Side Quest
Side Quests , not to be confused with Second Quest, are quests given to the player that have no direct bearing on the main story or campaign of the game. Side quests have been present since The Legend of Zelda and have since appeared in every title. They are most commonly found by interacting with NPCs, but can also be found scattered around the landscape, usually in hidden locations in the form of collectible items. Occasionally, they can be obtained only after a certain point in the plots progression. Side quests come in multiple forms, such as collection quests, trade quests, and general quests requiring the player to perform some action, discover new areas, or solve puzzles. Side quests can also require the completion of other side quests to be started or completed. Link is usually rewarded with items, information, or other rewards upon completion of a side quest.
Pieces of Heart
- Main article: Piece of Heart
If Link can collect four Pieces of Heart (five in Twilight Princess), he creates a full Heart Container. Pieces of Hearts are considered one of the larger collection side quests in the series and are not required to progress through the story. Pieces of Hearts can be found by completing other side quests, getting good scores in mini-games, or searching various dungeons and overworld areas. Related are Heart Containers which are usually collected after clearing a dungeon/boss, but are also able to be skipped in most cases.
Games
The Legend of Zelda
The only side quest found in this game is the collection of heart containers, which expand Link's health but are not required for completing the main story. They are needed for the sword upgrades however which are also optional.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The second game in the series is somewhat lacking in side quests. The main side quests in the game are encounters with the Wise Man who will teach Link new spells, most of which are required for progression but some are not hence being a side quest.
A Link to the Past
Apart from the introduction of Heart Pieces to the series, Link may rescue one of the two Dwarven Swordsmiths, who is trapped in the Dark World, and return him to his partner in the Smithery. The pair will make Link's Master Sword into the Tempered Sword upon completion.
Link's Awakening
In the fourth game, Link has the option of collecting Secret Seashells, which are scattered at various locations throughout Koholint Island. If he collects at least twenty, he can then go to the Seashell Mansion and have his sword upgraded to the Ultimate Sword, a far more powerful weapon than Link's basic sword.
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, apart from heart pieces, there are three main side quests present. The first is the Gold Skulltula collection side quest, in which Link is tasked by the House of Skulltula to locate the Gold Skulltula's hidden across the land and retrieve their tokens that they drop for various rewards depending on how many Link has collected. Second is the Happy Mask Side Quest given by the Happy Mask Salesman in Castle Town. Link is tasked with selling a series of masks and will be allowed to freely borrow masks from the Happy Mask Salesman after successfully completing this side quest. Finally, there is the Quest for Biggoron's Sword, which is a long trading sequence needed to acquire the most powerful sword in this game, the Biggoron's Sword, a sword so big Link requires two hands to wield it.
Majora's Mask
Work in progess
Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages
Work in progress