| Optional gear | Boomerang, Koholint Sword, three Li’l Devil capacity upgrades, Secret Medicine, Red or Blue Mail |
|---|---|
| Temporary boosts | Guardian Acorn and Piece of Power |
| Costs |  Boomerang: an item traded to the Goriya (the Shovel is the usual choice); Koholint Sword: 40 Secret Seashells; Secret Medicine: 28 to 42 rupees |
| Not optional | Mirror Shield, Power Bracelet L-2 and every dungeon item |
Link’s Awakening has a handful of items you can finish the game without, but that most players want: the Boomerang from a Goriya in a hidden cave, the Koholint Sword for 40 Secret Seashells, three Li’l Devil upgrades that raise your bomb, arrow and Magic Powder limits, a bottle of Secret Medicine, and a pair of temporary boosts that enemies can drop. This page lists each one with its cost, where to get it and when it is worth doing. Mandatory gear such as the Mirror Shield and the Power Bracelet L-2 comes from the dungeons and is not covered here.
Table of Contents
Quick reference
| # | Item | Where | Cost or requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boomerang | Goriya cave, Toronbo Shores | Trade an item (the Shovel); Magnifying Lens to see him |
| 2 |  Koholint Sword | Seashell Mansion, Ukuku Prairie | 40 Secret Seashells |
| 3 | Bomb capacity 20 to 60 |  Li’l Devil (any of three caves) | Magic Powder on the altar; choose bombs |
| 4 | Arrow capacity 20 to 60 | Li’l Devil (any of three caves) | Magic Powder on the altar; choose arrows |
| 5 | Magic Powder capacity 20 to 40 | Li’l Devil (any of three caves) | Magic Powder on the altar; choose powder |
| 6 |  Secret Medicine | Crazy Tracy’s Health Spa; chests in Face Shrine and Turtle Rock | 28 or 42 rupees at the Spa |
| 7 |  Guardian Acorn | Enemy drop, plus a fixed pickup in a cave | Defeat enemies without being hit |
| 8 |  Piece of Power | Enemy drop, plus a pickup before the Angler Fish’s door | Total kills |
| 9 | Red or Blue Mail | Fairy Queen, after the Color Dungeon | Clear the Color Dungeon |
Boomerang
Trade your Shovel to the Goriya
Go to the banana plantation on Toronbo Shores and look for the cracked wall south of it. Bomb it open and enter. You need the Magnifying Lens to see the Goriya inside. He wants whatever is on your X or Y button; put the Shovel there, talk to him and you receive the Boomerang. Use the Shovel, which is the safe choice.
You can swap the Boomerang and the traded item back and forth at the cave, so the trade is not permanent. The Boomerang stuns enemies and flips distant crystal switches. Nothing in the story needs it, but several bosses and the Face Shrine go faster with it. The full route is in Southern Face Shrine and Face Shrine.
Koholint Sword
Spend 40 Secret Seashells
Bring 40 Secret Seashells to the Seashell Mansion in Ukuku Prairie and take the Koholint Sword from the pedestal. It replaces your sword and deals double damage. The Game Boy versions asked for 20 of 26 shells; the remake raises it to 40 of 50. Earlier mansion prizes are a Piece of Heart at 5 shells, the Seashell Sensor at 15 and a Chamber Stone at 30, and the full 50 give a final Chamber Stone, as listed in the Secret Seashells guide. The chapters that cover it are the Face Shrine chapter and Turtle Rock.
Li’l Devil: bombs, arrows and Magic Powder
Three hidden caves each hold a Li’l Devil altar. Sprinkle Magic Powder on it and he wakes, zaps you and offers to raise the limit of one item. You can refuse and he offers a different item, so each cave gives one upgrade and three caves give all three. The limits are bombs 20 to 60, arrows 20 to 60, Magic Powder 20 to 40. Bombs are the best first choice because you use them most. He is called Li’l Devil in the remake and Mad Batter in earlier versions.
Mysterious Forest cave
In the Mysterious Forest, south of three rocks in front of a log, lift the lone rock with the Power Bracelet and go down. Sprinkle Magic Powder on the altar. This is the first one you can reach. Covered in Ukuku Prairie, Kanalet Castle and Key Cavern.
Martha’s Bay cave
The entrance is in the southwest of Martha’s Bay. Reach it with the Flippers by following the flooded tunnel from the staircase hidden in the leafy plants east of the Telephone Booth, then Magic Powder on the altar. Follow the chapter route in the Face Shrine chapter.
Tal Tal Heights cave
West of Tal Tal Heights, past the Hen House, climb the broken bridges and lift the rock near the treasure chest. Go down and use Magic Powder; the Hookshot is needed. See Tal Tal Heights and Eagle’s Tower.
Secret Medicine
Buy Secret Medicine at Crazy Tracy’s Health Spa; it refills your hearts when you would otherwise die. The price swings between 28 and 42 rupees (28 when your kill count is even, 42 when odd), and every eighth purchase costs only 7. You can carry one dose. Chests in the Face Shrine and Turtle Rock also hold a dose, but they give nothing if you already have one, so open them once your own dose is used up. See Secret Medicine for more.
Guardian Acorn and Piece of Power
Guardian Acorn
A Guardian Acorn halves the damage you take until you have been hit several times or enter a building or dungeon. Defeat about twelve enemies in a row without getting hit and the next one drops it (the exact number is between 12 and 14). The Mysterious Forest is a good place. A fixed Guardian Acorn also waits in a Tal Tal Mountain Range cave, covered in Yarna Desert and Angler’s Tunnel.
Piece of Power
A Piece of Power makes your sword hit harder, knocks enemies back further and speeds you up for a short time. It drops after a number of kills that rises with your Heart Containers (32 plus your containers). Another sits in the underwater corridor before the Angler Fish’s door.
Red or Blue Tunic
After the Color Dungeon the Fairy Queen offers a Red Mail for more damage dealt or a Blue Mail for less damage taken. You can return to the Fairy Queen to swap between them later. See the Color Dungeon guide.
Tips
- Take bombs first at the Li’l Devil, then arrows, then powder.
- The Goriya trade can be reversed, so hand over the Shovel and swap back whenever you need it.
- Check the Memories screen before going to the Seashell Mansion.
- Do not buy Secret Medicine if you already hold a dose from a chest.
