as quickly as possible (say yes when she asks if you're listening) and after a while you get her to follow you. Now go to Animal Village! Come on, man, you can do it… take the warp point if you want. Now, take the exit south of the village (not next to the bear's house) and follow the trail. A huge walrus is blocking the path. Marin will sing her song and the walrus will wake up and jump into the water. Now, one of those irritating bunnies will take Marin away from you. Not that you liked her anyway… anyway, go right and you're in Yarna Desert. This area is only eight screens big so you should have little trouble exploring it. When you reach the upmost area to the left, something will say "Annoyance! You are only getting in the way!" and you have to fight a worm-like creature. He burrows under the sand and occasionally pops out and travels to another area. Do not get sucked into the middle or you have to start over. Hit him on his head eight times and he will be destroyed. You get the Angler's Key. This is only half the battle though. Getting there is just as complicated… told you it was long. Okay, now you have to get to Bottle Grotto, or more accurately the screen with the entrance. Once you get there, you should see four boulders on the right side. Lift the two boulders that will give you access to the upper path. Do not go up any staircases, you will need to later. But follow the path until you get to the area with two Pigmen and a boulder. Lift the boulder and continue along the upper path. You will eventually see the keyhole but there are no gates yet, just a waterfall. Well, just insert your key into it and the waterfall will no longer fall and reveal a tunnel in the shape of a fish's mouth. Yes, this is Angler's Tunnel. Now go left until you see another staircase. Climb up it. The music will change and you will see a cave entrance surrounded by boulders. Lift up the boulders and follow the cave until you find the entrance. But go through it and you will only find a fifty rupee chest. Go back in and destroy the crystals. You will see another exit. Get out of here and you will be on a small plateau. Go down the stairs. The ground here is covered with water. Go left until you see a cave. Follow it and when you exit, you will see Papahl. He's lost. Give him your pineapple and he gives you his hibiscus. You will use this later. For now, jump back down to the water area. Follow it until you see two caves in the cliff and a large ledge. Jump down it. You will land in front of the Angler's Tunnel. Told you this would be long. If you're wondering what the fuss about the flippers is, the reason is as follows: these are very, very, useful. They will allow you to get several secret seashells, swim, dive, and sometimes find stuff. You need these to get two of the Heart Pieces as well. The main enemies to watch out for are the flying flowers and once you get the flippers, the water striders. Without the flippers, the latter isn't much of a nuisance but since you can't attack in the water they can do damage quickly. From the starting point, go up (you don't have any other choice.) Remember those spiked guys from Tail Cave? They're back. Use the shield and sword technique to defeat them. Kill the slime here, and go up the staircase and onto the catwalk. Follow it upward, and it will end at the treasure chest containing a map. Go back down to the second room. Now, go right. More spiked guys await, but you can kill them easily. A specter is around too. Open the chest for the compass. My, that was quick! Go down from this room, and make your way down to the treasure chest. Don't fall into the darker water. When you open it, you'll get a key. Go back up and open the door to the right. Looks like you need another key, so go left two rooms and go back onto the catwalk. When you get the cross-shaped it, long jump (Pegasus Boots + Roc's Feather) over it and follow the trail. Bomb the cracked block and push the solid one into the water, then open the treasure chest for a key. But we're not done yet. Go up. Avoid the enemies here and make your way to a chest and the third key of the dungeon. Now go back to where you were before (the room where you couldn't pass) and open the door with it. Long jump over the chasm you find and go up. Kill the slime here, and unlock the block. Push the other blocks around too get access to some more enemies and the next room. Don't take the staircase yet. Go left. Kill the two slimes; a key will fall, but down a pit… too bad, we'll have to go get it later. Go down. Dodge or kill the enemies and continue downward. Avoid some more foes and go left. Again, avoid the spiders (or kill them) but don't try to access the locked door. If you do, you'll get trapped in an un-winnable game. Anyhow, go left. Wait for the flying flowers to give you a clear passage, then go up. Kill the enemies and open the chest for a key… I think, I haven't played this dungeon for a while. Go all the way back to where the key fell down the pit. Unlock the door to the north to fight Cue Ball! Cue Ball looks tough (not to mention ugly) and the only thing that can hurt him is the sword. For the long way, equip the Pegasus Boots and the Sword and chase him around the screen. He will take eight hits, not four, using this method. The other, slightly more risky, method is to stand in one side of the screen and as he comes to you, jump over him and hit him from behind. If you hit him before he turns the corner, he will come toward you, allowing you to hit him again and again. At any rate, he is really quite easy. Go north again. This is tricky. You have to squeeze between the two blocks before they block the left passage. If you hit the specter, you'll lose time, so try not to hit it (easier said than done, I know.) Once you go left, kill the two slimes. The torches won't shoot at you anymore. Open the chest for… the Flippers! Go down. Five tiles and some enemies are present… see the Catfish Maw FAQ to find out how to kill them. Anyhow, these tiles give you an "order" of how to step on them. Practice, if you will. It often starts with the center tile, then the glittering one shows you which one to step on next. Memorize the order they are in to open the door. Go back up, and follow it back to the room where you got your last key. Go north. Step on the tiles in the correct order to unlock a staircase. Go down it and make it through the side-scrolling area to get either the Nightmare Key or the small key, I can't remember. Go back up, and go right. The walkthrough for this ends here folks… I've given you enough to figure the rest out, but I haven't played for months and my memory has deserted me. Good luck. Too bad you don't have a fishing rod, or you could just fish out the boss of this tunnel… no, you have to do it the hard way. Jump into the water and go down. A huge fish will be waiting for you, and with a cry of "Fooooooooood!" you get to fight him. Since you can't move very fast in the water, your best bet may be to equip the Roc's Feather and the Sword. Just hit him on the glowing thing on his head as much as you can, and don't worry too much about damage. If he's really beating you up, use the Roc's Feather as it allows you to rise quickly and avoid his charges. Watch out for the small fish that are in the water and swim by, as they drain health. Boss 4 Data Difficulty: 5 Hit Points: 10 Items Needed: Sword, (Roc's Feather recommended) Level 5: Catfish's Maw Difficulty: Moderately Difficult Main Treasure: Hookshot Mini-bosses: Master Stalfos, Giant Spiders Boss: Slime Eel Instrument: Wind Marimba Getting There: Well, this is really quite easy. All you must do is go into Martha's Bay (there are lots of methods of getting here and a river that leads to it so get there yourself) and swim around until you see the big Catfish with the wide open mouth (it's directly south one screen of the mermaid if you entered from there.) There are several cracked rocks blocking it that you cannot get past. But to get there, you must. So find the rock in the lower-left hand corner and dive near it. If you chose the right one the screen will change. Otherwise try again. Once it changes, swim under the big wall then go up. You will be right in front of it. Note: If the spirit is with you, it will not allow you to enter, so get him to his house then his grave quickly. Go left from the entrance. You can't do much at the moment besides kill enemies, and that's just what we're going to do. Go left. Kill the bats and the armored mole, and go left yet again. The chest contains the compass. Get it, and then go down the stairs. This is a fun little puzzle. Step on one block, and the other rises. Once you learn the timing of this, it's quite easy. Now go left. More of this, but with four blocks this time. My order is step on the first one for a second, leap onto the second only as long as it takes you to jump to the third, and the fourth should be high enough to get you to the top. It's really a matter of timing. Once you go up, you'll get to fight some Stalfos! Kill every single one of them and slash apart all the crystals. Push the two blocks together for a small key. Now go back out until you're back in the compass room. Go right, and then up. Kill every single itty bitty foe, and continue upward. More Stalfos will challenge you… deal with them as you dealt with every other Stalfos before them. Go upward to face the mini-boss. Master Stalfos looks really hard but he actually isn't. The first time you fight him, you might have some difficulty. You have to hit him from the side, but I don't know exactly where. Once you have hit him, he will kind of fall to the ground in pieces (heck, he's a skeleton.) Plant a bomb near him, rinse, and repeat. A good way to kill him quickly is to hit once, plant a bomb, and stand above him to the right. As soon as he gets up, whack him again. If you timed it correctly and are in the right place, you can hit him again. Once you kill him, he actually RUNS AWAY complaining that he cannot beat you… what a chicken. After you beat him once, go right but Master Stalfos will have looted the chest already. The four pots in the upper right hand corner will give you two bombs and a heart if you lift them all, and to stock up just go down the stairs and then go back up. Go up from this room. Push the block upward and go left, avoiding the specter. Now go back right. Push the center block to the right, and then step on the button. Now go down, up, push the block up, and it's time to visit Master Stalfos again. The second time you fight him he's easier than before, taking only two bombs. Watch out though, because his sword swing does have okay range and damage. Now go left twice (you'll have to push the block around a few times before you can access it.) Avoid the specter and go upward, I think. You should be in a room divided in half, with you in the lower left hand area. Kill the slime, and make your way to the other half (I can't remember how to get there, and I can't find the cartridge… the one thing I do remember is that you go up from the four passage room.) Go upward. Master Stalfos will attack you again. He only takes two bombs, and then runs off AGAIN. He looks intimidating, and then he just takes off like that… what a weirdo. Now, go back to the compass room. Go down the stairs, do the block challenge again, and from the Stalfos room go left. Guess who appears? MASTER STALFOS! The fourth time he is exactly like the first. Beat him, and then claim your prize, the Hookshot! This will be very handy during the next levels, where you need it very often. Sorry folks, my memory is getting worse and worse… my final few tips are to hookshot to every single chest, because otherwise you can't get a key… the hooks need to be hookshot-ed to form a bridge, and so on. Eventually, you'll make it to the real mini-boss, the big spiders. The spiders are pretty insignificant compared to Master Stalfos. When their eye opens, either shoot an arrow into it or use the Hookshot. In either case, quickly move to one side as they shoot a fireball at you. Kill the bottom one first and then go for the top. Six hits each with the hookshot or three with the bow. From here, figure out the rest yourself. I'm really having trouble remembering. And by the way, the nightmare key is accessed by diving into the room that it ENTIRELY water. Good luck. When you first enter the Slime Eel's lair, his tail will smash four tiles in the center of room and will begin rotating, while the head pokes four holes in the corners of the room. Hug the right or left walls to avoid getting hit by his tail. Even if you do get hit, he only takes off ½ heart, and by now this should be mostly inconsequential. When the head pops out, shoot the hookshot into his mouth to pull him out and hit him on the heart in his… neck. Later on, he does this decoy thing that explodes after going around the room, not often hitting you. The Slime Eel's tail will often get in the way, and his hit point count is pretty high, so this fight may take a while. Boss 5 Data Difficulty: 5.5 Hit Points: 16 (wow!) Items Needed: Hookshot, Sword Level Six: Face Shrine Difficulty: Hard Main Treasure: Level 2 Power Bracelet Mini-boss(es): Smasher, Dodongo Snakes Boss: Facade Instrument: Coral Triangle Getting There: Well, this is complicated, but at least you're not going from one end of the world to the other. First of all, find the staircase which you first used to get to Animal Village. From here, go up, right, and right. The owl will come and annoy you. Go right again. Kill the spiders, lift up rocks, etc. until you can go right again. Dodge the flying mushroom and go down. Maneuver through the armies of slimes and stone knights until you can reach the southern shrine. Go into it. This is incredibly short; in fact, the boss is in the next room! Defeat him by pricking him full of arrows… if he jumps up, use the Roc's Feather to avoid being knocked down when he lands. After about twelve arrows, he surrenders the Face Key. You can go forward and read the relief (after lighting the torches) but I don't think you need to. Now, make your way back to the staircase where you first got to Animal Village. Jump into the water and go up, right, and right. Nudge the knight to the left and kill him or paralyze him, I don't care. Go down the staircase he reveals and then follow the cave until you're outside again. Take the narrow right path and stick your key into the frog… weird keyhole. Now, go down and up the stairs and the Face Shrine lies ahead. Shaped like a face, this dungeon can be very difficult. The Wizards are the most annoying enemy, even surpassing the specters if you don't yet have the Boomerang, which you likely won't have. The main treasure isn't very important, as it only allows you to lift the big elephant statues and nothing more. You do need many bombs to survive here. There are four instances in which you need them; for the wizards, for one crystal switch, for two walls, and for the boss. Arrows can also hit the wizards, but they require four, so using the bombs is a lot easier. From the beginning, you need to go left. When you reach the room with the four blocks and the crystal, set a bomb next to it when the blocks are down. Then stand on the upper right block and go north, bombing the wall where the path dead-ends. When you reach the room with the two red slimes and the shooting torches, find the weak point in the north wall and make your way from there, throwing a pot at the treasure chest you cannot open yourself. Smasher is one strange creature. It throws its ball at you over and over. You must equip the power bracelet and when you get the chance, pick up the ball and throw it at his head. Sometimes it misses and other times Smasher "catches" it, but he only takes four hits, and give you two fairies when you beat him. From here, go north until you reach the room with the elephant statues surrounded by tiles. Lift the left one and go down a staircase, otherwise you get caught in a repeating loop. The Dodongo Snakes are the exact same as the ones in Key Cavern, but there is the added danger of pits. As soon as you enter Facade's lair, lift up one of the pots in the corner and discard it. Then, hold up your shield to block the tiles and pots, then stand on top of him, dropping bombs whenever he appears. Five bombs gets rid of him for good. Extremely easy boss. Boss 6 Data Difficulty: .5 Hit Points: 5 (bombs only) Items Needed: Power Bracelet (initially) Shield, Bombs Level 7: Eagle's Tower Difficulty: Very Hard Main Treasure: Mirror Shield Mini-boss(es): Grim Creeper, Hinox Boss: Evil Eagle Instrument: Organ of Evening Calm Getting There: Getting there is a multi-step process and will take you a while, so be patient. Fortunately, the key is pretty close by and not directly across the map from the dungeon. Okay, first you will need to learn the final song on your Ocarina from a frog in order to get the key. Yes, a frog. But to do this, you need to complete the Signpost Maze. To do this, find the first warp point (directly east of Mabe) and go down, then left. There should be a bunch of grass and a few winged pea shooters. Get rid of them and go down. You can kill the pigman here but it isn't necessary. Long jump over the three pits (take the middle or right "paths" obviously) and go down. Here's how the Signpost Maze works: You read a sign, and if it is the right one it tells you which way to go. Then, you find the next correct sign, and follow the directions, and the next, and so on. Find the first one in the first screen, as it's not too hard to find (if you have to Try Again From the Start, just keep looking at them until you find the right one.) From here, go straight to the right and you should end up close to another sign. Read it and go down. Read the sign that's in front of the bush (the bush is a bush crawler) and go left. Slash the bush, and hookshot over the chasm. Lift the boulder, and now go up. Read the sign in the grassy part of this area and again go straight to the next one. Read it and go down. Read the sign that is to the right of the boulder and go up. Read the sign that is closest to the path, go left, and read the sign next to the pit, then read the one directly below it (on the same screen) and go right. Read the correct sign, go down, lift the boulder, read the sign above it, go left, read the last sign and a staircase will appear. I'm not sure if this walkthrough is correct but it is roughly the best way to complete it. Go down the stairs and talk to the frog. He will charge you 300 rupees for THE WORST SONG IN VIDEO GAME HISTORY! I mean, how off-tune can you get. Anyhow, learn this awful tune and go back up the stairs. Make your way to the rooster memorial in Mabe Village. Push it upward and go down the stairs. Follow the path and go up the stairs next to the pile of bones. Play your new song and blue rooster (BLUE!) will now follow you around. Grab it with the power bracelet and the little dude picks you up and flies you around. However, you can't fly over ledges or to the next screen, so it's not all that useful. You need it though. Now find the hen house. To get there, find the place where you leaped off to get to level 4. From here, go right. There is a big staircase. Go up it and then go left, across the bridge. Go left and you will be at the hen house. But don't go in it. Instead, see the cave on this screen? Go into it. Follow it and you will come upon a ton of rocks and pits. There is a diagonal path here; push the rocks into the adjacent pits and fly the rooster so you can go up. Fly across the huge chasm and onto solid ground. Go left, and jump (or fly) over the pit and claim the final key of this game, the Bird Key! YAY! No more keys! Okay, exit this tunnel and go back down the huge staircase. Go right. There is a cave here. Go through it, and for the next few minutes, you will be navigating through various caves. Once you come out of the house-like entrance, go left. There is a big tower here. Pick up the boulder in front of the keyhole and insert the key. The dungeon will start to turn around… It's facing you! That's a first… In my opinion, this rates as the most annoying dungeon, even more so than level 8. It is a four floor complex and you're always hopping around rooms trying to knock down the four pillars. Not many new enemies here; aside from the mummies, you've pretty much encountered everything. Watch out for the Kirby type enemies and avoid the laser turrets they frequent. Here is a room-by-room walkthrough but only because you're too lazy to figure this out on your own. From the start, go right. Jump over the spikes, even the ones on the ground because you take damage even if they are down. Go right again and kill the two earthworms to get a key. Take the upper right path (unlocking the door as you do so) and you will be greeted by the sight of a treasure chest surrounded by raised barriers. Go up one, and tackle this room as follows. Grab the ball from the alcove and bring it to the lower-right hand corner of the raised platform, then throw it. This should put it in a convenient location for picking it up. Now, pull the lever back all the way and run through the blocks on the left, picking up the ball as you do so. If you make one mistake, you cannot make it. When you've made it, kill the slimes and throw the ball at that pillar. It will collapse. Leave it where it is and fall down one of the pits in the backward L position. You will land in a room with two earthworms and a red Stalfos. When you have gotten rid of them, go right, then hit the switch so that the single block in this room is down. Go up, avoid the turrets and Kirby, and then go left, dodging the turret and going up the stairs. Solve the horse head puzzle and get a map. Now, go down. The barriers blocking the way down should be down. Take the ball and go down, collapsing this pillar as well. Now, go down with the ball again, then throw it over the barrier. When you go up, make sure the barriers are down, using the crystal switch below if they aren't. Now, fall down one of the pits in the upper-right hand corner. Go right and get rid of the mummy, taking care to dodge the spikes. Go down. It isn't necessary to kill the earthworms. Take the upper right corner, take the stairs, open the treasure chest and take… (dramatic pause) The Mirror Shield! It doesn't reflect things except for the lasers, and it seems to cover a greater area than the level 1 shield. Now, raise the block (be sure you're on them) and go down. Go left and claim your ball. Continue left, and you get to fight some Card Penguins. When you get rid of them, a chest will appear but for now you can only look at it. Don't take your ball but continue left. You get to fight Hinox again! I'm really not in the mood for a dramatic fight, just hit him twice with your arrows. Go back right, pick up the ball, and go to the Hinox room. From here, go up and go through the one-way door on the north wall. Throw the ball into a corner and survive the possessed tile room. It might be easier to swing your sword really fast, as if you use the shield, the skull specter might "pick you up" and dump you into a pit, in which case you have to do the Card Penguins (very annoying!) all over again. Well, once you can, go left. Knock the pillar down. You're almost there! Just one more… Push the block in the lower-right hand corner and throw your ball over the pit. Jump over after it. The barriers will be up again, and now you have to repeat the process you used when knocking down the first two pillars. Anyhow, make your way (with the ball) back to the Card Penguins room. Kill them, see the chest again, and now go up to the low barrier. There will be a pit then another barrier across the pit. You can throw the ball over both barriers (in fact, you have to) and make your way to the room with the third pillar in it. Bomb the south wall between the torches, go down, and bomb the south wall again. Go down, and hookshot over the chasm using the chest as an anchor. Open the chest and get… a bomb. Oh, THAT was really rewarding. Anyhow, go up with your ball and knock down the final pillar. You will see a cutscene with part of the tower collapsing. If you have the map and look at it, you will notice that it now has three floors instead of four. YAY! You're done with the toughest part of the game! I knew you had it in you… ah, but the dungeon isn't over yet. Fortunately, you don't need the ball anymore. Go back the room south of the second pillar (east of the Card Penguins room, there is a crystal switch in the upper center, low barriers surrounding it… find it yet?) and go up the stairs. Kill the masked moles and go north. From here, go right. A skeleton dude (Grim Creeper) will be standing out of danger in the upper center and will insult you. Why the little… you have to show him that insulting people is NOT nice. Take your position in the right center and just swing your trusty sword. If you have the lasers with the level 2 sword, they will pick off most of the bats Grim Creeper calls on. If you miss one, they will regroup (all will return) and attack again. Once you have defeated them all, Mr. Creeper will retreat. Seriously, what's with all these retreating skeletons? First Master Stalfos, now this… Go up. Dodge the specters and push the center blocks to the middle. Open the chest for your nightmare key, and whack the crystal switch on your way out. Now, go left two rooms and open the nightmare door. But there aren't any nightmares yet, instead there are several Goompas. Jump on them for health if you need it, then go up. There is a raised platform in the upper-left hand corner. Get up on it and hookshot to the right, across the room. Go down and up the stairs. Climb up the ladder to fight the boss. It looks like Grim Creeper wants more of you. Unfortunately, he's MUCH harder than before. He summons a giant bird and the battle begins. The Evil Eagle has three "modes". The first is a simple glide overhead. Hit him on the beak with the hookshot or laser beam from the level 2 sword, or just whack him if he's low enough. The next is the dive bomb. He will take a position left or right of you and charge down at you. Chances are it won't hurt you and you do get a chance to hit him instead. Now the last attack. He takes a position similar to the dive bomb but flaps his wings and sends you back. When he does this, hold your shield up and run toward him. You won't move toward him but your progress going back will be slowed. The shield will block the feathers. Don't try to hit him or you will be blown off the tower and will have to start over. The most effective way to beat him is to stand in the middle of the tower with the shield up AT ALL TIMES. When he uses his Gust and Feather attack, if you move fast enough you won't get blown off. If he hits you, he will drain two hearts so switch to the hookshot if you are using the level 2 sword and get hurt. The Evil Eagle will take a long time to beat, but your reward is… a heart container. Same as always. Go back down the ladder and down the stairs, jumping over the right ledge and going up to claim the Organ of Evening Calm. Boss 7 Data Difficulty: 8.5 Hit Points: 6 (harder than it looks!) Items Needed: Mirror Shield, Level 2 Sword/Hookshot Level 8: Turtle Rock Difficulty: Very Hard Main Treasure: Stinky Socks (no, it's Magic Rod) Mini-boss(es): Smasher, Hinox, Rolling Bones, Cue Ball, Blaino Boss: Hot Head Okay, this is it. The last dungeon in the game. Turtle Rock is an inhospitable place to elves with swords so we have to tame it a little bit, don't we? Yes, we do. Getting There: From Eagle's Tower, jump down the ledge on the right. Go through the caves until water is on the bottom when you come out. Go left some more until you see the big staircase. Climb up it and go left. When you see the Hen House, go left. Hookshot across the chasm and continue left. Marin will be trapped on a section of bridge. You can Hookshot to her, or Pegasus Boots + Roc's Feather across. If you do the latter, she will float across the chasm and stare up at the sky while thanking you… whatever. Tarin will call her down, blah blah blah… and the owl will come down… again… and will start talking about stuff you don't need to know because you're a cheat, not an adventurer. Now, when you get to the small section of land with the bush on it, thwack the bush to reveal a staircase. It would be a good idea to go down it… just my opinion and all… Once you make it out, falling rocks will attack you. Go left and go up the stairs, dodging the rocks. Go right again and up the big stairs. Go left, across the bridge, and jump down. Kill the earthworm and Stalfos Knight, and bomb the north wall with the cracked wall. Go inside, and up. A crack in the wall is shooting flames, and the only way to surpass it is to hold up your Mirror Shield while making your way to the staircase. When you exit the cave, go left, down, left, left, and you will be there. Unfortunately, a big turtle head is in the way. Play the frog song and it will wake up. Hit it four or eight times and it vanishes. Now, you are in Turtle Rock. May I say… tough level. The normal enemies here are pretty tough. The demons are basically mini-bosses. The other enemies here that are really worth paying attention to are the Slugs, which though are very weak charge at you and do damage. The other thing you will notice is that some of the mini-bosses show up here. Not only that, they return! Fortunately, you don't have to fight them much. All right, now you have to show the inhabitants of this lava mountain that sword-swinging elves are COOL. Go up and kill the demon, then go right. There are a bunch of pots here and two specters. To proceed, make your way to the pot that is in the backward L position in the upper left hand corner and lift it up. Step on the switch and go down. This is an annoying room. Generally, the weapon to use is the sword. The charge here isn't terribly useful because you need time to power up. Similarly, the whirling blade is hard to use because the fireballs that the torches shoot at you often hit it and disrupt it. The lasers from the level 2 sword work well on them. Go down the staircase. The side-scrolling level here is amazingly easy. When you come up, you will be in a room with a laser turret and a pot. Go to the pot, dodge the slimes, lift up the pot, step on the switch, dodge the laser turret. Go down. You get to fight Smasher again! He's exactly the same as before, four hits with his ball and he's gone. Now, go left. There's a cake block or something like that here; once you push it, it creates land wherever it touches and you control it like you would your character. I recommend pressing the direction button before it reaches the place where you want it to go or it crashes and you have to go back and try again. Once you fill in the floor, you get a small key. Now go left again and again. Kill the demon and this time continue left. Kill the three slugs and go up to fight Hinox… again. I really am getting sick of this guy, just use the bow or something. Now go left. See, left is good. Fill in the pits to get 20 rupees but this should do almost nothing at this point and there is nothing more to purchase. Go down. The chest contains some more money. Go left to fight Rolling Bones. All right, show this new guy how much you have improved. If you have the lasers from the level 2 sword, keep firing the lasers and he won't be able to do anything. This is so much fun, isn't it? Yes it is. Go up, kill the demon, and get another key. Man, these are hard to find. Now go down twice. Kill the warp tile and slimes then open the chest to finally pick up your compass. Go back to the first demon room and go up (it isn't necessary to kill the demon.) Go right from here and push the cake block so that it connects to the left path. Follow it. There is a treasure chest, but three block guard it. Push the top and bottom blocks to the left and the center one up. Now, pick up your map at last. Look at it and it's shaped like… a turtle! Wow, that's surprising. Now , find the point in the north wall that is weak. Bomb it. Go up and down the staircase. You will end up in a room with four slugs and a few pots. The chest contains a stone beak, which is useless. Kill the slugs and go up. Looks like Smasher's back for more, so let's give him some more! Go left again, and left, and left. You will be in the first demon room. Go up, left, and connect the cake block between the two blocks in the upper-left hand area. Push the right block in to the lava and go up. Unlock the block, and go right. Don't kill the demon because it's just boring. Unlock the door in here and go up. Ignore the staircase for now. Go up and kill the four slimes, then go up again. The mummies are on precarious ground so be sure to keep moving while fighting them. Kill them and you get another key. Go left. You don't need to fight the Dodongo Snakes again, just dodge them and continue left. Go up the staircase. We're outside again! Breathe the fresh air, then go right. You will see the last warp hole. Go right, kill the Stalfos Knight, then go back in. Now this is a new way to fight snakes- drop bombs on them. This easy actually, just pick the bombs up and throw it at 'em. Once they are gone, open the chest for another key. Go left from here, then jump down. Leap across the lava and dodge the slimes. Now make life easier on yourself by unlocking the door. I forget where you go now. Just find the first demon room, go up, left, and connect the cake block to the upper path you used before and you will end up in the slime room. Now find the weak point in the west wall, bomb it, and go in. It's dark in here. Jump over the pits and go left again. I think you have to unlock a block here, but I'm not sure. Kill the slug and continue left. There is yet another weak point in the west wall. You know what to do. Whoa! Careful! There is lava right off the bat here. Jump over it and shoot an arrow into the eye of the statue but watch out because the specters block arrows if you try to shoot them. Once you succeed, jump back in. Find the staircase and go up it, then go right. Hookshot downward and unlock the block. Go down the stairs and when you come out, go down to face Blaino. Make no mistake. This boxing penguin is VERY hard. He drains one heart on contact, not too bad. He sometimes draws back with a mega punch that will leave you stunned. If you see him winding up get out of there or you will wind up in the beginning of the level. You will want the level 2 sword and the red suit here, as Blaino will only take two hits with these equipped. To beat him, equip your sword and shield. Use the shield to block his normal punches and keep him at a safe distance. Sometimes, he will do this rapid series of punches, which is your cue to whack him from behind or the sides. He will likely take a while to defeat, but be patient. This is the last mini-boss of the game. Oh no! The raised blocks are guarding the treasure chest. Find the cake block room west of Smasher then bomb the north wall. Whack the switch, then go back to Blaino via the warp tile. Open the chest and you get… the Magic Rod! This will be fun to use here because almost all the enemies will die in one hit, including the demons. I don't remember exactly what you do to get here, but when you find the room with the two slugs and the torches guarded by barriers, use the magic rod to light them and get a key. Now, go back to the first demon room, go up, and go left. Connect the cake block to the staircase and go up them. Here, you need to solve some ice block puzzles. The first one is easy. Simply shoot the magic rod at the bottom row and kill the goompas. The next one is only slightly harder. Just jump up and eliminate all the top row ice blocks and jump on them. When you exit, jump down and unlock the door. Cue Ball is here! He's still really easy. You can't use the Pegasus Boots here so jump over him instead and hit him four times (eight with the level 1 sword) and he releases a fairy. Go up. Fill in the pits to get the Nightmare's Key. Now find your way back to the first demon room… I really don't feel like giving you directions again. When you reach the cake block, connect it to the exposed path on the right. Jump and get the heart if you need it, then go up the staircase. For the first one, just eliminate all the blocks and jump to the next room. Then, for the second one, create a staircase. Very easy. "Climb" the stairs and go down. Unlock the nightmare's door and enter. Looks like Hot Head's in a bad mood, just like everyone else in this rock. You know, I'M in a bad mood too because Blaino was such an annoying little creep. So anyway, Hot Head really isn't too hard. He jumps around in his lava. When he lands, four drops of lava splash out. If these hit you, they do FOUR hearts of damage, and the shield doesn't block them. Jump over them or dodge these drops instead. I personally think Blaino was WAY harder, but hey, at least you don't have to fight his big brother… No real strategies here. When he is in the air, shoot him with the Magic Rod and he will start zooming all around the room. KEEP SHOOTING NO MATTER WHAT. Even if it looks like he will hurt you, keep firing because he cannot hurt you when he's in the air. You need to hit him about eight times and you have about five or six seconds to do it. If you fail, he jumps back in and heals himself. Once you hit him eight times, his shell breaks off and you see his true self. Just hit him twice more and he's gone. Claim your Heart Container and go up for your final instrument, the Thunder Drum. Boss 8 Data Hit Points: 10 Difficulty: 7 Items Needed: Roc's Feather, Magic Rod Miscellaneous Well, you're done with the game, right? Wrong. You still have to go to the Wind Fish's Egg and play the first song on the Ocarina. After the song plays, part of the egg explodes and reveals a passage, then that pesky owl will come down and annoy you by perching on the egg. Go inside. You need the directions from the eighth book in the library, so go up and fall into the pit, then follow your directions. If you did them right, you will see another pit. Fall into it. Now, you have to fight six final Nightmares before that dang Wind Fish will wake up. Form #1: Buzz Blob This guy requires three sprinkles of the magic powder. Careful, because if you get hit by him you lose health, and since magic powder has such stinky range, you might get touched a few times. Form #2: Agahnim's Shadow I think this guy is from Zelda 3. He creates energy balls and throws them at you. To beat him, go opposite him as far as you can. When he shoots his thing at you, swing your sword like a baseball bat and hit back at him. Sometimes you will miss and if you're too far away he fades and goes somewhere else. Sometimes he shoots a jack-shaped projectile at you. Dodge it, because if it touches you it does damage no matter what you do to it. It also spreads out when it hits the wall so be careful. Form #3: Moldorm He's a replica of the first boss but requires seven hits (double that with the normal sword) to kill. Hold up your Mirror Shield at all times and you should be fine. For #4: Ganon The last boss from Zelda 3, Ganon is evidently less tough. Just charge him with the Pegasus Boots and your sword. He requires about twelve hits with the level 1 sword, six with the level 2. He will call forth his Burning Bats and will hurt you but don't worry. If you're using the level 1 sword, he throws his staff at you so watch out. Boss #5: Lanmola Same thing as the guy you fought when getting the Angler Key. ONE shot from the Magic Rod or Hookshot will kill him. Boss #6: Dethyl This is the final boss. He has these two swinging arms that you must jump over. When his eye opens, shoot as many arrows as you can into it. He requires somewhere between 16 and 20 arrows so make sure you're well stocked. Or you can use the boomerang to kill him in one hit but it must be a direct hit. Watch out when you're using the arrows because he speeds up every time you hit him. BEST STUFF Best Weapon: Level 2 sword Why? Simply because all the other weapons with a higher attack and lower times are pretty much strictly linear, meaning they travel in a straight line. This means that you have to be on the same axis as the enemy, which can leave you vulnerable. The Level 2 sword, while its lasers are the same way, is a ninety-degree swing which hits all enemies within its range, so you can be diagonal from them and still hit provided they are on the right side. The swipe itself goes clockwise, so if you're heading upward, maneuver the enemy so they're to the left of you and swing. Best Missile Weapon: Magic Rod While the Boomerang comes close, the Magic Rod edges it out in my mind by having a faster recovery time and better range. The Magic Rod also cuts down any bushes in its path, making it useful for clearing out large clumps of them. The Boomerang does the same but with lower range. The advantages that the boomerang has over the Magic Rod is that it picks up smaller items like rupees and fairies and can also strike enemies on the way back, though maneuvering to achieve this is difficult. The Bow is the third best, because though its recovery time is faster than that of the Boomerang, the Bow has a limited number of shots, but this can be corrected by visiting the Mad Batter. Most Useful Tool: Hookshot The Hookshot has the most functions of any item in the game. It can attack enemies, flip inaccessible switches, and let you cross chasms. It also retrieves small items. Though its times are hideously long, it is still a good item because it is long range and if you use it at short range its times get better anyway. Less useful is what I call its "teleport" function. I use this to dodge enemies, most often those annoying shelled moles. You get in line with a grabbable object with your sword and hookshot equipped, then use it right as the enemy is closing in with you. This will rocket you past it and allow you to attack it from a different side. Battle Techniques This section will help you get more out of your weapons to use them with maximum effect. These are strategies to use, which will make your journey much easier, though some are more useful than others. SWORD TECHNIQUES Whirling Blade: This is the only move described in the manual. You hold down the button after a normal strike, then it starts to flash. When it does this, release the button and the sword swings all around and inflicts more damage to all enemies around you, and it can't be blocked. Add the level 2 sword and the red suit and this will do 6 damage, which nothing else can match. It will allow to defeat ANY mini- boss in two hits and any random enemy (excluding ghosts and mummies.) However, there are problems with this method. First of all, it takes a few seconds to power up. Secondly, with the exception of the shield, you cannot use any other item while doing this, which leaves you vulnerable. Thirdly, if any enemy touches it, it only does normal damage and the move is wasted. Also, if a fireball or demon ball touches it, the latter will be blocked but the move will be disrupted. Half Moon Slash: This will allow you to hit all enemies to the front and sides of you faster than the whirling blade. Simply face left and slash, then right and strike very rapidly. This will form a semi-circle of protection and will hit multiple enemies easily. It can be hard to keep up though. Stab: Weren't you always annoyed by those enemies that kept jumping out of your way whenever you tried to hit them? Here's a way to remedy this problem: Hold down the sword as if you were going to do a whirling blade. The sword will be in front of you. Now just move forward toward the Stalfos or winged pea shooter or whatever. It will hit and the enemy will not jump out of the way so it is pretty much a guaranteed hit against them. Not only that, you can hold your shield up in front of you to make you invulnerable from the front… very nice. Kind of awkward looking though, and only faces one direction so there's a chance that they will move out of the way and you will have to start over. Whirlwind: Though this does not attack with the speed of a whirlwind, it will allow you to strike down enemies quickly. Start by using a whirling blade. While the sword is going around you, hold down the button assigned to it. The whirling blade will end but in front of you which allows you to power your sword up again much more quickly. Add to the fact that most enemies are pushed back with every sword swipe and this will allow you to hit repeatedly. Jumping Slash: This can be used only after you have the Roc's Feather. All you have to do is jump and while you're in the air attack with a normal sword blow. Unlike a standard sword blow (from the ground) this will not make you stop and so is useful for getting past large expanses of grassy areas without slowing down. Will also hurt enemies if they are hit. Only do this on one hit point enemies. If you do it on creatures with more, you will land on them and take damage. Once you power up your attack power, you can go for more hit points. One of the most useful attacks in the game. Invulnerability: This does not confer complete invulnerability, only to the front. It is simple, effective, and you can use it very early on. Simply hold your shield up at all times. Slash when you need to and you will do damage, but retaliation like enemy arrows or rocks will be blocked. Very useful in the beginning parts of the game when you don't have as many hearts. Strong Blow: This is only an effect of the red suit or piece of power. When you hit an enemy, they will be blown way back. This can be good and bad. It's mostly good for those shelled moles, as when you hit them with this, they will go all the way across the screen and into a pit if you're lined up correctly. Also, enemies taking many hits (like ghosts or mummies) will be sent out of range and give you some breathing room. However, it can also send some enemies out of the screen or in inaccessible places (such as cavern walls, this is mostly the case with Keese) so be careful. BOW TECHNIQUES Missiles: This can only be done with the bow (duh) and bombs. Equip the bombs and the bow. Press the bomb button and before anything even happens press the bow button. The bomb will be attached to the arrow and will have the range too, plus the area effect. Also detonates on impact. Pretty cool move. Stone Smash: You know those Stone Knights in the southern shrine? Well, you can paralyze them with your hookshot but this is only temporary. You can kill them by shooting them with one arrow. Not only that, they also drop an arrow you so you will always have the same number of ammunition. If you have the boomerang, you can stock up this way but they take two hits with this method. HOOKSHOT TECHNIQUES Teleport: See the description for 'Best Tool' above. Mask Pull: This is meant as a technique to defeat the masked moles in level 5. Simply get within range and fire away. This will 1) make them vulnerable from any side or 2) kill them outright if you are facing the back. Snag: Not really useful in battle. When you defeat an enemy, they will sometimes drop hearts, rupees, etc. To get them from far away, face the object and use the Hookshot. It will grab the object and come back to you. MAGIC ROD TECHNIQUES Burn: After you get the Magic Rod, try shooting it at a wall. You'll notice that when the projectile hits it, that area sets on fire for about a second. Well, if an enemy touches that section, they start on fire! Not very reliable because it has a very short life span, but still sort of neat for the novelty. Lawn Mowing: Cuts down bushes. Fire this and all bushes (not grass) in your way will be cut down. BOOMERANG TECHNIQUES Fairy Heal: Need some health? Find a specter or flying mushroom and use the boomerang on it. It will turn into a fairy and heal six hearts worth of damage. Very nice. Endless Assault: You can only do this while you have the flying rooster. Use the boomerang but before it comes back to you, grab the rooster. The boomerang will orbit below you and hurt anything that touches it, while making you invulnerable. Fun to use on the dogs in Mabe Village. Multiple Hits: This can be used on almost any enemy that requires more than one hit with this useful weapon. Try to maneuver yourself so that the target is between you and the boomerang. The weapon will come back to you and hit the enemy as well. If you're far enough away, the enemy will be blown back but still in the line of fire and get hit again. If more than one enemy is present, you can hit all of them, too. I did this once and killed three red slimes in one throw. Very cool. Eight-way Throw: Unlike all other missile weapons, you can throw the boomerang diagonally. Practice this first, though, because it's quite tricky. But anyway, find a spot that is clear and enemy free (the field above the Trendy Game is ideal.) Now, go to the top of the screen. Go down, and when you're ready turn left or right. But before you even turn, throw the boomerang. If you timed it correctly, it will fly diagonally. This works while you're going up, too. Back Protection: Throw the boomerang behind you and quickly turn around and attack the frontal enemy. The boomerang will hit anyone sneaking up on you from behind. I hope this will be useful to you during your quest. Quick Fix for Tricky Bits So, you need help do you? I may be able to help you out here. This section will cover all of the dungeon puzzles and tell you where the keys and Nightmare Key are hidden. Tail Cave Q: How on earth do I get the Roc's Feather? A: First of all, you have to find the room with the two specters and two small slimes in it. Dodge these guys and go left. There is one lone block. Push it upward and the door will open. Kill the enemies here and a staircase will appear. Follow the trail where this leads and you will find a treasure chest. Inside it is the Roc's Feather. Q: How do I even get there? I know where it is, but can't find the key. A: Go to the Mysterious Woods and be sure to have some Magic Powder handy. Find the screen with the raccoon that tries to make you get lost. Sprinkle some Magic Powder on him and it will turn into Tarin. Now go up and open the chest for the Tail Key. Key Locations 1) Knock two shelled moles into a pit to get a small key. 2) Kill two red slimes, knock a shelled mole into a pit and step on the switch. A chest containing a key will appear. 3) Dodge the specter orbiting around the chest and open it for the third key of this dungeon. 4) From the third key location, take the upmost path that leads to the right. Jump over the pit and unlock the block. Go up the staircase and go to the left. The chest contains the Nightmare Key. Bottle Grotto Q: How can I get in? Flowers that I can't destroy guard the entrance! A: You need to rescue BowWow first. Once you have done that, go to the entrance. He will eat some of the flowers around it, allowing you access. Q: What's the deal with the darkened rooms? I can't see a thing! A: You must sprinkle Magic Powder on the torch boxes to light up the room. In the second room, you have to do this to proceed. Q: How do I defeat those ghosts? A: You must sprinkle some Magic Powder on any of the two torches. To keep them at bay, hit them repeatedly with your sword. Once you light a torch, hit them once each to make a chest appear. This contains the treasure of this level, the Power Bracelet. Key Locations 1) Kill two Stalfos for the first one. 2) Open a chest for another 3) Kill two Mimics and the key drops on the other side of the wall. Go back around to get it. 4) Step on a switch next to a crystal and jump across, opening the chest for a key. 5) To get the Nightmare Key, you have to find the room with the trapped Pols Voice, the Stalfos Knight, and the Keese. First of all, free the Pols Voice by pushing around blocks. Once he is free, pick up a pot and bash him. Then, get rid of the bat and lastly the Stalfos. Key Cavern Q: How do I kill those blasted penguins? Every time I get within range, they teleport away. A: The method that seems to work very well is to shoot arrows at them. However, you do have a limited supply and may run out before you kill them all. Generally, try to predict where they will reappear and go to that spot before they do, slashing like mad. The stab technique will not work, as they blink whenever you get close, not if you slash at them. Once you have the Pegasus Boots, you can simply charge them and they won't have enough time to blink out. Q: I can't defeat the Dodongo Snakes! Every time I set a bomb, they keep moving away! A: I've found that you have to set a bomb very close to one of them, and not far away or they will avoid it for sure. Try tracking one at a time and literally putting a bomb in their mouth when they come to you. Unlike other mini-bosses, these guys allow you an escape route to get more bombs if you need them, though boss damage will be reset. Q: How can I avoid the living bombs? Every time I hit one, they almost always end up hurting me! A: I know how you feel, this happens to me a lot too. With the ones that go bouncing out of control, there is no sure way to avoid them, but you can hold up the shield to make them bounce away. However, even the shield will not block the explosions. With the ones that follow you, try this: Try to get them all close together, and hit them all at once. Position yourself to he left of the room, and just when they start exploding, run toward the right. Hopefully, you will avoid the explosions. Even if you do get hit, you will only take one heart of damage as opposed to three as if each of them hurt you. Another, far less reliable method is to enter the room BUT DO NOT EXIT THE DOORWAY. This way, the doors will remain open. Wait until a homing bomb goes into one of the open doorways, and while it's in there, go fully into the room. The door will close and the bomb will be trapped! Hit him and he does the usual countdown but you can go to the other side of the room and won't be able to hurt you. Key Locations 1) Kill two walking bombs and a Stalfos swordsman to reveal a chest containing your first key. 2) Kill the two slimes and telepenguins by jumping over the chasm. 3) Defeat a green Stalfos and a few slimes to get another key. 4) Kill two slimes, a Stalfos Knight, and a telepenguin and get the key before it falls into the chasm. 5) Kill several slimes to get your fifth key 6) Defeat two telepenguins and yet another small key drops from the sky. 7) Kill three walking bombs and the seventh key will come to you 8) Defeat the warp tile near the start of the level and get another small key (wow!) 9) The Nightmare Key is found by bombing a wall, long jumping over two chasms and opening a chest. Angler's Tunnel Q: What's the deal with the five tiles? A: There's a special pattern you need to learn after you get the flippers. Go down from that room and you should see a few masked moles and slimes. Kill them. Now, you should notice that one of the tiles is glittering. Step on it and a chime will sound and the glitter will appear somewhere else. Memorize this pattern (it changes with each game, though it usually starts with the center) and find the same room but with water in it. Step on the correct tiles and a staircase leading to either the Nightmare's Lair or Key will appear, I don't remember. Key Locations 1) Open a chest surrounded by blue crystals for your key, then kill the remaining water striders to exit the room. 2) Bomb a cracked block, then push the adjacent block into the water to open the chest with the small key in it. 3) Bomb yet another cracked block and open the chest for number 3 small key. 4) Open a treasure chest but watch out for the fireballs! 5) Go down some steps with the flippers then retrieve the key that is in the passage. Catfish's Maw Q: Those masked moles are really giving me trouble. What should I do? A: Well, my preferred method is to get the level 2 sword and use the lasers to kill them in one hit. However, if they are facing the laser head on they won't get hurt. Another problem is that if you're hurt the lasers won't fire. But even if you do get hurt, you only need to hit them from the back once instead of twice. And once you get the Hookshot, you can pull their masks away or kill them outright if their back is to you. Q: Where's Master Stalfos? I can't find him! A: Guess what? You have to fight this guy no less than FOUR times before you get your prize. But there are four rooms which he appears in (indicated by the number of blocks in the corners: for example one block is the room where you first fight him, two blocks is the second, etc.) The first time, you'll meet him as you're exploring, so it's really not hard to find. The second time, you must first go east from the first room, up, and find a way to press the switch and open the door to the right. Once you do that, go in there and Master Stalfos will be waiting. The third time, you have to do as follows: take the upper path from the "way point" which is the area with five blocks and two specters and make your way from there. The last time, you must do some backtracking. Go to the room with the four Stalfos and lots of blue crystals (also the location of the first key) and go left. When you kill him for the final time, he drops the hookshot. Q: The big spiders never seem to open their eyes. Is there any way to make it go faster? A: It's been said that if you play 'Ballad of the Wind Fish' it makes them open their eye, but I've never tested this out, so don't blame me if it doesn't work. Key Locations 1) From the start, go left, left, and down the stairs, using the weights to get around. When you emerge, kill all the Stalfos, destroy the blue crystals, and push the upper blocks inward so the four blocks form a square. A key will drop. 2) Hookshot across a chasm using a treasure chest as an anchor and open the chest. 3) Hookshot across the pits with the spikes guarding it and make your way from there for the last small key (that was short.) 4) Find the only room all water in it. Dive in the section of deep water, and when you come out, hookshot the bridge, follow it, and open the chest for the Nightmare's Key. Face Shrine Q: I'm running out of bombs! Are there any ways to conserve their uses? A: Yes, you do burn through many bombs in this level. Here are some tricks that will help you use less bombs: For the wizards, either use one bomb to kill three (you must place it correctly) or shoot them with four arrows. When you get to the room with the crystal switch in the middle and four blocks, you can use the boomerang instead of a bomb though this is a little hard. Q: Okay, so I defeated Smasher. But when I go up, I'm getting caught in an endless loop! How do you break it? A: Hmmmmm, I hope you have the level 2 power bracelet handy. Go up until you see the two elephant statues surrounded by tiles (there is also a floating bomb, which will restore ten bombs which you will probably need.) Lift the left elephant statue. It will reveal a staircase. Follow it and you will break the loop. Key Locations 1) Find the room where cubical barriers completely cover the room, except for in two spots. These spots are home to some wizards, and a skull specter flies around here too. Kill the wizards and a key will drop. 2) Follow a watery path and open a chest for key number two. 3) Once all of the possessed tiles have been destroyed, a key will drop from the ceiling. 4) The Nightmare's Key is found in the room with all the pots and stuff around it. You can't open it normally, so you must throw a pot at it instead. I think Nintendo's getting lazy, as the last levels don't have many keys. Turtle Rock Q: Blaino is starting to get on my nerves! How can I beat him? A: I know how you feel, it took me over twenty tries to beat him. He's by far the hardest miniboss, but you probably knew that. One site recommended using the Roc's Feather to "stay out of danger." In my opinion, that is probably the stupidest idea in the world. First of all, Blaino is really fast and if you try to jump over him you will land on him and take damage you didn't intend to take. Second of all, I find it easier to use the shield to block his normal punches. But even the shield won't protect you from his Super Punch (leaves you dizzy) and his Super Uppercut Punch (sends you back to beginning of level.) However, the uppercut is easily dodged as he takes so long to pull it off. But this is where the programmers play really cheaply. If you hit him while he is executing the uppercut, you get sent to the beginning even if you are below him! I once tried this once I had him down to 1 hit point, and I hit him while he was doing this, and I had to start over! Needless to say, I was furious. However, to make this easier, get the red suit and the level 2 sword. If you can pull it off, also a Piece of Power. With these three things, he will only take one hit. However, if you don't have the piece of power, he will require two, but that isn't too bad. This walkthrough was written by Karl Schaumann (the Last Avenger) in 2000-2001. All walkthrough information is more or less correct, and I completed the dungeons using those methods. Please do not copy me; it's my work, and it took me almost a year, and if you do copy me I'll track you down and send you tons of Emails to clog up your online mailbox… As of yet, this walkthrough is permitted only on the following sites: GameFAQs Use any information to help you with the game, but do not give it to anyone else or otherwise plagiarize… you know the routine. Copyright 2000-2001 by Karl Schaumann