Anyone else not always bothering with the map/compass?

[Sheikah_Witch]

How often do you tend to pick up the map and/or compass in a Zelda game?

These are staples of both old and new Zelda's dungeon design, instrumental tools to help you navigate the enormous and intricate challenges. They're a great help, seeing as some rooms or chests in a lot of dungeons are easy to miss.

But in the end, they're always optional.

I find the map often to be very useful, but I have never prioritized or gone out of my way to find the compass. I don't think it's unnecessary, but I find a lot of Zelda dungeons to be quite intuitive enough for you to guide you to the main item, the boss key and the boss door without having to see them ahead of time on a map. There's exceptions of course (looking at you, Temple of Time) but on the whole, I almost always skip it, unless I come across it out of pure coincidence.

 

[Azure Sage]

I make it a point to always pick up everything in dungeons because it never feels complete if I leave anything behind. This includes maps and compasses. Whether I need them or not, I snag them.

 

[Greenie]

Depending on the game they are usually on the path you need to take through the dungeon regardless, so I've never found the harm in picking them up. I agree with the sentiment of getting them to make the dungeon feel fully complete. As such I will go off the beaten path to acquire them if necessary. Of course if I'm not doing a 100% run then I have no qualms about skipping them under those circumstances.

As far as their usefulness goes, it again depends on the game and your experience with it. If you have replayed any given Zelda game enough times then you would probably know where everything is already, thus rendering the need for the Map/Compass moot. Even then I still find them helpful for double checking that I haven't missed any treasure chests.

 

[twilitfalchion]

I typically end up using the map because I'm a bit directionally challenged. I tend to lose my sense of direction, so having that to rely on is helpful, to an extent.

I don't usually bother collecting everything because I simply have no interest in doing so.

 

[Spirit]

Because I suck at dungeons I miss the compass and map so often it's insane.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

its purely comes down to if I managed to find either of them along the way, if not, I just trudge along

I'm more likely to miss them in 2d games though

 

[VikzeLink]

Well, as I hate to leave treasure chest un-opened, I'll always get them regardless if I need them or not

 

[Chevywolf30]

I'm still very much looking for them, seeing as how I've never played these games before.

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

Well, as I hate to leave treasure chest un-opened, I'll always get them regardless if I need them or not

the catch there is w/o the compass, you could miss some treasure chests, so if you miss the treasure chest w/ the compass....yeah

 

[Azure Sage]

the catch there is w/o the compass, you could miss some treasure chests, so if you miss the treasure chest w/ the compass....yeah

That's why I dont leave until I've scoured the whole place top to bottom. Theres no point in doing it halfway for me. I leave nothing behind. No path untravelled.

 

[VikzeLink]

That's why I dont leave until I've scoured the whole place top to bottom. Theres no point in doing it halfway for me. I leave nothing behind. No path untravelled.

"Take what you can! Give nothing Back!"

 

[mαrkαsscoρ]

That's why I dont leave until I've scoured the whole place top to bottom. Theres no point in doing it halfway for me. I leave nothing behind. No path untravelled.

as far as I'm concerned, the sooner I'm out of those awful places, the better

 

[Fraxinus]

For most dungeons, they seem designed for you to organically stumble into the compass and map, but there's the occasional dungeon where I'll either overlook a room or puzzle that makes the chest spawn and be going to fight the boss wondering what I missed.

I will usually try to find the map and compass to satisfy my OCD but it's less of a worry if it's not my first playthrough. I can tell you that in A Link to the Pasts's Skull Woods that I absolutely do not care about the map or compass. I get the big key as quickly as possible, get the fire rod, and get to the final part of the dungeon. Everything else is unnecessary to me because wallmasters.

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

When it's my first playthrough I usually go into every room and open every chest so I end up with the Map and Compass. In replays I usually skip getting them, but sometimes I do a full sweep of the dungeons and pick them up on accident if I'm not very familar with the game, so usually like a second or third playthrough of it its been a really long time since I replayed it.