The Legend of Zelda/Overworld/Quest 1

It is possible to get half of the items in the game before entering Level 1.

It is actually possible to do it quite quickly if you get all the secret rupees hidden around Hyrule overworld.

This pages guides you through the overworld along the most economical path to get all items and treasures.

ASCII map, for reference:

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ 8|                    9                 |     5         |       |  +                               +---+---+           +---+       + 7|          DEATH MOUNTAIN       |   EAST MOUNTAINS  |           | +---+---+---+---+          +---+---+---+---+---+   +           + 6|         6     |           |       |MINI-DESERT|   |  SEASHORE | +              +---+       +       +---+       +---+---+       + 5|   GRAVEYARD   |   |       | 1     | F |       | 2     |       | +      +---+---+   +---+---+       +   +---+---+       +---+   + 4|       | 7   F |     4  LAKE HYLIA |                       |   | +  +---+       +           +---+---+                       +   + 3|   |           |           |          GREEN FOREST         |   | +  +   BROWN   +---+---+---+---+                           +   + 2|  |   FOREST  |  GREEN ROCKS  |                     8     |   | +---+          +---+           +       +---+---+---+---+---+   + 1|                 3 |         0 |       |                       |  +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+    A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P

Legend:
 * 0 = starting point
 * 1-9 = Dungeons
 * F = Fairy Fountains

Get to the western Fairy Fountain
Link starts the game equipped with a small Shield and three Heart Containers.

On the starting screen, Link goes automatically into the cave, where he's given the Wooden Sword.

The landscape here is made of green rocks. From there, walk one screen north and then west until you cross a river. Follow the river south and enter the cave to get a hint: "Meet the old man at the grave."

Continue west until the landscape changes: you're now in the brown forest. From this screen walk north until you get to the Fairy Fountain.

Get some bombs
The Fairy Fountain should become your headquarters, where you can replenish your heart whenever you get near to acritical state.

Fight and defeat the Moblins in the nearby area until they drop some Bombs that you can collect. If you leave one enemy alive in any screen, the other monsters will not respawn: this can be useful to explore and easily backtrack to the Fairy Fountain.

Buy the blue candle
From the Fairy Fountain, now walk all the way south then all the way west. When you get to the last screen, backtrack one screen. Use a bomb just right of the notch in the rock wall, and you'll find 30 Rupees.

Now go back to the fairy Fountain and heal. From there, walk south two screens then all the way east, back in the green rocks area. In the last screen before the green forest, set a bomb just to the left of the prominence of the rock wall, and you'll find 30 Rupees.

Go one screen west and enter the door. You can purchase the Blue Candle for 60 Rupees.

Get to the eastern Fairy Fountain
The blue candle can be used to burn trees to reveal secrets. Such secrets are never on the edge of the screen: save time and spare those poor trees.

Go one screen left and then follow the river north. In the next screen you're on Lake Hylia. Follow the coast east.

In the next screen there are six trees in the middle. Use the candle to burn the lower-left one, and you'll get 10 Rupees.

Follow the coast of Lake Hylia one screen north and one east. On this screen burn the 7th tree from the right, and you'll find a fourth Heart Container. Do not choose the potion: that can be purchased elsewhere, but the heart container is unique.

On the next screen, burn the trees on the upper-right corner to find 30 Rupees.

Walk one screen south to leave the Hylia lakeshore and enter the green forest. Walk one screen east, then all the way north, and you'll get to the eastern Fairy Fountain.

Buy a magical shield
Leave the Fairy Fountain and walk all the way east, then you're forced to go south. On the first screen there are six trees in the middle: burn the lower-left one to get 10 Rupees.

Contine south one screen. Now there are several trees in the middle. The third tree from the left on the lower row can be burned down, and this grants you 100 Rupees.

Continue south, and you'll get to the seashore. Place a bomb on the horizontal rock wall to your left, and you'll reveal the fifth Heart Container.

Walk back north two screens in the green forest, then go east all the way until you get to a rocky dead end. Backtrack one screen, then go north one. There are several trees in the middle. Burn the tree on the lower-right, and you'll reveal a shop where you can buy a Magical Shield for just 90 Rupees. You should be left with at least 60 Rupees, plus all the Rupees dropped by defeated enemies.

Get the letter and buy a red potion
From the convenience shop, walk to the east. Push the Armos to the right, and you can get 10 Rupees.

Back one screen, north one screen. Once more with feeling: push the Armos on the right, and you win 30 Rupees.

Walk north one more screen, and you're on the seashore again. Set a bomb on the horizontal rock wall to the right of the staircase, and you'll find 30 Rupees.

Walk one screen west, and you get at the foot of the eastern mountains. There's a huge rock in the middle of th screen: set a bomb on its lower-right corner, and you can get the sixth Heart Container.

Climb the stairs north, to a screen with eight inanimated Armos. The one to be pushed is the the second one from the right in the upper row. Under it there's a secret hint to find the 7th Dungeon: "Secret is in the tree at the dead-end."

Contine east, then you have to turn south one sceen. Follow the coastline one screen north and one east, then climb the staircase. In the cave the old man gives you the Letter to obtain the potions.

Climb down the stairs, go one screen west, then climb up the next stairs. Place a bomb on the short horizontal part of the rock wall, and you'll meet an old woman. Use the letter, and she'll sell you a Red Potion for 68 Rupees. You should be left with at least 60 Rupees, plus all the Rupees dropped by monsters.

Buy the blue ring
After purchasing the potion, you should be left with at least 60 Rupees, plus all the Rupees dropped by monsters.

Climb down the stairs and walk all the way east, until you get to a dead end. Hug the bigger tree on its right and walk north straingth into the rock wall: you'll get to a secret are that grants you 100 Rupees.

Now it's time to backtrack to the eastern Fairy Fountain and continue on until the watsern Fairy Fountain. If you remembered to leave one enemy alive on each screen, this should be feasible.

Leave the western Fairy Fountain, and walk east to the coast of Lake Hylia. Follow the coast all the way north. On the top screen, push the upper-middle Armos to reveal a shop. There, you can buy the fabled Blue Ring for a whopping 250 Rupees.

Get the white sword
Follow the lakeshore south, east and north. When the landscape changes to brown trees, the coast turns west. In that screen, burn the green tree in the lower-right to get 30 Rupees.

Now, continue west, then follow the river in the eastern mountains. Follow the river up to its spring, and in a cave on the same screen you'll be given the White Sword, but only if you have six heart containers.

Buy the arrows
Leave the Fairy Fountain and walk all the way west. Of the trees in the middle, burn the one in the lower-right corner to get 10 Rupees.

Walk one screen south and one east. This screen is divided in two by a line of trees. Burn the top tree in the line to get 100 Rupees.

Go north one screen then west to the coast of Lake Hylia. Go one screen north, then enter the shop to buy the Arrows for 80 Rupees.

Get the Power Bracelet
The Power Bracelet is located on Death Mountain, and this early in the game that area can anly be accessed through the graveyard. Both areas are filled with strong monsters, but you should have enough equipment to make it.

Leave the western Fairy Fountain and walk all the way south, then all the way west until you get to a dead end. Enter the cave and pay the top fee to the woman: she'll tell you the solution of the forest maze.

Walk one screen eats and one north to get to the forest maze. Follow the directions of the woman. When you emerge in the west, you are at the entrance of the graveyard.

Walk three screens north then all the way east; climb the stairs on the right and walk east: you are at the feet of Death Mountain. On this screen there are two rows of Armos: push the one on the upper-right corner to reveal the Power Bracelet.

There is one last hidden stash left. Walk one screen north and one west. Place a bomb in the upper-left corner of the wall rock to reveal 30 Rupees.

Now you can backtrack to the western Fairy Fountain. You can also use the power bracelet to reveal underground passageways and skip the graveyard. Visit the same shop on lake Hylia that sells the Blue Ring: there you can buy the Monster Bait for the lowest price.

Summary
You can now enter Dungeon 1 equipped with:
 * 6 Heart Containers instead of 3
 * White Sword instead of Wooden sword
 * Magical Shield instead of the small shield
 * Blue Ring
 * Bombs, Blue Candle, Red Potion and Power Bracelet
 * Arrows and bait (to be used later)