The second quest significantly ups the difficulty from the first quest. I was surprised by this when I replayed the game after several years. I remembered it being different, but not so much harder.
- A lot of things have been moved. The letter’s two screens away from Level 9 deep in the mountains (and you’ve got to get past a pancaketon of Lynels to get to it), the one heart container Link can get from the start is in the graveyard, and the Blue Ring requires a trek that’s fairly annoying with just the Sword.
- Aside from level 1, all the dungeons have moved and most are hidden, and there are fewer hints about where they are.
- The order Link gets items from the dungeons is shuffled. From the first four, he gets two boomerangs (greatly useful but kind of a letdown when that’s all), the items needed to access Levels 3 and 5 (which also allow quick travel between dungeons and getting three of the overworld heart containers – it’s the opposite of the boomerang: there’s only so much use for the raft and flute, but some of those uses are huge and so getting them is a big relief), and the magic book (useless until you get the wand in Level 8). Link has to sneak past a Gohma to get the bow. There are optional keys in a couple dungeons that Link can’t get without the stepladder, which he doesn’t have at that point.
- Heart container acquisition is slower. Link has to do Level 1 with the Sword and Level 5 with the White Sword.
- Tougher enemies show up sooner.
- Especially in the later stages where gear differential is less, the dungeons are bigger and more confusing. Dead ends/one-way doors, lots of stairways, and false walls get annoyingly common in the last few levels.
- There are a couple other new things, but I’ll get to those with my level-by-level breakdown.
In short: I feel sorry for any poor fool who named their character ZELDA and stumbled into the second quest without any idea what to do… and most of the first quest hints in the stuff that came with the game would be useless and/or misleading…
Another Quest Will Start From Here
Level 1 – The first dungeon in the second quest is a good demonstration of the new quest’s design: Link doesn’t have the White Sword yet, he fights blue Goriyas, there are minibosses (a Dodongo and a pair of Moldorms) already, and the Stalfos shoot sword beams. And yes, the only treasure in the dungeon is the wooden boomerang. Fortunately, the boss is still an Aquamentus, which is still as easy as ever.
Level 2 – Hidden where the blue ring shop was in the first quest, things get fun from here. Thankfully, Link can get the White Sword now, and he’s going to need it against Darknuts, Gibdos, and even Pols Voices since he doesn’t have the bow. A Manhandla shows up as a miniboss, and a two-headed Gleeok guards the Triforce. The recorder is the treasure this time around, and he can use it to get two extra heart containers, so for one level he can be about on par with his first quest self.
Level 3 – The old level 2 entrance got converted to a fairyless fairy pond, and how to get into the dungeon hasn’t changed: use the recorder. This dungeon is really easy, especially by second quest standards. It’s the smallest dungeon from either quest (and one of its rooms is a grumbly Goriya). Ropes make their return, and they’re blinking now, but I can’t tell if there’s any actual difference from the old ones. There’s no miniboss, unless you count the Goriyas between the boss and the Triforce. The boss is a Dodongo trio, but there’s a couple rooms to pass through before getting the Triforce piece.
Level 4 – Level 3 was nice, but the gloves are off now! Blue Darknuts make their return, along with Digdogger minibosses, and they’re not the worst part of this dungeon. Nor is the guy who holds Link ransom, demanding a heart container or 50 rupees1. No. The worst part, and the worst enemy in the game, is the goddamn red Bubbles, who completely disable Link’s sword until he gets a full life refill or touches a blue bubble. Oh, and it doesn’t help anything that this dungeon is huge, to make up for the last one being tiny. The most exciting “treasure” here is the bomb upgrade, although getting the raft means getting a heart container and being able to continue the quest. The magic book is just them trolling, though. A Digdogger shows up as the boss.
Next: The last five dungeons.