The Legend of Zelda/Walkthrough

The Legend of Zelda is a groundbreaking action/adventure game released by Nintendo in 1986. It is the first game in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series.

General Plot
A long time ago, the evil sorcerer Gannon stole the Triforce of Power. At the time of the theivery, Princess Zelda owned the Triforce of Wisdom. To prevent Gannon from getting it, she divided it into eight pieces and hid it before she was kidnapped. Now, Link must find the eight pieces of the Triforce to defeat Gannon and rescue the princess.

Overhead Controls
D-Pad - Moves Link in the four cardinal directions. Select - Pauses the action in the game. Start - Brings up the sub-screen menu, where Link can look at the map, change subweapon, etc. A button - Swings the sword. B button - Uses subweapon.

Items

 * Arrow : Shot from the bow. Each arrow shot subtracts one Rupee from Link's total.


 * Blue Candle : Throws a flame a short distance. Can only be used once per screen.


 * Blue Potion : Completely fills Link's life bar. It can only be used once.


 * Blue Ring : Cuts received damage in half. Turns Link's outfit from green to white.


 * Bomb : As you might expect, the bomb blows stuff up. It can be used to kill enemies or blast holes in weak walls. Link can only carry eight bombs at once at the beginning of the game, but later this capacity can increase to twelve and then to sixteen.


 * Book of Magic : Causes the magic blasts from the Magical Rod to burst into flame when they hit a target.


 * Bow : Shoots arrows. Useless without them.


 * Clock : Stops time and freezes enemies.


 * Compass : Shows the location of the dungeon boss on the dungeon map.


 * Container Heart : Gives an additional heart to Link's life meter permenantly.


 * Fairy : Fills Link's life meter completely.


 * Food : Attracts enimies, who will gather on top of the food and eat it. Enemies are vulnerable while they are eating.


 * Heart : A flashing heart. It refills Link's life meter by one full heart.


 * Key : Each Key will open one door.


 * Letter : A key item. Allows Link to buy Water of Life from the Old Woman.


 * Magical Boomerang : A better boomerang that has more punch and a longer reach than the basic wooden boomerang. It stuns enemies and is found on Level 2. It can be used to retrieve items.


 * Magical Key : Opens doors. Can be used any number of times and eliminates the need for Keys.


 * Magical Rod : Shoots magical blasts similar to those thrown by Wizzrobes.


 * Magical Shield : A large shield that reflects more attacks than the small shield.


 * Magical Sword : The most powerful sword in the game. In later games it was known as the Master Sword. Link must have twelve Heart Containers before he can receive the Magical Sword.


 * Map : Gives a map of the current dungeon.


 * Piece of Triforce : There are eight of these. One is present in each dungeon. All eight are required to gain access to Level 9.


 * Power Bracelet : Gives Link the ability to move heavy objects.


 * Raft : Allows Link to cross bodies of water. Can only be used at a Dock.


 * Recorder : An item that summons a whirlwind which will transport Link to the entrance of any dungeon he has discovered. It is also useful in discovering some secrets.


 * Red Candle : Same effect as the Blue Candle, except there is no limit to the number of times it can be used per screen.


 * Red Potion : Completely fills Link's life bar. It can be used twice, as after the first use it turns into a Blue Potion. (This potion was referred to as the "2nd Potion" in the game.)


 * Red Ring : Cuts damage to 25% of base damage compared to Link without a Ring. Changes Link's outfit from green to red.


 * Rupee : The money of The Legend of Zelda. Flashing Rupees are worth one Rupee, and blue Rupees are worth five. Link can only carry 255 Ruppees at one time.


 * Silver Arrow : A more powerfull arrow than the basic arrow. It is required to defeat Gannon.


 * Stepladder : Allows link to cross rivers and chasms that are as wide as he is.


 * White Sword : The white sword is the second sword link gets in the game. It is more powerful than the wooden sword, but less powerful than the magical sword. Link must have five Heart Containers before he can receive the White Sword.


 * Wooden Boomerang : A basic boomerang that stuns enemies. It is found in Level 1. It can be used to retrieve items.


 * Wooden Sword : The first sword Link gets in the game. It is the weakest sword. In the game, it is merely referred to as "sword".

Common Monsters

 * Armos: Inert suits of armor scattered around the Overworld that will come to life if Link touches them. They move at varying speeds, from extremely slow to extremely fast. They drop no treasure, but occasionally there is a secret passage or other item hidden beneath them that will be revealed when they begin to move.


 * Bubble: Glowing underworld enemies. Invulnerable to attack. If Link is touched by one, he will not be able to swing his sword for a few seconds. In the Second Quest, there are Red and Blue varieties. If Link is touched by a Red Bubble, he will be unable to swing his sword until he touches a Blue Bubble.


 * Darknut: Powerful armored knights present in the Underworld. Invulnerable to attack from the front and to the Boomerang. Vulnerable to attacks from the side and back. Bombs can also be effective. Red variety is weaker than Blue variety.


 * Gel: Very weak underworld enemy with an appearance similar to a chocolate chip. Drops no treasure. Vulnerable to the boomerang.


 * Gheeni : Ghost present in the overworld graveyard. There is one Gheeni to begin with in each area of the graveyard, and this is the "master" and the only one that is vulnerable to attack. Other Gheeni will appear as Link touches tombstones. All Gheeni on the screen will die when the master is defeated. If link touches a tombstone after the master is defeated, more Gheeni will appear, and these will be invulnerable to attack.


 * Gibido : Slow moving mummies present in the Underworld. Can take several hits, but relatively weak and easy to defeat.


 * Goriya : They throw boomerangs, which you can block with your shield, so long as you are not attacking. Blue variety is significantly stronger than Red variety.


 * Keese : Bats that zoom around the room. They can hurt if they touch you. Vulnerable to the boomerang. Drops no treasure. Underworld only.


 * Lanmola: Fast-moving worm-like enemy present in the underworld. Its head is vulnerable. The Magical Rod is an effective weapon to use, especially after Link has obtained the Magic Book. Blue variety is much faster than Red variety.


 * Leever: Somewhat cylindrical overworld enemy capable of burrowing into the ground and reappearing elsewhere. Blue variety reappears randomly. Red variety always reappears a few spaces directly ahead of Link.


 * Like-Like : Underworld enemy vaguely resembling a stack of pancakes. If this enemy grabs hold of Link, it may destroy Link's Magical Shield.


 * Lynel : Powerful overworld enemy resembling a half-man, half-lion. Throws swords. Blue variety is significantly stronger than Red variety.


 * Moblin : Troll-like monster common in overworld forest. Shoots arrows. Blue variety is more powerful than red and may drop Bombs as treasure.


 * Moldorm : Relatively slow-moving wormlike Underworld enemy. Appears in a "worm" of five or six segments that resemble fireballs. Vulnerable to the sword.


 * Octorok : Common overworld enemy and the first enemy Link encounters. Shoots rocks from its snout which can be blocked by the basic Shield. Red variety is weak. Blue variety is slightly tougher. Blue Octoroks may drop Bombs as treasure when they are defeated.


 * Patra: Present only in Level 9. Appears as a circular swarm of flying eyeballs with a larger flying eyeball in the center. The swarm moves relatively slowly around the room, but the individual eyes move very quickly and can force Link into a corner if he isn't careful. The center eye is invulnerable until the satellites have been defeated.


 * Peahat: Overworld enemy resembling a moving flower. Only vulnerable when stopped.


 * Pols Voice: Big-eared underworld enemy similar to a rabbit's head. Extremely vulnerable to the Arrow.


 * Rocks: Falling rocks common near Death Mountain in the northern Overworld. They cannot be killed or blocked, only dodged. They tend to fall in groups of three and will follow Link as much as possible, but their movement is limited.


 * Rope : A snake-like enemy present in the Underworld. Will quickly charge toward Link if it has a straight line of attack.


 * Tektite : Spider-like overworld enemy capable of jumping over all terrain, including mountains and cliffs and other areas Link cannot get to. Blue variety may drop Bombs as treasure.


 * Stalfos : Basically skeletons, common in the Underworld. They walk around but do not shoot anything. They can hurt you if they touch you though. In the Second Quest, Stalfos are able to throw swords.


 * Traps: Spiked jewels that will quickly slam toward Link if he walks in front of them. Cannot be destroyed. Only present in the Underworld.


 * Wallmaster: Hand-shaped underworld enemy that materializes out of walls. Relatively weak, but if it grabs hold of Link it will return him to the beginning of the dungeon.


 * Wizzrobe: Powerful underworld enemy resembling a robed wizard. Capable of shooting magical blasts and moving through solid objects. Red variety is somewhat weaker than the Blue variety.


 * Vire: A bouncing winged demon present in the underworld. If it is hit with an attack that does not instantly kill it, it will split into two red Keeses. These Keeses are otherwise identical to the more common variety.


 * Zol : Underworld enemy resembling a blob with eyes. If it is hit with an attack that does not instantly kill it, it will split into two Gels.


 * Zora : Overworld enemy present in the sea. Submerges and reappears, each time shooting a fireball that may be blocked with the Magical Shield.

Bosses

 * Aquamentus : Boss of Level One. Dragon that shoots fireballs which can be blocked by the Magical Shield. Vulnerable to the Sword.


 * Digdogger : Sea urchin boss. Appears as a large yellowish circle with an eye in the middle. Blowing the Recorder will cause Digdogger to split into three smaller parts which can be defeated with the Sword.


 * Dodongo: Slow-moving dinosaur boss. Often appears in groups. Vulnerable to the Bomb. Most effective tactic is for Link to place the bomb directly into Dodongo's mouth. Each Dodongo should be defeated after Link places a bomb in its mouth twice.


 * Ganon : End boss. Capable of becoming invisible and moving around the room. Vulnerable to the Magical Sword and Silver Arrow. Both items are necessary to defeat Ganon.


 * Gleeok : Recurring underworld boss. Dragon with two, three or four heads. The heads will fly around the room after Link severs them, stopping only when the boss is defeated.


 * Gohma : Crab monster boss. It has a large central eye that opens and closes and is its only weak spot. Vulnerable to the Arrow.


 * Manhandla : Four-armed plant boss. Moves slowly at first, and then more quickly as it loses arms. Vulnerable to the Sword. It is possible for one well-placed bomb to defeat this boss in a single stroke. A less direct hit will at least sever one or more arms.

Overworld Map

 * I am working on a condensed Overworld map. --Moonlightembrace

Your First Sword
You start the game with nothing. Luckily, there is a cave entrance (looks like a black square) on the first screen where you start. There, you can get the wooden sword. Go into the cave and an old man will give you it to you. Exit the cave.

Finding Level-1
Now that you have a sword and can defend yourself, its time to go on your first adventure. From the screen where you started go : north, east, north, north, north and west. You should be standing in front of a cave entrance that looks like a tree. Enter it.

Level-1

 * In the first room, four doors, one of them is locked and the other is the way you came. Go east. You will find some stalfos (skeltons). One of them has a key. Kill all the stalfos, take the key and go back west to the room from which you came and then go west.


 * Here there are three bats. When you kill them all you will get a key. Kill them all, take the key, and go back east to the first room of the dungeon and proceed through the locked door on the north wall.


 * In this room there are three stalfos and six blocks in the center lined up two-by-two. Killing the stalfos won't get you anything, so there is no need to kill them. Just kill the ones that get in your way and exit the room through the north door.


 * In this room there are more stalfos. Kill them all and a key will appear. After taking the key go east to the next room.


 * In this room, there are a number of bats and a compass. Kill the bats, take the compass, and go back west to the room you just came from and then west again.


 * Once in this room, the door will shut behind you. This is a common theme in the dungeons. Once you kill all the bats, the door will open again and key will appear. Take the key and go north through the locked door.


 * This room has three small slimes in it, a block in the center, a shut door to the west, and an open door to the south. To save time, you can ignore the door to the west: it's just an old man who gives you a clue. If you want to see it, kill all the slimes, push the block to open the door, and go west. After you finish reading the clue, go back east and then east. Getting the tip isn't essential to your quest, so if you want to skip it, you can. Just go east instead of west.


 * In this room are several slimes, the dungeon map, and three doors. Kill all the slimes, take the map, and go north.


 * In this room are a few stalfos along a twisting path across water. One of the stalfos has a key, so kill them all, take the key, and go north.


 * In this room are some boomerang throwers. Kill them all, take the key that appears, and go west through the locked door.


 * This room is an entrance to the treasure room of the dungeon. Watch out for the spikey jewel things. You can fake them out by getting in between them and then running back as they close in. As they go back to their original position, run for it! Push on the block which is farthest to the west to move it out of your way and proceed down the stairs.


 * This is the treasure room. Be careful fo the bats (kill them if you want), grab the bow The bow is useless without arrows, so don't bother equiping it yet. Go back to the room you just came from.


 * From this room, go east, south, and then south to the room with the locked door to the east. Go through the locked door.


 * There are four blocks and some boomerang throwers in this room. Kill them all and take the boomerang that appears. Equip it immediately. The boomerang will be your best friend throughout the entire game. After you have equiped it, go east.


 * As soon as you enter this room, you can hear the roars of the boss, but ignore it just now. This is a great place to get some rupies. As the hands come out of the walls, stun them with the boomerang, and then kill them. Once the hands stop coming, grab the key and go through the locked door to the north.


 * This is the boss room. It's sort of a dragon that shoots three glowing balls at you. The boomerang will just bounce off of it, so don't bother using it. The only place it can be hurt is by hitting it in the head and you have to do so six times to kill it. If you have full life, you can just stand back at a distance and shoot it until it dies, however, if you don't you will have to quickly run in, stab it, and retreat before the next set of glowing balls are fired. Once you have killed it, take the container heart that appears and proceed through the door that opens up.


 * This is the Triforce room of the dungeon. Grab it and you will be healed and teleported to the surface.

Cheats

 * Second Quest : By entering your name as "Zelda" when you start the game, you will immediately begin the Second Quest without having to play the First Quest.


 * Reduce Enemies : If you leave one monster on a screen, no other monsters will respawn, and everytime you visit the screen, there will be only one monster.


 * Unlock a Door Without a Key in the First Dungeon : When you enter the first dungeon, immedately leave and come back. The locked door will open.

NES

 * Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Remakes and Ports
This game has been ported over to the Game Boy Advance.
 * Zelda Classic (found at Http://www.zeldaclassic.com/)