You're standing in front of a wall in Hyrule. It’s a dead end. In any other Zelda game, you’d turn around, maybe bomb a suspicious crack, or look for a hookshot target. But in A Link Between Worlds, you just... merge. You flatten yourself against the stone like a piece of paper, sliding past guards and over bottomless pits. It’s a mechanic that shouldn’t work as well as it does. Honestly, trying to find a solid link between worlds 3ds walkthrough that doesn't just list items but actually explains the rhythm of this game is surprisingly tough.
Most people jump back into this 2013 classic expecting a simple remake of A Link to the Past. It isn't that. Not really. While the map is almost a one-to-one replica of the 1991 SNES masterpiece, the soul of the game is radically different. It’s faster. It’s more open. You can basically do the dungeons in almost any order you want, which was a huge deal back when it launched.
Renting Your Way to Victory
Ravio is a weird guy. He wears a purple bunny hood and squats in your house. He also completely breaks the traditional Zelda progression system. Instead of finding the Boomerang in a chest halfway through a dungeon, you just rent it from him.
This changes the entire flow of a link between worlds 3ds walkthrough. You need to hoard Rupees like a dragon. In the early game, focus on the Hammer and the Fire Rod. Why? Because the Fire Rod in this game is absolutely broken. It sends out a massive pillar of flame that melts bosses and solves puzzles from a distance. If you die, Ravio’s little bird minion, Sheerow, comes and takes all your rented items back. It's annoying, but it adds a layer of stakes that Zelda games usually lack.
Once you get to the mid-game, stop renting. Buy the items. They cost a fortune—usually 800 to 1200 Rupees—but it's the only way to upgrade them later through Mother Maiamai.
The Lorule Problem
When you first cross over into Lorule, the game stops holding your hand. The difficulty spike is real. Hyrule is bright and predictable; Lorule is fractured. You can't just walk from one side of the map to the other. You have to find specific cracks in walls to phase between dimensions.
If you're looking for the best path through the seven dungeons, don't just follow the map markers blindly. Start with the Thieves' Hideout in Thieves' Town. It’s relatively straightforward, and you get to rescue a companion who helps with pressure plates. It’s a good "warm-up" for the nonsense that happens in the Ice Ruins or Misery Mire.
The Swamp Palace is another one you should hit early. You’ll need the Hookshot. It teaches you how to manipulate water levels, a classic Zelda trope, but with the 3D effect turned up, the depth perception actually matters here. If you’re playing on a 2DS or have the 3D slider off, some of the vertical puzzles in the Dark Palace might actually be harder because you can't see the distance between platforms as clearly.
Finding Those Tiny Octopus Babies
Let’s talk about Mother Maiamai. She’s a giant, psychic octopus thing living in a cave near Lake Hylia. She lost 100 of her children. Finding them is the most important "side quest" in any link between worlds 3ds walkthrough because it's how you get the "Nice" items.
The "Nice" Fire Rod? It’s basically a flamethrower. The "Nice" Bow? It fires three arrows at once.
You find these babies by listening. They make a high-pitched chirping sound. They're under rocks, stuck to walls, and hidden under tiles you need to flip with the Tornado Rod. Pro tip: use the map pins. The game gives you different colored pins. Use them to mark Maiamai locations you can see but can't reach yet because you lack the right tool. It saves so much backtracking later.
Combat Nuance and the Master Sword
Combat in this game is zippy. Link moves faster than he does in almost any other top-down entry. Because of the 60fps frame rate—which was a technical marvel for the 3DS at the time—the timing for parrying and dodging is tight.
You can upgrade the Master Sword twice. Do not skip this. You need Master Ore. You find it in places like the Dark Palace, the Skull Woods, and the Church in Lorule (but only after you have the Titan's Mitt). Take two pieces of ore to the Blacksmith in Hyrule, then two more to the Blacksmith in Lorule. The final version, the Master Sword Lv3, turns the blade red and doubles your damage. It makes the final fight against Yuga-Ganon much less of a headache.
The Items You Actually Need
Most players ignore the Hint Ghosts. Don't. If you’re truly stuck, put on the Hint Glasses and talk to the ghosts hanging out near puzzle points. They cost Play Coins—those things you get for actually walking around with your 3DS in your pocket. It’s a very 2013 mechanic, but it’s helpful if you’re trying to avoid looking at a screen while playing.
Here’s the thing about the Sand Rod: you can't get it until you finish the Thieves' Hideout and "save" Osfala. It’s the only item Ravio doesn’t just let you grab whenever you want. You need it for the Desert Palace. If you head to the desert too early, you're just going to waste time.
Stamina is Your Real Health Bar
In A Link Between Worlds, your "Stamina" (the purple bar) governs everything. Arrows, bombs, magic, and merging into walls all use the same resource. It refills quickly, but in a boss fight, if you spam arrows and then try to merge into a wall to escape an attack, you'll find yourself stuck and vulnerable.
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Learn the "recharge rhythm." Fire two shots, wait a beat, then move. This is especially true in the Treacherous Tower. If you want the Heart Container from the 50-floor gauntlet, you have to manage that purple bar like your life depends on it. Because it does.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To get the most out of your journey through Hyrule and Lorule, follow this specific progression logic to avoid frustration and unnecessary deaths.
- Prioritize the Blue Mail: Head to the Swamp Palace in Lorule as soon as possible. The Blue Mail reduces damage taken by half. Without it, some enemies in the later dungeons can take off four or five hearts in a single hit.
- Farm Rupees at the Rupee Rush: Located in the south of Hyrule and Lorule. The Lorule version pays out significantly more. If you can time your exit within a second of the 30-second mark, you’ll triple your winnings. Use this to buy your rented items permanently.
- The Pegasus Boots Secret: You don't just get these. You have to sneak up on the Shady Guy in Kakariko Village by merging into the wall behind him. If you don't do this early, traveling across the map becomes a massive chore.
- Master the "Merge-Jump": When you exit a wall while moving, Link gets a tiny bit of momentum. You can use this to "jump" across small gaps that seem impassable. It's a hidden mechanic that makes several of the endgame puzzles in Lorule Castle much easier.
- Check the Blacksmith’s Back: In Lorule, the Blacksmith’s house has a crack in the back wall. It leads to a chest with a piece of Master Ore. Most people miss this because they never think to check the exterior of the building in the dark world.
- Stun is King: Use the Boomerang or the Ice Rod to freeze enemies. In this game, crowd control is often more effective than raw damage, especially when you're being swarmed by those annoying flying skulls in the dungeons.
Once you've secured the upgraded Master Sword and the Red Mail from Lorule Castle, the final confrontation becomes a test of your merging skills rather than a gear check. Pay close attention to the paintings on the wall during the final phase; the solution is literally staring you in the face.