ZELDA 2 WALKTHROUGH Sorry, can't put any links on a text file. Just hit the back button when you are done. Down below is a well detailed walkthrough. I hope you understand it ok. If you don't, just go back one, and click on the email. Then fill out the form and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. ===================================================================== Here's what'll be covered in the FAQ as of now: -Enemy Breakdown (NEW!) -Locations of Heart & Magic Containers (as well as other important items) -Palace Maps -Boss Strategies (as well as other tough enemies) -Levels and Experience -Magic Spells -Frequently Asked Questions -Other General Tips -Basic Itinerary With all that said, here we go! ======================================================================= PART 1 - ENEMY BREAKDOWN One of the best things to do when one plays an adventure game or an RPG is to become acquainted with the terrain and its inhabitants. In this part of the FAQ, I'll be showing you what to find in the various areas of Hyrule. First, the entire kingdom of Hyrule is divided into 4 regions: Northwest, Southwest, Northeast, and Southeast Hyrule. All enemies in a given terrain in a given region are the same. There are six different terrains in the game (excluding roads, caves and bridges): Grass, Forest, Desert, Swamp, Graveyard, and Lava. I will name the area, the terrain, and what enemies you will encounter if you happen to run into a weak set of enemies (which look like little blobs) or strong enemies (which look like a Mini-Ganon), as well as the amount of experience you will get should you defeat all the baddies in the battle (meaning you go on one side, beat the villains there, and go back to the other side and wallop the guys there). Note: This guide assumes that you are fairly acquainted with the names of the enemies. If there are enemies that aren't described in the booklet, I'll describe them myself. As for the others, you're on your own. (You should be able to figure it out anyway, though.) AREA 1: NORTHWEST HYRULE (North of the boulder near Saria, and cave near Ruto) Grass Weak: Bit & Bot = 10 pts. Strong: Bit & Constant Orange Molblin* = 6 pts. Forest Weak: Red Deeler & Constant Orange Molblin = 6 pts. Strong: Red Deeler & Orange Molblin = 24 pts. Desert Weak: Rocks = 0 pts. Strong: Rocks, Bot & Geldarm = 19 pts. AREA 2: SOUTHWEST HYRULE (South of boulder near Saria and cave near Ruto, Death Mountain, and vicinity of Mido) Grass Weak: Rat (Rat like things that bounce up & down) & Bot = 14 pts. Strong: Rat & Orange Goriya = 50 pts. Forest Weak: Red and Blue Deeler & Red Molblin = 50 pts. Strong: Blue Deeler, Goby** & Blue Molblin = 46+ pts. Desert Weak: Rocks & Geldarm = 25 pts. Strong: Lowder & Blue Goriya = 66 pts. Swamp Weak: Red Octoroks = 50 pts. Strong: Goby & Red Octoroks = 50+ pts. Graveyard Weak: Red Moa*** = 70 pts. Strong Red Moa & Red Daira = 250 pts. AREA 3: NORTHEAST HYRULE (North of River Devil) Grass Weak: Leaper (spider-like enemies only vulnerable to the Fire Spell) = 150 pts. Strong: Leaper and Rock Bee (Bees that drop rocks from below and are only vulnerable to the Fire Spell) = 150 pts. Forest Weak: Eye (Red eyes that float in the air. Only vulnerable when eye is open) = 120 pts. Strong: Red and Blue Deeler & Eyes = 125 pts. Desert Weak: Diggers (Enemies that emerge from the ground for a few seconds and bury themselves) & Blue Octorok = 90 pts. Strong: Diggers & Basilisk (Dog-like creature only vulnerable to the Fire Spell) = 100 pts. AREA 4: SOUTHWEST HYRULE (South of River Devil) Forest Weak: Red Deeler & Orange Lizardman (half-human, half-lizard enemies that resemble Ironknuckles) = 310 pts. Strong: Blue Deeler & Red Lizardman = 220 pts. Desert Weak: Scorpion (Scorpions that shoot fire from their tails. Only vulnerable when their eye is open) = 300 pts. Strong: Digger and Scorpion = 330 pts. Swamp Weak: Eyes & Rock Bee = 170 pts. Strong: B. Octorok & Rock Bee = 110 pts. Graveyard Weak: Blue Moa^ = 350 pts. Strong: Blue Moa & Blue Lizardman = 550 pts. Lava Weak: Eyes & Blue Moa = 240 pts. Strong: Blue Moa & Blue Lizardman = 600 pts. * Constant Molblins endlessly approach Link from the direction he faces. They are not worth any experience. ** Gobies endlessly swoop down to Link's level and charge at him. They are worth 2 points apiece, yet steal 5 points if they hit him. *** Red Moas are worth 10 points apiece, yet steal 20 points if they hit Link. ^ Blue Moas are only visible and vulnerable if Link has the Cross. ======================================================================= PART 2 - LOCATIONS OF HEART AND MAGIC CONTAINERS AND OTHER ITEMS Link starts out with 4 Heart and Magic Containers with the potential to get 4 more of each kind in the game. They are all fairly spaced out in the land, but usually you'll get a set of 1 Heart and 1 Magic Container fairly close to each other. HEART CONTAINERS: 1: Due south of the first palace, you'll find a road leading to a small forest. (One of the road squares is a battle square with numerous pits and bubbles. Shouldn't be a problem.) Go to the patch of grass in the middle of the woods. The Heart Container will be to your right, guarded by an Orange Goriya. (I highly advise dealing with the Goriya first - the Container will heal you anyways!) 2: After you get the Hammer, Go to the road from which you'd head west for the second palace. Instead of going west, though, walk east. Whack the rock guarding the cave, and a Heart Container will be at the end. 3: When you get the Boots, walk into the sea as you would to get to the fifth palace. After some walking, however, move north four spaces, then continue east. You'll come across a "battle" square with a mountain holding Heart Container #7. 4: Search the beach around the sixth palace, around the south-east corner of the world. The final Heart will be in that area. MAGIC CONTAINERS: 1: Go south from where you start the game. You'll find a cave to the south and slightly to the east of the castle. I suggest going here before the first palace, even if you don't have the candle. After beating up on some Lowders and Octoroks (in the dark, you'll be able to see the Lowders crawling around if you keep a close eye on the ground. The Octoroks should be dead ringers - they're in the gaps!), the Magic Container is at the end of the cave. 2: After getting the Hammer, immediately use it on the rock right next to the cave from which you emerge. The Container is at the bottom. 3: In Maze Island, when you're given a choice between two L-shaped corridors, choose the outer one. One of the road squares is a hidden pit, leading to your seventh Magic Container. 4: In the hidden town of Kasuto (which can be found by traversing the north-east cave in the vicinity of the sixth palace and using the hammer on the second tree from the first row of four), be sure to talk to an old lady dressed in blue. She'll say something to the tune of "You'll need my help" and let you in. You'll find the last Magic Container in the back room of her house. There are numerous other items to look for in Hyrule. Most notable of all is the Hammer, and here's how to get it: From Death Mountain, make sure that whenever there's a fork in the road and you have to choose between two or more caves, CHOOSE THE ONE ON THE RIGHT. This is the road to the hammer. When you come across a cave with an up/down elevator, leave it alone and continue straight. When you get to the last cave, (The one next to the rock that reveals your sixth magic container. Remember?) Take the elevator down then head right. After beating some Dairas, the Hammer will be yours. BE SURE that your Life Level is at AT LEAST 4, and that you have the Life Spell, or I will guarantee you that YOU WILL NOT make it alive! Other items of interest are - TROPHY (Jump Spell requisite): Go to the cave in the desert just north of the castle. Brave the dangers inside, and the Trophy is yours. Now go to Ruto and trade it in for the Jump Spell. (Note: I suggest beating the first palace and getting the Candle first - the Red Goriya guarding the trophy can get pretty nasty in the dark.) MEDICINE (Fairy Spell requisite): After exiting the cave south of Ruto, you'll notice a cave blocked by a boulder. This is where you'll find the Medicine. (Of course, you'll need the Hammer to crush the rock before you can get to the cave anyway.) CHILD (Reflect Spell requisite): In Maze Island, go to the dead end that's just south of the fourth palace. Defeat the Lizardman by TILAI (Treating It Like An Ironknuckle - check the palace strategies), and you'll rescue the child (which is to the right - the left is the exit) MAGIC KEY: When in Hidden Kasuto, check out the empty house with the fireplace. Enter the hearth, and you'll receive the Spell of... well... Spell! Now go to the end of town (To the right, where there's a dead end) and cast Spell. A house will rise up from the ground, and the Magic Key is yours. Remember: without the Magic Key, YOU CANNOT get through the sixth palace. I'm not going to get into detail regarding P-bags, Red Jars, or Fairies, largely because they aren't really crucial to the game. Here are some basic things to remember, though: -Red Jars like to hide in large clumps of a certain terrain. They'll hide out in a big desert or swamp. -P-bags usually stick out like a sore thumb. If you see a large plain and see a block of forest in that plain, check it out. -Fairies, well, are just hard to find. There is one in the forest next to the exit of the cave south of Ruto. -Remember: Fairies and Red Jars reappear when you reset the game. P-bags don't. ======================================================================= PART 3: PALACE MAPS There are a total of six palaces in the game (Not including the Great Palace, of course). For the first four, you'll have to go through every room to get the necessary item and beat the boss. (Some cases you don't HAVE to get the item, but it's a darn good idea.) In this part, I'll map out each palace, cluing you in on where to find keys, locks, the item, and the boss. Also, I'll tell you the quickest path to follow to cover all the bases. Note that each room is numbered for your convenience as well as mine. Get it? Got it? Good. PALACE 1: CANDLE (Lights up caves) 1 2 - 3 | | 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 | | 9 -10 -11 12 -13 -14 Keys can be found in rooms 2, 3, and 4. Locks are in rooms 6, 9, and 13. The Candle is in room 6. The Boss is in room 14. Best Path: 1-5-4K-5-6L-7-8-2K-3K-2-8-7-11-10-9LI-10-11-7-8-12- 13L-14B. Other special rooms: 8: Continue right when you come across the elevator, and you'll find a fairy. Enjoy it; there aren't any other regular palaces with one. 9: Say hello to your first Ironknuckle. Here's how to beat it: Jump up and strike the guy when you land. It helps to do this in a narrow corridor so that you don't jump too high. Continue the process until the bugger goes bye-bye. By doing this, you're faking the knight into moving his shield down, thus allowing you to strike high. (This is what TILAI means.) 10: Watch for the collapsing bridge. Remember that only squares that you step on crumble. The P-bag is a bit of a decoy, but if you want to gamble for the 50 points, go ahead. PALACE 2: POWER GLOVE (Allows you to break stones with your sword) 1 | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 | | 7 - 8 - 9 10 -11 | | 12 -13 -14 -15 16 -17 | 18 -19 -20 -21 Keys can be found in rooms 4, 10, 15, and 17. Locks are in rooms 5, 7, 9, and 20. The Glove is in room 7. The Boss is in room 21. Best Path: 1-6-11-16-17K-16-11-10K-11-6-5L-4K-3-2-9L-8-7LI-8-9- 12-13-14-15K-14-18-19-20L-21B. Other special rooms: 1: Be sure to stab the Ironknuckle statue at the start - a Red Jar lies inside. 5: The flying heads will give you a problem, largely because they also steal your hard-earned experience as well as life when they hit you. However, do your best to kill them: Though it looks like they pile in ad infinitum, there's only two of them, going out one side of the room and coming in the other. Defeat both of them, and they won't show up again. 8: Beware of those falling blocks. They can do two things: first, getting hit by them causes an Excedrin headache, and also they have a nasty habit of trapping you inside their created walls. My hint for you on the way in is to blaze through without abandon, but once you have the glove, take it easy. Wait until the blocks are stacked three high, then break the ones at your height and walk through the tunnel you create. PALACE 3: RAFT (Gives access to West Hyrule) 1 | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 | 8 - 9 -10 -11 -12 | 13 -14 -15 -16 Keys can be found in rooms 5, 7, 8, and 11. Locks are in rooms 9, 10, 12, and 13. The Raft is in room 12. The Boss is in room 16. Best Path: 1-2-3-4-K5-6-7K-6-10L-11K-12LI-11-10-9-8-9-13-14-15- 16. Other special rooms: 1: Again, Red Jar in the Ironknuckle statue. (Watch out, though: there is a chance that the statue may come to life.) 6: You don't *need* to use the Jump Spell to get over to room 7. If you get up enough momentum on that small step, you can jump onto the upper step and go on. 12: Ah, the Blue Ironknuckle. These guys are major PITAs. Actually, they don't start out bad, but once you hit them they get MAD. And they start throwing their sword like it'll win them something. Best bet is to use the Shield spell. Also, remember that you need the Fairy Spell to even get to the third palace. South of Mido, you'll find a graveyard, and the grave that's separate from the rest is the King's Tomb. Head directly south of the King's Tomb, and you'll fall down a hole to the passage to the third palace. The third palace is to the right, but you'll need to use the Fairy Spell to get over that big wall. PALACE 4: BOOTS (Allows you to walk on certain blocks of water, Gives access to fifth palace) Note: A passage marked as V is one-way. 1 | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 | | 6 - 7 - 8 9 -10 -11 | | V 12 -13 -14 15 -16 -17 | V 18 -19 -20 -21 Keys can be found in rooms 2, 3, 8, 11, 17, and 21. Locks are in rooms 3, 4, 7, 12, 17, and 19. The Boots are in room 17. The Boss is in room 14. Best Path: 1-4-5-9-10-11K-10-16-17LI-16-20-21K-20-19L-18K-19- 15-9-5-4L-3KL-2K-3-7-8K-7L-6-12L-13-14B. Other special rooms: 1: Surprise, surpise! Another Red Jar in the statue! 4: Note the Magicians. The spell of Reflect will be absolutely crucial should you want to get through this palace. It's also a good idea for these Magicians - the 100 points you get for beating them is a good find. 8: Remember the nature of the flying heads. They'll knock you into the pit below unless you deal with them. (And don't forget - the statue next to the key has a Red Jar.) PALACE 5: WHISTLE (Clears away River Devil, gives access to palace 6) 1 | 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 | 6 - 7 8 - 9 -10 -11 | | 12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 | | | 18 -19 20 -21 -22 -23 -24 | | 25 -26 27 -28 Keys can be found in rooms 3, 9, 16, and 18. Locks are in rooms 5, 6, 27, and 28. The Whistle is in room 27. The Boss is in room 7. Best Path: 1-2-3-4-3K-4-5L-10-9K-8-14-13-20-21-22-23-24-17-16K- 17-24-23-28L-27LI-28-23-22-21-20-13-12-19-18K-19-12- 6L-7B. Other special rooms: 1: I think I better warn you: there ISN'T a Red Jar in the statue here. 11, 15, 25, 26: These are extraneous rooms. There is nothing to be found in these rooms, so stay away from them. 3: You must revisit this room to get the key. You need to use the Fairy Spell to get over the wall, but you need to be able to use your sword in order to get the Key. 16: If you want the key in this room, you can't approach it from the left. A wall separates the two sides of the room, and the key is on the right side. 22: The wall behind the Blue Ironknuckle is FAKE. It might look real, and it might seem real if you try to walk through it, but if you jump into the wall you'll reveal a secret passage. PALACE 6: CROSS (Reveals hidden enemies) 1 | 2 - 3 | 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 V | V 10 11 -12 V 13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 V | V 20 21 22 -23 V | V 5 24 -25 -26 -27 A Key can be found in room 9. Locks are in rooms 4, 5, and 9. The Cross is in room 9. The Boss is in room 23. Best Path: 1-3-4L-5L-6-7-8-9LI-8-7-6-5-10-13-14-15-16-17-18-19 22-23B. Other special rooms: 1: Just guess. 2: There's a 200-point P-bag in this room. Though it isn't necessary, you might want to check it out. 4: Hope to God you have a Magic Key. If you don't, this is as far as you're going to get. Check the Locations of Items to find out how to get the Magic Key. 8: Beware of the False Floor. It's located just after the third Ironknuckle Statue. 9: You'll have to fight another Ironknuckle to get the cross. This one, however, is on a horse, like the third palace's boss. Check out Boss Strategies if you're having trouble. 16: No, there's no invisible bridge over the pit. Only your Fairy Spell will get you over this lava lake. (And try to avoid getting hit by the Skull Balls!) 19: Don't drop down the hole immediately. On the other side, a blue Ironknuckle guards a 1-up doll. Take it - you don't want to leave in the palace once you've cleared it. 22: Be sure to have the Fairy Spell ready to use when going down here. It's the only way to reach the corridor leading to the boss. PALACE 7 No, I'm not going to map out the ENTIRE palace. To do so would be a total waste of time, since you don't even have to explore half of it! I will instead give you directions as to how to get to the end. Down one room, Left 1, Down 1, Right 2, Down 1, Right 1, Down 3 (The second one down has a big skull ball - avoid it), Right 1, Down 1, Right 2, Down 1, Right 1, *Down 3, Left 1, Down 1 (False floor under the fifth block to the left), Right 1 (Watch for the big Bot!), Down 1 (Through that tiny hole), Right 2. Of course, here are some general tips for this palace: -Most of the rooms are pretty similar. Using this knowledge, it should be easy to figure out such things as false floors, Red Jars, etc. -If you come into a room that looks like it's just a small elevator passage, try pushing against the left wall. If it's fake, then there should be a Red Jar in the Knightbird statue. -Be aware that all enemies that you've seen before are harder than before. Likewise, they'll give up more experience. (Except for skull balls, which give up less.) -Knightbirds. As Geena Davis put it, "Be afraid. Be very afraid." These guys are just like Blue Ironknuckles except that they can jump, they take more hits, and they are major hemorrhoids. Shield spell is a must when trying to tackle these guys. (The real sad thing is that they give less experience than Ironknuckles! Waaa!) -See where that star is in the directions? Well, two screens down you'll come to an area where there's a fairy (chances are you'll need it) and a 1-up doll! The fairy is on the right, the 1-up is one screen to the left. ======================================================================= PART 4: BOSS AND ENEMY STRATEGIES In this section I'll teach you how to defeat every boss in the game, as well as some of the other difficult enemies in the game. HORSEHEAD (Palace 1 boss): Jump up and hit him in the head, then jump back to dodge his club. Repeat until dead. HELMETHEAD (Palace 2 boss): Same thing as Horse Head, except you don't need to jump as high and you also have to watch for the other heads shooting at you. IRONKNUCKLE (Palace 3 boss): Downthrust the area between the Ironknuckle and the horse a few times to get the guy off. Then TILAI. CAROCK (Palace 4 boss): Cast the Reflect Spell, go to the left end of the screen, and duck. Carock does the rest for you! GOOMA (Palace 5 boss): Hit him in the midsection, then jump away from the mace. It'll take a while to get the timing down, but it shouldn't be a problem if you can cast the Life Spell once. BARBA (Palace 6 boss): Stay on the right island. When Barba rises up, get in close (and I mean CLOSE - almost hugging the thing), jump up, and hit him in the head. You'll need the Jump Spell to reach him. THUNDERBIRD (Palace 7 boss #1): Use the Thunder spell to expose his head (Note - you have to do this when he shows up - NOT just when his life bars appear. Remember, if you screw up you're out half of your magic!). His head is the weak point (natch). The fire he throws shouldn't be too hard to dodge - just make sure that you don't wind up directly ON Thunderbird's head. It's a sure hit there. LINK'S SHADOW (Final Boss!): Well, I would say TILAI, but that doesn't always work. However, keep a good rhythm going, jumping and striking, jumping and striking, and eventually the shadow will make a mistake. Just remember: With 8 Magic Containers, you should be able to use the Shield Spell and have enough for 2 doses of Life, so you really have 14 Heart Containers! Another thing to watch for is when the shadow jumps - you can get a good hit in when he lands if you're quick. And now, here's how you deal with other non-boss enemies that may give you a headache: STALFOS: Hit them in the legs. Easy once you know what to do. DAIRA (Axe Weilders): It depends. For the Orange ones, it's simple: Strike and move nack, strike and move back. For Red ones, use TILAI, jumping up when the Daira throws an axe. IRONKNUCKLE: (This is TILAI, folks) Jump up to fake out the Ironknuckle's shield placement, then strike as you're landing. Even the Blue ones fall for this. SKULL BALLS: Strike. Strike. Strike some more. Even at Attack Level 8 it takes 11 hits to beat him! It helps if you have downthrust to beat him. LIZARDMEN: TILAI. Especially the Orange kind - it's just an Ironknuckle for the outdoors. Blue ones should be done as you would a Red Daira. DOOMKNOCKERS (Palace 4 Magicians): Reflect. Duck. 'Nuff said. GORIYAS (Boomerang throwers): If you have downthrust, use it! Theses guys can't throw their boomerangs straight up. Otherwise, strike constantly, moving your shield accordingly. Also remember that certain enemies (such as the field enemies around Nabooru) can only be hurt with the fire from the Fire Spell. ======================================================================= PART 5: LEVELS AND EXPERIENCE Zelda II incorporates a Role-Playing-like facet to its game: experience. Most enemies give experience when you beat them allowing you to get stronger in three areas: Life, Magic, and Attack. Their explanations are: LIFE: The higher this level, the less damage you take from a hit. MAGIC: The higher this level, the fewer magic points it takes to cast a specific spell. (Each magic container has 16 magic points, BTW) ATTACK: The higher this level, the fewer hits other enemies can take. Here is a table of each level and the experience needed to raise each attribute: LV | LIFE | MAGIC | ATTACK ----|------|-------|------- 2 | 50 | 100 | 200 3 | 150 | 300 | 500 4 | 400 | 700 | 1000 5 | 800 | 1200 | 2000 6 | 1500 | 2200 | 3000 7 | 2500 | 3500 | 5000 8 | 4000 | 7000 | 8000 Anything developed past 8 (which requires 9000 points) is worth a 1-up. In other words, barring a cancel (see below) the level up schedule will be (L=Life, M=Magic, A=Attack) L, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, L, A, M, A. Also remember that you can cancel level-ups. If you have enough experience to bring up one trait yet don't want to do it, select Cancel on the level-up screen and you'll skip to the next level. Once that's gone up, you'll go back to the level on which you skipped. (You may be wondering how I managed to figure out magic requirements for ALL spells and ALL levels... see below) ======================================================================= PART 6: MAGIC Link can learn a total of 8 spells in the game. While the first spell (Shield) is pretty much a freebie, you'll have to work for the other 7. Here I'll tell you how to get each spell, what it does, and the Magic Point requirement for each spell. First, here are the requisites: SHIELD: Find the house in Rauru that offers it. That's all. JUMP: Find the Trophy in the cave north of the starting point. Take it to Ruto for the spell. LIFE: In the third "open" house of Saria, check under the table. You should be saying "I found a mirror." Take it to a woman who, alas, lost her mirror. She'll let you in her house for the spell. FAIRY: Get the medicine in the swamp cave (The one blocked by a boulder) and take it to Mido Town. The spell will be yours. FIRE: In Nabooru, you'll meet a woman who is thirsty. Not too far away from her is a fountain. "Talk" to the fountain and go back to the woman, and she'll let you in for the Fire Spell (Ironic how giving someone water gets you fire! :) ) REFLECT: Save the child from the cave in Maze Island. Go to Darunia, and you'll be rewarded from your heroic efforts with the spell. SPELL: In hidden Kasuto Town, Find an empty yet large home with a fireplace. Press up at the niche, and you'll go into the room where you find the Spell Spell (Yes, I MEANT to do that). THUNDER: Go to the other, not-so-hidden town of Kasuto. Enter the first house and get the Thunder Spell. (After that, just leave. There's nothing else of interest there.) Now, for the cost and effect of each spell: Magic Level SPELL | EFFECT | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 -------|------------------------------|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|--- Shield |1/2 damage for one screen | 32| 24| 24| 16-------------> Jump |2x jump height for one screen | 48| 40| 32| 32| 32| 20| 16| 8 Life |Heals 3 Heart Containers | 70| 70| 60| 60| 50---------> Fairy |Turn into fairy for one screen| 80| 80| 60| 60| 40---------> Fire |Shoot fire for one screen |120| 80| 60| 30| 16---------> Reflect|Reflect magic for one screen |120|120| 80| 48| 40| 32| 24| 16 Spell |Random effects |120|112| 96| 80| 48| 32| 24| 16 Thunder|Hurts all enemies on screen |120|120|120|120|120|120|100| 64 ======================================================================= PART 7: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Well, these aren't really FREQUENTLY asked, but you might be stewing these questions over and so I feel I ought to address them here and now. Q: Why can't I get to Death Mountain? A: The bridge in Saria connecting Death Mountain to the rest of the world can only be deployed if you've talked to Bagu. He's located in the upper forest just to the east of the swamp. Talk to him, then go back to Saria. Talk to the river guard, and he'll let you cross. Q: How come I can never get past the second palace or get the Hammer? A: Many players get stuck after the first palace, simply because they rush through the game and don't take the time to build levels. If you're hitting a speed bump around this area, try getting some experience and building levels. That'll help quite a bit. Q: Help! I can't find the sixth palace! A: Position yourself in the middle of the rock formation in Southeast Hyrule and blow the Whistle. Be at the same level as the two southern rocks, aligned with the northern one. The Palace will appear to the South. Now, you've remembered to get the Magic Key first, RIGHT???? (note: if you hit an enemy before you enter the palace, it'll disappear.) Q: Cool! I found a 1-up doll in the field! Should I take it? A: NO!! LEAVE IT ALONE!! There are only 5 1-up dolls in the entire game. One is in the west swamp, one square down and to the left of the rock that blocks the cave to the medicine. Another is in the desert near Maze Island, in a small dead end just north of the ocean. A third doll is in the swamp of southeast Hyrule. The other two are in the sixth and seventh palaces. If you find a 1-up doll early in the game, DON'T TAKE IT! Like most other items, dolls do not reappear when you reset the game. Once they're gone, they're gone. It is much better to save them up for the last palace, when you'll no doubt need them! Q: Where's the best place to build experience? A: Early game, fight the weak enemies of the swamp in West Hyrule. Mid-game, go for the strong enemies in the desert south of Mido. Late game, do the weak enemies in the forests of southeast Hyrule. The first will rack up about 50 points a screen, the second yields 66 points a screen (with high potential for P-bags), and the third one gives you around 310 points a screen. Q: Oh, no. It's my last life, and I'm at the palace boss, but I only have enough magic for either a Life Spell or a Shield Spell, but not both. Which one do I do? A: Shield Spell, hands down. By using Shield, you're effectively doubling the amount of life you have. This is very important to know. (However, you should be using the Shield spell when fighting ANY boss.) Q: I'm entering a screen I have no clue about. Should I use the Shield Spell? A: No. Not yet, at least. Never use magic until you see a reason to. Imagine that you used Shield in that unexplored area only to find it was completely empty. Not a good thought, huh? Q: Drat! I just lost my last life. But I don't want to have a really high play count. What should I do? A: I follow the 2-accomplishment rule. If you did two or more things in your game that added to your progress (Getting a Heart or Magic Container, Clearing a palace, going up a level, etc.), then go ahead and save your game. If you didn't, don't bother. Reset and keep your play count low. ======================================================================= PART 8: GENERAL TIPS -If you come across a Red Jar, make sure you milk out the rest of your magic bar with as many Life Spells to heal yourself, then take the Jar to get the most out of it. If you don't have enough magic to cast Life, but you're still not all that healthy, then highlight the Life Spell, take the Jar, and press SELECT like mad. You'll not only refill your life, but your magic will fill up almost to full! -To get the downthrust, go to Mido and use the Jump Spell to get to the upper door of the church. -To get the upthrust, go to Darunia. Find a house with a chimney and use the Jump Spell to reach it. (You'll have to jump on the roofs of other houses to get to it.) Pull a Santa Claus, and you'll learn the upthrust. -Don't always rely on your ability to throw your sword when you have full life. Especially late in the game, enemies won't be hurt by the thrown sword. Learn how to fight in close quarters. -Remember that whenever you make contact with an enemy, you're going to recoil a bit. Keep this in mind, especially when fighting Skull Balls. Also, remember that if you hit an enemy, you'll stun it slightly, and you won't take damage from it while it's stunned. -If and when you beat the game, you'll have the ability to replay it. When you do so, notice that while all tangible items (palace items, Heart Containers, etc.) will be reset and you must find them again, you'll still know all the spells and have the same high level! At this point, the beginning of the game is a breeze. (Also, beating a palace pretty much means an extra life!) -If you want to experience this superiority without beating the game, then do this: Play the game as you would, but take care NOT to clear the palaces. Take the item, but don't beat the boss. Once you've found all the items, learned all spells, and developed your attributes to 8, start playing the game over again. It'll be so easy! ======================================================================= PART 9: ITINERARY Here's a basic walkthrough of the steps to take in order to win the game with the most efficiency. Remember, however, that this doesn't cover level-ups - you should stop every so often to build experience on your own. Also, this walkthrough assumes you know where to get everything. (If you don't, consult the necessary places.) I've divided the game into Early, Middle, and Late areas. So, here goes! START-EARLY GAME Get Magic Container Go to Rauru Get Shield Spell Take cave to Northeast desert Get Heart Container Clear first palace (Get Candle) Take cave to mainland Get Trophy Go to Ruto Get Jump Spell Take cave to swamp Talk to Bagu Go to Saria Find Mirror Get Life Spell Go to Death Mountain Get Hammer Get Magic Container Get Medicine Get Heart Container Go to Mido Get downthrust Get Fairy Spell Clear second palace (Get Power Glove) MIDDLE GAME Go to King's Tomb Take cave to southern island Clear Island Palace (Get Raft) Go to East Hyrule Go to Nabooru Find Water Get Fire Spell Take cave to north mainland Go to Maze Island Save Child Go to north mainland Go to Darunia Get Reflect Spell Get upthrust Go to Maze Island Get Magic Container Clear fourth palace (Get Boots) Get Heart Container Clear fifth palace (Get Whistle) LATE GAME Defeat River Devil Take cave to mid-east forest Go to Hidden Kasuto Get Magic Container Get Spell Spell :) Get Magic Key Take cave to mainland Get Heart Container Go to Kasuto Get Thunder Spell Clear sixth palace (Get Cross & 1-up) Retrieve all 1-up dolls Take caves and lava to palace Clear seventh palace GAME END ====================================================================== ====================================================================== PLEASE HIT THE BACK BUTTON TO GO BACK TO MY ZELDA 2 PAGE