The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Glitches & Exploits

Exploit glitches and sequence breaks in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to obtain items early or save time. Learn how to perform various valuable exploits.

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Glitches & Exploits

While The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a masterfully crafted game, like many titles of its era, it contains a fascinating array of glitches and exploits that can be used to your advantage. Some are simple time-savers, while others can break the game wide open, allowing for sequence breaking or even acquiring items far earlier than intended. This section details some of the most useful and well-known glitches.

Infinite Sword Glitch (ISG)

The Infinite Sword Glitch is a foundational exploit that allows Link to maintain a constantly extended sword, damaging enemies and interacting with certain objects without needing to swing. This is incredibly useful for combat, puzzles, and even some movement tricks.

  • How to Perform:
    1. Equip a sword (Kokiri Sword, Master Sword, or Biggoron's Sword) and a projectile item (Slingshot, Bow, Boomerang, Hookshot/Longshot) to your C-buttons.
    2. Perform a jump attack (Z-target + A, then release Z and press B mid-air).
    3. Immediately after the jump attack connects or just before Link lands, press the C-button assigned to your projectile item.
    4. If done correctly, Link will sheath his sword, but the sword's hitbox will remain active and extended from his body.
  • Maintaining ISG:
    • Avoid rolling, climbing, swimming, or using most other items, as these actions will cancel the glitch.
    • You can still walk, run, and perform shield blocks while ISG is active.
    • Taking damage or falling into a void will also cancel ISG.
  • Uses:
    • Constant Damage: Walk into enemies to deal continuous damage without needing to swing your sword. Great for Iron Knuckles and other high-HP foes.
    • Puzzle Solving: Activate switches or cut grass from a distance.
    • Early Access: In some speedrunning contexts, ISG can be used to clip through certain walls or activate distant triggers.

Bottle Adventure / Item Swapping

This complex but powerful glitch allows you to swap almost any item in your inventory with a bottle, effectively giving you a "bottled" version of that item. This can lead to highly unusual effects, such as bottling the Biggoron's Sword, or even critical quest items.

  • Requirements:
    • At least one empty Bottle.
    • The item you wish to swap (e.g., Ocarina of Time, Iron Boots, a specific song).
    • A method to open the item menu (Start button).
    • A method to perform a "hover" or "superslide" (see below for Superslide, or use a precise setup with a bomb and a specific angle).
  • How to Perform (Simplified Method - Requires Superslide):
    1. Equip the item you want to swap to a C-button.
    2. Equip an empty Bottle to another C-button.
    3. Perform a Superslide (see below) and, while sliding, quickly open the item menu (Start).
    4. Navigate to the item you want to swap and assign it to the C-button where your empty Bottle is.
    5. Exit the menu. If successful, the Bottle will now contain the swapped item.
  • Common Swaps & Effects:
    • Bottled Biggoron's Sword: Allows you to use the Biggoron's Sword as Young Link, or to use it in situations where you normally couldn't equip it.
    • Bottled Ocarina: Playing the "bottled" Ocarina can sometimes trigger unintended warp effects or sequence breaks.
    • Bottled Quest Items: Can sometimes bypass certain triggers or allow for early completion of objectives.
  • Caution: This glitch can be unstable and may cause your game to crash or corrupt your save file if not performed carefully. Always save your game before attempting complex item swaps.

Superslide / Hover

The Superslide, also known as a Hover, is a movement glitch that allows Link to slide across surfaces at high speed or even gain significant height, bypassing obstacles or reaching inaccessible areas. It's a cornerstone for many advanced speedrunning techniques.

  • How to Perform:
    1. Equip a Bomb or Bombchu to a C-button.
    2. Equip the Hover Boots to another C-button (optional, but makes it easier to gain height).
    3. Place a Bomb/Bombchu.
    4. As the Bomb/Bombchu is about to explode (just before the final flash), perform a Z-target + Backflip (Z + A while holding back on the control stick).
    5. Immediately after the backflip, press the C-button for the Bomb/Bombchu again.
    6. If timed correctly, Link will be hit by the explosion while in the air from the backflip, and instead of taking damage and falling, he will enter a sliding state.
  • Controlling the Superslide:
    • While sliding, you can adjust Link's direction with the control stick.
    • Pressing A will cause Link to jump, often gaining significant height if the glitch was performed correctly.
    • The Superslide ends when Link hits a wall, falls into a void, or performs certain actions (like drawing his sword).
  • Uses:
    • Crossing Gaps: Easily traverse large gaps that normally require the Longshot or other specific items.
    • Reaching High Ledges: Use the jump during a Superslide to reach elevated platforms.
    • Sequence Breaking: Access areas like the Spirit Temple as Young Link, or skip entire sections of dungeons.

Damage Storage

Damage Storage is a more advanced technique that allows Link to "store" damage from an enemy or environmental hazard and release it later, often to bypass cutscenes or trigger events out of sequence. It's often combined with other glitches.

  • How to Perform (General Concept):
    1. Take damage from an enemy or hazard (e.g., a Deku Baba's attack, a falling boulder).
    2. During the damage animation (Link flashing red), perform a specific action that interrupts the damage calculation, such as opening a door, entering a new area, or performing a precise item interaction.
    3. If successful, Link will appear to take no damage, but the "damage" is stored.
    4. The stored damage is typically released when Link enters a new area, triggers a cutscene, or takes further damage.
  • Uses:
    • Cutscene Skip: By releasing stored damage during a cutscene, Link can sometimes be forced out of the cutscene, effectively skipping it. This is particularly useful for the Ganondorf fight.
    • Warping: In some specific instances, stored damage can interact with area transitions to warp Link to unintended locations.

Navi Dive

The Navi Dive is a minor but visually interesting glitch that allows Link to "dive" into the ground, often used for aesthetic purposes or to briefly clip through certain textures.

  • How to Perform:
    1. Stand near a body of water where Link can swim.
    2. Z-target something (an enemy, an object, or even just empty space if Navi targets it).
    3. While Z-targeting, press A to perform a backflip.
    4. As Link is mid-backflip, quickly press C-Up to call Navi.
    5. If timed correctly, Link will appear to dive into the ground instead of landing from the backflip.
  • Uses: Primarily aesthetic, though it can sometimes be used to briefly clip through very thin textures. Not a major sequence-breaking glitch.

Experimenting with these glitches can add a new layer of challenge and discovery to your playthrough of Ocarina of Time. Remember to save frequently, as some exploits can lead to unpredictable results!