The Legend of Zelda

Categories

Any%

Get to Zelda as fast as you can.

As there are no known means of getting to Zelda without defeating Gannon and taking the Triforce, and there are no known means of getting into Level 9 without all of the Triforce pieces, this means one must complete every dungeon. Items needed: Wooden Sword, Bombs, Bow, Raft, Ladder, Recorder, Bait, Arrows, Silver Arrows. Items acquired for maximum speed in current routing: Heart containers, Magic Sword.

Swordless

This is a challenge category. One plays the game according to the Any% rules, with two changes: No sword is allowed, and the run ends upon reaching Gannon. Gannon cannot be killed without a sword, unlike other enemies who can be killed with Bombs, Boomerang, Arrows, Candles, or the Wand. See The Legend of Zelda/Swordless Route for information on a way to run this category.

100%

This category is not really run by anyone, because it is not clearly defined. The required items are in dispute. Is the Magic Shield required? Is the Letter required if you finish with the Red Potion? Is it required to take every Heart Container when offered a Heart Container or a Red Potion? Are the two bomb upgrades required? These questions are given different answers by different runners, and so the category doesn't properly exist yet.

Game Mechanics and Glitches

Screen Scroll

The 'screen scroll' trick is useful for getting over overworld obstacles, as well as for clipping through blocks in dungeons. That means you get to some stairs without killing all the enemies first! Here's a graphic with some pointers:

Since the above chart was made, an alternate way of clipping through a block has been discovered by はる＠よつば. First, you get onto the pixel as in the above picture, with the top of Link's head lined up with the flat part of the block. Then, instead of doing a single-frame tap, slash the sword and press right or left. The sword slash, done correctly, will prevent you from moving. You will get the same effect as the single frame tap, so if you're positioned right, you will turn around. After the sword slash, walk through the block. This trick only works with block clips, not overworld scrolls or ladder clips.

Drops

The enemy drops are not random. Whether they do drop an item is random, but when they do drop, here's what they'll be. The counter starts at 0, and goes up by 1 every time you kill (most) enemies. Chart via Baxter at TASVideos:

However there's also the consecutive kill counter. Kill 10 enemies without getting hit and you'll get a forced, guaranteed 5 rupee drop from the next enemy that drops items (not in the X group). Kill the 10th enemy with a bomb instead, and instead of a 5 rupee you'll get a forced, guaranteed bomb drop! Kill 16 enemies in a row and you get a fairy drop forced, but only if the 16th enemy is capable of dropping an item (not in the X group).

Note that if the 10th enemy does not drop items (in the X group), then killing that enemy with a bomb means the next drop that does happen will be a bomb. Killing that 10th enemy with the sword or any thing else will mean the next drop will be a rupee, even if you kill the next-dropping enemy with a bomb. It's the actual 10th enemy kill that counts, not the succeeding enemy that drops items.

Note that splitting a Zol into two Gels, or splitting a Vire into two Keese, will not count as a kill or a consecutive kill. Killing one of those split Gels or Keese will not count as a kill for drops, but will count as a consecutive kill. Yes, there are some circumstances that are an exception to this. If the Zol/Vire is trapped against a barrier, it can sometimes trigger an extra 'kill' that way. A kill sound in place of a split sound is a hint to when this might happen.

Advanced strategies: If you avoid a fairy at the 16th kill, by killing 16 on a non-dropping enemy, then the next forced drop is at 20, either a bomb or a blue rupee. Every 10 after that will give another bomb or blue. If you do get the fairy, then every 10 after the fairy will be a forced bomb or blue rupee. So it goes like this: 10, (fairy at 16), 26, 36, 46... or 10, (skip fairy at 16), 20, 30, 40... depending on the fairy. Credit to Darkwing Duck for piecing these facts together while in Level 9 of a Swordless run.

Luck Manipulation

See The Legend of Zelda/Luck Manipulation

Beginning Advice

Darkwing Duck's Impromptu Guide

This is an incredibly informative video.

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It's still a tough route though, so Here is the Presjpolk followup for beginners

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Beginner Any% Route

If you'd like to start running the game, it may be best to begin with the Any% category. 100% may sound easier, but it's better to be able to buy the blue ring, and to skip a heart container for a free potion. Here is a beginner's route for Any%. Note that in every Level you have to get the Heart Container and the Triforce piece, in addition to the items listed:

1. Level 2.
2. 30 Rupee secret just northeast of Level 2
3. 30 Rupee Secret north of that one
4. Heart Container north of Level 2
5. 100 secret in the northeast corner
6. Optional: Letter
7. Candle in the shop east of Level 5
8. White Sword
9. 30 Rupee secret just northeast of Level 1
10. Level 1. Get the Bow.
11. Heart Container south of 1
12. Level 3. Get the Raft.
13. 100 Rupee secret south of Level 7
14. Blue Ring from the Blue Ring shop
15. Level 4. Get the Ladder.
16. Level 5. Get the Recorder.
17. (Use the Recorder to reach Level 2. Face up and press B, to increment the warp counter from 1 to 2.)
18. 100 secret near the Heart Container on the south coast
19. Heart Container on south coast
20. Heart Container on the east coast
21. Heart Container (or potion, your choice) north of the east coast Heart Container
22. If you need Rupees: Recorder warp to 1.
23. If you need Rupees: 30 secret just southeast of Level 1
24. (Recorder warp to 3. Face up and press B so the warp counter goes from 2 to 3.)
25. Meat from the Blue Ring shop
26. Arrows from the shop south of the Blue Ring shop
27. Level 7.
28. Magic Sword
29. Level 6.
30. If necessary, buy potions from the potion shop east of Level 6
31. (Recorder warp to 2 Face down and press B this time so the counter goes from 3 to 2.)
32. Level 8.
33. (Recorder warp to 1. Face down and press B so the counter goes from 2 to 1.)
34. If necessary, bomb into the potion shop north of Level 1 for potions
35. Level 9. Get the Silver Arrows.

This route was designed without the 'screen scroll' trick in mind, so don't feel the need to be able to do it to play. It's capable of producing solid times, though it does too much walking and extra item fetching to be at a World Record pace.

Maps

The instructions above assume you know the overworld map, as well as where to get everything inside the dungeons themselves. For maps see NESMaps.com, including dungeon maps and a fully annotated overworld map.

Records

See The Legend of Zelda/Records