The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
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Copyright 2005 Brian McPhee
Author: Brian McPhee (Kirby021591)
E-mail: Kirby0215@aol.com
Most Recent Update: July 17, 2005
Originally Created: February 6, 2005
Version 1.0
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---------------------------Table of Contents---------------------------
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Section 1*
Introduction*
Navigation*
Storyline*
Section 2*
Hyrule Castle*
Eastern Palace*
Desert Palace*
Tower of Hera*
The Dark World*
Palace of Darkness*
Watergate Dungeon*
Skull Dungeon*
Blind’s Hideout*
Ice Palace*
Misery Mire*
Turtle Rock*
Ganon’s Tower*
Section 3*
Equipment Upgrades*
Pieces of Heart*
Secrets and Tricks*
Changes in Re-Release*
Enemy Index*
Zelda Timeline*
FAQ*
Section 4*
Credits and Legal Information*
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=============================Introduction*=============================
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And so it begins… Hello! Welcome to my new guide, for A Link to the
Past for those of you who are blind and just miraculously regained your
sight. Now, this will be my ninth guide for a Zelda game. Now, I know
what you’re thinking. First, no, I’m not in a Zelda cult. Second,
yes, it’s even worse than that. This is my twenty-first guide (I’m
beyond help) in total. Anyhow, this isn’t about me. It’s about A Link
to the Past.
I chose this game to be my next guide because it is truly a great game.
It is easily the best Zelda game, and it is definitely one of the best
games of all time. It is my favorite game for the SNES, and it soon
will be yours. The Legend of Zelda is an extremely revolutionary
series of games. They had the first game batteries (allowing you to
save), they introduced the popular bird’s eye view, and they did so
much more. They ventured into 3D when it was young, they are the
foundation for action RPG games that use points (check out Adventure of
Link to see an old version of many modern games), and they even had
extremely popular portable games. Zelda is a series that takes risks,
and they always pay off for them.
Well, this is the best of the best, the cream of the crop – this is A
Link to the Past. I truly cannot express how good this game is. I’d
hate to think what video games would be like without it. It has set
the standard for so much and has introduced the concepts of so many
games... Also, this game is long (although you can beat it in under a
day) during your first play-through. It has a total of thirteen
dungeons, plenty of side quests, and it leaves you impelled to keep
playing. I’ve beaten this game some ten times now (mostly because my
game data was erased so much). Whether you’re playing the GBA re-
release with Four Swords on it, or if you’re playing the good old SNES,
this is an experience that will raise your standards forever.
By the by, if you see this walkthrough (guide) on any website besides
GameFaqs.com, please contact me at the e-mail I’ve listed. With your
help, we can put an end to plagiarism of this document and others.
Thanks for your help.
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==============================Navigation*==============================
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You may have noticed the asterisks (*) I’ve place next to certain
section titles. Also, you may be wondering why I put them there.
Well, they’re really trendy, but I think there’s a better reason. On
your keyboard, press CTRL and F at the same time. If you are using a
Mac, press Apple and F at the same time. This brings up a Find/Search
box that looks for specific text in the body of a document. Type in a
section title, asterisk and all, and search for it. It will take you
the Table of Contents and then to that section. I think it’s a much
more efficient system than numbering or lettering. Anyways, the
asterisks differentiate that title from the text, which lets you
navigate smoothly.
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==============================Storyline*===============================
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Although you don’t need to understand it to enjoy the game, it does add
a lot. The plot of this game is spectacular. All games should strive
to achieve this. After the summary of events preceding game events,
I’ll make a list of important characters. First, the cliff notes.
+---------------+
| Summary |
+---------------+
Trouble was stirring in Hyrule. As if from nowhere, the land
experienced incomparable droughts, tornados, and other natural
tragedies. The king and his mages tried to quell the problems, but it
was to no avail. Just like the strange weather, a wizard came to
Hyrule with a magic never seen before. He was called Agahnim, and he
put an end to the natural disasters. The entire population rejoiced,
and Agahnim became an advisor to the king. But, darkness slowly crept
back into Hyrule. The people said that Agahnim was using his seat of
power to control the king and his kingdom. Despair fell over the land…
A boy named Link awoke from his sleep one night to a familiar voice.
He received it telepathically – a plea from within Hyrule Castle. With
his uncle’s sword and shield, Link ventured into the castle to rescue
Zelda, the princess of Hyrule…
+------------------+
| Characters |
+------------------+
For my next trick, I’ll list all of the important characters with brief
backgrounds for each.
Link: He’s the main character, the guy you control throughout the game.
In this game, Link starts out living with his uncle. When his uncle
failed to rescue the princess from the depths of the castle, Link took
up his shield and sword to rescue the girl crying for help. Link wears
green on all of his outings and is the star of many different games,
all of which are quite popular. Every Link (as Link is reincarnated
several times) is of Hylian blood, but are often unaware. Although he
is famous for defeating Ganon (on multiple occasions), Ganon doesn’t
seem to be behind this new development.
Zelda: Zelda is very important to the game. She awakens Link from his
sleep so that he can save her from the castle where she is being held
captive. Zelda is the princess of Hyrule, and she is eventually
abducted by Agahnim. She and six other maidens are the last
descendants of the Seven Wise Men, those who created the seal to
separate the Dark World from the Light World.
Uncle: Although not hugely important, Link’s uncle also heard the
message sent out by Zelda. He was struck down in the castle, though,
and he gave his nephew his weapons with his last breath.
Agahnim: Although originally proclaimed as a hero, his true intentions
were always evil. As chief advisor of Hyrule, he deceived the king and
killed him. Now he is trying to take the life of Zelda to break a seal
to the Dark World. Using a legendary power in the Dark World, he plans
on conquering both realms. Only Link can stop him with the legendary
sword of evil’s bane.
There are more wicked plots brewing in Hyrule, but Link will just have
to take them as they come. The game elaborates on what we’ve been
told, eventually explaining Agahnim’s true intentions.
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Note: This guide was written using the re-release of A Link to the Past
on the GBA. This was easier for me to use, considering that my SNES is
a bit... broken. Don’t worry, though. The guide only changes in a few
points, and I will provide alternate strategies for such points.
Besides, I know the SNES version very well from memory.
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============================Hyrule Castle*=============================
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+---------------------------------------------------+
| The Lamp and the Fighter’s Sword and Shield |
+---------------------------------------------------+
When your old man has left the building, go to the right and open a
treasure chest here. Press A in front of it to do so. You will get
the Lamp, a rather basic item that illuminates dark rooms. Go south
out the door and go right. Notice that you can jump over the ridge
here. This is an important concept to master. Now go north, following
the path to a bridge. At the end, a guard tells you off. He is at the
entranceway of the castle. Follow the path to his lower-right and
you’ll reach a shrub that is surrounded by stone.
Pick it up to reveal a hole – the secret entrance to the castle. Fall
in and you’ll be in B1F of Hyrule Castle. Go left to see your uncle,
fallen in the first hallway. He is dying, but he wants you to take up
his sword and shield. He has a secret technique passed down by the
Knights of Hyrule. Hold your sword out (B) and it will store up power.
Release and you’ll perform the Spin Attack. Now you must leave your
uncle behind. Go left and then south into a new room.
+---------------------+
| Hyrule Castle |
+---------------------+
Slash your sword using the B button. To the right are two soldiers,
their minds manipulated by Agahnim and his dark magic. Slash each of
them twice with your new sword to beat them. Further to the right is a
chest. Open it for 5 rupees. Rupees are the official currency of
Hyrule. Also, near here is a lamp. Press A by it to use the Lamp to
light a fire in it. Doing so takes magic power, so use your Lamp
sparingly. If you have no magic, then you cannot use many items. Now
go left and south again into the courtyard of the castle. Go south and
slash the bushes here to clear them away. Go to the southwest and
attack the soldiers on the other side of the shrubs. One Spin Attack
is twice as strong as a sword swipe; use them to take out the guards
easily. Now go north to a door.
Through it is Hyrule Castle, with its memorable music. In this first
room are several soldiers. Attack them to defeat them. Notice that
they drop red objects when being defeated (sometimes). These are
Recovery Hearts. Use them to regain health, which is measured on the
Heart Meter in the upper-right corner of the screen. It is a Zelda
classic. Anyways, go up the stairs to the left and go west. You’ll be
on a bridge over a room below. Notice that the soldier here is blue.
That’s because it is stronger than green ones (taking three hits).
Also, it has a longer sword, which acts as its shield. Fighting it may
yield a green rupee. They are the base unit of rupees, worth one.
Notice pots to the north. Pick them up with R to find two hearts. Now
go south to the exterior of the castle once again. Go left past a
magic barrier (where Agahnim is hiding) and through more double doors.
Go north once and follow the narrow path here further to the north.
Take the stairs down here and then go left to a new room. In here
you’ll find the stairs leading to the basement. As of right now,
you’re on 1F (access the map using L. I like how the cursor shows
what’s below you). In this room is a blue warrior. Defeat it and it
drops a Small Key. These useful items open certain locked doors in the
dungeon (some locks can only be opened using a master key, so to
speak).
Also, open the chest to receive the Dungeon Map. This is a very
innovative feature that appeared in the first Zelda game (along with
Small Keys and the Compass). Press L to reach the map. This is an
outline of the dungeon, including all rooms you have and haven’t
visited. As you can see, this dungeon is quite small. Go south using
the Small Key to a new room of B1F. Go down the ladder or over the
ledge, whichever you prefer, and defeat the blue soldier. You can
knock it into the pit to defeat it instantly. Note that you take
damage, but do not die automatically, from falling into holes. Go
south and you’ll find two more blue soldiers. If you pick up the pots
with R, you can throw them at them. One hit of a pot does a blue
soldier in. Go further south to find a third enemy. Ignore/defeat it
and go west.
Follow the path up and go under the bridge above you. There are two
green soldiers on the left side of the room; defeat them. Now go
north. The doors in this room slam shut as soon as you enter. Certain
actions can open them (get used to this, as it appears in many Zelda
games). Defeat the enemy to open both. Since there’s no other way to
go, head east to a new room. Defeat the guard in here and he drops
another Small Key. Take it and then open the chest with A. Inside is
the Boomerang! It is this dungeon’s prize (each dungeon has a weapon
hidden inside that is either needed or is useful). It is not perfect
as it is right now, but the Boomerang can be thrown (select it on the
start screen)at enemies to deal damage. Minor enemies will take
damage, like Keese (bats), but stronger enemies, like soldiers, are
frozen for a few seconds. This is the perfect time to slash them
silly.
Now go back to the left and go north through the locked door. Take the
first ladder down and then go down the second flight of stairs in the
room. Go down another one (B2F sure was short) and you’ll be in the
key room of the dungeon. This is where Zelda is being kept. Attack
the soldiers in the room and work your way to the right. At the end is
a Ball & Chain Soldier, quite a formidable opponent, especially at so
early a stage in the game.
Use the Boomerang to stun it. It won’t stay frozen forever; run in and
slash. Then retreat and repeat the process. If you get low on health,
use the pots in one of the jail cells here to find hearts. Also,
tossing the pots at the soldier from afar isn’t a bad idea. Beating it
makes it drop the Big Key. It can open locks that Small Keys cannot,
although it cannot open small key doors. Use it on the lock to Zelda’s
cell. Open the chest to the left of her first and then talk to her.
The customary Zelda theme music starts to play and she speaks.
She explains that the soldiers have fallen under the spell of the
wizard – Agahnim. She also has a premonition about her father, who has
indeed died. Say that you don’t understand at the end if you want her
to repeat what she just said (in the same words, which doesn’t explain
it well if you already misunderstood). If not, she will start
following you around. Now you must guide her to the first floor (she
knows a secret shortcut to leave the castle). In most Zelda games she
is really slow, but she’s not too bad here. Aside from chatting a bit
too much, Zelda is wonderful at follow-the-leader.
Go to the left side of the room and take the stairs. Take the next set
of stairs to B1F. Go up the ladder and out the door to the south. Go
south again and then work your way to the right, past two guards, to an
old screen. Now follow the path here to 1F. Go out the left door and
go south, defeating the trio of enemies. Follow the red carpet out a
door to the right, leading you back to the main room. Take the stairs
up and then go through the central north door. This is 2F, the throne
room. Defeat the guards here or run past them to access the ladder
ahead. Go north and you’ll see an ornamental shelf behind two throne
chairs. With Zelda’s help you can push this shelf to the side. Go
through the door you’ve found to be in a secret passage to the outside
world.
However, it’s pitch dark inside and you’ll need the Lamp. Notice that
you don’t need to select it; you can keep out the Boomerang but still
have a bit of light. There are several rats in this room. Hug the
left wall and head up it until it opens. Use the Lamp to light this
torch, which illuminates the room a tad. Go to the northeast to find a
similar torch. Light it with the Lamp (press A when it is selected)
and the room gets much brighter. Now go north down some stairs (the
torches eventually go out, mind you). There are some snakes in this
hallway called Ropes. Two slashes of the sword will do them in. Don’t
let them get behind you. Go to the left and through another door.
There are bat enemies in here called Keese. They are essentially the
same as rats. When you see your first Keese, go right and open the
chest for a Small Key. Now go north through a locked door to
officially enter the sewers.
This first room has shallow water in it. Rats cannot move in water, so
you should walk in it to go left (through another door). In here there
is more shallow water. The door is to the north. In the next room,
defeat some of the rats and one will drop a Small Key. Use it on the
door to the northeast. Now the room is lit. Go north in here,
destroying your opposition, and you’ll see some blocks. It is an old
Zelda trick to put blocks that can be pushed in a dungeon. Push the
middle block north once and then take the stairs up. Go south in this
room to reach the final room of the sewers. Clear out the rats in here
and notice the two levers. If you pull the left one, Ropes fall from
the ceiling and attack you. Pull the right one, and the door will
open. Go south into the Sanctuary.
The monk here will look after Princess Zelda. Here, where it is safe,
the priest explains that the only weapon potent enough to defeat the
mighty wizard is the legendary blade – the Master Sword. However, only
one man knows of where that blade is and how it is obtained. That man
is the elder of Kakariko Village, said to be a descendant of one of the
seven sages. He marks the home of the village elder on your map (press
L). When he’s done talking, open the treasure chest here for a Heart
Container! These items, given to you after you clear a dungeon,
increase the number of hearts that make up your Heart Meter by 1.
Therefore, you have more health. Now go south and out of the
sanctuary. Freedom!
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============================Eastern Palace*============================
=======================================================================
+-------------------------------------------+
| The Bottle and the Bug-Catching Net |
+-------------------------------------------+
You’ll find that Hyrule is reeking of guards. Everywhere you go you’ll
see one. Go south and defeat one. Now go west. The dirt trail should
be followed here. Defeat any soldiers you encounter here and go west
again. Here, go south through an arch and into town. Yes, welcome to
sleepy Kakariko Village. The first house you see is supposedly the
home of the elder. Inside, though, you’ll only find what we’d assume
to be his wife. Talking to her reveals that the Master Sword is deep
in the forest. Now exit this house and read the sign. Apparently,
you’re wanted for kidnapping Princess Zelda. That’s not quite how it
happened, but that’s okay. A few people in Kakariko Village will call
for soldiers when you try to talk to them. For now, though, go left
and into another house.
This house used to be the hideout of a gang of thieves led by their
infamous leader Blind. He really hated light. Anyways, go down the
stairs in this house to see several treasure chests. This is a block
maze. Push the upper-right block down and then the upper-left one
right. Push the blocks on either side of this first chest down and
then push the one in front of the chest to the left. Open the first
chest for 20 rupees (a red rupee is worth twenty). Open the other
chests for 40 more rupees.
Now, there’s one chest remaining. Push the block to the southeast of
it up and then the one in front of it down. Open the chest for twenty
more rupees. Now, you should have at least 100. Go out of the house
and take the stairs down. To the lower-left is a man selling bottles
for 100 rupees. Buy one and you’ll be able to store things that you
catch (like bugs). However, you’ve no means to catch anything right
now. Well, at least your life is complete now that you have a bottle.
Right of the merchant is a wind vane sort of thing. Go south from it
and enter the first house to the right that you see. Inside is a sick
boy. Approach him and he wakes up. He caught a cold from the evil air
flowing from the mountain. As a result, he has no use for his Bug-
Catching Net. If you see a bug, not to mention a few other creatures,
you can catch it with this net and keep it in your bottle. The
bottle’s only function is to hold items and to unleash them. To the
southwest of that house is a man standing by some Cuccos (chickens).
Talk to him to learn that the elder is in a palace to the east. He
marks the point on your map. As it turns out, it’s halfway across
Hyrule.
+-------------------------+
| To Eastern Palace |
+-------------------------+
Go back to where the Sanctuary is, one screen south of it. Go right
twice and the dirt path makes a sharp turn to the south. Follow it
south a screen and go right over a bridge. There are two archers here,
both taking three hits. Your shield can block arrows, but they can do
damage to you (your shield is very small and does not cover all your
body). The best strategy to use when attacking them is to get out of
their range of attack and close in on them, cornering them. Go further
south following the trail and go south.
You’re now in a huge open area with boulders scattered around. Hug the
right wall and take it down to the south. Here you’ll find more path
leading east. Follow it right and then go north. This is the official
palace area. Go to the right and take the steps up a tier. As soon as
you do, two statues called Armos come to life. Slash them until they
die as they come at you. Take the stone stairs up here and go forward
until you see a stone hut in a lower tier than your own. Jump over the
ridge down to it and enter the hut, the home of the elder Sahasrahla.
+-------------------------+
| Into the Darkness |
+-------------------------+
Talk to the elder, who has an incredibly hard-to-pronounce name, and
he’ll tell you that only one who has one all three of the Pendants can
wield the sword of evil’s bane. When he asks a question, it makes no
difference how you answer. The first Pendant is found in the palace in
this area. Exit the home of the elder and take the stairs to the north
up. Go right and then go south down a faint path to reach another
Armos at a fork in the road. Defeat it and go right. Follow the trail
to the south. Instead of fighting the Armos, jump off the ridge (see
the break in the rail?) and then go north up another set of stairs. To
continue the trend, defeat another Armos here and then go up yet
another set of stairs. Defeat the blue armor-clad soldier here and
take another set of stairs up to the threshold of the palace. Go up
another set of stairs and enter the palace.
+----------------------+
| Eastern Palace |
+----------------------+
Note: This is called East Palace in the GBA version of A Link to the
Past.
I tell you, back in my day these dungeons were a lot darker! As you
can see, two doors in this first room are open, the other slammed shut.
Also, only one of these doors is useful. Pick up the pot ahead and
press the switch to open the central door. Step into the next room and
defeat the enemies here with a single swipe of the sword. It is rather
obvious what to do now – step on the switch “camouflaged” in the tile
and then go north a room.
This room is the track of several iron balls. They come in two sizes,
small and big, and in two positions, left and right. Because of its
size, you cannot dodge the larger boulder. However, you can see when
it is coming and hide in one of the slots in the hall (it is the sixth
ball that rolls down in each sequence). With this in mind, it should
be easy to get to the end (that is, where the balls are coming from).
Go left from there and go south to a ladder. Take it up to a bridge,
at the end of which is a chest. Open it for 100 rupees.
Now go back to that ladder, take it down, and then climb the ladder
leading north. Go through the north exit. Although you cannot tell at
first, this is the main room of the dungeon. Go to the left and pick
up the pots. Between the two is a switch; press it to open the door.
Go through and you’ll see a new enemy, the Stalfos. The blue type is
great at jumping, which makes them frustrating to fight. The best
approach is to wait for them to fall. The Boomerang is ineffective.
Go to the southwest and through the door. In this room is a bone pile.
Plus, the doors slam shut behind you. Walk around and several Stalfos
appear. You can either use strategic Spin Attacks or you can throw
pots at them, whatever’s your cup of tea. Go north after winning and
then go forward to a chest that contains the Compass. It is the only
one of three dungeon items that you have not gotten experience with.
Compasses pinpoint the location of the boss in each dungeon on your
map. You do not need to have the map to use the Compass, though.
With it in hand, take the ladder down a tier and go right to a new
region of an old room. See that gray box on the wall? That’s an
intercom, and it lets people communicate with you telepathically. This
time, it’s Sahasrahla on the other line. He tells you that the
treasure in this palace will help you defeat armored foes. That’s
cool. Now go right a room into the lower section of the main room.
Currently, you can do nothing here and it would be foolish of you to
engage the monsters here (you can beat the statue-like creatures as of
now, but I don’t recommend it).
So, go right across the chamber to another room. Go south in here and
take the ladder up at the end. Go south to a new room, which is dark.
Two enemies here are bouncing about in the darkness. Go right of them
around a path (beware of two enemies in your way) and you’ll step on a
switch, which opens the east door. Make another trip around the room
and go through it.
You’re a bit vision-impaired here as well. There are three Stalfos
here, and I recommend you dispose of them using pots. Under one pot
against the right wall is a Small Key. Take it and left to the
previous room. On the west side of it is a locked door (open and go
through it, obviously). Our sense of sight is back. We’re in a room
above the third one (with all the black boulders). Follow the bridge
here to another room. In it are a few enemies. Defeat the Stalfos
first and the common monsters second. Then you’re left with statue-
like enemies. Let’s call it an Eyegore Statue, because that’s what
they are in future games. It is not particularly hard, but you should
be cautious. Get close to it so that it opens its eye and comes at
you. Be to its south. Slash repeatedly at its eye and it will be
knocked back a bit. Repeat this until it dies, which releases the
enemies around the pot.
Lift said pot and hit the switch beneath it. This makes a chest form,
and in it is the Big Key. We can now do many things, so we’ll start by
getting the dungeon’s item. Go north and unlock this door with the Big
Key. Take the ladder down and push the upper block forward. Now go
down the hallway and hang a right to return to the main room of East
Palace. In here is a huge treasure chest. These always contain the
dungeon’s special item. Walk up to it, defeat the nearby Stalfos, and
open it. You got the Bow! It lets you shoot arrows, which are the
perfect projectile! You start with ten arrows.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but a bunch of red Stalfos skulls come
down on you. Quickly run out of the room and then reenter (they’ll be
gone). Since we want to get the Dungeon Map, too, go through the left
door and go on back to the main room, upper level. Go to the right
side of the room and step on the switch by the pots. Go through this
door. Hooray, we can explore more of the dungeon… Defeat the enemies
if you’d like and take the north door. In here, lift the middle pot to
find a switch. Press it and go south to a new room. Open the treasure
chest for the Dungeon Map. This is an unusually small dungeon in
comparison to others.
Jump off the ledge you’re on at the break in the rail and take the
ladder up. Go left twice to return to the main room. It shouldn’t too
hard to get back to the lower part of the main room. Do so. In here,
go up the ladder. See the pots? If you’re low on health or you think
you might be in the near future, jump off the ledge into the pots.
This takes you to a secret room with two Fairies inside. In Zelda
games, Fairies restore a good bit of your health. Use the Bug-Catching
Net to capture one and keep it in your bottle. Let the other one heal
your wounds. Now use the warp panel to return to the main room. Take
the ladder up and go through the north door with the Big Key.
Pull out the Bow. Those Eyegore Statues die in one hit if you shoot
their open eyes. It’s dark in here, which doesn’t make it ideal for
projectiles. You’re going to have to be fast. The statues are
directly ahead of you. Shoot one and it drops a Small Key. Before you
unlock the door in the northwest wing of the room, go through the door
in the northeast corner. If you’re interested in amassing a small
fortune (which you are. Keep in mind that we’ll need at least 500
rupees pretty soon), take the ladder into the pit and collect the blue
rupees while avoiding the hazards.
Back in the previous room, unlock the door here and take the stairs to
2F. Under the lower-left pot in this room is a switch. When you get
the chance, run down there and press it. Now hurry to the room to the
left. There are three green Eyegore Statues to contend with. Stand in
line with them with a ready Bow and approach them to activate each
individually (if you can help it). When you do, you’ll have easy
access to all the switches in the room. As it turns out, all but the
southern switch is false. Press it and go left to a new room.
Talk about fun. This room is target practice for whoever is operating
these cannons. The exact center of the room is a safe place. When you
get the chance, activate the northwest switch and go left to a new
room. First off, defeat the Stalfos. With that completed, you’ll be
left with a single red Eyegore Statue (takes two arrows, not one).
Rush in, retreat, and shoot two arrows at its eye for a quick victory.
Lift the pots for a Recovery Heart. Now go north. You have to defeat
two red Eyegore Statues now. When you’ve beaten them, pick up the pots
to refill supplies and go north into the boss chamber.
+---------------------------+
| Boss: Armos Knights |
+---------------------------+
Although I always call them the Armored Foes, the Armos Knights are
quite an easy boss. They are so weak, in fact, that it takes a few of
them just to take you on. There six fighters have two formations –
horizontal and circular. At first, they’ll form a circle and prance
about the room. Although your sword does do damage to them, the arrows
are a far better choice of attack for such a situation. Shoot one a
few times and it explodes in a burst of light. After finishing the
circular formation, they line up against the wall and rush you. Shoot
one, and only one, so that it is knocked back. It will stay in its
line formation, so you can keep shooting until it explodes. That’s the
best time to attack. Stand in the corner during their circular attacks
to avoid taking damage. When only one is left, it turns red. It has a
new jumping attack to avenge its friends’ death. It’s far too fast to
use arrows against; stick to your sword for it. In this manner, you
can easily defeat it (literally, stick out your sword, move back a bit,
and it will fall on it).
It leaves behind a Heart Container. Pick it up and you’ll have another
heart added to the Heart Meter, meaning more health for you. Shortly
after, a green pendant falls down. This is the Pendant of Courage. It
is proof of your strength in the virtue of courage, obviously.
=======================================================================
============================Desert Palace*=============================
=======================================================================
+-------------------------+
| The Pegasus Boots |
+-------------------------+
You automatically exit the dungeon. Go back to Sahasrahla and talk to
him. By gaining the Pendant of Courage, you’ve proved yourself to
Sahasrahla. He tells you that the Knights of Hyrule served as
guardians to the Pendant of Courage. They say that when evil threatens
peace in Hyrule, a hero emerges from their bloodline. However, the
Knights of Hyrule all but died when trying to protect the seven sages
when they cast their seal to lock away the Dark World. But lo! You’re
a hero, and you must find the other pendants. To help you along your
quest, he gives you a treasure passed down by the sages, the Pegasus
Boots.
If you’re playing the GBA version, they’re called the Pegasus Shoes.
However, this is a guide for the SNES version, and I shall call them
the Pegasus Boots (which is their classic name). The Dash Attack can
be performed by using the Pegasus Boots to dash. Link sticks his sword
in front of him to do damage to whatever he runs into. Anyhow, we’re
not done quite yet in Sahasrahla’s humble abode. You probably got
bombs somewhere in the dungeon, from beating an enemy and the like. If
you have one, plant it against the strangely-cracked wall. When it
blows, an opening is made. Go through and open the chests for a total
of three bombs and 100 rupees.
+-------------------+
| The Ice Rod |
+-------------------+
The item we’re about to get is of no use to us, and it won’t be for a
LONG time. I’m talking the second-to-last dungeon’s boss. Exit the
ruins that Sahasrahla lives in and go south. You should see a cave to
the right. Inside is a Great Fairy. They soothe your wounds (Great
Fairies have been helping Link for quite some time), making them a
convenient pit stop. South of that cave is the north shore of Lake
Hylia, the largest lake in Hyrule. Go left of this screen to find a
stone bridge leading over a river that comes from the lake. Take it,
not going to a new screen, and then go left a screen. This is the
screen where Link’s house is. Go south from there into the swamp
region of Hyrule. Hug the right wall and you’ll see a rock in the
wall. Bomb there to reveal a Great Fairy Fountain.
Heal inside and go back out into the great outdoors. Some archers hide
in the grass here, so I advise that you hug the right wall and go
south. At the end, jump over the ridge and go right. Follow the north
wall to see another rock. Bomb here and enter the cave. There are
several enemies called Moldorms here. Defeat the first one with your
sword and use arrows on the others. Should you run out, throw bombs
(pick them up and throw) at them instead. Defeating them opens the
door to the east. Talk to the man here (he’s a thief, and he’s bribing
you so that you don’t tell anyone where his hideout is). He gives you
300 rupees and permission to raid his treasure chests. Do so and
you’ll gain an additional 40 rupees, as well as arrows and bombs.
Exit the cave and follow the path leading right. From the water, an
enemy called a Zola (if you’ve ever played Ocarina of Time or a few
later games, Zolas are just violent female Zoras). Also in your path
is a green electric enemy that will stun you if you try to attack it.
To safely defeat it, stun it with the Boomerang and then take it out
with the sword. But, to be safe, just go right. Follow this path and
go right at the fork to end up by a cave against the north wall. It is
useless to enter. Instead, bomb the suspicious spot outside the cave.
Go through here and go forward to a new room in the cave. Within the
chest is the Ice Rod.
It uses up the magic on the Magic Meter, but it sends a blast of icy
magic in whatever direction you unleash it. As I said, you’ll use it
much later in the game. On a different note, if you bomb the north
wall of the cave (when you enter it from the normal entrance), you’ll
be led to a Fairy Fountain. Bottle one if you have a spare bottle.
+--------------------------+
| The Book of Mudora |
+--------------------------+
It’s time to get yet another item. Of course, books aren’t that
exciting. However, Link, who doesn’t speak ancient Hylian, could use a
dictionary. Go to Kakariko Village (west of the sanctuary). If you
enter like we did last time, go to the southeastern end and go south.
To the left is a library, long abandoned. I guess the villagers are
illiterate. Notice one book on top of a bookcase. Charge the bookcase
with the Pegasus Boots and the Book of Mudora falls down.
It serves as a dictionary for the Hylian language (the language of the
people of old Hyrule. People from Hyrule are said to be Hylian, while
things from Hyrule or in Hyrule are said to be Hyrulean). Mudora was a
historian, or a collector of myths and legends, who compiled them in a
book. Although its function is not clear at first, it is a mandatory
item.
+---------------------------------------+
| Side Quests in Kakariko Village |
+---------------------------------------+
Before we set off for the next palace, let’s spend some quality time in
Kakariko Village. To the right of the bookstore is a gambling shop.
It is an advanced version of the Money-Making Game from The Legend of
Zelda. Pay the owner twenty rupees and you can open one of his three
chests, keeping the rupees inside. I think that this is a terrible
waste of money, so don’t do it. Left of that shop, though, is a long
house. Enter it to find out that the man in here has been arguing with
his kid brother. Therefore, he found it logical to seal the door to
his room shut. Makes perfect sense to me. Bomb the left wall to open
the door.
Exit the house from here and you’ll be at the beginning of a racetrack.
Talk to the girl in pink and she’ll offer to let you play. If you can
reach the goal in fifteen seconds, you’ll get something good. Work
your way to the north boundary of the track and use the Pegasus Boots
to dash to the left. The Pegasus Boots’ speed increase is key to
beating the time. Go south at the first opening and talk to the boy.
He’ll give you a Piece of Heart if you successfully beat the time.
Pieces of Heart were first introduced in A Link to the Past, and they
add quite a few side quests to the game. Every time you get four
Pieces of Heart, you gain a new Heart Container. It’s a great way to
increase your heart count.
Now go north to officially enter the town (the music starts to play).
Go to the northwest corner and you’ll see a cave. It’s useless to you;
you cannot reach anything good from the normal entrance. Get onto the
tier above it and hop down into the hole. Doing so takes you into the
cave. Open the chests in this portion of it for sixty rupees and three
bombs. As long as we’re here, let’s catch that annoying man that runs
away from you when you get close. He’s near the south end of town and
he’ll take off running as soon as you near him. Use the Pegasus Boots
to chase after him and you might just catch him (especially if he’s
running to the right). Instead of saying anything interesting, though,
he suggests that you dash into trees. Thanks for the tip, buddy.
+-------------------------+
| The Second Bottle |
+-------------------------+
We could’ve gotten this earlier, but we didn’t really need it. To the
south is a long house with a blue-purple roof. It is right of the man
that runs around. Enter it from the north to see a treasure chest.
Inside is a “magic” Bottle. Now you can hold more stuff. Don’t worry,
though; we’ll be getting another one very shortly.
+------------------------------+
| The Road to the Desert |
+------------------------------+
From Link’s house, go south into the piece of land west of Lake Hylia.
Walk around the water and go left as soon as you’re able to. Go left
all the way from here and then go south. There’s a narrow passage in
the left wall leading to the pre-desert screen. A cave to the
northwest contains a Great Fairy Fountain. South of that is the
entrance to the desert.
+-----------------------------+
| The Desert of Mystery |
+-----------------------------+
The name of this place changes quite often. It has been called, on and
off, each of the following names: Desert of Mystery, Desert of Doubt,
and Haunted Wasteland. Regardless, this desert is a real pain. It is
home to several enemies, none of which are fun to fight. If you’re
playing the GBA version, the monsters are far more numerous than in the
original (ha, ha! I laugh at them!). The buzzards/vultures here are
called Takkuri. There are also a few creatures that shift through the
sand. The safest way to get through the desert is to dash attack
(Pegasus Boots) your way to the west.
The northwest corner of the Desert of Mystery has an altar. This is
the entrance to the second palace. See that writing on the slab? Just
try to read it. Chances are, you cannot understand what it says. Pull
out the Book of Mudora and read the writing… “To open the way forward…
Make the wish here… And it will be granted.” Link wishes, in a
prayer-fashion, that the path to the palace be opened. To get Link out
of the prayer pose, press the Book of Mudora button again. Now go
north into the palace. Prepare to meet your destiny in the desert.
+---------------------+
| Desert Palace |
+---------------------+
This is a very easy dungeon. It is also about the same size as East
Palace. In the first room you’ll be introduced to Leevers, annoying
creatures that shift through the sands to attack you. Go forward and
you’ll see a Beamos. These enemies (don’t even attempt to kill these
things) will shoot laser beams from their eyes should they see you.
Left of it are two pots. Lift them and go up. In the hall here is a
creature that creates a whirlpool of sand. Slash it twice to take it
down in one fell swoop. North of it is a door. Enter it and you’ll
find a handful of Leevers, two Eyegore Statues, and a few torches.
First things first, though. Defeat both Eyegore Statues (if you want
to conserve arrows, throw pots at their open eyes. It takes one hit)
and then lift the pot between them. Press the switch and open the
chest that forms for the Dungeon Map. Now exit this room via the west
exit. Go left once and then north into a new room. Inside is a Beamos
as well as a torch with a Small Key on it. Dash into the torch to
knock down the key. Also, there’s an intercom to the north. Check it
to talk with Sahasrahla. His pointer is really lame this time around.
He just wants to get the treasure in every dungeon. When you exit this
room, go south. Get to the southwest door and go through. Go south
and you’ll be outside. Go down and pick up a Piece of Heart at the
end. Defeat the Takkuri here and reenter Desert Palace to the north
(where you exited).
Inside, push the third block from the left down to open the door to the
north. In this room are two Fairies; capture them with the Bug-
Catching Net and bottle both. Go south and then right into the main
room of the palace. Work your way to the opposite side of the dungeon
so that you are in the southeast corner of the room. North of it is a
locked door. Open it and go through the door. The only challenge in
this room is the Beamos. Defeat the other three enemies with a simple
sword strike and open the chest for the Compass.
Now go north a room (the door is open if you’ve beaten the enemies).
You might have heard what sounds like boulders being fired in the main
room (like in East Palace). Well, you were hearing this room. Two
vertically moving cannons are firing the balls down a long passage.
The easiest way to pass them is to dash by them using the Pegasus
Boots. At the end is a chest containing the Big Key. It is the key to
beating the dungeon (I made a funny!).
Dash south a room and then head left into the main room of the dungeon.
Head over to the upper-left side of the room. Left of the entrance to
the room where you got the Small Key is a door. Pass through it to be
in a room with pots and a Beamos. Under the northwest pot is a switch.
Press it and the doors open. Go north and open the big chest with the
Big Key for the Power Glove! It lets you lift the white stones you
must’ve seen around. As lame as it may seem, it is very useful. Now
exit the room to the south, then to the east, and then go south again.
Take the door in the left wall here and go south to be outside when you
do so. Go north to see a cave surrounded by rocks. Lift the latter to
enter the former. You can now explore the rest of the dungeon.
With a limited number of hearts, you’re definitely going to want to
conserve health for the boss. When the Beamos is looking away, push
the middle block to the right down to open the door. Go north to be in
a room in which the tiles come flying at you. Pick up the pot to the
left for a Small Key. Rush north and go up the locked stairs to make a
hasty retreat. Go south from where you come up and you’ll have to
fight four grunt monsters. Each takes one hit, as always. Go right
after that and you’ll reach the best room ever... not.
The unlit torches might lead you to believe that you must light them
all to get a Small Key. The monsters might make you think a similar
thing. However, the Small Key is under one of four pots to the north.
Use it on the key in this room. Now you’ll be in another flying tile
room. Under the northeast pot is a Small Key; grab it and run north.
This room, which precedes the boss, is quite unique. Shoot the red
Eyegore Statue’s eye twice and it will be destroyed. Now use the Lamp
to light the four torches in the room. The wall moves to the left,
revealing a door with a big lock. Lift the pots to regain a few hearts
and then go north into the heart of the dungeon.
+----------------------+
| Boss: Lanmolas |
+----------------------+
Lanmolas have really taken a step up from The Legend of Zelda.
Originally, they were front men in the final dungeon of the first Zelda
game. Now they’re bosses. Also, they are quite difficult. They do
not directly attack you, but they release huge rocks from the sand
below when they emerge. They are actually pretty cool-looking to boot.
However, this boss has been copied many times. Take Twinmold from
Majora’s Mask for example. Their vulnerable spot is their head.
Either one you attack delivers damage, but they do not have collective
damage. There are three of the beasts, so it should be easy to hit
them at first. The weaker they get, the more clods of dirt they spew
out, and in more directions. When you kill one, it explodes segment-
by-segment. I think that the battle gets harder as you go in terms of
hitting them. Nonetheless, it is a big relief ridding yourself of
them. To make the battle go by faster, charge a Spin Attack before
they emerge (remember, Spin Attacks are twice as powerful as your
standard blade attack).
When you strike down the final Lanmola, a Heart Container fall down to
you. Take it to increase your heart count by one. Also, a pendant,
this one blue, falls down. It is the Pendant of Power (I think it’s
not quite a coincidence that you get the Pendant of Power in the
desert. If you’ve ever played Ocarina of Time, you’d understand.
Think Gerudo thief), a symbol of your brawn and force. Only one
pendant remains, and it lies to the north.
=======================================================================
============================Tower of Hera*=============================
=======================================================================
+--------------------+
| The Flippers |
+--------------------+
Now that you have the Power Glove, you can get plenty of upgrades.
From Link’s house, go right one screen. Take the stone bridge north
here and go north twice. Stick to the right side of the wall here and
follow it to a duo of archers. Defeat them if you’d like and go north.
Go right now to be in the screen with a witch’s hut. She helps you out
a bit later on. To the right of her house is a huge white boulder.
Pick it up and toss it away. It shatters like glass, which would lead
me to believe that Link could have just busted it with his sword.
Nonetheless, go north and then right. Remember, you can defeat these
green enemies by stunning them with the Boomerang and then by slashing
them with your sword. This is the best way, in my opinion. Go south
when you can and you’ll see a pile of rocks. You cannot lift them, and
the black stone is way too heavy to pick up. To break the pile of
stones, ram them with the Pegasus Boots. Now go right and take the
ladder up. Go north past three foes to a new screen. Go north as far
as you can and then jump off a ridge. See the water? Of course you
do. The light blue water is shallow, while the dark blue water is
deep. You can walk in shallow water, obviously. Do so to go north.
This place is filled to the brim with Zoras, or Zolas, whichever you’d
prefer. Follow the shallow water to the right and go north at the fork
in the road. Follow the path by wading by the land and then go south
when you can. If you take the southernmost path, you’ll be led to one
big Zora.
This is the first Zelda game to introduce the Zoras as a race and just
not a group of monsters. In future games, Zoras are friends with the
Hylians and they do not attack Link. Well, in this game, they attack
you and rip you off when the opportunity presents itself. This Zora,
presumably the king, will sell you the Flippers if you request them for
500 rupees. You should have them (I’ve guided you to get 100 rupees in
East Palace, 340 in the cave we stopped by before getting the Ice Rod,
and 60 more in a cave in Kakariko Town, which adds up to 500. Buy the
Flippers and he throws in a free added bonus. You are permitted (Zoras
will still attack you) to use the special magic waterways of the Zora.
They are whirlpools that take you to other whirlpools, a convenient
warp.
+------------------------------------------------+
| The Red Shield and the Magical Boomerang |
+------------------------------------------------+
Now exit the Zora/Zola community. In the screen you come out on, swim
into a waterfall here to enter a cave. This is the Mysterious Pond.
Throw in an item, won’t you. When you throw in an item, a Great Fairy
appears and asks you if you threw it in. Say yes and she’ll return it.
However, two items can be upgraded here. Throw in the Boomerang and
say that you did throw it in. She likes an honest person and will
therefore give you an upgraded version. The Magical Boomerang can be
thrown for much further distances. It is far better than the original,
which required you to be fairly close to the target. It also is thrown
faster. Exit and reenter. This time, throw in the Fighter’s Shield.
The Red Shield, which she gives you in return, is not only bigger,
blocking more attacks, but it also blocks fireballs. These are two big
improvements to your arsenal, all thanks to the Flippers, so it’s all
indirectly thanks to the Power Glove.
+------------------------+
| The Third Bottle |
+------------------------+
The Flippers sure are paying off. Starting from Link’s house, go right
one screen to see a stone bridge. Go south of it from here and go to
the right side of the piece of ground you’re standing on. Jump over the
ledge and into the water. Go right a bit until you can take a river
leading northeast. Go from there and then turn left when you get the
chance. Swim under the stone bridge and you’ll see a lazy guy camping
under it. He’s sleeping right now. Talk to him and he’ll give you a
Bottle to help your cause. Hooray! We won’t be able to get the other
bottle for quite some time.
+------------------------------+
| Shortcut to the Desert |
+------------------------------+
Just for future reference (we’re not actually going to the desert), you
can get to the Desert of Mystery in a much quicker way now that you
have the Power Glove. If you go right of Link’s house and then south,
you’ll see a huge white stone. Lift it and go south. You’ll be right
by the entrance. Just wanted to let you know about that.
+------------------------+
| The Magic Mirror |
+------------------------+
The next pendant lies in a tower to the north on Death Mountain.
Strange air has been flowing from it, making the people catch colds.
Let’s go get sick! From the sanctuary, go left once and then go north
a bit until you’re on the next tier. Go right from there to see a pile
of rocks. Charge into them using the Pegasus Boots and go down the
steps to find a chest containing a Piece of Heart. Now surface and go
west to the previous screen. Go north once and get to the upper part
of that screen. There you will find a huge white stone blocking the
entrance to a cave. Lift the stone with the Power Glove and enter the
cave. Since it has no light within, you must use the Lamp to see. Go
forward and turn right at the fork in the road. Go south at the next
one and go up at the end of that path.
Stop halfway and go right to find an old man. He lost his lamp and he
needs you to lead him to the top of the mountain. Go right with him
following you and you’ll see a hole before you. After hearing his
warning, go around it and follow the path right until you reach a dead-
end. He tells you to turn right again. He says that he has a daughter
about Link’s age who was taken the castle. She never returned... Past
some Keese to the south is the exit to these tunnels. Go right
outside, avoiding the boulders and monsters, to another cave. He
enters and gives you the Magic Mirror for helping him. He tells you
that you should use it if you wander into a transporter…
+----------------------+
| Agahnim’s Plot |
+----------------------+
Enter the cave and talk to the old man you helped earlier. He says
that the wizard tricked the king and he’s really trying to open the
path to the Dark World. He says that you’ll need the Moon Pearl, found
in the tower on top of this mountain. Thanks for the tip. Talk to him
any time to heal all your hearts. Go north of him and climb the
ladder. Go right through a cave door. In here, go south and enter
some tunnels. Go south twice to exit into a higher point on Death
Mountain.
+------------------------------------+
| The Portal to the Dark World |
+------------------------------------+
Go left from there, avoiding the boulders as you go, and you’ll see a
ladder. Climb it to the top and go left. Notice that you can jump off
part of the wall to the south. See the little bit of ridge that is
elevated above the rest, right of one of the long breaks in the rail?
Stand left of it and jump off into a cave. Go forward from there and
climb the stairs. Go south and you’ll find a Piece of Heart and an
intercom. On the intercom is Sahasrahla. He says that you must
somehow make it to the top of Spectacle Rock to enter the Tower of Hera
there. This is a text mistake! If you’re playing the GBA version,
they call the tower the Tower of Hera, even though the official dungeon
name in the GBA version is Mountain Tower.
Anyways, go south and fall into the pit once you have the Piece of
Heart. To the right is a Fairy Fountain. Follow the path to the left
and go over a screen to see some worms called Moldorms, which you
may’ve already encountered before. Slash your way past them and go
south. Jump over the ridge and go left back up the ladder. This time,
go right all the way. See that blue tile? Step into it and you’ll
reappear in some strange place… as a pink rabbit!
This is the Dark World that the old man was talking about earlier. Go
left and you’ll see a bully beating up a ball-shaped guy. Talk to them
to discover that the Dark World makes one change shape to reflect their
true nature. So Link’s a rabbit on the inside? Regardless, go north a
bit and pull out the Magic Mirror. Use it and you’ll reappear on a
ledge in the Light World. Glad that’s over.
+--------------------+
| To the Tower |
+--------------------+
First off, you reappear by a Piece of Heart. Secondly, jump off the
north ledge. Welcome to the summit of Death Mountain. You were just
on Spectacle Rock, the hideout of a terrible thief from The Legend of
Zelda, the firs game. Go to the northeast to see a tower. Climb the
steps and enter if you dare…
+---------------------+
| Tower of Hera |
+---------------------+
Note: If you’re playing the GBA remake, this dungeon is called Mountain
Tower. Of course, Sahasrahla refers to this tower as the Tower of Hera
in the GBA version, which is a mistake (it’s one or the other). In
Greek mythology, Hera was the wife of Zeus, king of the gods.
This dungeon is your introduction to colored block switches. The one
in front of you is an example. Slash it to make the blocks around you
lower. Go right until you are on the outside of those blue blocks and
hit the switch again with the Magical Boomerang. Go north to find an
intercom. It’s Sahasrahla, of course. He sees that you can return to
the beginning of a dungeon by gazing into the Magic Mirror. Further
north are enemies – a Moldorm and two enemies spewing fire. Past them
is a chest. Open it for the Dungeon Map. This is a pretty small
dungeon, really. It is six floors, but each floor is tiny. Right now,
you’re on 2F.
Go south and hit the switch again to make the blue blocks lower. Go
down one floor via the left staircase. This room introduces to you red
Stalfos. They throw bones at you when provoked, so corner them before
you try to defeat them. Hit the switch to unleash a Moldorm. Defeat
it and take the Small Key it was guarding. Now hit the switch again
and go up the stairs. Hit the switch below you and go to the northwest
corner of this room. Unlock this door and go down into 1F. This room
is bad for your health.
Stand in the northeast corner and face the left. The tiles will come
flying at you. However, if you keep up your sword (put it back up
after each tile), you won’t take any damage. Defeating them lowers the
slammed door. Hit the switch in the corner and go right. This room has
three Moldorms in it. Defeat the first one with a Spin Attack and then
stand in the corners (where there should be another block) of the two
caged Moldorms’ cages. Spin Attack them and go south again after
hitting the switch. In here are two red Stalfos. Defeat them and then
light all the torches. Open the chest that forms for the Big Key.
Hooray. Now return to 2F.
Before returning to 2F, make sure that the block switches are red. Go
up the stairs to the southeast to be on 3F. The enemies here are
called Hardhat Beetles. To defeat them, either knock them into the
pits with your sword or attack them three times. Either way, beating
them all makes a door to the left open. Go through and you’ll see two
more Hardhat Beetles. Also, you’ll see a star switch. These are
almost exclusive to this dungeon, and they add a certain level of
frustration to it. Press the first one to make the setup of the room
change. That done, go north using the Big Key.
Defeat the Hardhat Beetles as they come. You don’t need to press any
star switches for now, so go right and over a lowered red block. Now
press the star switch found here. Go right and up some stairs to 4F.
Go down, throwing pots at each Moldorm for an easy win, and then go
left into the main room. Defeat the Moldorm here and open the chest
for the Compass. Check the intercom above it. Sahasrahla tells you
not to forget the Moon Pearl (which can be done quite easily, mind
you). It lets you keep your normal form in the Dark World. Go left,
defeating the fire enemies, and up the stairs you go. Welcome to 5F.
Avoid the flame chain to the south and clear all the enemies of the
room. Now hit the star switch by the flame chain.
This makes a few new holes appear. Go to the north wall of the room.
See the snake carving in the wall? Walk south of it into the hole. It
is important that you fall through the north part of the hole. When
you land, go north and open the big chest for the Moon Pearl. Now you
won’t transform into a bunny in the Dark World. Go south onto the star
switch and then head back up to 5F. On the right side of the room are
pots. If you run low on health, pick them up (but not yet, save them
for later). For now, go north to 6F.
+---------------------+
| Boss: Moldorm |
+---------------------+
The head honcho of the Moldorms is this thing (all the others ones are
actually called Mini-Moldorms, but I call drop the mini for easy
writing). This is a pretty tough battle if you don’t understand what
to do (although it is fairly obvious). Jump into the arena and you’ll
be pitted against the crazy thing (pun alert). Holes surround the
entire arena, so you can get knocked off. If you do, you must restart
the battle. He takes six hits of the tail (Spin Attacks do the same
amount of damage as normal attacks), but he gets faster and harder each
time. Not only that, but you bounce backwards each time you hit him.
This makes it very easy to fall off the edge. I hope you saved those
pots on 5F. Try to stand against the wall you jump into the arena off
of, as it is the safest place to be.
When it explodes, it leaves a Heart Container behind. Pick up the
Pendant of Wisdom that drops down. Now we can go retrieve the
legendary sword! If you’ve had any difficulty playing this game so
far, or in the Tower of Hera, stop playing now because there is no way
you’ll complete it.
=======================================================================
============================The Dark World*============================
=======================================================================
+------------------------+
| The Master Sword |
+------------------------+
Now that we have proved our virtue in three separate domains, we can
pull from its pedestal the sword of evil’s bane. From the Sanctuary,
go left a screen and then north two screens. The house here is the
home of three lumberjacks, two if you’re playing the SNES version.
However, this is unimportant. Go left a screen via the northwest
opening and you’ll enter the Lost Woods, home of the ultimate blade.
Go left all the way to see a sword in a pedestal! Nope, it’s just a
fake. Go south from there and through a log tunnel. Here, stop and
slash the hedges to the lower-right. Fall in the hole here and pick up
the Piece of Heart. Now jump down a ridge and go left. Exit this cave
and go left a bit so you pass one tree. Go north from there and go
through another log. Slash the hedges to the left and go left from
there to the Mushroom. It will be used a bit later. Now go north
through the log by it. Go left and then south through another log. Go
left a bit further and go through a tiny log leading north. This is
the resting place of the sword. Go north and read the inscription with
the Book of Mudora. Now step behind the sword and press A to lift it
from its pedestal. You got the Master Sword!
+-------------------------+
| Zelda’s Abduction |
+-------------------------+
It’s a glorious day in Hyrule when suddenly Sahasrahla contacts Link
telepathically. He congratulates you on retrieving the Master Sword.
With it, we can thwart the wizard that is driving Hyrule into a ditch.
Go south through the log to reenter the Lost Woods. It is no longer
foggy. As soon as you step out, you hear Zelda’s voice through the
void. Some soldiers are attacking the Sanctuary. Quickly go south
through a log to the right and go south some more to see three logs.
Go through the left one and follow the path down to exit the Lost Woods
into the entrance of Kakariko Village.
These soldiers are pathetic now; they take one hit of the Master Sword.
Plus, if you have full health, you can send a beam of light in the
direction you slash. The beam has the power of the Fighter’s Sword,
your original blade. Anyways, go south into Kakariko Village. Go
right from there all the way and go north. Now go east twice. Enter
the Sanctuary. Within its walls, Zelda has been kidnapped and the monk
lies on the floor. Talk to him and he will officially die. According
to the monk, they have taken her to the highest tower of Hyrule Castle.
It is time to make a return visit.
+-------------------------+
| Agahnim’s Barrier |
+-------------------------+
Go to Hyrule Castle, which is one screen north of Link’s house. This
time, though, go through the gates. The red soldiers are a new
addition to the castle, and you’ll see plenty of them. Go further
north to enter the castle’s interior. Dash forward from where you
start and go up a ladder. Turn left and go through the door in that
direction. Now go south to be back outside. To the right is Agahnim’s
barrier. Slash it with the mighty Master Sword and it will be
destroyed. Now enter the tower.
+---------------------------+
| Hyrule Castle Tower |
+---------------------------+
This is a separate dungeon from Hyrule Castle, and it is seven stories
high. Go forward and into the next room. There are two Ball & Chain
Soldiers to contend with. Use the Magical Boomerang to stun them and
then attack them furiously. Go right and two long swordsmen will come
at you. Defeat them both and a chest forms. Open it for a Small Key.
Now go north and open the locked door to ascend to 3F. After a long
swordsman attacks you, go left a room into a dark maze. There are
common blue soldiers and eye monsters that act like Keese. On the left
side of the room is a chest containing a Small Key.
If it helps, light a torch with the Lamp to navigate the maze. And, to
the southeast in this room, there is a locked door, too. Open it to
pass into another dark room. I wouldn’t stick around due to the duo of
long swordsmen, so run to the north. Welcome to 4F. Run downward so
that you are aligned with the statue and defeat the blue soldier below
you. Meanwhile, arrows will hit the statue. When you’re ready, defeat
the archer. Now go left into a dark room with lots of holes. To your
left are two torches, and north of them is another one. Go north from
there and go right into a new room. There are two archers and a common
infantry unit here. Defeating one of the archers earns you a Small
Key; use it on the door to the north.
When you enter this room on 5F, immediately defeat the eye bats. Now
check the intercom to the left, which is Sahasrahla. He says that the
Master Sword cannot physically injure the wizard. We must find a way
to deliver his own magic to him. While we’re thinking, you have two
pitchfork-throwing soldiers to kill. The Magical Boomerang works
nicely. Go left when you can and defeat two red soldiers. Go south
from there and immediately defeat the eye bats. Throw pots at the
soldier here until he dies, leaving a Small Key behind.
Take it and go right into a new room. In here, just run north up some
stairs. You’re already in 6F. Defeat the red soldier from your
starting point in the room and then push the statue to your left aside.
Go down, defeat the archers if you so desire, and go left. Follow the
winding path here past two soldiers and go up two flights of stairs to
7F. Go north once more to see Agahnim and Zelda on the bed before him.
Lifting her with his magic, Agahnim makes her disappear into thin air.
The seal of the seven sages is now completely broken. Notice what
Agahnim says here. He calls himself the tribe of evil. Anyways,
Agahnim disappears. Go forward and slash the curtains to create an
opening. Go forward to strike down the wicked wizard.
+---------------------+
| Boss: Agahnim |
+---------------------+
Agahnim cannot be injured by the power of the Master Sword alone.
However, the Master Sword can deflect his dark magic. When he fires a
spell that looks like three orbs in a line going from biggest to
smallest, hit it back at him with the Master Sword. This is how you do
him damage. But, Agahnim does have a few other spells. If you stand
south of him, he may cast lightning at you. Also, he has an attack
that has four rotating circles of energy. When you hit them, they
split into several smaller ones. Other than that, Agahnim is easy. By
the way, if you turn on your map (L), if you’re playing the GBA
version, right after Agahnim moved (his shadow is in a new position),
he’ll come up discolored. It’s pretty fun to do. Quite a strange
glitch indeed.
After five tastes of his own medicine, Agahnim will surrender. Instead
of dying, he casts you into the Dark World with the same spell he used
on Zelda! Worse than that, though, he leaves behind no Heart
Container! This is the Dark World.
=======================================================================
==========================Palace of Darkness*==========================
=======================================================================
+----------------------------+
| The Pyramid of Power |
+----------------------------+
Immediately after you are taken into this tainted realm, Sahasrahla
contacts you telepathically. He tells you of the Golden Land, the
place where a golden power once lay hidden. Evil power turned the land
into the Dark World. The wizard plans to model the Light World after
this place. Hyrule Castle is now a huge portal into the Dark World.
The only way to save the Light World is to find that golden power. Or,
you can rescue the maidens that descend from the seven sages to restore
the seal. Sahasrahla points you in the direction of the Palace of
Darkness. Check your map with L. The Dark World is the spitting image
of the Light World, only more darkish. The first diamond (you now
collect diamonds) is right where East Palace stood.
Right now, you’re on the Pyramid of Power, Hyrule Castle’s replacement.
Go down the first set of stairs and then down the right set. Go right
a bit and jump off the ledge. If you’re playing the SNES version,
there’s nothing but wall here. If you’re playing the GBA version,
there’s a hole here. This is the Palace of the Four Sword. I will
cover this in my guide for A Link to the Past/Four Swords. Anyhow, go
right from there and follow the path to a Piece of Heart. Now go back
down and around and jump off the ledge. These enemies here are Dark
World soldiers. There’s also a plant-like thing here. Also, to the
left are two Cyclops warriors. I shall call them Hinox, as that’s
their name in a future Zelda game. Anyways, go right and into a new
screen.
+--------------------------------------+
| The Path to Palace of Darkness |
+--------------------------------------+
Go south past some more Hinox and go right a screen. Now go north and
into the ruins before the palace. Go right a bit to see two lines of
Yoda-looking statues. Go north from there and follow the path to a
building. A man transformed by the air in this Golden Land lives here.
Bomb the north wall and go forward. There are several hearts under
these skulls. Now go south twice to be back in the ruins. Follow the
path back to the Yoda statues. Go right some more to see an arrow
pointing north. The ruins here are very annoying as they cover you
from sight. Navigate the maze and go north to another arrow.
Follow it until you are left of the building you entered earlier. Go
left of the block here (it’s an opening) and go north. Stop when you
see an opening leading right. Go through and enter the maze here.
When you emerge on the other side, a monkey is following you. It’s
Kiki! He’s a greedy monkey yes he is. Give him ten rupees and he’ll
accompany you for a while. Go right a bit and through the passage. Go
north from there and go to the lower-right. Go north through the
passage and walk up the stairs to a door. Kiki will offer to open the
door for 100 rupees. Pay for it and the path to darkness opens.
Thanks, Kiki!
+--------------------------+
| Palace of Darkness |
+--------------------------+
Note: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the least
linear of the Zelda games in the series. In fact, I’d say that it is
the least linear. Once you complete this dungeon, you can skip right
to a ton of other ones (you could do the sixth Dark World dungeon next
if you wanted to). So, if you get the right items, you do not have to
follow the guide’s order. I just cover them in the order the game
wants you to complete them. For instance, after the Light World, I
normally do this dungeon, then the fourth (taking its prize and all the
items tied into that prize), then the second, then the sixth, then the
third, then the fifth, and then I go for the seventh. Also, the
dungeon changed names in the GBA version. It’s now the Dark Palace.
Go to the right and press the switch in the tiles. Go north and defeat
the monster, called a Helmasaur, here. You can slash its helmet to
beat it if you’re lucky, but it’s easier to hit its backside. Now go
north (down to B1F). Warp in this teleport to be in a room with an
intercom. It’s Zelda! She says that she’s locked in Turtle Rock on
top of Death Mountain. She’s just urging you to get to her quickly.
Will do. Bomb the wall to the south and pass through to a hallway.
The enemy here is a jellyfish... thing. It becomes electrically
charged every so often. Attack it before that happens to beat it. Go
left a bit more and bomb the wall.
In here are two enemies called Goriyas. Originally, Goriyas were
boomerang-wielding foes, but now they’ve become annoying creatures that
mimic your moves. Where you move, they’ll be sure to move in the
opposite direction. Shoot arrows at the green ones, or slash them up
close and personal. The red variation throws fireballs at you when you
approach them. To beat them, shoot an arrow at the space above or
below them from the other side of the room. Then, move in the
direction that will make the Goriya walk into the arrow as it flies.
When that’s done, go north. Avoid the enemies and walk across these
conveyor belts until you reach the end, a staircase leading to 1F.
Open the chest here for the Dungeon Map. This place is a pretty big
dungeon in comparison to, say, any of the Light World dungeons.
Really, the size is about the same, but it feels much bigger.
The red jellyfish are harder to beat than the blue variety. Slash them
once like the blue ones and they split into two smaller jellyfish,
which acts just like the blue ones. When you’ve gotten some practice
beating them, bomb the wall to the right. This is a Fairy Fountain,
just in case you need to heal at all or catch some in bottles. Now go
back to the previous room. Bomb the wall and go through the door.
Here you will find a Small Key. Hooray! Now use the Magic Mirror to
return to the entrance of the dungeon. Go to the left and hit the
switch to open the slammed doors. Go through the leftmost door and go
forward. Take the ladder down to B1F and lift the skull (pots and
rocks are now skulls due to the Dark World) to reveal a switch. Press
it and open the chest that forms for another Small Key.
Now that we have two, go up the stairs and lift the northwest pot to
unveil a switch. Press it and go south. Now go through the middle
door of the first room. Use one of your dual Small Keys on the locked
door. Welcome to what I’d say is the main room of the dungeon. Lucky
for us, we’re almost done with it (even though we only have the map and
a Small Key). First, the two turtle enemies here are unbeatable, for
now. Head left and take the bridge. See the crack in the middle of
it? Bomb there and fall down the hole to B1F. Follow the wall to the
northeast where you’ll use your last Small Key. Take the stairs up and
open the chest for the Big Key. What’d I tell you? Jump off the ledge
to the right back to B1F. Lift one skull here to find a switch. Press
it and open the treasure chest that forms and you’ll have another Small
Key. Hurry to your right and transport in another portal. Go up the
stairs here and push the statue to the left over. Now go north back
into the main room.
Go right this time to see two blocks blocking your progression. Push
the lower one into the pit to the right and go forward. Open the chest
here for a Small Key. Blocks around here should be raised (blue). Run
forward over the arrow tile and you’ll jump across the pit. Take the
ladder up and go left. Kill the Hardhat Beetle and go left to a locked
door. Open it. Now, very quickly, lift the skull and dash across the
bridge (it will start to crumble). At the end lift the skulls and go
right a room. The chest here contains the Compass. Now go down the
stairs on the right to B1F. Pull out the Lamp and light the torch to
the right. Go down, collecting all the blue rupees and avoiding the
enemy. At the end is a chest containing a Small Key. Go left from
there to another chest. This one contains a bundle of arrows, though.
Now go north, collecting more rupees and going up the stairs at the
end. Go left a screen and unlock the door on the west side of the
room. This room is dark, and it leads to the dungeon’s prize. Note
one change, though. In the GBA version, you cannot see the enemies.
In the SNES version, you can see the enemies even if they aren’t in the
light of your lantern. Anyways, this room has a few fire-breathing
enemies in it. They each take one hit of the Master Sword. In the
northwest corner of the room is a chest containing bombs. A chest in
the southeast corner contains a Small Key. Above that chest is a place
you can bomb. Do so and go out through the forced entrance. Open the
chest for the dungeon prize – the Magic Hammer! I will just call it
the Hammer. With it you can stun many enemies, as well as drive wooden
stakes into the ground, which allows you to further explore the Dark
World.
Return to the dark labyrinth and go north. Exit to the right and go
through the right door. You see these turtles. They are nothing when
you have the Magic Hammer. Pound it and they flip over. Slash their
bellies twice and they die. Now go south through the locked door.
Pick up the skull to the left and open the chest south of it for a blue
rupee (five green). Push the statue right of it over to bypass the
razor trap. By the way, razor traps hurt you when you touch them. Get
used to it. Now go south to be back in the room that we got two Small
Keys in. It would seem that we just wasted a Small Key, and it is true
that we did. You see, we could’ve used the Magic Mirror and done a lot
of backtracking. So, that was a shortcut. Jump to the platform to the
south using the arrow tile and defeat the Hardhat Beetles populating
the platform. Use the Magical Boomerang to hit the block switch to the
south, making it blue.
Now go right a room. In here, go to the northeast corner and lift the
skulls. It’s a new trick that they’ll stick to for games to come that
you’re up against. Under one skull is a switch, but it needs to be
down constantly to keep the door open. Push one of the statues below
onto it and then go up the ladder and through the door. In here you’ll
find three new Goriyas. Slash the green ones and make the red one walk
into your arrows. Now go north. Go forward when the razor trap is
away and hit the switch to lower the blocks. Now go right to see a
Cyclops statue. Shoot the eye with your arrows and the wall to the
right extends that way. Go over and take the stairs down to B1F.
Around you are stakes. The Dark World type is often called moles, but
I will always refer to them as stakes. Defeat the two turtles here and
then go to the left side of the room – as far left as you can mange.
Use the Magical Boomerang on the switch to the right and then go
through the door to the left, using your last Small Key. There’s one
turtle in this hallway. Defeat it and go down to a new room. Now he’s
a tough spot. Several turtles come at you at once. When you defeat
them all, go right to a new room. In here, push the northeast block
left and use the portal. Now go north to a big door. Open it. I
strongly advise that you have at least two Fairies for this battle.
+----------------------------+
| Boss: Helmasaur King |
+----------------------------+
Now this is a tough boss! It is a giant Helmasaur, and only its mask-
covered face is weak enough to be hit. There are two ways that you can
go about battling this fiend. First, throw bombs at the mask. Chip
away the sides and then the center to knock it off. In the meantime,
it will be whipping you with its tail and sending fireballs that split
into smaller fireballs at you. Avoid these as best as you can and
unmask the monster. If you run out of bombs, hammer the mask away.
Hammering is much faster, and a lot easier, too, provided that you
hammer when it is prepping for a fireball launch. When you unmask it,
you’ll see the face of ugly. It has one big diamond in its head, and
that is the weakness. Now the battle is easy. Keep slashing the head
until it dies. If you manage to force that mask off quickly, it really
isn’t difficult at all. Take the Heart Container and then the crystal
that falls.
Inside is one of the seven maidens that descended from the seven sages.
After thanking you, she provides some valuable insight in regards to
your quest. A golden power called the Triforce once rested in this
land. But long ago, a thief named Ganon wished that the golden land be
transformed into what it is today. She says “he” almost as if she’s
talking about Ganon... Anyways, Agahnim wants to create a larger gate
between the Light and Dark Worlds by Hyrule Castle. However, he has
not managed to fully open this gate. This maiden says that, together,
they can break the barrier protecting Ganon’s hiding place. So Ganon
is alive… This maiden marks where all the other maidens are being held
on your map. Say you understand and she’ll stop talking. Now it’s
time for the maidens’ slogan. May the way of the Hero lead to the
Triforce.
=======================================================================
==========================Watergate Dungeon*===========================
=======================================================================
+-------------------------+
| The Cane of Byrna |
+-------------------------+
In every dungeon, Link comes out smelling like a rose. He gets a new
item, a new Heart Container, and he comes a bit closer to saving
Hyrule. There are many new items available to us now, so let’s get
started. First, go to Death Mountain. You want to go to the portal
that leads to the Dark World there. When in the Dark World, go south
and jump off the ledge to the entrance of a cave. Walk in and pound
the stakes down here. You need at least one Fairy to do this,
preferably more.
Run across the spiked floor. You’ll steadily lose life, and you’ll die
a bit past the halfway point. If you had a Fairy, you’ll come back and
be able to continue running for a while. Lift the block at the end and
go forward to a treasure chest. Inside is the Cane of Byrna! If you
swing it, a ring of light will surround and protect you. When
returning to exit this cave, use the Cane of Byrna (it uses magic
rather quickly) to protect your hearts from the spikes.
+---------------------------+
| The Ether Medallion |
+---------------------------+
When you exit the cave, jump down off the ledge. Go right and
eventually you’ll reach a ladder. Climb it and go right to where the
bully is. Use the Magic Mirror here and you’ll warp near where you
entered the Tower of Hera/Mountain Tower. Jump off the north ledge and
go forward to the tower. On the left side of it is a bridge. Take it
to the west and you’ll find a stone slab. Read said slab with the Book
of Mudora and Link will lift the Master Sword. The tablet crumbles and
the Ether Medallion falls down. With its magic, you can unleash polar
winds on your enemies. It also lights a room very briefly. It is
ideal for dealing with many enemies at once if you have the magic to
back it up.
+---------------------------+
| The Quake Medallion |
+---------------------------+
Go right once screen from the base of the Pyramid of Power in the Dark
World. Go north once and then head to the upper-right. At the end,
lift a skull and continue along the path to see a house. Don’t enter;
instead, go right and lift a rock. Go right again and look down.
Charge the rock pile and go right a bit. Go north a screen and go
forward until you see a circle of rocks in the water. Pick up a bush
and throw it in.
A catfish emerges from the circle. If you promise to go away, he’ll
give you the Quake Medallion. It causes earthquakes to sweep through
the screen, defeating enemies. By the way, if you don’t catch the
symbolism, let me explain a bit. In Japan, it was believed that
catfish beneath the earth’s surface caused earthquakes by moving
around. Since this game was made in Japan, it is only logical that a
catfish should give you the Quake Medallion. It uses magic, so be wary
when using it.
+--------------------------------+
| The Shovel and the Flute |
+--------------------------------+
By far, one of the most useful items in any Zelda game is the one that
lets you warp around the map. From the base of the Pyramid of Power,
go right one screen. Go south from here and look in the center of the
lower corner. There are several purple stakes in the ground. Pound
them in with the Magic Hammer and go down a bit. Go left once and
you’ll be in the screen that would be Link’s house. Now it is a bomb
shop. Go west again and go south. Go west from there and you’ll see
two trees with eyes. Talk to them – they’re alive. The lower one is a
grump, but the upper one is in better spirits. This person was
transformed into a tree. Neat-o! Go to the southwest corner of the
screen and use the Magic Mirror to warp into the Light World. You’ll
be by a cave. Enter it and take the Piece of Heart inside. Now warp
back to the Dark World.
Go north, slashing the bushes, so that you’re in an area encompassed by
trees. If you enter this area in the Light World, a boy playing the
flute suddenly stops and disappears. Well, here he is. Talk to him
and he’ll miss his flute. Say that you’ll help him and he’ll lend you
his Shovel. Remember, you’re only borrowing, not keeping. Use the
Magic Mirror to go the Light World and dig in the northwest corner of
the grove by some flowers. You uncover the flute. Take it and return
to the Dark World. Go forward and talk to the boy there. He cannot
play his flute in his current form, so you can have it. Play it for
him one last time and he will turn into a tree. Weird… Well, we got
to keep two items. Cool!
+-------------------+
| Warp Points |
+-------------------+
Go to Kakariko Village in the Light World and stand before the wind
vane in the northern part of town. Play the Flute there and the
rooster in the vane crumbles to show a real bird! From now on, play
the Flute to summon that bird, and it will take you to any of eight
warp points around Hyrule. Although you use it once in the Dark World,
it can only be used in the Light World in non-cinema events. All the
warp points are near portals to the Dark World, although you cannot
access some of them just yet.
+------------------------+
| The Magic Powder |
+------------------------+
We’re just zipping right along with these items. Due north of
Sahasrahla’s house (in the ruins by East Palace) in the Light World is
a house. See it? Go there as if heading to the Mysterious Pond where
you got the Red Shield and the Magical Boomerang. When at this house,
talk to the witch there. If you have the Mushroom like I told you to
get when we were in the Lost Woods, give it to her. Doing so makes her
finish her brew. After waiting, doing stuff around town, return to her
store and take the Magic Powder by her apprentice. Its effects are not
obvious, but it does do mysterious things when sprinkled on the correct
objects.
+------------------------------+
| The Halved Magic Meter |
+------------------------------+
Warp to Kakariko Village with the Flute. Enter the house that used to
be Blind’s, the thief, hideout. Go down the stairs and bomb the north
wall to find a Piece of Heart. Now exit the house and go to the
southeast corner of it. Go right here and you’ll enter the screen
where the blacksmith lives. His partner is missing right now, though;
he cannot temper your sword. Right of his door is a stake for you to
pound with the Magic Hammer. Jump off the ledge you make accessible by
doing so and you’ll fall into a cave. Go north and you’ll see a
strange statue and what would seem to be blood in a bowl.
If you have some magic, sprinkle Magic Powder on the bowl and bam! A
bat flies up out of the bowl. The bat either has split personalities
or is trying to trick you. First, he curses you for waking him up, and
then he thanks you. The curse he uses drops your magic power by one-
half. Although this sounds bad, it’s really very good. It makes it so
that you use half the magic you normally would for magical items. It’s
great for all the magic-consuming items we’ve been getting lately.
+---------------------------+
| Choose Your Destiny |
+---------------------------+
As I mentioned earlier, A Link to the Past is the least linear of the
Zelda games. Right now, you may want to consider veering off course.
That is, the fourth dungeon has a great prize that is required for
getting a lot of items, all of which will help you tremendously in the
second and third dungeon (as well as the others). The obvious choice
for the next dungeon is the second one, as that’s the one that is next
on your map, but feel free to take on other dungeons at this time.
+----------------------------+
| Flooding the Dungeon |
+----------------------------+
The next dungeon is bone-dry at the current time, so we must do
something about that. In the Light World, warp to the seventh location
with your Flute. This is right in front of a temple. Enter it and
you’ll be in a dungeon setting. Push the blocks ahead of you on either
side forward and the center one to the side. Open the chest for the
bombs. Now exit and reenter. This time, push the left or right two
blocks up and push the other ones aside. Go north and into the next
room. There are two levers against the north wall. Pull the right one
and the gate opens, water-logging the place. You’d better have the
Flippers (see “Tower of Hera” for how to do that).
Now go outside. A Piece of Heart is in the drained water outside.
Take it and warp to Link’s house. Go north and go through the gates of
Hyrule Castle to enter the Dark World by the Pyramid of Power. Go
right and then go south. Here, go south and pound down the stakes. Go
left from here and then go south. Go south one more time and enter the
temple that you flooded in the Light World.
+-------------------------+
| Watergate Dungeon |
+-------------------------+
Note: This is called the Swamp Palace in A Link to the Past’s GBA re-
release.
You may have to flood the dungeon again. This time, though, it is much
easier with the Magic Mirror. Get in the water and swim to the left.
Climb the ladder here and defeat the three enemies here. Open the
chest that forms for a Small Key. Near it is some water that flies at
you. Now go north, down the stairs, to B1F. To the left is a cracked
wall in a small pocket. Bomb it and go left a room. Open the chest
for the Dungeon Map. In this room you’ll notice some jelly monsters
called Gels, Zols, Bots, Bits, Chuchus – the name changes over games.
I will call them Gels. Now go right and lift the southernmost skull up
for a Small Key.
Now go left through the locked door. In here, there are some jellyfish
enemies as well as a flame chain and a trap. When you slash your
sword, a fireball is launched at you. Go left and take the ladder
down. Go north and lift the skull for a Small Key. Go south again and
climb the ladder. Open the locked door and go north a room. Pound
down the stakes and push the finger-looking thing to the left. This
makes water appear to the south. Go that way and swim down to the
ladder to the left. Climb it and go left. Take the ladder down and go
south. Defeat the enemies that come down in here and follow the path
right to the south. Follow this path left and then go north. Push the
block to the right and a chest appears. Open it for the Compass.
We’re progressing quite nicely in here. Now go north back to what I
call the main room of the dungeon.
To the left is a staircase; take it up and go west one room. Go left
and take the ladder down here (just avoid the flame chain, Stalfos, and
jellyfish). Go north and open the chest for the Small Key. Now go
south, take the ladder up, and go right back to the main room. To the
north is another ladder. Take it up and go left through the locked
door. Defeat the jellyfish and the Stalfos, and then hit the block
switch here so that it is blue. Push the switch here so that water
fills the hall to the left. Now hit the switch again so that it’s
right. Go right to the main room, go south, and go up the ladder to go
to the room to the right. Swim to the left, take the ladder onto dry
land, and go through the left door.
Avoid the enemies and go left down a ladder. Push the lower block left
and the middle block forward. Take the ladder up and go forward to the
stairs. Welcome back to 1F. Push the block to the right and go north
past a flame chain. Push the left block up and fall through the hole.
Open the chest for twenty rupees and jump off the ledge to the right.
Go down and around, take the ladder up, and then use the stairs to
return to 1F. Push the block to the right, go north, and push the
block to the right by the hole forward. Fall down the hole. The
red/orange blocks should be down if you’ve been following the guide.
If so, go right to a new room. Lift the skulls for blue rupees and
then open the chest for the Big Key. Return to the main room.
Take the ladder in the center of this room to the big chest. Open it
for the dungeon’s prize, the Hookshot! It can grapple to many items.
Let’s try it out. To the right is a skull. Hookshot to it and lift
the skull to the right to find a Small Key. Now go back to the big
chest and stand behind it. If you’re playing the SNES version, you’ll
see skulls to the north. The GBA remake is a few pixels off, and you
won’t be able to see the skulls to the north. Either way, grapple to
the north and open the locked door.
In here, go left and lift the skull pot to reveal a switch. Push the
statue here onto it and the door will open. Before you enter, go right
and go north through the left door here. Go north and take the ladder
down. Push the switch here to drain the water and then go back up the
stairs. Go south and go right to the stairs. Open the chests for 40
rupees and go through the door to the left. Follow the path to the
north. In here are several waterfalls. Pass through the one that is
second from the right.
Climb the ladder here and deal with the jellyfish. With the Hookshot,
you can beat them in one hit even if they are electrically charged. Go
up the stairs to B1F and go south to a room with an annoying current.
Jump in quickly and go right to a ladder. You can swim faster against
the current by pressing A quickly. Lift the skull pot for a Small Key.
Now jump in the water and take it left to a ladder. Bomb the wall here
and go north. Beat the Gel and lift the skull pots to heal a bit. Now
go back south, jump into the water, and take the ladder north to a
locked door. Open it and go north to the hall before the boss. This
was one short dungeon.
+---------------------+
| Boss: Arrghus |
+---------------------+
In Greek mythology, Argus was a many-eyed giant. Well, this boss has
one big eye and many tiny creatures orbiting it (a setup that has been
mimicked many times, not just by Zelda games). This is really a pretty
easy boss. First, you must destroy the puffballs orbiting it. Each
take two hits, but you cannot injure them when they are together. To
single them out, use the Hookshot to drag them to you. From there, you
can easily beat them to a pulp. At first, all of Arrghus’s attacks
revolve around the creatures orbiting him. When you strip it of them,
it will take a different approach to beating you. It jumps into the
air and starts to swerve wildly around the room. When it rushes you,
slash its eye and it will jump back up. Repeat this process until it
explodes. Quite easy, really. Take the Heart Container and then the
second crystal.
The maiden thanks you as usual. This maiden reveals that the Triforce
will grant the wishes of whoever touches it. The one who discovered it
was the evil thief Ganondorf. Luckily, Ganondorf didn’t know how to
return to the Light World. She also hints at the Flute, which we
already have, as well as portals into the Dark World. You have to
destroy Ganondorf. Say you understand to end the process. And that’s
a wrap. May the way of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
=======================================================================
============================Skull Dungeon*=============================
=======================================================================
+-----------------------+
| The Skull Woods |
+-----------------------+
Nothing to it but to do it. Adding the Hookshot does not allow us to
add any items to our arsenal, so we’re just going to the next dungeon.
Warp to Kakariko Village and go to the northwest corner. Go north into
the Lost Woods from there. Go north to officially enter the Lost Woods
and hug the south wall as you go right. Go south out of the Lost Woods
and you’ll see a tree to the south. Dash into it for a full magic jar.
Now go south and pound the stakes to lower them. Lift the white stone
here and you’ll find a portal to the Dark World. In the Dark World,
the Lost Woods are much worse. Go north to officially enter it and go
right. See those two big skulls? Go north of them and fall into the
hole here.
+---------------------+
| Skull Dungeon |
+---------------------+
Note: This is called Skull Woods in the GBA version. I don’t see why
all these name changes were necessary. Also, this dungeon is strung
about the dark Lost Woods; get ready to continually enter and exit it.
This is my least favorite dungeon, and luckily for us it is very short.
Take out the enemies above you (remember, Hookshot is a jellyfish’s
worst nightmare). Now go south, avoiding Hardhat Beetles and a flame
chain. Go east from there into a new room. Defeat the Hardhat Beetles
as you see fit and go north a bit to a chest. Opening it (it contains
the Compass) causes the floor to rearrange. Yep, this dungeon has star
switches. Regardless, go to the southeast corner and through the door
you find there. There are two new enemies in this room. First, the
obvious enemies are the mummies, called Gibdos. They take quite a few
hits by the Master Sword, but it’s not so much the Gibdos as the other
enemy in this room that makes fighting them tricky. Wall Masters, also
called Clutches, drop from the ceiling and take you back to the
beginning of the dungeon. Talk about annoying! When they drop (you’ll
see a shadow and hear a falling sound), run and then slash them twice
to defeat them.
When the coast is clear (that is, there are no Wall Masters yet), lift
the skulls in front of the treasure chest in the center of the room.
This will earn you a Small Key. Use it on the locked door to the
north. Red Hardhat Beetles have high defense, so try knocking them
into holes instead of drawing out what should be a quick battle. Go
north a bit and you’ll see two star switches. Step on the pair to make
some holes fill in. Open the now-accessible chest to the right for the
Dungeon Map. Now let’s go west. This is another entrance/exit to this
forsaken place (why I hate it so much). Exit here and drop into the
hole southwest of you (same hole we dropped into the first time).
This time, we’re doing things differently. Go south like last time and
go east at the door. This time, though, go north. Note that a Wall
Master does reside in this room. Defeat the Gibdo in the leftmost
pocket and open the chest for a Small Key. Open the locked door to the
right to emerge back in the same room we exited the dungeon from
earlier. Go south to exit the dungeon. In Skull Woods, go north and
to the left you’ll see a skeletal tunnel made up of rib bones. Pass
through it as if it were a log in the Lost Woods and then take another
one south from there. Take this entrance to be in another new region
of the dungeon. Hooray...
Wall Master alert! There are Wall Masters in this room. It is
especially clever to place them in this particular room, as you’ll see
in a minute. Take out the Gibdos and then lift the central skull pot
up to find a switch. Push the statue to the left to the left a bit and
then pull it so that you’re north of it and it is on the switch (being
mindful of the Wall Master all the way). Go north one room and you’ll
be in another accursed Wall Master room.
However, the chest here contains the Big Key. Now that we have it, the
Wall Master is a convenient mode of transportation. Let it take you to
the first room and then go south to exit this place. Go north through
the skeletal tunnels and go down the other one. See those 3x3 bushes?
Slash the middle one and fall into the dungeon from there. Don’t you
hate this place?
Defeat the Hardhat Beetle and the Helmasaur. Now bomb the left wall.
Make sure that the star switch in here are pressed, and then pass
through the forced entrance you made to the west. Pull the lever and
watch the wall to the south explode. Go down and open the big chest
for (drum roll, please) the Fire Rod! It matches your Ice Rod, too!
It can burn things (much more useful than the Ice Rod), light torches,
and melt ice. Watch your Magic Meter, though. Now that we have it, we
can leave much of this dungeon behind. Go north a room and then go
right. Go to the south end of the room (just walk over the star
switches) and go left at the end. Go south to exit the dungeon into
Skull Woods. Go north into the skeletal tunnel and follow it to
another skull entrance to the dungeon.
Enter through there and go left. Go left in here, too. Now go south
to exit the dungeon again. Take the right skeletal tunnel to your
north and follow this path to a hole. Drop in to enter the dungeon
from yet another new entrance. Note that this is a Wall Master room
(another reason for you to add to your list of reasons why you hate
this place). Go south a bit until you can step on the star switches.
Do so and then go south (the hole is gone) so that you can go left a
room. In here, another hole is gone. Also, it’s a Wall Master-
infested room. Lift the left skull to get a Small Key.
Go through the northern door using it. This room is pointless. I just
thought we’d go here, seeing as how it was on the map. Now exit the
dungeon two doors to the south. Take the left skeletal tunnel to see a
carving of some sort of monster with an insect-like creature extending
from its mouth. Burn it down with the Fire Rod. Now you can
“officially” enter the dungeon, which is very short now.
Take the stairs to the left down. Get under the bridge so that you’re
hidden from view and walk forward. Do this until you’re blocked by a
wall, and then go around it. Walk under the bridge again and go north.
Avoid the Spark here and continue north under the bridge until you must
go around another wall. At the end, go east through another door. In
here, immediately take the ladder up. On the bridge in here is a
Gibdo. Defeat it and dash to the south. Just look at all the
heartache you’ve saved yourself by using the bridge. Jump off the
ledge at the end and go left. In this chest is a Small Key, of course.
We could’ve saved the previous one and skipped that other room, but
that’d leave a room unexplored. Now, to avoid going through all those
rooms again, use the Magic Mirror to return to the beginning of this
segment of the dungeon.
Go north and unlock the door. This room is home to Wall Masters. With
that in mind, step on the star switches and make your way around the
room until you can go through the door. First, defeat the Gibdos (they
are very vulnerable to fire) and be wary of the Wall Masters. Now,
lift all skull pots in the room in preparation. Starting at the
southern end, run forward, lighting all the torches as fast as you can
with the Fire Rod. If all are lit at the same time (they eventually go
out), the door to the west opens. Go through and you’ll be in another
fun-filled room.
First, defeat the Gibdo with the Fire Rod’s red flame. Take out the
Moldorms before the disk of light hits you if you can help. The disk
of light makes the Moon Pearl nonfunctional for a while, which means
that you are a pink bunny up against monsters you can’t even lift a
shield against. Of course, there are Wall Masters here, too. To
progress in the dungeon, slash the vines to the north, thus creating a
passageway. Go through and defeat each enemy present in the room (save
the omnipresent Wall Master, of course). The Gibdo leaves a Small Key
behind after its cremation. Use it to the right. Drop into the hole
and prepare to fight.
+---------------------+
| Boss: Mothula |
+---------------------+
For some people, this boss is very hard. I’ve found that those who
have difficulty on this boss find the next boss easy, and vice versa.
As its name implies, Mothula is a giant moth. There are two ways to
beat Mothula, but I strongly recommend the first option I list. You
could use the Fire Rod to beat Mothula. After eight exposures to fire,
Mothula is dead. You could also use the Master Sword to fight it to
the bloody death, and by bloody death I mean for you; it takes many
unnecessary hits to beat it that way. I only suggest the latter if
you’re out of magic. In the meantime, Mothula will fire orange beams
at you and razor traps will fly around the room. If you can survive
for about ten seconds, you’ve got this fight in the bag. Take the
Heart Container and the crystal (before that, notice how Link can walk
into the spikes and take no damage).
This maiden thanks you and then tells you the prophecy of the Great
Cataclysm. If an evil person gets their hands on the Triforce, a hero
is destined to appear to stop them. Should that hero fail, then there
is no hope. Also, this hero must descend from the Knights of Hyrule.
Link, who is of their bloodline, is the only one left who can rescue
Zelda! Say you understand to get it over with. May the way of the
Hero lead to the Triforce.
=======================================================================
===========================Blind’s Hideout*============================
=======================================================================
+-------------------------------+
| The Village of Outcasts |
+-------------------------------+
The Fire Rod does not allow us to do anything more, as far as side
quests are concerned, so we’re headed straight for the next dungeon and
its crystal. From where you enter Skull Woods in the Dark World, look
to the left to see a row of bushes. Charge them and go south to enter
Kakariko Village’s dark doppelganger, the Village of Outcasts. Aside
from guards, there are plenty of thieves to go around. One of the only
complete buildings in town sells items. The Gold Bee here is not for
sale at first, but it can be if you give the man there one (in the
place where we got the Ice Rod, enter the cave normally and charge the
statue near the end. A Gold Bee comes out).
There are two interesting side quests in the village, although we won’t
be doing them until after we beat this dungeon. For now, though, go to
the center of town (where the weather vane that the bird slumbered in
Kakariko Village). In place of the weather vane is a devilish figure
holding a pitchfork lowered into the ground. Lift the end of the
pitchfork up and you’ll roll backward. This is the entrance to the
fourth dungeon.
+-----------------------+
| Blind’s Hideout |
+-----------------------+
Note: This dungeon is alternately called Thieves’ Town in the GBA
version. Personally, I think Blind’s Hideout is a far better name.
If you recall from earlier in Kakariko Village, Blind was a thief that
hated the light. His former base of operations is owned by a man in
the Light World. Thankfully, this dungeon is really easy. It also has
an extremely useful item in it that will let you get many new items,
all of which are very nice to have. For starters, go forward and jump
down a tier. The enemy here is very easy. Slash it once and it dies.
Its only attack is contact. Take it out and lift the skull pot ahead
of you. To the left is a treasure chest containing the Dungeon Map.
Using it, we can see that the dungeon really isn’t too large. The
first floor consists of four large rooms as well as a few other ones to
the north.
To the right is a red version of the enemy you encountered earlier.
Although in the first The Legend of Zelda, red enemies were weaker than
blue ones, the opposite is true for this game. It can spit fireballs,
so beware. Go north through the right path and defeat the enemy. Go
north and take the ladder up. Follow this path until you find a
cracked wall standing out along the average stretch of dungeon wall.
Bomb it and go right. If you bomb the north wall here, you’ll be able
to observe a future room. Boring! Go south and then back west. Take
that good old ladder down and go left, following the path to another
one. Go left, following a rectangular path until you reach a chest,
which holds twenty rupees. Now that we have it, go south, jump down a
ledge, and go south back to the first room. Not quite as pointless as
you think.
Go right and take this path north. Go right a screen to a new room.
Go south from here to a new room. Continue south and take a ladder up.
Follow this path to a treasure chest that holds the Compass. Jump off
the ledge to the left and go west once to find a chest. Inside is the
Big Key. Talk about easy! Go right again and follow the north wall to
an opening. When it opens, go left and take the ladder up. Go back to
where you got the Compass and go south to the wall. Follow it right
and take that path up. Jump off the ledge at the end and go north. Go
forward a bit and take the ladder up. Go right to the intersection and
then go north. Open the big door here.
There are several Stalfos here. Follow the path to the end and lift
both skulls for a Small Key. Now go north into the boss room. Hey...
There’s no one in there! Go south to exit it and go west using the
Small Key you just recently acquired. It’s the room that you got a
preview of earlier. Go left in here to a new room. The enemies in
here move by expelling their centers and then floating back to them.
Slash the nucleus part when they do this to beat them. Go left after
beating them to a long hallway. Head north on the conveyor belt past a
host of hazards to go north. In this room, lift the skull pot and
throw it to your right for a Small Key. Stand against the north wall
and look down to the block switch. Throw the Magical Boomerang at it
and then take the door north.
The intercom is inaccessible right now, but it’s just Zelda warning you
about Blind the thief’s treachery. Thieves must have very long natural
life spans. Lift the skull pots to the south to find a switch. Step
on it to open the door, which you want to go through. Follow this
hallway to the right until you reach a new room. Inside, open the
chest for bombs. Stand south of the light flooding the room and throw
a bomb at cracked wall ahead of it. This should make a hole, causing
light to enter the room to the south. Backtrack to where you ascended
the stairs to 1F and go south (in B1F, making sure that the block
switch is blue). In this hallway, go right to a new room. Defeat the
enemies if you’d like and go right a room.
Fight the maze of conveyor belts and take the stairs to the north down
to B2F. Defeat each and every adversary in the room and a door to the
west opens. Take it, of course. In here, keep the Hookshot handy and
take the conveyor belts to the south. Use the Hookshot to defeat
jellyfish in one blow and go right at the end. Go right once more at
the end. This is the jail cell in the dungeon (I made a funny!). Take
the locked doors north and you’ll find enemies, at the end of which is
the maiden. Cool, no boss. She’ll tag along behind you, much like in
Hyrule Castle. Open the chest by her for a Small Key.
Exit the jail cell room and go left a room. Go over the conveyor belt
and unlock the locked door. Quickly pound down the stake here and open
the big chest. It’s the Titan’s Mitt! This extremely useful item lets
you lift black rocks. Many, many items are tied into this, which is
why I usually do the fourth Dark World dungeon second. If you were
quick enough, you’ll be able to run back to the entrance of this room
before the tile starts to fall into an endless pit below you. Now it’s
time to take the maiden out of the dungeon.
Instead of using the Magic Mirror, though, let’s take the long route.
Go out and go right a room. Go north and lift the block here (thanks
to the Titan’s Mitt). Now go north back to B1F. Lift the skull pot to
the right and you’ll uncover a switch. Use it to open the door to the
right. Go through and you’ll be back in the hallway before the boss
room. That’s still bothering me… Why was there no boss? The Compass
cannot be wrong. Go north to check it out.
+-------------------+
| Boss: Blind |
+-------------------+
As the maiden steps into the light, her true colors are revealed. It’s
Blind in disguise, the thief from Kakariko Village! Blind is a very
strange man. Due to the Dark World, he’s become a satanic creature
with a bright smile wearing a white robe. It floats around the room
and shoots lasers from its eyes. Easy! Slash its head and it will
spew fireballs. Keep slashing and the robe falls. Blind only has a
head and his arms. The disembodied head starts to float around the
room and Blind grows a new one! This boss tactic is based on the
second boss from A Link to the Past (Helmethead). This is where it
gets tricky. Keep attacking the head while avoiding the other head and
it will eventually grow a third head and add its second head to the
floating armada. This is where I start using the Cane of Byrna. With
fireballs flying, rush it and attack the last head madly. Once Blind
explodes, take the Heart Container it leaves behind. Now pick up the
crystal.
The real maiden thanks you, but she has nothing to say about her
impersonator. The maiden tells you the summarized version of what
Sahasrahla told you a while back. When the sages were casting the seal
to separate the Dark World from the Light World, the Knights of Hyrule
defended them from the evil monsters gushing from the portal. They
were nearly wiped out, but Link still lives. He is perhaps the last
one of the bloodline (seeing as how you’re uncle’s dead and all). You
must defeat Ganon. Boy, these maidens are like parrots. May the way
of the Hero lead to the Triforce.
=======================================================================
==============================Ice Palace*==============================
=======================================================================
+--------------------------+
| The Tempered Sword |
+--------------------------+
Undoubtedly, the most useful upgrade linked to the Titan’s Mitt is the
Tempered Sword. It is the upgrade to the Master Sword. To get it, go
the southeast corner of the Village of Outcasts. Go south and then go
left to see a frog hopping around by some skulls. Lift them (you are
able to now thanks to the Titan’s Mitt) and talk to the frog. The frog
requests that you take him to his partner in the Light World. He joins
your party and follows you around. Use the Magic Mirror to return to
Kakariko Village (him following). Go north and notice what this man
looks like. He seems to be a dwarf, but he looks remarkably like
someone else we might’ve seen on our quests. Go right from here to see
the cave where we got the Magic Meter upgrade. This time, though,
enter the house by it.
Eureka! These two are the Smithy partners. For reuniting these two
lost souls, they will temper your sword. Well, if they insist. Exit
and reenter the shop and talk to them. For ten rupees, they’ll temper
the Master Sword. Let them do it and they warn you that it might take
a while. You can do the next section event (below this one) to pass
the time by. When you return, you’ll have the Tempered Sword in your
possession. It is three times as powerful as the Fighter’s Sword your
uncle gave to you so long ago. This is why I usually skip right ahead
to the fourth dungeon after the first.
+------------------------+
| Passing the Time |
+------------------------+
Go to the Smithy’s shop in the Dark World to find it in ruins. Lift
the black rock blocking your passage before it and you’ll see many
stakes. Pound each down with the Magic Hammer (I said I’d call it just
the Hammer, but I can’t bring myself to do it). Go down the stairs
that form by doing it and you’ll find a Piece of Heart. This should
sufficiently waste enough time to get the Master Sword tempered (above)
if you’re slow enough. Like the Master Sword, the Tempered Sword
releases beams when you’re full on health.
+-------------------------+
| The Fourth Bottle |
+-------------------------+
We can now get the final bottle. Go to the ruins of Smithy’s shop in
the Dark World. Inside you’ll find a chest. The key is locked inside,
so we’ll just take it and let it tag along for now. First, you cannot
dash or lift items when it is tailing you. Warp to the Light World.
Now, go back to the entrance of the Desert of Mystery. Remember, long
ago I showed you so long ago? Go there (go south from Kakariko Village
and then go east) and go north at the first turn. There’s a man here
that only wants peace. Talk to him and he’ll say that he knows that
you know that he used to be a thief. A man in the Lost Woods tells
you. Anyways, he’ll open the chest you’ve got there if you promise to
tell no one. Give him your word, even though you’re so going to blab
afterward, and he’ll open the chest to give you a bottle. It’s the
last one, and we’ve waited long enough for it.
+----------------------+
| The Magic Cape |
+----------------------+
Yet another secret item that most people would never even look for.
From the Sanctuary, go right to see the graveyard. In the northeast
corner is a grave surrounded by black rocks. Lift the rocks and dash
into the gravestone with the Pegasus Boots. Take the stairs down and
enter a new chamber. Run forward and open the chest for the Magic
Cape. When you wear it, you turn invisible. This not only protects
you from damage, but it prevents you from being seen. I prefer the
Cane of Byrna because it is slower in magic-consumption (maybe not, but
it feels that way).
+-----------------------------+
| The Pond of Happiness |
+-----------------------------+
We’re heading toward Lake Hylia. Warp to the Flute’s position number
eight. Go north from here and leap off the ledge into the water. Swim
left and then to the northwest. Here, enter the cave. This is the
Pond of Happiness. Toss in rupees