12. Go on A Sidequest

Helping others makes you feel better on the inside right? Unless you're incredibly selfish well GOOD NEWS, helping others gets you a ton of cool stuff, so here's a couple of the biggest and best side quests in the series.

Ocarina of Time Trading Sequence:
1. Get the pocket egg from the cucco lady in Kakariko Village, after a day it will hatch into a pocket cucco.
2. Wake up Talon with the pocket cucco, then return to the cucco lady to trade it for a blue cucco (Cojiro)
3. Go to the lost woods and show Grog the cojiro, he will give you an odd mushroom. Without teleporting run to the potion shop in Kakariko village.
4. Give the Old Hag the odd mushroom in under 3 minutes to get the odd potion.
5. Go back to where Grog was, exchange the odd potion for a poacher's saw with Fado.
6. Trade the poacher's saw for a broken goron's sword to Mutoh in Gerudo Valley.
7. Trade the broken goron's sword for a prescription for eye drops with Biggoron on top of death mountain.
8. Trade the prescription for an eyeball frog with King Zora in Zora's Domain.
9. Without warping, ride Epona to the Lakeside Scientist at Lake Hyrule within 3 minutes. He will make eye drops. Now get back to Biggoron within 4 minutes (without warping) to exchange the eye drops for a claim check.
10. 3 days later, return and pick up the unbreakable Biggoron's Sword!

Reuniting Kafei and Anju (Majora'a Mask):
I was going to write it up but it has got to be the most complicated and specific sidequest in the entirety of the series, so instead I shall post the link here.

 Challenges:
- Reunite Kafei and Anju
- Claim the Biggoron's Sword
- Get enough gratitude crystals to get a Piece of Heart

11. Go Fishing

Time to get your fishing gear because it's time to get fishing! (Well what else? I guess you could go to a costume party as a fisher but anyway), try it out in these games!

Link's Awakening:
Cost: 10 rupees
Fish that can be caught:
- Runt (worth 5 rupees)
- Lunker (worth 20 rupees - first time caught wins you a piece of heart)

Ocarina of Time:
Cost: 20 rupees
Prizes: (done by breaking the current record)
- Piece of heart (as child link)
- Golden scale (as adult link)

Twilight Princess:
Obtain fishing rod from Colin's Mother
Lure Fishing cost:
- 20 rupees for unlimited fishing time
- 100 rupees for unlimited fishing time with a guide

Hylian Loach

 Challenges:
- Catch a fish!
- Get a Piece of Heart through fishing
- Win the frog lure through playing RollGoal (TP)

Know your Enemy - Octorocks

The famous Octorok is an octopus-like creature that is best known for its method of attack; it shoots circular projectiles from its cylindrical snout in short intervals, attempting to hit Link from afar. The rock shooting capabilities of the Octorok can occur at random intervals. This foe is also known for its top-heavy appearance and large eyes.

Strategy: Use projectile weapons to defeat foes, and use your shield to protect from the rocks they shoot!

10. Meet The Zoras

 

Zoras, or Sea Zoras, are a race of hospitable ocean-dwelling creatures who have become common in the 3D Zelda games. Although they appeared first in A Link to the Past, their character model was completely revamped in Ocarina of Time and has become the standard ever since. Sea Zoras are normally found near or in large bodies of water. Their skin color lies in the white-blue-gray area, although brown/red also is a possible, though seemingly rarer variant. Most individuals (but not all) have fins attached to their arms and a tail at the back of their head (making their head alone look like a fish).

More commonly, the sea Zora are simply called Zora. This name was taken from an older aquatic race, the River Zora, who also are more commonly called Zora. In fact, the name Zora was the original name of both races. Because the two races each have their own domain within the series (the River Zora almost solely appear in the 2D games, while the sea Zora almost solely appear in the 3D games), there was no need to distinguish between the two races by name for a long time.

According to Hyrule Historia, the Zoras evolved from the Parellas at some point between the Sky Era and the Era of the Hero of Time.

Parella

Challenges:
- Visit Zora's Domain
- Collect the Zora's Sapphire (OoT)
- Save a member of the Zora's royal family (OoT/TP)
- Play in a Zora band (MM)

9. Go Shopping

So you've mowed the lawn and moved the rocks, and your wallet is getting full of green rupees that have somehow managed to get lost in the stupidest of places - Who puts their money under rocks?! Anyway it's time to hit the streets and splash that cash that cash!

Where to first then? How about Chudley's Fine Goods and Fancy Trinkets Emporium? Actually don't bother, it's way too expensive and it's run by this guy:

 It's probably better to head down to Malo Mart and get a nice shiney new shield, or go to Beedle's airship and get yourself some adventure pouches and heart medallions, just make sure you buy something!

Back on land however, there's so many awesome things to buy, here's a few stores to look at:

Fangamer

ThinkGeek

Forbidden Planet

Challenges:
- Buy everything in a shop
- Buy one thing from each shop
- Buy some real life merchandise!

8. Challenge Accepted!

So you think the games are too easy? Did I hear someone wanted a challenge? You got it! This time it's all about the health!

- Don't collect any heart containers after beating the bosses (pieces of hearts are okay)
- Don't collect any pieces of hearts (full heart containers are okay)
- Three Heart Run 
- Don't use bottled fairies
- Don't use potions at all!

- Now if you want even more of a challenge, do it on the second quest! (The games that have second quest are: The Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link, Ocarina of Time, Oracle of ages/seasons, Wind Waker and Skyward Sword)

Instead of making this a regular article, I have decided instead to add challenges to most other posts, and can be found right at the bottom of the post, give them a go!

7. Learn About the Weapons - Slingshot

The Slingshot is a seed firing weapon that has appeared in different styles and used for many different actions throughout the Zelda series.

 The Slingshot made its debut in Ocarina of Time as the Fairy Slingshot, found inside the Great Deku Tree. Throughout the child portion of the game, the Slingshot serves as one of Link's main tools as well as his only projectile weapon, replaced by the Bow and Arrow in adulthood. It fires Deku Seeds, which are commonly found by cutting grass or defeating simple enemies. The Slingshot must be used for many tasks to aid Link on his quest, including destroying enemies such as Skulltula and shooting far away switches.

Twilight Princess marks the first time that Adult Link has been able to use the slingshot. It's available for purchase at the shop in Ordon Village for 30 Rupees near the beginning of the game. The only problem is the firepower and firing range is somewhat lacking compared to the Bow and Arrow found later in the game. However, the slingshot does have some advantages, namely that it can knock down a beehive in one shot, and the ammunition is much cheaper than arrows.

6. Read/Watch LOZ Related Things

As I'm sure you agree, The Legend of Zelda is not just related to the games, so why don't you take a seat in Elde Inn, crank up Beedle's wind up TV and take a gander at these:

But a better quality version would be here

And if you're bored of watching the legend of Zelda, how about reading some of the mangas?

Write down in the comments any links of any cool related zelda videos and what have you!

5. Know Your Enemy - Keese

 

Keese (Pronounced /kiːs/, kees) are bat-like creatures that make their homes in dank, shadowy dungeons or in pitch-black caves similar to their real-life counterparts.The Keese is known to inhabit various forms, some adapted from fire and ice, some from the surrounding environment, however, the technique and strategy used to defeat all of their variations is basically the same.

Strategy: Nearly anything you have will defeat them, just be careful if they are elemental! (Fire, Ice, Shadow, Thunder, Dark)

4. Learn The Currency

"So you've come to Hyrule but have no rupees? Well check out this here chart"

 "Be careful though, as different areas (and time) use variations of these so when in doubt, use green, blue and red as they will be worth the same no matter where you go!"

"Also, be wary of those offering you a rare black rupee - these are not rupees these are rupoors! Rupees are lost when you aqquire one of these!

Alright so you want to earn some money? Try out these options:

Gambling! High risk, with uncertain rewards!
Minigames! Such as your old favourites like; Fruit Pop Flight Challenge, Dodoh's High Dive, Letter Sorting and more!

Challenges:
- Get the biggest wallet possible
- Fill it up!

3. Meet the Deku

So here's the first of a "Meet The" segments that should hopefully go into a bit of detail about the different races in the world of Zelda, up first is the business savvy Dekus!

 Most Dekus speak Hylian and they can be very friendly at times. However, if an unknown stranger ever goes near a Deku, it will attack; walking close to them forces their passive bodies into their Deku Flowers; most of them will respond to threats by attacking with Deku Nuts shot from their snout.  If Link defeats a salesman-type Deku Scrub, known as a Business Scrub, they would try to sell Link an item that is almost always overpriced. Some of the normal Deku Scrubs host games.

Dekus normally live in either a nest or a Deku Flower, and if other Dekus try to enter without permission, they usually become enraged. While some Dekus use propeller-like flowers to glide, some have propellers on their heads which allow for flight, too. Link in his Deku form was able to retreat into a hardened shell for defensive purposes, but no other Deku has shown this ability.

  This information was taken from ZeldaWiki

2. Create A Let's Play (or watch, your call)

Maybe you're not going to be able to play all the LOZ games that you wanted, or maybe you want to show other people how awesome you are in so-and-so game well LP's are the way to go! Here are some LPer's that I watch, post your LP or any LPs you like in the comments!

NintendoCapriSun:
The Legend of Zelda (2nd Quest Swordless)
The Legend of Zelda (Three Heart Run)
The Adventure of Link
A Link To The Past
Link's Awakening
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
Wind Waker
Twilight Princess
Skyward Sword
 
ChuggaAConroy:
Wind Waker
Majora's Mask

Also, don't forget WarioPunk's The Legend of Zelda Let's Play!

1. Play One of the Games!

So this is where it all starts! So pick your favourite game(s) and get started right away, whether it'd be 2d or 3d it's all good! Don't have a game? Ask a friend! (I know I'll have several games that I would have free for a while!) Lot of energy in the post so take it all in as there's a lot of stuff to do! Go go go!

The Legend of Zelda Games:
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
Link's Awakening
Ocarina of Time
Majora's Mask
Oracle of Ages
Oracle of Seasons
Four Swords
The Wind Waker
Four Swords Adventure
The Minish Cap
Twilight Princess
Phantom Hourglass
Spirit Tracks
Skyward Sword

Now if you want to be hardcore about this, here's a list of the games that are set in Hyrule:
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link
A Link to the Past
Ocarina of Time
Four Swords
The Wind Waker
Four Swords Adventure
The Minish Cap
Twilight Princess
Spirit Tracks
Skyward Sword

Challenges!
Hero of the Winds - Play One Game
Hero Chosen by the Ocean King - Play 2 Games
Hero of Hyrule - Play 4 Games
Hero of the Essences of Time and Nature - Play 8 Games
Hero of Time - Play 12 Games
Hero Chosen by the Gods - Play All 16 Games!