| Stats that level up | Attack, Magic and Life, each from level 1 to level 8 |
|---|---|
| Experience from enemies | More for stronger enemies, collected with each kill |
| Experience bags | 50, 100, 200 or 500 EXP each (see P-Bag Locations) |
| Extra lives | Every 9,000 EXP after all three stats reach level 8 (the level-up window then also refills Life or Magic) |
| Lost on Game Over or save | Unspent EXP only. Your levels stay the same. |
Link gains experience points (EXP) from enemies, from P-Bags and from the crystals you place in the palaces. Each of the three stats rises one level when your EXP reaches its threshold, up to level 8. Raising Attack, Magic and Life makes the game much easier: Attack deals more damage, Life takes less damage per hit and Magic lowers the MP cost of your spells.
Table of Contents
EXP cost of each level
Each number is the price of that level-up, and it is spent when you accept the upgrade, so your EXP counter drops back after you choose. Raising Life to level 8 costs 4,000 EXP in one go, Magic costs 6,000 and Attack costs 8,000. Going from level 1 to 8 in all three stats costs 43,100 EXP in total (Life 9,400, Magic 14,000, Attack 19,700). The Japanese release uses a single shared price list and also pulls every stat down to your lowest one when you continue after a Game Over; the NES release does neither, and that is the version this guide covers.
The NES game lets you decline an upgrade that has become affordable and keep saving toward a different stat, but once all three are affordable at once you must pick one. A common plan is Life first, then Magic, with Attack last, because Attack costs the most.
How EXP works
Defeating an enemy adds its EXP to your total. Stronger enemies give more EXP than weaker ones. On the side-scrolling screens, the NEXT counter in the upper right corner shows the EXP price of your next level-up.
P-Bags add a fixed amount of EXP when you hit them. The 500 EXP bags are the best value and the 50 EXP bags are the smallest. See P-Bag Locations for every bag in the game.
Each palace ends with a crystal. When you place a crystal in its statue after the boss, your EXP rises to the current level cap automatically. That is a big boost. The first crystal is placed in Palace 1: Parapa Palace.
Enemies that drain EXP
Some enemies take EXP away from you when they hit you. Moa, Wosu, Mau and Ra all remove part of your unspent EXP. Bubbles, the floating skulls in the palaces, steal EXP and magic when they touch you. Keep your distance from these enemies if you do not want to lose your progress toward the next level.
What happens when you lose a life
When Link runs out of lives and you continue, or when you save and quit, any EXP you have not spent on a level resets to zero. Your levels, your spells and your items are kept, so you do not lose your upgrades.
What each stat does
Attack
Attack raises the damage your sword deals. At level 8 your sword strikes for its maximum damage.
Magic
Magic lowers the MP cost of your spells, so each one uses less of your magic pool. The cost falls at most levels, and the Magic Points table on the spells page shows the exact cost of every spell from level 1 to level 8.
Life
Life makes Link take less damage from each enemy attack. It does not add to your Life meter, which only grows with Heart Containers. At level 8, the damage Link takes from enemy attacks is at its smallest.
Extra lives after level 8
Once all three stats are at level 8, your EXP keeps counting. Each time you collect 9,000 EXP you get an extra life, and the level-up window offers a free refill of Life or Magic as well. The 9,000 is spent like any other price, so the counter starts over afterwards. The extra life does not raise a stat, since they are already at their maximum.
