The Legend of Zelda
NES Game Guide
Ganon, an evil beast who holds the Triforce of Power has invaded the kingdom of Hyrule. Princess Zelda has been imprisoned and now he seeks the Triforce of Wisdom.
Link, a brave young elf, is tasked with collecting the Triforce fragments hidden in dungeons around the kingdom. Only then will he be strong enough to face Ganon.
Starting out with only a shield, Link must seek out the eight dungeons, arm himself with weapons and items, and face the monsters that stand between him and the Triforce. Hyrule is filled with secrets that may assist Link in his quest.
Characters
Link
A young but courageous elf who agrees to find the 8 Triforce Fragments and slay the evil Ganon. Link must explore the kingdom of Hyrule and become stronger if he is to stand a chance.
Princess Zelda
The princess of Hyrule. When Ganon appeared, she hid the Triforce of Wisdom by breaking it into 8 fragments and hiding them in dungeons across the land.
Old Man
These old men appear in caves and dungeons to give Link advice. An old man gives Link the Sword near the start of the game.
Old Woman
Old women appear in caves across Hyrule. Some give Link advice, and one in particular sells Link the Water of Life.
Merchant
The shopkeepers of Hyrule sell goods to Link in exchange for Rupees. Some charge less than others, and some are very well hidden.
Overworld Enemies
Octorok
An octopus that lives above ground, sucking up rocks and spitting them at Link.
Moblin
A pig-like servant of Ganon that appears in the forests of Hyrule. It hurls spears at Link.
Tektite
One-eyed spiders that leap around in the mountains of Hyrule.
Peahat
The ghost of a flower that flies around. Link can only damage Peahat when it's resting.
Zora
A creature of the water that only shows its head above the surface to spit fireballs that Link's shield can't hold back.
Leever
A burrowing plant that digs through to the surface and attacks Link before burying itself again.
Armos
A stone soldier that springs to life when Link touches them. Some Armos statues move extremely quickly, and some hide secret paths.
Lynel
A magical sword-wielding creature with the legs of a lion. It lives in Death Mountain and is one of the strongest overworld enemies.
Ghini
A one-eyed ghost that roams the graveyard. Ghini may also appear when you touch the gravestones.
Rock
A rock that crumbled from Death Mountain. Link can't damage them, so must avoid them.
Dungeon Enemies
Zol & Gel
Jelly monsters that move around slowly. If Zol is struck with the sword, it splits into two of the smaller Gel.
Rope
A venomous snake that roams around and darts towards Link when it sees him. They leave behind a lot of Rupees.
Goriya
Also known as "Little Devils", these creatures pace around and throw boomerangs.
Keese
A weak bat that flutters around in the dungeons. They are easier to hit when they come to rest.
Vire
A bat demon that hops around. When struck with the sword, Vire splits into two Keese.
Stalfos
A reanimated skeleton armed with swords. You can see which ones hold keys.
Wall Master
A monstrous hand that chases Link. If it catches him, it returns him to the dungeon entrance.
Gibdo
A strong mummy that wanders around in the dungeons.
Pols Voice
An unusual animal ghost that hops around. It is particularly sensitive to noise (Note: In Japan, you can use the microphone on the second Famicom controller to destroy Pols Voice).
Moldorm
A slow-moving worm that emerges from the ground. It gets shorter when Link strikes it with the sword.
Wizzrobe
Wizards that fire deadly magic. The red ones can make themselves vanish, while the blue ones walk around and pass through solid walls.
Like Like
A slimy tube monster that will eat Link's Magical Shield if it manages to catch him.
Darknut
Knights that live in the dungeons. They can only be hurt by hitting them from the back or sides.
Lanmola
A giant, fast-moving centipede. Its armored head is impervious to Link's attacks.
Patra
A flying creature shielded by smaller flying creatures. Patra only appears in the final dungeon.
Bubble
A cursed spirit. If it touches Link, he will be temporarily unable to use his sword.
Trap
Usually found in pairs, traps slam together when Link passes between them. Sneak through when they are resetting their position.
Stone Statue
Most stone statues are harmless, but some will shoot deadly fireballs at Link.
Bosses
Aquamentus
A unicorn dragon and boss of the Eagle Dungeon. It paces around and shoots a stream of deadly fireballs.
Dodongo
A low-slung dinosaur with an extremely thick skin. Link's attacks will have no effect on it. Drop bombs in its path so it eats them.
Manhandla
A huge, man-eating plant with four snapping mouths. Each time you chop one of the mouths off, Manhandla gets faster.
Gleeok
A multi-headed dragon that breathes fire. If you manage to cut one of its heads off, the severed head flies around the room.
Digdogger
A giant sea urchin that roams around and damages Link if he touches the spikes. If Link uses the Whistle, it shrivels up and becomes weaker.
Gohma
A giant crab-like creature with an armoured hide. Shoot it in the eye with the Bow when its eye is open.
Ganon
A giant pig demon who has been searching for the Triforce of Wisdom. Ganon can teleport and make himself invisible. The only weapon effective against Ganon is the Silver Arrow.
Items
Rupee
The currency of Hyrule. The yellow rupees are worth 1, and the blue rupees are worth 5. Spend them in stores. One rupee is spent each time you fire the Bow.
Heart
These may be dropped by enemies. Refills one of Link's empty hearts.
Heart Container
Special items that increase Link's health meter by 1 heart. You get a Heart Container each time you defeat a boss, and others can be found hidden all over Hyrule.
Fairy
Fairies may appear after defeating enemies. They refill several of Link's empty hearts at once. Some fairies can be found at Fairy Fountains, where they refill all of Link's hearts.
Letter
A letter you are asked to deliver to the old woman who sells the Water of Life. She won't sell it to you without it.
Water of Life
Life restoring water that Link carries with him and uses when he runs out of hearts. The blue water can be used once and the red water can be used twice.
Magical Clock
A clock dropped by some enemies. Pick it up and the remaining enemies on screen will freeze on the spot, making them easier to fight.
Enemy Bait
A hunk of meat that draws some enemies towards it, allowing Link to slip by. There is a hungry character somewhere in Hyrule who won't let Link past until you give him the Enemy Bait.
Key
Defeat enemies and solve puzzles in the dungeons to make Keys appear. Each Key can be used to open one locked door.
Magical Key
A special repeat-use key that can open any locked door in any of Hyrule's dungeons. It can be used an unlimited number of times.
Map
Each dungeon has a map. Find it to show the layout of the dungeon.
Compass
Each dungeon has a compass. Find it to show the location of the Triforce fragment.
Triforce Fragment
A piece of the Triforce of Wisdom, hidden by Zelda in the dungeons of Hyrule. Defeat the boss in each dungeon to reclaim the Triforce Fragment.
Weapons and Armor
Shield
A small, wooden shield that deflects rocks and spears. Link begins the game carrying this shield.
Magical Shield
A large shield that can be used to protect Link against fireballs as well as other projectiles. It can be purchased from the Merchants.
Sword
A wooden sword. Link can collect this from the old man in the cave at the start of the game.
White Sword
Stronger than the standard sword, Link can only use this if he has 5 hearts. Collect it from a cave on Death Mountain.
Magical Sword
The strongest sword of all. Link can only use this sword if he has 12 hearts. Collect it from a grave after travelling through the Lost Woods.
Blue Ring
A special ring that changes Link's tunic blue and reduces damage from enemies by half. It can be bought from stores in Hyrule.
Red Ring
A rare ring that changes Link's tunic red and reduces damage from enemies to 1/4. It can only be found inside Ganon's fortress at Spectacle Rock.
Power Bracelet
A secret item hidden somewhere in Hyrule. It allows Link to move heavy rocks.
Wooden Boomerang
A basic boomerang that stuns enemies and retrieves out-of-reach items. It can be found in the first dungeon after defeating the red Goriya.
Magical Boomerang
A stronger boomerang that can be thrown much farther. It can be found in the second dungeon after defeating the blue Goriya.
Bow & Wooden Arrow
The bow can be found in the first dungeon, while Link will need to buy the arrows separately from a Merchant. After buying the arrows, each arrows fired costs Link 1 rupee.
Silver Arrow
A special arrow, and the only weapon effective against Ganon. It can be found in Ganon's lair.
Blue Candle
A candle that lights up dark rooms, or can be used to burn down bushes. The blue candle can only be used once per screen. Available from shops around Hyrule.
Red Candle
An improved candle that can be used as often as you like on each screen. The red candle can be found in the seventh dungeon.
Magic Wand
A magical staff that can be used to attack enemies, found in the sixth dungeon.
Magic Book
A book containing enchantments that allow the Magic Wand to shoot fire. The Magic Book can be found in the eighth dungeon.
Bomb
An explosive device dropped by some enemies. The Bomb can be used to attack enemies or to blow holes in the dungeon walls to uncover secret paths. You can find bomb upgrades that let you carry more in the fifth and seventh dungeons.
Whistle
A flute that plays a mysterious tune, summoning a whirlwind that warps Link to the entrance of cleared dungeons. It can also be used to uncover other secrets and to shrink Digdogger. Found in the fifth dungeon.
Raft
A wooden raft found in the third dungeon. Once Link has this, he can ride across the water using the docks and reach new areas.
Ladder
A wooden ladder found in the fourth dungeon. Link can use it to cross small gaps by simply walking over them.
Second Quest
After defeating Ganon and returning to the title screen, your save file will show Link holding up a Triforce. Start a new game on this file and you will begin playing the Second Quest.
During the Second Quest, many dungeons and caves are in new locations, and the dungeons themselves have all changed. A few new enemy variants appear, and you can run into crooks who will take your Rupees or one Heart Container permanently. You get a slightly different ending if you complete the Second Quest.
Secrets
Quick Save
At any time, press START to pause them game, then press Up + A on Controller 2. This will bring up the save menu without you having to lose a life first.
Skip to Second Quest
When creating a new save file, enter the name as:
ZELDA
You will automatically start the game on the much harder Second Quest.
