Item Index

Discover where to find every item and weapon in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Learn about their uses, upgrades, and locations in our comprehensive item index.

There are a wide variety of items in _A Link to the Past_, some more useful than others. This portion of the appendix will show you where to find each item in the game as well as explain what each one does.

I've provided the following quick links so you can skip to the section that's of interest to you:

• Y Button Items
• A Button Items
• Equipment Items

Y Button Items

These are your general inventory items. Press the START button to go to the inventory screen, then use the D-pad to choose the item you wish to use. When you unpause your game, your chosen item will be shown in a box in the top corner of the screen, and you press the Y button to use it.

Bow & Arrows

You're more likely to find Arrows first, as those can be found under bushes and pots or dropped by enemies. But you can't use them without the Bow, which is the main treasure item you obtain from the big chest in the Eastern Palace, found in the central hub room on 1F.

This combination of items gives you a ranged attack that's more powerful than the Boomerang or Hookshot (both of which tend to stun enemies instead of damaging them). There are also certain enemies (e.g. Red Eyegores, Red Goriyas, etc.) that are only vulnerable to Arrows. The Armos Knights who guard the Pendant of Courage in the Eastern Palace are especially susceptible to Arrows. The only downside to Arrows is that they eventually run out, so you'll have to replenish them by finding new ones. Enemies with ranged attacks of their own (e.g. Bow Soldiers) tend to drop Arrows more regularly than other enemies. You can also sometimes find them in chests.

Bow & Silver Arrows

After you've completed both the Ice Palace and Misery Mire, the Super Bomb will become available at the Bomb Shop in the Dark World, on sale for 100 Rupees. Use the Super Bomb to blow up a cracked wall on the second level of the Pyramid of Power. Go inside and toss in the regular Bow & Arrows, and the Cursed Fairy will come out to upgrade your Arrows to the Silver Arrows.

In addition to being twice as powerful as ordinary Arrows, there's something even more special about Silver Arrows. As the Cursed Fairy and other characters explain, this is the only weapon capable of defeating Ganon once and for all. So it's absolutely necessary to obtain them in order to complete the game! You'll need to stun Ganon first (he'll turn a pale shade of blue when he's stunned) and then shoot Ganon with a Silver Arrow. It will take four shots to take down the final boss.

Boomerang

The Boomerang is found very early in the game. It's the main treasure item of Hyrule Castle during your initial visit to rescue Princess Zelda. Found on B1 as you're on your way to the princess's cell, it's the only main dungeon item that's held in a regular chest instead of a big chest (i.e. you won't need a Big Key to reach it).

This item is useful for stunning enemies, though very weak enemies (e.g. Keese) can be destroyed with it outright. You can also use the Boomerang to retrieve items from a distance, bringing them back to you. You can throw the Boomerang in eight different directions: the four cardinal directions plus diagonally.

Magical Boomerang

After buying the Zora's Flippers for 500 Rupees from King Zora, swim just a little bit west of the entrance to Zora's Waterfall to find the Waterfall of Wishing. Swim inside, and behind the waterfall is a cave. Go up to the fountain at the end and throw in the regular Boomerang. A friend of Venus the Queen of Fairies will emerge to upgrade this Boomerang into the Magical Boomerang.

The Magical Boomerang flies faster and farther than the ordinary Boomerang, traveling almost the full length of the screen before returning to you. Its power level remains the same as its predecessor, though.

Hookshot

The Hookshot is the main treasure item you obtain from the big chest in the Swamp Palace, in the central room on B1.

Much like the Boomerang, the Hookshot can stun enemies and retrieve distant items. It's actually more powerful than the Boomerang and can defeat certain enemies that the Boomerang cannot (e.g. Blue Bari). The only downside is that you cannot shoot the Hookshot diagonally. The most unique feature of the Hookshot is that if you fire it at certain objects (e.g. blocks, chests, pots, skulls, etc.), it will latch on to that object and pull Link over to it. This is an excellent method for crossing certain gaps in the game! You'll also need the Hookshot to make Arrghus the boss of the Swamp Temple vulnerable.

Bombs

Bombs can be found early in the game, and in a variety of ways. They're located under bushes or pots and can be dropped by enemies. Bombs can also be found in certain chests, and if you follow this guide, the first set of Bombs you're likely to find is in a chest at the bottom of a well in Kakariko Village. Note that each time you obtain Bombs from a chest, they always come in a set of three.

Press the Y button once to place a Bomb. You can then press A to pick up a Bomb, but you'll want to throw it quickly--Link can damage himself if caught in a Bomb's blast radius! In general, you use them to blow up cracked walls and thus find secret entrances. You can also use them to detonate Crystal Switches and even to fight enemies. Hinoxes are particularly susceptible to Bombs, able to be defeated with just one blast.

Mushroom

Lying out in the open in the Lost Woods is a single Mushroom. Simply walk up to it to pick it up. The Mushroom has no use whatsoever except to be given to Syrup, the witch stirring her cauldron just outside the Magic Shop north of the Eastern Palace. Give it to her, and the next time you come back, Syrup's apprentice will have Magic Powder waiting for you inside the Magic Shop!

Magic Powder

See the above entry on the Mushroom for how to obtain the Magic Powder. Once you have it, you can sprinkle Magic Powder on various enemies and objects for different effects. Sprinkling one on a Buzz Blob turns it int