The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker is included in the new Gamecube NSO classics collection, alongside F-Zero GX and Soul Calibur 2. Though the game is about two decades old, or perhaps because of its age, the game has some quirks that can be hard for new players to figure out, like the lack of a quest journal, the vaguely open-ended progression system, and mechanics that aren't re-explained if you skip through dialogue.
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This list of the best tips for new players in The Wind Waker goes over seven things you should keep in mind when going back into this Zelda classic. Whether it's your first time sailing on the Great Sea or your fiftieth, these The Wind Waker tips & tricks can help you learn what to do first, what to prioritize later, and how to get the most out of this oceanic odyssey.
1 Follow The Main Story Until You Get The Master Sword
The Game Opens Up After Hyrule Castle
Over the years, The Wind Waker has received some criticism for its slow pace and linear progression. Though it's true that sailing across the Great Sea can take quite a long time, after you get the Master Sword, the game really opens up.
After you complete the Forsaken Fortress, Dragon Roost Island, Forbidden Woods, and Tower of the Gods dungeons, you will be sent underwater to get the Master Sword. When you get back to the surface, your primary objective is to go to the Forsaken Fortress again.
However, with the Bomb Bag and Bow in hand, you'll be able to take on the majority of side content in The Wind Waker. Follow the main story until you return to the surface from the Mysterious Castle, then take a break to explore the vast number of islands. You'll find Heart Pieces, permanent upgrades, and other special items off the beaten path, so be sure to talk to every NPC and land on every island you encounter.
If you continue to follow the main story to the Forsaken Fortress, you will eventually be sent back out to the Great Sea to hunt down several Triforce Shards, which is another chance to explore more of the game's open world.
2 Buy The Bait Bag From Beedle's Shop Ship
Fish Bait Is Essential For Charting The Great Sea
One of the first things that you should buy from Beedle's Shop Ship is the Bait Bag. On Dragon Roost Island, you'll see Beedle's Shop Ship just off the coast. After you get the Wind Waker from the King of Red Lions, swim or sail out to Beedle and enter the ship.
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The Bait Bag costs 20 Rupees. If you don't have enough Rupees when you get to Dragon Roost Island, cut down some grass or break pots around the exterior of the island to quickly get some cash. You can also complete the Post Sorting minigame on the second level of the interior Dragon Roost Island area.
It's essential to get the Bait Bag early because it allows you to get and use All-Purpose Bait. There are other items this pouch can hold, like Hyoi Pears that allow Link to control seagulls, but it's very important to keep a good stock of All-Purpose Bait to unlock the full world map.
3 Use Fish Bait To Fill Out Your Map
Complete Your Sea Chart With Fish Bait
Indeed, All-Purpose Bait can be used to add more detail to squares of the large Great Sea map, adding outlines of the islands on that square to both the world map and the zoomed-in view of the square. To do this, purchase some All-Purpose Bait from any Beedle's Shop Ship, then assign it to one of your item buttons (X, Y, or Z) from your Bait Bag. You must open the Bait Bag from your inventory first to see your stock of All-Purpose Bait. Equip it by pressing the item button you want to assign it to.
Then, look around the main island on any square for a fish jumping in and out of the water repeatedly. Slow down as you get close, and the fish will slowly swim towards your boat. Spread some All-Purpose Bait in the water and the fish will swim up, eat it, and offer to mark the location on your map.
The fish will then impart some information about the island or, in rare cases, hint at secrets and other areas within the Great Sea.
There are a total of 49 squares in the Wind Waker world map, but you only need 46 o completely fill out every square. That's because the Forsaken Fortress, Outset Island, and Windfall Island are added to your map by default.
4 Explore Windfall Island To Find Several Minigames
Heart Pieces, Rupees, And Other Rewards On Windfall Island
Windfall Island is one of the most iconic locations in The Wind Waker. You'll arrive here after your first encounter at the Forsaken Fortress, where you will be tasked to find a sail for the King of Red Lions.
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The sail can be purchased for 80 Rupees from the parka-wearing vendor just below the Cafe Bar, but there's plenty of side content in Windfall Island to check out before you continue with the main quest.
- Head to the top of the hill by the docks and enter the door opposite the gravestone to find the Jail. In here, you can free Tingle and get the Tingle Tuner, a special item that was used to connect a Game Boy Advance for additional features.
- Find the Picto Box, a special item that lets you take up to three Pictographs, in a secret area within Tingle's cell. This unlocks access to the Pictograph quest.
- Talk to the Killer Bees – the gang of kids in the plaza at the top of the town – and play Hide and Seek with them. You'll get a Heart Piece for finding them all, and will unlock the ability to gift Joy Pendants to their teacher, Mrs. Marie.
- Enter the room below the windmill to find the Cannonball minigame, which is a bit like Battleship. If you can find all three squids before you run out of cannonballs, you'll get a Heart Piece. There's also a reward for beating the High Score.
Later on in the game, there is even more for Link to do on Windfall Island. Once you get the Wind Waker, a Wallet Upgrade, or progress the story to the point that you are told to return to Windfall Island, head back to find more unlockables and secrets.
5 Grapple Hook Enemies To Get Special Items
Steal Enemy Spoils & High-Tier Items With The Grappling Hook
Normally, you can only get Spoils items (Skull Necklaces, Joy Pendants, and the like) by defeating the enemy associated with them. However, once you get the Grapple Hook, you will be able to steal items from enemies without killing them. When you throw a Grappling Hook at a target, if it connects, it will return with a high-tier item from that enemy's loot table.
If you use the Grappling Hook against a Deku Baba, it will give you a Deku Baba Seed. If you throw the Grapple Hook at a Moblin, you'll usually get a Skull Necklace. Throw it at a Kargarok (flying bird enemy) to get a Golden Feather, or a regular Bokoblin to get a Joy Pendant. Grappling non-armored Darknuts will give you a Knight's Crest, too.
Get into the habit of throwing your Grappling Hook at enemies before you engage in combat with them. Nine times out of ten, you'll get a Spoils item that can be used to complete various gifting quests throughout the game.
6 Find Great Fairies To Unlock Permanent Upgrades
Great Fairies Always Grant A Permanent Upgrade
There are three containers Link can upgrade by finding Great Fairy Fountains in The Wind Waker: his Wallet, his Bomb Bag, and his Quiver. There are two upgrades for each of these containers for a total of six Great Fairy locations.
- Five of these can be found on the Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western, and Thorned Fairy Islands, some of which require you to use special items to find your way inside.
- There is also one Great Fairy on Outset Island, who can be found in the forest that Tetra fell into at the start of the game.
It doesn't matter which order you find the Great Fairies in, you will always get the first upgrade for the Fairy's associated container from the first you find, and the second from the second. The Wallet can be upgraded to hold 1,000 Rupees then 5,000 Rupees, while the Quiver and Bomb Bag can be upgraded from a 30 to a 60 to a maximum 99 capacity.
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7 Return To Grandma With A Fairy For Elixir Soup
Heal Your Grandma To Get The Best Potion In The Game
One of the most useful potions in the game can be found all the way back on Link's home island, Outset Island. After you acquire the Bomb Bag and head back to Outset Island to find Jabun, go into Link's Grandma's house to find out that she has been struck by some kind of illness.
As she mumbles in her sleep, unbottle a Fairy while standing next to (and facing) her to heal her affliction. You can find Fairies at any Great Fairy Fountain or near the entrance to boss chambers within dungeons.
Exit the building and return, and Link's Grandma will offer him some soup to take with him on his journey. As long as you have an empty bottle, you can come back to Outset Island to get one portion of Elixir Soup.
It's one of the most powerful potions in the game, as it will completely refill your Hearts and Magic and give you a 2x damage buff until the next time you take damage. Though you can only have one bottle of Grandma's Soup at a time, it contains two servings.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
- Released
- March 24, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EAD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
- Engine
- Havok
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- GameCube
