Money Caves, the Red Potion and the Blue Ring Walkthrough

The Legend of Zelda 100% Completion Walkthrough14 chapters

Walkthrough overview

• The GatheringGet the Wooden Sword, buy bombs, take your first Heart Container, collect early rupees and buy the Blue Candle.
• Money Caves, the Red Potion and the Blue RingMoney cave payouts, the Blue Candle, a Heart Container gift, the Magical Shield for 90, Red Potion for 68.
• Level 1 The EagleKeys, Bow, Boomerang, Dungeon Map, Compass, the Aquamentus boss, and the Heart Container.
• Level 2 The MoonReach the entrance, get the Magical Boomerang and Map, then beat Dodongo for a Heart Container and a Triforce piece.
• Level 3 The ManjiTake its keys, the Raft, Compass and Map, then defeat Manhandla for a Heart Container and the third Triforce piece.
• Level 4 The SnakeLevel 4 The Snake walkthrough with the lake route, keys and dark rooms, Stepladder.
• The Magical Sword and the Medicine ShopThe graveyard cave with the Magical Sword, the three-staircase warp cave.
• Level 5 The LizardReach the statue cave on the Lost Hills, collect small keys, and buy the 100-rupee bomb upgrade that raises bomb.
• Level 6 The DragonKeys, the Magical Rod, Gleeok mini-boss and Gohma boss tactics for its Heart Container and sixth Triforce piece.
• The Potion Shop and the Ring Shop AgainBuy the Red Potion and the Monster Bait between Level 6 and Level 7 in The Legend of Zelda NES.
• Level 7 The DemonRecorder entrance, bomb upgrade, Monster Bait, Red Candle, Map, Compass, Aquamentus and Triforce piece 7.
• Level 8 The LionBurn the entrance bush, get the Book of Magic and Magical Key, then beat four-headed Gleeok for its Heart Container.
• Level 9 Death MountainReach Spectacle Rock, clear the skull-shaped dungeon, and get its Map, Compass, Red Ring and Silver Arrows.
• The EndingBeat Ganon in his dark room with a Silver Arrow after the sword hits, take the Triforce of Power.

This chapter covers the overworld stretch where you collect and spend rupees before Level 1. You buy the Blue Candle, take a Heart Container from a gift cave, buy the Magical Shield and arrows from hidden shops, buy a Red Potion from the medicine woman, and save 250 rupees for the Blue Ring. Eight money caves pay out along the way, about 340 rupees in total, and rupees stop at 255, so the last cave is worth less than its sign suggests.

Money caves and secret shops

Buy the Blue Candle for 60 rupees

Find the shop cave at G7 whose board lists a Magical Shield for 160, a Key for 100 and the Blue Candle for 60. Buy the candle once you have at least 60 rupees, then assign it to the B button from the item menu. Skip the other two items for now, because a cheaper Magical Shield turns up in a hidden shop later in this chapter. On the same stretch, the cave at K1, one screen above the waterfall screen at K2, holds the White Sword: its old man hands it over once you have at least five hearts, and it replaces the Wooden Sword in your A slot.

Collect 30 rupees from the secret caves

Enter the cave with two fires and a figure at its centre, marked IT’S A SECRET TO EVERYBODY, and walk onto the rupee in front of the figure. It pays 30 rupees. Another cave with the same sign, further along the same stretch, pays the same 30.

Take the Heart Container gift

The next cave has a figure offering to let you take any one item, with a Red Potion on the left and a red heart on the right. Take the heart, which is a Heart Container: your life meter grows by one full heart, from five hearts to six. The potion is the other choice, and you cannot take both, so the Heart Container is the better pick. The way in is a stairway hidden under a bush in the tree line on H5, three screens north of the start: burn the bush with the Blue Candle first.

Buy the Magical Shield for 90 rupees

Find the hidden shop that sells a Magical Shield for 90, Monster Bait for 100 and an ordinary heart for 10. The shield costs 90 here, against 160 in the first shop, so this is the one to buy. Buy the shield first, since it is the item you came for.

Collect 10 rupees from a secret cave

Shortly after the shield shop, another cave with the same sign pays 10 rupees. Stand on the rupee under the figure to take it. The payout is small, but it adds up over the next few caves.

Buy arrows for 80 rupees

Find the shop cave that sells a Magical Shield for 130, a set of four bombs for 20 and arrows for 80. Buy the arrows, which leave you with about 49 rupees. Arrows do nothing until you own the Bow, which you find in Level 1, so this purchase is for later.

Collect 10 and 100 rupees from more caves

The next cave with the sign pays 10 rupees, and the one after it pays 100. The 100-rupee cave is the largest single payout in this stretch, so take it while you still have room under the 255 cap. Your rupees climb from about 60 to about 160 across the two caves.

Collect 30 rupees before the medicine shop

Before you go on to the medicine shop, you will reach one more cave with the same sign that pays 30 rupees. Take it and head for the overworld screens with the medicine woman. You should have roughly 190 rupees by the time you reach her.

Medicine shop and the Red Potion

Find the medicine woman

The medicine woman is in a hidden cave. Bombing a flat stretch of north wall reveals her cave, and she only sells potions after you have shown her the Letter you picked up earlier. Her shop board lists a Blue Potion for 40 and a Red Potion for 68.

Buy the Red Potion

Buy the Red Potion for 68 rupees. It goes into your B slot and refills your whole life bar when you drink it. After its first use it turns into the Blue Potion, which can refill your life only once more. Keep it for a dangerous fight rather than using it on the road.

Last money caves before the Blue Ring

Collect 30 and 100 rupees at the cap

Two more caves with the same sign are left on this stretch. The first pays 30 rupees, and the second pays 100. The 100-rupee payout takes you to the 255 rupee cap, so part of it is lost. Save the rest of your money for the Blue Ring, which costs 250.

Blue Ring shop

Find the stairs under the Armos

The Blue Ring shop is hidden under the middle Armos statue of the top row in its field, on E4. Touch that Armos to make it move off the stairway, then walk down the stairs into the shop. The shop board lists a Key for 80, the Blue Ring for 250 and Monster Bait for 60.

Buy the Blue Ring

Buy the Blue Ring for 250 rupees, which leaves you with about 5 rupees. The ring cuts the damage Link takes in half and turns his tunic blue. You cannot afford much else at this point, so the Blue Ring is the purchase to make.

Walk to the Level 1 entrance

Cross the bridge to the dead-tree cave

From the Blue Ring shop, head back out to the lake and follow the shore to the wooden bridge north of your starting area. Cross it and find the cave enclosed by four dead trees: that is the Level 1 entrance. No item is required to enter.

Chapter checklist