Prologue

Begin your adventure in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past by following Princess Zelda's telepathic call and navigating the early stages of Hyrule Castle.

Upon starting a new save file, the story begins with Princess Zelda calling out for help telepathically in the night. Once Link's uncle leaves the house, you gain control of Link yourself. Use the D-pad to move him out of bed and then open the chest in this house to obtain the Lamp. You don't have any magic power, so you can't use it just yet. Lifting the pots (press the A button) by Link's bed will give you Hearts, but since Link has max health, it won't do anything for you now. But in general, you should get in the habit of checking what's underneath pots, as it's a good way to pick up consumable items! Now leave the house through the open doorway to the south.

Link will emerge in the pouring rain. You can look around and explore if you'd like, but you can't get far without soldiers telling you to go back home. Work your way north across the bridge to the front gate of Hyrule Castle. Again, guards will prevent you from going inside. If you stay outside long enough, Zelda will speak to you again through telepathy, telling you of a hidden path. Follow the small path that winds its way to the castle's east side until it ends with a conspicuously placed bush. Lift the bush to reveal an opening! A small jingle will play to let you know you've found a secret. Now drop into the hole you've discovered.

You'll land in an underground passage. Move west to find your uncle, slumped against the wall. Go up to him, and he will give you his parting words, as well as the Fighter's Sword and Fighter's Shield. These are both the most basic form of sword and shield you'll find in the game but still better than nothing! As Link's uncle instructed, holding out the sword by holding down the B button will concentrate power in the sword. Once that power (signified by a sparkling glow) reaches the sword's tip, you can release B to execute a spin attack--which has double the attack power of a regular sword slash!

In the next room, you'll face your first enemies in the game: Green Soldiers. Both their swords and shields are small, and they tend to patrol aimlessly. They're unable to block your attacks, so use your sword to cut them down (they take two hits each). To the east you'll find another chest--open it for the Lamp (if you didn't get it at Link's house) or a Blue Rupee (if you already have the Lamp). A Blue Rupee is worth 5 Rupees. Also in the pots are a couple small Magical Decanters, which give you a little bit of magic for your Magic Meter (which will be useful for your Lamp later). Now take the steps south to leave this place.

Back outside, you're now in Hyrule Castle's garden. Feel free to cut down the bushes and tall grass here--the former will sometimes drop items for you. Two more Green Soldiers patrol this garden, as well as a more dangerous Green Sword Soldier. Unlike regular Soldiers, Sword Soldiers will charge straight toward Link when they spot him, and their large swords can deflect your attacks. Fighting Sword Soldiers is all about positioning. Since, if they're charging you from the east or west, their swords are protecting the "south" part of their bodies, you'll want to position yourself a little bit north of them to strike the soldier and not their sword. You'll get the hang of it with practice! Like the ordinary Green Soldier, a Green Sword Soldier also goes down after two hits. Once you're finished here, proceed north into Hyrule Castle proper.

Hyrule Castle

Inside the castle is a plush, spacious place. But it's patrolled by both Soldiers and Sword Soldiers, so remain on guard. You can go either east or west (but don't go straight up the stairs), and it doesn't matter which route you take because both loop around to the same point. You'll want to work your way around to a room to the north with stairs leading down. Note that all the pots on this floor contain Hearts, so don't use them if you already have maximum health.

Here in the first level of the basement (i.e. B1), you'll meet a Blue Sword Soldier--who fights just like a Green Sword Soldier, but the blue variety takes three hits to subdue instead of two. Defeat this one to earn Small Key #1. Then open the chest in this room to obtain the Map. Each dungeon in the game will have its own map. Press X in a dungeon to view that dungeon's map (and for future reference, pressing X in the overworld will bring up the overworld map). I've also included the in-game map of the dungeon at the top of this section, something this guide will do for each dungeon in the game.

Use your newfound key to unlock the door leading south. More Blue Sword Soldiers patrol this large room. Not only can you defeat them with the sword, but your sword swing can even push one off the ledge into the bottomless pit below! It's especially fun to throw the two pots in this area at soldiers to knock them into the abyss. Follow the path south and then west, dispatching a pair of Green Sword Soldiers as you go. Take the door north and defeat another Green Sword Soldier to open the east door. Enter it.

The door will close behind you, trapping you in this small room with a Blue Sword Soldier. Defeat the enemy as you have before, and you'll gain Small Key #2. Open the chest for the Boomerang--a most valuable item! Toss it with the Y button, and it will return to you. You can use it to retrieve items or stun enemies--it can even destroy particularly weak enemies. (Press the START button to bring up your inventory, and you can choose whether to equip the Lamp or Boomerang.) This will make fighting Soldiers easier as you can now stun them from a distance before moving in with the sword. Now return west and go north, then down the stairs to B2. Take another set of stairs down to B3.

Defeat the Green Sword Soldier you find here, then brace yourself for a mid-boss of sorts. The Ball and Chain Trooper guards the cell of none other than Princess Zelda. You can stun him with the Boomerang, but he'll recover alm