The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

The Legend Of Zelda: The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

Contents

Wind Waker did the impossible by exceeding expectations as The Legend of Zelda’s third 3D adventure, and these are the best side quests in the game.

You Are Reading :[thien_display_title]

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

Released just two years after 2000’s Majora’s Mask, Wind Waker took the Legend of Zelda franchise in a bold new direction with a cel-shaded design that endowed the game with a unique animated quality. In addition to this aesthetic overhaul, Wind Waker continued the series’ industry-defining trend of open-world innovation with a central gameplay mechanic of sailing across a vast sea dotted with islands, dungeons, and plenty of classic Zelda monsters.

With such an extensive overhaul, one of the game’s great successes is how eloquently it built upon the successes of its predecessors. One clear example of this is Wind Waker’s side quests. Complex and often vast in physical scope, many of these optional missions feel like integral parts of the game’s narrative, and they stand as a testament to Nintendo’s innovative design.

9 Zeldanomics

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

This trading-based side quest draws inspiration from a prior Zelda title’s journey to unlock Biggoron’s Sword, widely considered one of the best side quests in Ocarina of Time.

In this mission, players become a broker between Zunari the merchant and an array of Gorons across the Great Sea, exchanging flowers, flags, idols, and statues. The first part of this journey rewards players with the eminently useful Magic Armor spell. The unique and unusual figurines gained from the second half of this quest can be used to decorate Windfall Island, and when Link has successfully placed all fourteen around town, he’s rewarded with a Piece of Heart.

8 Stacking Bottles

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

Any Legend of Zelda fan knows that an abundance of Empty Bottles is Link’s greatest line of defense. Whether filled with potions, fairies, or water, Empty Bottles are arguably the most useful item in the Zelda series. This trend continues in Wind Waker and three of the four bottles available in the game can be found through short side quests and engagements with one obtained in the natural progression of the game’s narrative.

One Empty Bottle can be found within a destroyed submarine, another is available in a hidden Beedle shop for a whopping 500 rupees, and the last can be obtained from Mila when confronted about her impending burglary. The latter of these instances is the most nuanced quest of the group, requiring the player to remain undetected while following Mila through Windfall Island on her way to the scene of the crime.

7 Great Fairy, Great Upgrades

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

With a radical visual redesign in Wind Waker, the Great Fairies of the Great Sea nonetheless serve a similar role as in previous installments of the franchise, namely upgrading Link’s equipment and skills. Finding these fairies is no easy task, however. Not only are they separated by vast swaths of ocean, but they also require progressively advanced equipment to reach.

See also  QuiGon’s Episode I “Bigger Fish” Line Foreshadows The Entire Skywalker Saga

The entrance to each of the eight Great Fairies can only be accessed with different items gained through the game’s campaign, such as the bombs and the Skull Hammer, or by playing unique songs. In this way, this side quest expertly tracks player progression through the game and feels like an integral component of gameplay progression despite being entirely optional.

6 Picture Perfect

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

Despite Majora’s Mask’s reputation as the strangest Zelda game of all time, it introduced numerous gameplay mechanics to the franchise that have had a lasting impact on subsequent titles. The Picto Box is one such component, used for a minor mission in Majora’s Mask and featuring prominently in one of the most lengthy and nuanced side quests in Wind Waker. Players obtain this old-fashioned black-and-white camera on Windfall Island and can become an apprentice to the town photographer, Lorenzo, by showing him several snapshots.

Picto Box in hand, Link is tasked with taking three very specific photos capturing moments of human connection and longing across Windfall Island. It’s a slow but touching progression that adds significant narrative depth to the island’s numerous NPCs. Once he has obtained the necessary photos, Link receives the full-color Deluxe Picto Box. This item can then be used to inspire Carlov the sculptor to create figurines of each of the game’s NPCs. Though there is no notable reward for this, it’s a rewarding journey that is a must-do for series fans.

5 Auction Action

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

Though represented by very brief encounters, the auction in Windfall Island is one of the most unusual and inventive side quests in the series. It places Link with a perpetually packed auction house bidding for an assortment of items and trinkets. Through button mashing and rupee wagering, players can place competing bids against the island’s myriad NPCs.

It’s an enjoyable divergence from the game’s dungeon plundering, and by rotating the auctioned items upon each subsequent return, this side quest makes for a meaningful excursion every time players return to Windfall Island. For completionists, the auction house is also the only place to find two of the game’s forty-six Treasure Charts.

4 The Savage Labyrinth

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

One of Wind Waker’s most enjoyable and challenging side quests can be found in the same place players begin their journey — Outset Island. After obtaining the Power Bracelets from the depths of Fire Mountain, Link can lift the enormous stone head at Outset Island’s peak and descend into a multi-tiered mini-dungeon. Within, Link must face an increasingly difficult array of enemies, ranging from the least-threatening ChuChus to multiple intimidating Darknuts.

The game’s central campaign requires Link to at least reach floor 31 to obtain a shard of the all-powerful Triforce, but players who complete all 50 stages in the HD remaster of the game are rewarded with the highly useful Hero’s Charm. Gamers in search of an even greater challenge can subsequently return to the Savage Labyrinth and fight through a more difficult version of the dungeon with more and stronger enemies.

See also  What Tom Hardy & Director Andy Serkis Have Said About Venom 3

3 Completionist

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

While not an official side quest, there’s so much to see and do in Wind Waker that it becomes a common goal of players to try to 100% complete the game. This entails obtaining every item that can be obtained, completing every side quest, and fully leveling up Link in addition to completing the game’s central campaign. It’s a task only for the most die-hard fans and the most skilled of speedrunners, but the quest proves eminently worthwhile for series veterans and newcomers alike.

Indeed, the Great Sea represents one of the best versions of Hyrule in the Zelda series, and 100% completion shows off every detail of this remarkable world. It’s a uniquely immersive experience expertly crafted by Nintendo with an industry-defining boldness that influenced a host of contemporary games from Subnautica to Skyrim.

2 The Tingle Statues

The Legend Of Zelda The 9 Best Side Quests In Wind Waker

One of the Legend of Zelda series’ most unusual and lasting NPCs is Tingle — an elfin man known for, among other things, his green bodysuit and catchphrase, “Kooloo-Limpah!” Exclusive to the original GameCube version of the game, players receive a unique item known as the Tingle Tuner, which allows them to connect a Game Boy Advance to their console. This unlocks a series of mini-games and gameplay integrations with Tingle, all controlled through the Game Boy.

Utilizing this feature, players can uncover golden statues of Tingle in five of the game’s dungeons. The narrative arc of this side quest, admittedly, does not make much sense, but this unique brand of whimsy marks an enjoyable pastime between levels, humorously crafted in a manner that only Nintendo could execute.

1 The Hero with the Green Thumb

Among other additions to the franchise, Wind Waker introduced players to the adorable woodland creatures known as Koroks. Tiny sentient trees, these leaf-masked allies serve the Great Deku Tree in Forest Haven and protect plant life throughout the Great Sea.

Keen-eyed players may spot several withered trees on small islands throughout the ocean. These trees can be resurrected with the magical water of Forest Haven, but players only have thirty minutes to reach them before the water’s rejuvenating properties fade. There are eight ailing trees in total with the furthest clear on the opposite end of the map, so players are advised to make use of the Swift Sail to cover the distance quickly. For their effort, the Koroks gift Link with a Piece of Heart, and players can know with satisfaction that they’ve done their part to keep the plant life of the Great Sea thriving.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/legend-of-zelda-best-wind-waker-side-quests/

Movies -