Daily Debate: In What Order Do You Complete the Original Zelda’s Dungeons?

The idea of completing dungeons in any order may have seemed novel in the lead-up to Breath of the Wild, but that game was not the first in the series to do it. There are quite a few titles in the franchise which allow players to tackle dungeons in various orders, going back all the way to the first.

Contrary to popular belief, however, The Legend of Zelda does not allow players to complete any dungeon in any order. Level 3, for example, gives the player the Raft, an item which is required to access Level 4. Additionally, Level 1 must be completed before Level 6, Level 4 must be completed before Levels 5 or 6, and Level 5 must be completed before Level 7. Level 9, of course, must always be completed last. Still, that leaves the door open to a great number of completion orders — 672, to be precise, as calculated by user Toad_004 on GameFAQs in 2017.

I tend to approach the first half in the same order. I begin with Level 2 to acquire the bombs, followed by Level 1 for the Candle. After that, I go to Level 3 for the Raft (and farming the Zol room near the entrance for Rupees), and finish the first half of the game with Level 4 for the Ladder. Dungeons 5-8 I tend to complete in a different order each time, though I’ll usually go for Level 8 first (and sometimes near the start of my journey, if I’m feeling skillful enough) to nab the Magical Key.

Now that Tears of the Kingdom is less than four months away and I begin to replay my Zelda catalog, I may consider switching up how I go about tackling the dungeons. Unfortunately, I’ve never played the Second Quest to completion, so I’m not able to comment on that, but perhaps I’ll change that soon. Here’s to hoping Link’s new adventure has plenty of traditional-style dungeons for us to explore in any order we want.

Do you have a set order in which you complete the dungeons in the original The Legend of Zelda? What’s your logic, if so? Let us know in the comments below!

John Piland

John has been a Zelda fan for over 10 years now and is proud to say the series has had a major impact on his life (and wallet). After years of going to Zelda Dungeon for guides or the latest news on the series, John achieved their dream when they joined the writing team in 2019; John can hardly believe how long it’s been. A librarian, he loves meticulously arranging his library of Zelda games and collectibles. After what felt like an eternity of waiting for Tears of the Kingdom, John looks forward to the future of the Zelda franchise with enthusiasm, whether that’s the upcoming movie, a new spin-off/remake, or the next big game.