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Home / Crystal 7 Link to the Past Easy Way to Get to Boss After Dying

Crystal 7 Link to the Past Easy Way to Get to Boss After Dying

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This page is a list of glitches from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past .


WARNING: Some of these glitches can freeze the game or cause a loss of saved game data.

Backdoor Lockup

  1. Go to Spectacle Rock.
  2. Position Link directly above the cave seen below the rock. (He must be aligned perfectly - use the Hookshot or other items to test).
  3. Face north.
  4. Hold B.
  5. Walk backwards off Spectacle Rock and into the cave.

Link will enter the cave in a rather glitched way, and when the next scene is loaded, Link will be completely frozen (no controls work). The only way out of this is to save and quit.

Beetle Room Slip

In the Palace of Darkness, if the blue tiles are down, go to the far right side of the room full of Hardhat Beetles. Align Link to the side of the blue tile and in the center of the rail closest to the switch. Throw the Magical Boomerang at an angle. Usually, the boomerang reaches its range limit when it is about to hit the switch, but if done correctly, the boomerang will go slightly past the limit and hit the switch. When the blue tiles go up, Link will either be flashing and standing inside the blue tile or he will be standing behind it. Make sure that the Hardhat Beetles are killed and be sure to stand in the center of the rail. This can be used to quickly get the small key in the dark maze and the Magic Hammer on the platform just outside the maze.

Blue Shield

This glitch requires Link to have the Red Shield. In the Game Boy Advance port, this works with all shields.

  1. Find a Pikit, or more preferably, a Like Like.
  2. Set the Ether Medallion or Ice Rod as Link's special attack.
  3. Allow the enemy to take Link's shield (this may take a few tries with the Pikit since it takes items at random).
  4. For the Pikit, when the tongue is still out and the shield is halfway to its mouth, use Ether or the Ice Rod to freeze it. For the Like Like, freeze it as soon as it lets Link go and begins to flee.
  5. Kill the enemy to get the shield back.

Link's shield will be blue and remain that color even after moving to a new screen; however, this is not a permanent color change and will be lost when the game is restarted.

In the Game Boy Advance version, this works with all shields, though the color change is very difficult to tell with the Fighter's Shield as it is already a pale blue.

Bounce-Slash

Before jumping off of a ledge, charge the Spin Attack and dash with the Pegasus Boots. Make sure there is an enemy in attack range and continue dashing while still holding B. Link will jump off the ledge, strike the enemy and bounce back to the ledge where he jumped off of.

This is useful for killing the Hardhat Beetles in the Palace of Darkness, but make sure there is a rail behind Link. However, this will not work if attempting to damage Moldorm in the Tower of Hera because his tail is his weak point and he guards his tail when Link is in front of him, but if Link happens to hit his tail, he will not bounce back from Moldorm.

Bouncing Bushes

If Link dashes dead center in between two directly adjacent bushes both will be "slashed" simultaneously, make a "boing" sound as if a spring-type mechanism were activated and make Link fall backward as if he had collided with a solid wall. An ideal place to test this is in the Hyrule Castle courtyard from where Link exits the Underground passage where Link discovered his dying uncle in.

Color-Changing Agahnim/Shadows

In the GameBoy Advance port, during the second Agahnim battle, bringing up the map the instant the clones begin to rise from their shadows causes a palette swap, miscoloring the clones and sometimes Agahnim himself. This can be repeated indefinitely and has no adverse affects on the game; bringing up the map randomizes the palette again if the timing is correct, but can also reset the sprites to normal if incorrect. The palette swap can also affect the palettes of their attacks. This also works occasionally with the first Agahnim battle as well.

Color-Changing Soldiers

  • First off, Link must meet all of the following requirements:
    • He must not have beaten Agahnim I,
    • He must have the Flute, and
    • He must have access to a dungeon that triggers this glitch (the glitch will not trigger if Link has beaten Agahnim I).
  • Enter one of the following dungeons:
    • Palace of Darkness (Dark World dungeon 1),
    • Misery Mire (Dark World dungeon 6),
    • Turtle Rock (Dark World dungeon 7),
    • Or Ganon's Tower (Dark World dungeon 8). Exit the dungeon.
  1. Use the Magic Mirror to return to the Light World.
  2. Use the Flute to warp back to Link's House (or any place with green castle soldiers about a screen away). Then move one screen to the west (or in the direction of the green soldiers).

If Link used Dark Palace or Misery Mire for this trick, there will be gold castle soldiers instead of green ones. If Turtle Rock was used for this trick, there will be purple castle soldiers instead of green ones. If Ganon's Tower was used, they will be orange with purple skin. Regardless of color, they have the exact same abilities as green castle soldiers, including the number of hits they take to die. Should Link try this with the Swamp Palace (Dark World dungeon 2), Skull Woods (Dark World dungeon 3), Thieves' Town (Dark World dungeon 4), or Ice Palace (Dark World dungeon 5), the castle soldiers will remain green.

Danger Bunny

  1. Perform Reality Overlap II.
  2. Go to where Flute Boy is and use the Magic Mirror. Link will be transformed back into a bunny.
  3. Talk to Flute Boy (as a bunny) and get the shovel.

When Link regains control, press B and he will swing an invisible sword. The sword can be used to cut bushes, but not enemies and if he gets hit, he will lose it.

Death Mountain Descent

  1. First, Link must be on Death Mountain in Hyrule, not the Dark World. This is when Link first gets there, and has not gotten the Moon Pearl or beaten Agahnim the first or second time. While Link is on Death Mountain, notice the bridge. If Link has not been to the bridge before, it is all the way to the right from where the old man's cave is (the one where he gives Link life if he talks to him). Go up the ladder, then where all the large boulders stuck to the ground are, go all the way to the right. There will be a broken ladder. It is possible to do this glitch even if Link has the Moon Pearl.
  2. Now, go back up Death Mountain and to the warp portal to the Dark World.
  3. Once Link is a bunny on Death Mountain, he can either go back down using the ladder, or go directly down when he changes, then there will be a crack in the ledge. Jump down from it, then jump down from the platform Link landed on. It does not matter which way Link goes, just go back to where the bridge is.
  4. When Link gets to the area where the bridge is supposed to be, there will not be a bridge there, just two "statues".
  5. Go up to the section right under the top statue.
  6. Look to the right side of the screen, then use the Magic Mirror to teleport.
  7. While looking to the right side of the screen, move one pixel.
  8. Wait until Link stop flashing and is teleported back. If Step 7 is not accomplished correctly, Link will be teleported back. Move back to step 6 again and try over. It is not really that hard, though.
  9. Once Link is teleported back, and if it was performed correctly, Link will be are one pixel closer to the edge. Do not move. Instead, teleport back.
  10. Once Link has teleported back, move to the right until Link is stopped by the post on the bridge.
  11. Charge a Spin Attack. While holding the Sword Button, slowly move toward the portal until Link is teleported back.
  12. If done correctly, and if Link went to the portal as slow as he can, he will be teleported back, but will stand on the ledge without being teleported back into the Light World. (If Step 10 was done incorrectly, which means he went too fast, then Link will be teleported to the Dark World then teleported back to the Light World. Link must start back at Step 6 and do it again.)
  13. Once Link is on the ledge, do not move. Doing this will cause a failure and Link will have to do Steps 6 - 10 again. When Link is on the ledge, move to the right and Link will fall into the black area with all the lava streams moving around.
  14. Move all the way downwards and then when there is a large section of a ledge on the bottom of the screen, move down the right side of it and off the screen. If done correctly, Link will be on a large ledge. Jump down and the Death Mountain Descent is complete.

The reason this glitch is desirable is because Link is able to explore almost the entire Dark World without having to beat Agahnim or getting the three Pendants of Virtue.

Now that this glitch is complete, it is time to make things better. Notice that in the Dark World, all of the graphics are a little "glitchy". This is because Link is not supposed to go to the Dark World from the black area in Death Mountain. If this is found unnerving, use the Magic Mirror to return to the Light world, then go into the portal to return back. Everything is normal again. Also, when Link is in the black area, if he does not move toward the correct area, which is the large ledge, he will be stuck in the waterfall or the side of the ledge, and the game will have to be restarted.

Double Arrow Glitch

Equip arrows to the A button. Press up on the dpad and the A button. In approximately five seconds, press down on the dpad and the A button. If done correctly, pressing A will trigger two arrows going up and down when the player presses A, but it only costs one arrow.

Flute Music in the Dark World

Get the shovel from Flute Boy in the Dark World. Now go to the area where the Flute is found and use the Magic Mirror. Then go into the warp point that was just created. Link will hear the flute being played after he warps to the Dark World.

Ghost of Misery Mire

  1. While in the Light World use the flute to call the duck and go to map point number 6, in the lower left.
  2. Lift the two rocks nearby and go through the portal to the Dark world that's underneath one of them.
  3. Jump off the ledge into Misery Mire.
  4. Use the Bombos Medallion.

There should be a pillar of flame, indicating a dying enemy, but there was not anything there before.

There are also two other such "ghosts" in the Mire. The Hyrule Magic game editor lists the enemies as Fireball Zoras, which would explain why they do not appear, as normally Zoras are only in deep water.

There is speculation that these are in fact Ku, the cyclops darkworld equivalent of Zora, that were intended to possibly emerge from the Swamp as did the in the Zora in the Zora's Fountain area. However this was, for reasons unknown, not done, leaving only the unfinished code and sprite-less objects that are the "ghosts".

Magic Mirror Glitch

  1. Obtain the Magic Mirror and the Pegasus Boots.
  2. Enter the first room in Ganon's Tower
  3. Equip the Magic Mirror, jump off the edge, and immediately press A.
  4. If Link yells before the Magic Mirror teleports him to the entrance, the glitch worked. If not, try again
  5. Run against the wall with the Pegasus Boots and Link will disappear.
  6. Link will now be able to run through walls. After leaving the dungeon, Link will remain invisible. The effect works in every dungeon, including the Palace of the Four Sword.

NOTE: The Mirror Glitch can affect the save file. For more about this, see Greenalink's Channel on YouTube, as the user has made a series about this. (Also, if this is done on the SNES/Wii, it is not going to work. There is a separate glitch, however.) Link will not ever reach the Palace of the Four Sword because it appeared exclusively on the Game Boy Advance version of the game. This glitch may have been fixed on the Wii version since it is known too well.

Metamorphosis Fairy

  1. Do the Death Mountain Descent glitch. Make sure Link has at least one Fairy in a bottle with him and the Zora's Flippers.
  2. After Link has done the Descent, proceed to Kakariko Village, head downward through Kakariko Village and to the right, proceeding towards Link's House.
  3. Once Link gets there, move down to the "swamp", and go down to the section of the lake.
  4. When Link is right next to the right-side of the lake, continue getting hit by the enemies until Link is almost dead, then walk into the deep water.
  5. Link should start blinking, continue pressing left (do not hold it down, but tap it to move a step at a time). Do it over and over until the screen scrolls. The bunny will be "skating" on the water. Stay on the water with about one heart left (actually, two hearts will do, just make sure one hit will be Link's last).
  6. While skating on the water get killed by an enemy with just one hit. Link will fall down, then the fairy will sprinkle her pixie dust on Link, making him come alive again.

If done incorrectly, the screen will become extremely glitchy, scrolling over and over, collecting "pieces" of the screen as it scrolls, and control will be all but impossible. If this happens, press the Restart button, because it will never cease on its own.

If it does work, instead of Link returning in bunny form when the Fairy brings him back to life, Link's ordinary form will return. Saving the game afterward is advisable. Getting killed or entering then exiting a building or cave will return Link to Bunny form.

Reality Overlap

  1. Perform the Death Mountain Descent.
  2. Enter a dungeon and die (do not have any Fairies to revive Link).
  3. When Link reappears at the start of the dungeon, exit.

The Light World music will be playing instead of the Dark World music. If the screen scrolls to a different screen and then scroll back to the original screen Link will now be in the Light World but with some Dark World tiles. Thieves' Town apparently gives good results.

Reality Overlap II

  1. Perform the Death Mountain Descent.
  2. Now, while still in the Overworld, die. Link must not have a Fairy to revive him.
  3. From the "Game Over" menu, choose "Continue without Saving". Then choose "Start from Saved Place".

Link will appear at the last place he entered the Dark World Overworld from, except that this is not Link (not the bunny, provided Link does not have the Moon Pearl yet). The Light World music plays, and if Link uses the Magic Mirror, he will appear in the Dark World again with the Dark World Overworld music and be returned to bunny form (if Link does not have the Moon Pearl).

Scrolling Shenanigans

  1. Link must first enter the Dark World and go to Skeleton Forest.
  2. Drop down the east-most hole to enter the large room in the Skull Dungeon with three Gibdos, a Wallmaster, several bumpers, spikes, a key in a chest and a keydoor in the northeast corner.
  3. Kill all the enemies and make sure the northern door is unlocked.
  4. Go between the two bumpers that are almost touching each other near the north side of the room.
  5. Have Link on the southern side of the pot between the bumpers, and as close to the pot as he can be, and face north.
  6. While facing north, charge a spin attack.
  7. Move sideways into one of the bumpers (the results of the glitch change depending on which one Link bumps into, see below for more info).
  8. After Link bounces off that bumper, but before he hits the other bumper, release B to perform the Spin Attack. (Timing has to be perfect - Link should be about halfway, possibly a little farther, from one bumper to the next. It will definitely take several tries to get it right in many cases.)
  9. Exit through the northern door without touching anything, otherwise the effect of the bumping may be lost.

The screen should scroll horizontally beyond the walls of the room. The room containing the Fire Rod chest will be visible on both sides of the room Link is in.

Depending on which bumper Link hit, and how many times the glitch is performed, Link can achieve one of the three following results. For Result 1, have Link hit the right bumper first. For Result 2, have Link hit the left bumper first. Finally, for Result 3, perform the glitch twice, using the same bumper as Link's starting point each time. Finally, the glitch can be undone simply by performing it again in the opposite direction it was performed previously.

All directions are from the room Link enters after leaving the bumper room.

Result 1

If Link goes west through the southern door, he will end up stuck in a wall and will have to use the mirror to get out. If he travels through the northern passage instead, he will enter the "Glitch Zone" (see below). Once in the Glitch Zone, the camera will no longer scroll abnormally, but it will focus on the wrong room (not the room Link is actually in).

As Link moves around, there will be a "dummy" version of Link on the screen, with no shield. That is a graphical glitch and does not reflect Link's true position. (Use the map to confirm his actual location.)

Result 2

Same as result 1, except: When Link enters the Glitch Zone, the camera will continue to scroll out of bounds. This lets the the camera synchronize back with Link by moving back and forth. Some doorways will not work exactly the same as before, meaning it is easier for Link to get stuck in a wall (requiring use of the mirror to get out).

Although the camera can be synchronized with Link, what will be shown is a "clone" of Link. He moves through the room normally and looks perfectly fine, but he cannot interact with anything very well (pots disappear, enemies go through him, switches do not activate, and many items will not work properly.)

Result 3

When Link passes through either doorway heading west, he will end up in the room with the Fire Rod chest, which happens normally. However, the camera continues to scroll out of bounds. The game otherwise acts normally until Link goes through another door. This is the desired effect for the Under-Underworld glitch.

The Glitch Zone

These instructions assume result #1 above is used. If result #2 is used, things will vary as doors will not always work the same, particularly in the later stages of the exploration.

  • Room #1: Link is in the Boss Key room. Camera focuses on room east of Boss Key room. Head east to go to Room #2. Go south for Room #3.
  • Room #2: Link is back in the room he was in right before entering the Glitch Zone. Camera focuses on room with Fire Rod chest. Go south to return to bumper room. (The glitch can be redone for a different effect if desired at this point.) Go west through northern passage to return to Room #2. Go west through southern passage to go to Room #3.
  • Room #3: This is the room where Link moves a statue onto a switch to open a doorway. Link cannot go north because he cannot interact with the statue or switch. Camera focuses on room just west of Fire Rod treasure chest (which is also just east of where Link actually is). Go south to exit the dungeon altogether. Go west for Room #4.
  • Room #4: Link is now in the room west of the Fire Rod room, with the camera focusing on the room he just left. (If the key door is still locked, Link might get stuck inside the door, forcing him to use the Magic Mirror.) Go east to return to Room #3, or go south for Room #5.
  • Room #5: Link is in the compass room (very difficult to navigate if Link got the compass). Camera focuses on room west of compass room. Go north to return to Room #4. Go east for Room #6 or west for Room #7.
  • Room #6: Link is in the room west of the compass room, with the camera focused on the compass room itself. Unfortunately, Link is positioned right over a bottomless pit, so he just falls repeatedly.
  • Room #7: This room is the room of the Swamp Palace (level 2) where Link goes through a waterfall to access a hidden doorway. The camera can be synchronized to Link here (since the room is two screens wide), but nothing else can be done because Link is suspended in midair above the room's floor, making it impossible to go anywhere.

Stun Crush

The easiest place to try this is with the two blue Archers across the bridge east of Hyrule Castle. Using the Boomerang, use their retreating and the Boomerang's stun-knockback to make the two archers overlap each other, preferably in a corner of the rock wall. Sometimes, when the one on top recovers, he will instantly kill the enemy beneath him, usually if his feet are overlapping the other's body. It can take several attempts to achieve and is really only good for amusement; if the first attempt fails, just keep chucking the Boomerang at them to keep them stunned. This works with other enemies as well, though rarely.

Super Boomerang

Video example

The_Boomerang_Glitch

This glitch works best with the Magical Boomerang, but all that is required is the Boomerang, and the Pegasus Boots.

  1. Go to Kakariko Village (Light or Dark World). Then look at the east side of the village for the side path that leads to the blacksmiths. If Link goes to that path there will be a tree to the left. Directly above that tree is a section of path. Stand on that section of path, facing west.
  2. The goal is to bounce the boomerang off the wall between Link and the water, and then dash left before catching the boomerang, so it may be a good idea to walk left so that there is time to respond.
  3. Throw the boomerang at the wall between Link and the water, and wait for a "clink". Link may turn before the clink, but he may not dash. As soon as heard the "clink" is heard, dash left. Do not stop dashing - Link will run all the way through Kakariko, then hit a tree, which the crazy-rang will fly from behind. It may be a good idea to clear the route of enemies first, before running with the boomerang.
  4. The crazy-rang will travel in horizontal lines, unless Link moves vertically, where the crazy-rang will move slightly diagonally, passing through link.It can cut bushes and duplicate sprites, so one hole will be extended into a string of holes, but passes through enemies, buildings and walls, meaning there is little tactical advantage to this glitch.

Also, this glitch can be "turned off" by entering a house or otherwise leaving the screen.

Swim on Land

Lttp_glitch-Video_demonstration

Lttp glitch-Video demonstration

You need three things for this one: The flute, zora flippers, and the pegasus boots. Use the flute to fly to spot number 7, first, then head to the puddle on the right side of the building, and stand a little to the right of it. Use the pegasus boots to run at it, it'll stop you right at the edge, then use the flute, get picked up by the bird, and presto!

Note: This ONLY works on the right side.

The Under-Underworld

  1. Perform the Scrolling Shenanigans glitch by hitting the right bumper twice. When Link travels north to the next room, use the Hookshot to reach the upper door, then go west.
  2. If Link ends up experiencing effects (C) or (D), head east, then go south in the middle (whether the right room can be seen or not). This should get Link back in the room with the bumpers. Try again until Link achieves effect (B).
  3. Once Link enters the room with the Fire Rod chest, head back east through the same door.
  4. It looks like Link went back into the room opposite the door, but this is the dummy Link. Move back and forth until Link's true location is visible on the west side of the Fire Rod room. Use the Hookshot to cross the gap, then head east through the same door Link just went through.
  5. After the double-scrolling effect finishes, Link will be in a later room of the dungeon (use the Map if what came into view is unfamiliar). Dash each two times to get Link's true position into view quickly. Link is in mid-air. This is quickly fixed, however, by simply climbing the stairs to the "north". Just walk over them and Link will "climb" to the top of the stairs. Then, climb back down them and Link will be on the bottom level, like normal.
  6. Head west, through the door seen there. Link will disappear as he enters, but do not be bothered by it--just go. Another double-scroll will occur, and Link will be under the floor of the room Link first went in after triggering the glitch.
  7. Once Link is under the dungeon floor, move him back and forth until the camera is in sync with him.
  8. Once the camera is in sync, head to the west. When Link hits the hard boundary at the end of the room, the screen will loop around, eventually stopping on the Fire Rod chest room.
  9. Move Link back and forth, taking care not to go too far to the right.
  10. If the camera does not scroll at this point, then go on to step 11. If the camera does scroll as Link moves back and forth, then go back and redo steps 8-9. (Sometimes it only takes one loop around to get the camera to stop on the Fire Rod room, while other times it can take three or four cycles. However, it should not take longer than that - it Link goes half a dozen times around and the camera refuses to stay on the Fire Rod chest room, Link may have to use the Magic Mirror and restart.)
  11. Go to the east. The camera should scroll to the room east of the Fire Rod room.
  12. Notice the circle of pots at the Northern end of this room. Normally, there would be a spark enemy moving around these pots going clockwise.
  13. Keep going east until that spark appears. Make sure to go the same distance Link went back in steps 8-10.
  14. Now go east two more times (two more cycles around).
  15. Go west. The screen will now scroll to the Fire Rod chest room.
  16. Go west two more times (two cycles around). As the screen scrolls around the second time, Link should see that spark enemy mentioned above. If Link does not, there was a miscalculation.
  17. Go east. The screen will scroll back to where the circle of pots (and the spark) is located.

If these instructions are followed correctly, the camera should now scroll normally throughout the entire Under-Underworld. That is, never again will it scroll beyond the boundaries of a map square. (It will scroll between rooms within a map square, but it should always stop at the map square's boundaries until Link travels to the next sector.)

Here is a list of all the reasons why this is necessary from now on when exploring the Under-Underworld:

  1. No more unpredictable scrolling.
  2. No more sprites disappearing as Link move around (There has been cases where Link disappeared, and had enemies and other objects disappear as well.)
  3. No more going through doorways and not being sent to the right location.
  4. Enemies and other objects can now be interacted with.
  5. Link can now see Wallmasters. This is helpful if they prove a nuisance.
  6. Items now work as they should.
  7. In dark rooms, Link's light "cone" now appears at the correct location.
  8. Link can now explore the Under-Underworld smoothly and naturally, something that prior to now was only possible in emulation.

Note that the exploration still is not perfect - Link cannot enter every room's normal playing area, and it is still possible for him to get stuck in some rooms to where he must warp out with the mirror. Also, graphical glitches still occur as the wrong sprite palette is used (although most oddities are fixed by bringing up the map, going through a door, and/or using the Ether medallion, there are some graphical quirks that remain until Link leaves the underworld altogether).

Now, by moving under the floors of different dungeons and other indoor scenes, Link can get just about anywhere (with some limitations) in the underworld. But be very careful of the following:

  • When moving north or south, stay in the middle of the scene currently loaded, otherwise it is possible for any wraparound effect to be visible when moving north or south. Usually there are no problems, but crashes are possible if wraparounds are combined with vertical scrolling.
  • Do not trust the flashlight in dark rooms. When moving west or east, the flashlight does not reveal Link's actual location. (Moving north or south is somewhat better but still not always accurate.)
  • Keep the Magic Mirror handy--it is easy to get stuck when Link goes into a room that has both an upper level and a lower level.

To beat the game early once Link is in the Under-Underworld follow this route:

  • Go west near the top of the screen (to keep from getting stuck) until Link reach the throne room of Hyrule Castle.
  • Go north through the dark room, then stop when Link reaches a lighted room again (it will be a portion of the Tower of Hera).
  • Go west one scene. The west side of this scene MUST be scrolled completely into view before continuing, but do not go beyond this scene. (There will be the section of Hyrule Castle's tower, where Agahnim warped Zelda to the Dark World.) With the screen divided between the rooms horizontally (with the empty rooms on the right side), go north until Link reaches his destination (through and beyond Ganon's hideout).

Ultimate Access Glitch

  1. Do the Mountain Descent glitch.
  2. Do the Metamorphosis fairy glitch.
  3. After Link dies and returns as his Light World form, bomb the cave at the East side of the swamp. Enter the cave. Link will now be in his Dark world (Bunny) form. Go back outside.
  4. Once Link is outside, run into monsters to die. Then, save and continue game.
  • This should bring Link back to the entrance of the bombed cave in his Light World form. This will allow Link to go anywhere on the map. If Link goes through through the dungeons, Link can not kill the bosses. If attempted, it will freeze the game and Link will have to restart. Other than that, Link can obtain all the items from the dungeons and obtain heart pieces. To quit this glitch, use the magic mirror or go to Link's House.

Under Hyrule (With Zelda)

Rescue Princess Zelda and jump off of a ledge. At this point, save while in midair and re-open the file. Then take damage from the enemy in front of Zelda's cell and move in any direction. Link will be invisible and he will be able to pass through walls from under Agahnim's Castle. He can also go to all of the Temples but he will not be able to complete them. Make sure Link does not walk on the edge of a raised wall or else he will return to ground level.

This can be used to beat the game early without collecting a single status item or fighting any bosses. However, when the game is restarted after the ending, a number will appear indicating the number of times that the game was played and Link is automatically sent to a glitched version of the Dark World as a rabbit with Zelda following him in her normal form. Link is automatically sent back to the Light World if the game is restarted.

If Link manages to return to ground level and gets to the Sanctuary, there will be a clone of Zelda that automatically disappears when Link exits. This also happens if Link returns to ground level and goes to Agahnim's room for the first time.

Additionally, Link is able to enter other palaces and return to ground level. This allows him to steal Boss Keys and other necessary quest items from the palaces or also be able to defeat the palace bosses. However, instead of getting the pendant or crystal, Link will get another item such as a medallion unless the palace is re-entered. When he returns to the palace in normal game play, instead of fighting the boss again, the pendant or crystal immediately drops to the ground for Link to retrieve. Also, when Link is navigating palaces through the use of the glitch, there will be palaces that do not have a single enemy or boss, which allows him to rob the palaces of their treasure. Since Link already got the Boss Key from Agahnim's castle, he can use the key on many Boss Key Doors if the glitch is in use, but he cannot use the Boss Key after re-entering the palace. Be careful though, as Link can enter areas that can completely freeze the game.

Also, Zelda can disappear, making the game unbeatable. But in order to go back to the Overworld, Link must die from falling in a bottomless pit. The game generally slows down, and Link dies. If Link continues the game, Link will be at the Sanctuary's entrance, but the Imprisoning War is still being fought. If Link encounters a guard, the game must be reset or else Link will be caught in an infinite loop. If he encounters the guards on his way to the castle, he will be swimming in the wall. If he encounters the guards on his way to the Desert Palace, he will keep running.

It is possible to gain full access to the Eastern Palace and partial access to the Desert Palace. However, if Link collects a Small Key in either palace, he must use that key before re-entering the palace or else the key will be lost.

Also, if Link defeats the Armos Knights or Lanmolas without re-entering the palace, Link will receive the Ether Medallion and he will be able to use it with the Fighter's Sword. If he re-enters the palace either after defeating the bosses or prior to fighting them, Link will receive the Pendant of Courage or the Pendant of Power.

Link can also access the Tower of Hera through the glitch if he keeps going left. Link will be able to return to ground level but there will be no enemies, including Moldorm, and also crystal switches will be absent, so Link will only be able to steal the Moon Pearl since he cannot exit and re-enter the palace. However, after getting the Moon Pearl, the player can save the game, activate the glitch again, and go to one screen lower to jump into the area where the Tower of Hera's entrance and exit is located. Then exit and re-enter the Tower of Hera in order to play it normally. If the player does this before obtaining the Moon Pearl, the system or emulator will permanently slow down if Link gets to the second to last floor of the tower, which will cause this game along with others to run at a nearly unplayable speed.

Below is a list of what Link can obtain through the glitch.

Bow & Arrows

Pendant of Courage, Pendant of Power, and Pendant of Wisdom: Link must open all accessible boss key doors and the boss doors first, then exit and re-enter the palaces. Defeat the bosses and Link will receive the pendants.

Moon Pearl

Small Keys: Once obtained through the use of the glitch, they are considered as small keys obtained from Agahnim's castle. If the glitch is re-activated, they are able to open any small key doors in any dungeon.

Boss Keys: It is advised not to steal Boss Keys or else the Boss Key will automatically be discarded and considered as Boss Keys from Agahnim's castle when Link re-enters that palace, making the game unbeatable. This also applies to maps and compasses, and because newly acquired maps and compasses will be of no use, it is also advised not to steal them while the glitch is in use. Only use the Boss Key acquired from Agahnim's castle since technically, Link is still in Agahnim's castle. Due to this, Link is able to open any boss key doors with that single key alone.

Ether Medallion: This is automatically retrieved if Link chooses not to re-enter a palace and defeats a boss. The best place to obtain this is at the Eastern Palace. Do not try this at the Desert Palace because once Link has already stolen the small keys there, he will not be able to re-enter the palace through the use of the glitch. Also, in some dungeons, if Link obtains the Ether Medallion, he cannot exit the dungeon. An example of this occurs in Misery Mire, making the battle with Arrghus unnecessary.

Book of Mudora, Bottle, Bug-Catching Net: Keep going past the Ice Palace region until Link reaches a cave with a picture of a monster engraved above the exit and return to ground level here. Now go through the exit and Link will be able to access Kakariko Village. After obtaining these useful items, Link can also navigate with Zelda to find a way to quickly enter the Sanctuary without running into the guards.

Pegasus Boots: After acquiring the Pendant of Courage, Link automatically leaves the palace as always. While in the Eastern Ruins, go to Sahasrahla and speak to him. His speech will be very long but Link eventually obtains the boots.

Blue Mail: To obtain this, Link needs to steal a small key. Fortunately, Link is able to fully access Misery Mire with the use of the glitch and obtain and use all the small keys except for the key used to open the unnecessary room full of blue rupees. Use this key after saving and reloading and it will now appear as a key acquired from Agahnim's castle. Re-activate the glitch and enter the room full of Blade Traps in the Ice Palace to open the door. Now go to the area where Link can reach the upper level and bomb one of the cracked areas so Link can fall through that hole and obtain the Blue Mail. It is advised that Link obtains extra Heart Containers and a Fairy since one of the keys in Misery Mire is resting on a bed of spikes. It is uncertain if this can be used to obtain the Red Mail since Ganon's Tower requires the Fire Rod to open certain paths, which may be impossible to obtain through the glitch.

Cane of Somaria: After obtaining the Pegasus Boots, go to Misery Mire with the glitch in use and return to ground level. Now make the crystal switch red and go to the room with the chest containing the cane.

Triforce: Since Link is under the ground, he cannot fight Ganon, so he can simply go forward while in his room to get the Triforce.

Under/Over-Underworlds

  1. Link must go to a place in the underworld where he can jump from an upper level to a lower level.
  2. Jump, then while Link is in the air, press Select and choose to save and quit. (Note that the glitch may not work at every location. For example, the first room in Hyrule Castle does not permit the glitch, although other rooms in that same dungeon do.)
  3. After saving, return to the file select screen and select any game (it does not matter which one is picked - it can be the same one or a different one).

If the file picked was saved in the Light World, be sure to start in either Link's House or Sanctuary - not the Mountain Cave. Link should start the game in a "hybrid" state.

Although he looks normal, the game internally thinks he is on the lower level, even though he is on the upper level. The result is that as soon as Link gets hit by an enemy, dashes into a wall, or does certain other things, Link will magically disappear under the floor and end up in the lower level.

  • Note that for the glitch to work, Link must not travel to the lower level or any underworld scene prior to activation. This is because entering the lower level fixes the bug, as the erroneous "lower level" status is repaired. This is also why Link cannot start at the Mountain Cave, since he begins on the lower level there.
  • Applications of this glitch are enormous:
    • Beat the game immediately after rescuing Zelda. Now it is possible to beat the game with only 3 hearts, and (almost) nothing else.
    • Explore both underworld maps. Before, via the Skull Dungeon glitch, Link could only explore one map. Now he can explore both. (See below, however, for some very annoying consequences.)
    • Link can even disappear under the ground in the Overworld. However, doing this does not cause anything extraordinarily important, as the game still acts in many ways as though Link were still on the surface. Basically, the result is that Link disappears, but Link still interacts with the playfield (i.e. he bumps into walls, picks up stones, enters caves, falls down holes, etc.). Most items Link uses will appear above the surface; thus, Link can kill an enemy with the sword beam (not the sword itself, however) and retrieve the item using the boomerang.
    • If a new game is started after setting up the glitch, Link will disappear beneath the floor of his room as soon as he jumps out of bed. (This is one possible starting place for exploring the new underworld.)
  • Three major problems exist with the new underworld, however:
  1. If Link enters the underworld at one house/cave, activates the glitch, then goes to another house/cave, then exits, Link will appear outside at the place he started from - not the place he just exited. This is because the game does not distinguish between different exits in the second underworld, as there is no place where Link can enter and exit via different doorways under normal conditions. (Note that the game actually takes advantage of this phenomenon, defining only one fortune teller place, one fairy fountain [not counting those that exist as portions of other caves], etc.)
  2. In many cases, as Link explores the new underworld, the scrolling will screw up, showing signs similar to those related to the Skull Dungeon glitch. Note that these problems will not appear at all in the original underworld this glitch is used. This is because the original underworld was designed to let Link move from one map sector to the next, whereas the new underworld does not have any houses/caves that scroll beyond map square boundaries. (It appears that Link can resolve this problem by starting in a place like Blind's [Light World] hideout, where rooms exist that stretch across multiple screens. However, this does not appear to be a 100% fix; Link may still encounter the problem nevertheless.)
  3. The new underworld is much smaller. Therefore, it is very easy to scroll out of bounds, forcing the game to crash very violently (sometimes showing a weird screen with the word "BUG" written multiple times on it). If the game crashes, saved data may become corrupted.
  • Glitch variation:
    • The original form of the glitch used a different technique. In this case, Link used the Magic Mirror to set it up. Go to (for example) Level 4 of the Dark World. Go to a spot where Link can jump down to the lower level, then try to time it so that Link uses the Magic Mirror as he starts his jump. If done right, Link will return to the entrance without hearing the normal warping sound, and Link will be rendered uncontrolled.
    • If Link was facing left or right when he jumped, he will be motionless and the game must be saved and quit. Upon resumption, the master glitch above will be armed, so getting hit will knock Link to the lower level.)
  • If Link were facing north, he will move automatically (in a very peculiar fashion) northward, causing some bizarre scrolling effects. Eventually, the action stops, at which point (if it has not already done so) The game must be saved and quit. (Again, the master glitch will be armed as before.)
  • If Link was facing south, he will move automatically outside the dungeon. Once out, he continues his automatic motion southward, but will stop after a couple of seconds. At this point, Link can be controlled again, and the master glitch will be armed. (This provides a method of activating the glitch without saving in the process.)
  • Note that this glitch does work in the GBA adaptation.

Walk on Water

  1. Call up the Flute Bird and fly to point 7 on the map, which is the Light World watergate.
  2. Go up one screen to the place where the water portal is.
  3. Now go up to the top right corner of the screen in the shallow water. Call the flute Bird again but this time before it comes aim a correctly timed Pegasus charge at the left side.
  4. If timed right, the Bird will pick Link up when his sword is sticking out while he is dashing. When Link enters the map screen, press B to cancel and the Bird will put Link back down on the ground. Here Link will start walking funny and when he touches a solid surface, he will bounce off of it (See Note).
  5. Now go up to the right-most green totem statue so Link is facing up. Walk into it and bounce off into the deep water. (if Link just goes directly into the water the trick will not work, and he will have to start over at step 1)
  6. Swim towards the water portal and get transported to that place east of the graveyard. If done correctly, Link should be standing on the water instead of swimming.

Here Link can walk around any screen desired and still be walking, but do not jump onto one of those green platforms or the trick will stop immediately.

NOTE: If done correctly, at this stage in the glitch Link can bounce back and forth forever between two of the greens pillars. This creates an odd effect where once link hits a certain point at the top of the screen, he will reappear at the bottom, still bouncing back and forth. Only way to exit this glitch is to restart the game.

Wall Room Glitch

  1. Go into the house next to Thieves' Hideout through the second door.
  2. Go close to the door leading to the next room and turn around.
  3. Enter it by pressing -> and then press <- without letting go of -> and go through the door.
  4. Link will be at the right side of the room.
  5. Either choose to go right (1) or go back in the room with the door.
  6. If 1 is chosen Link will end up at a room with no doors. Everything except Link is walls or floor.

NOTE: The only way out of this is by killing Link with bombs. This also makes the overworld map glitchy.

The Invisible Rock

Up on Death Mountain, if Link grabs a rock and jumps off of a high enough ledge, the rock that Link was holding will disappear, leaving Link running around with his hands up as if he was still carrying the rock. However, Link won't be able to "throw" the "rock", so he will be stuck like this until he enters a dungeon or gets hit by a boulder.

3 Minute Shortcut

When starting a game file do as Link should normally do when starting the game. Equip the sword from Link's uncle. Walk to the main part of the castle and walk up to the northwest part of this room. Jump off the ledge and save and quit in midair. Once the file is reloaded, go to the main castle room once more. Don't take damage from the nearby Soldiers, otherwise the glitch won't work. Walk to the northeast part of the room and walk up the stairs. Go through the room containing the Purple Soldier. Get the soldier's attention by holding the "B" button and walking into a wall. When the soldier chases you walk against the west part of this room. If done correctly, Link should have clipped into the wall. From this point, Link should walk up two rooms. Link should then walk right across the 2nd room. If Link walks too far to the right, he will walk in to a black void, just walk left to exit. From here keep walking north and Link should finally enter the room containing the Triforce.

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Source: https://zelda-archive.fandom.com/wiki/The_Legend_of_Zelda:_A_Link_to_the_Past_Glitches