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00:09Welcome to MojoPlays and today we're looking at the very best side quests across The Legend of
00:15Zelda. As long as it's optional, it was considered. The Gerudo Training Ground. The
00:29After completing the Gerudo Fortress and being allowed to come and go as he pleases, Link
00:33can take on their Training Grounds. It's a collection of fun challenges, puzzles, and
00:42combat encounters where Link gathers keys as he completes rooms in order to nab their
00:46coveted treasure, the Ice Arrows. It's the only optional mini-dungeon in the game, and
00:51while there isn't really any story here, it's a nice difficulty balance, with certain
00:55rooms having time limits to increase the tension. Plus, even though you don't need
01:03the Ice Arrows for anything, being able to freeze enemies is still a great reward for the amount
01:08of work you put in. Impa's Gift. The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom.
01:18Walking across Hyrule can be a slow process, so we're always grateful when a game gives
01:23us something to speed things up. Once you complete the Hyrule Castle dungeon
01:27in Echoes of Wisdom, Zelda can pick up a side quest from Impa. She's been training a horse
01:31for you, which you can collect at the ranch. Or you could, if the horse hadn't gotten
01:36swallowed up by a rift. It's one of the most fun, optional rifts to complete, though.
01:41Zelda has to find four of Tri's missing friends inside, and there's a great deal of variety
01:46in both your obstacles and, like the rest of the game, what Echoes you should use. Your
01:52own horse is a nice reward, as is the Carrot Echo, which Zelda can use to summon her steed,
01:57no matter where she is in the overworld.
02:04Moe the Moblin. The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker.
02:15Windfall Island has some of the most charming NPCs in Wind Waker, and after rescuing his sister
02:21from the Forsaken Fortress, Link can find some new side quests there. Maggie and her father
02:25were dirt poor when she was kidnapped and taken to the fortress. Turns out, she fell in love
02:30with a kind Moblin named Moe, who sent her back with enough treasure to ensure she and her father
02:35never had to worry again. It's a good thing Link didn't kill that particular Moblin because
02:40then he gets to play mailman between the two, due to her father being racist against Rito.
02:45The quest doesn't pose a challenge, or take any skill to complete, but it is an extremely
02:51silly bit of worldbuilding, which is always fun, and earns Link a piece of heart for completing
02:56it.
02:58The Lost Maia Mai. The Legend of Zelda A Link Between Worlds. Plenty of Zelda games have collectible
03:05quests where Link must hunt down and find a bunch of Skultulas, or Po-Souls, or Koroks,
03:10or whatever, in order to earn different rewards. The Lost Maia Mai from A Link Between Worlds is
03:16far and away the best of these types of quests. Not only is it a little touching, you're tracking
03:21down an upset mother's missing children after all, but they each come with an environmental
03:25puzzle or obstacle that makes clever use of Link's items and wall merge mechanic.
03:37Plus, the rewards are fantastic. For all 100, you get a deadly great spin attack. But more
03:44importantly, with every 10, Mother Maia Mai enhances one of Link's items at his choice, making
03:49them far more powerful and useful.
03:57From the Heart. The Legend of Zelda Echoes of Wisdom.
04:07Usually, if Zelda has a relationship with her father, it is strained to say the least. But
04:13in Echoes of Wisdom, we see a king much more nurturing of his daughter. And the From the Heart side
04:18quest,
04:19only deepens that bond. It begins with Romy, a young girl in Hyrule, giving Zelda a four-leaf
04:24clover to give to her father. Unfortunately, after you give it to him, Romy becomes one of
04:28the many citizens to be swallowed by a rift, prompting Zelda to go rescue her. While this
04:33rift is much smaller than many others, there are always fun little challenges to take on.
04:38Afterward, when you return to the king, he talks about how he used to worry over his daughter,
04:42and how he must accept that she doesn't need him as much. While you do unlock a new dress for
04:47Zelda,
04:47it's her relationship with her father that makes this side quest special.
04:53The Sneaky Thief. The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker.
05:03Mila and Maggie are two sides of the same coin. Where Mila was wealthy before she was taken to
05:09the Forsaken Fortress, she loses her fortune when her father has to pay the pirate's exorbitant rescue
05:14fee. Thus, the embittered girl takes a part-time job at Zunari's shop on Windfall Island. At night,
05:20Link can follow her as she tries to sneak into the shop and break into it safe. Helping her to
05:25see
05:25the error of her ways, she gives Link an empty bottle, always a nice reward in the older games,
05:29and promises to clean up her act.
05:34The quest is short and sweet, but gives a nice bit of depth to such a small character.
05:39Epona the Horse. The Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time.
05:47It seems almost ridiculous to put Epona on here, considering every player unlocks their horse in
05:53Ocarina of Time, but technically speaking, she is completely optional. You can even get over the
05:58broken bridge in Gerudo Valley with the Longshot instead of her. However, there are several very
06:04good reasons why everyone does this quest. Lon Lon Ranch has some of the more fleshed-out NPCs in the
06:10game, specifically Malon. Helping her get her home back from the clutches of the traitorous Ingo is
06:15nothing if not satisfying. More importantly, Epona is an invaluable ally, letting you traverse Hyrule
06:21Field at a much quicker pace. She even became an iconic character in the series in her own right.
06:31Child's Play. The Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask. The last section of Majora's Mask is an interesting
06:37case, since there are four mini-dungeons before the final boss that you're under no obligation to do.
06:49Link must have collected all of the masks in the game first, which requires doing a lot of other side
06:55quests. Inside the moon, he can speak to the four masked children running around the tree,
07:00trade in some masks, and take on different challenges tailored to his different forms and
07:04abilities. Not only does this get you the last four pieces of heart, they're each clearly varied in
07:09their style and mechanics, and a ton of fun to take on. Yes, even the Goron one. Doing these also
07:16gets
07:16you the Fierce Deity Mask, one of the most powerful items in the entire series.
07:25Getting the Boomerang. The Legend of Zelda Link's Awakening. As the very first trading quest in the
07:31series, we have to pay tribute to Link's Awakening. It starts with Link winning a Yoshi doll in the
07:36crane game shop, and winds up with him getting the Boomerang. Normally, a very standard item,
07:41but in one of its most overpowered appearances here. Interestingly, the first four items are required
07:47to progress through the story, but the other ten are not. Link's Awakening is known for its kooky
07:52cast of characters, and figuring out which item connects to each of them remains just as fun
07:57of a brain teaser to solve today as it was back then. Not only is the final reward great,
08:02this quest brought a little something extra to characters we already liked.
08:06Helping Batro. The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword.
08:18At a certain point in Skyward Sword, Link comes across Batro, a monster living in Skyloft who dreams
08:24of becoming human. This is another quest that encompasses many others, since to help Batro,
08:30you must collect Gratitude Crystals, which only form when someone is very happy. Obviously,
08:35each quest varies in quality, but there's a genuine joy when it comes to updating Batro each time as
08:41he gets closer to his goal. He really is one of the most delightful NPCs in the game, and he
08:47gives
08:47you multiple great rewards as you go, including bigger wallets. After collecting all 80 Gratitude
08:53Crystals, you then get the pleasure of seeing Batro transform so he can finally live among the people
08:57of Skyloft without fear of judgment.
09:07The Lomai Labyrinths. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
09:18Breath of the Wild featured three labyrinths as excellent challenges to get lost in,
09:23but Tears of the Kingdom made them even better. Each one begins with a mystery,
09:28a journal of a researcher leaving a trail of pine cones for Link to follow while avoiding puddles of
09:34gloom. Things get really fun, though, when you travel to each one's counterparts in the sky and
09:39depths. Navigating the low-gravity sky labyrinths, gliding through paths to unlock the exit, feels
09:47incredible. So too does diving from the game's highest point all the way to its lowest,
09:53where Link is met by a fiercely fun fight against a third-level Flux Construct. Rewards are solid,
10:00too, with a couple of shrines and the Evil Spirit armor set.
10:09Zunari's Shop. The Legend of Zelda The Wind Waker.
10:21There are a lot of trading quests in Zelda, and while Wind Wakers isn't the best one,
10:27it is, just like the rest of the game, packed with charm. At a certain point, Zunari of Windfall
10:33Island will ask Link to help him expand his shop. You do this by taking his flower to one of
10:39three
10:39Gorons on different islands, and proceeding to do the same with the 11 other items,
10:45eventually earning a piece of heart and the magic armor. The charm comes afterwards,
10:50when Link can decorate the entirety of Windfall using said items for another piece of heart.
10:56You can take the easy route by purchasing only the cheaper products, which admittedly is fair.
11:02Prices range from 10 to 200 rupees. But loosening the purse strings a bit allows the designer in you
11:09to bring even more delight to an already lovely locale.
11:19The Riddle Quest. The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past, and Four Swords.
11:33The Game Boy Advance version of A Link to the Past featured a new side quest that tied in with
11:38the
11:38multiplayer add-on. Before you could take it on, you had to have 10 Medals of Courage in Four Swords,
11:44which you got by being the Link with the most rupees at the end of a stage. After that,
11:49you could speak to the lumberjack, Q Bumpkin, who would ask for 10 different items and creatures,
11:55all accompanied by a riddle. Solving the riddles, tracking these down, and scooping them up with a
12:01net made for a fun scavenger hunt. It also got you some nice wood carvings for Link's house and,
12:07at the end, the very destructive Hurricane Spin.
12:17Joanne the Mermaid. The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass.
12:30Sometimes we like a quest because it's just plain silly. On Bannon Island, Link can find the old
12:37Wayfarer, who's obsessed with meeting a mermaid. Well, after defeating the island's monsters, you can
12:43find one. Except, not really. Upon hitting the skittish mermaid with your boomerang, you learn Joanne
12:49is not a mermaid, but a cosplayer. Despite being rightfully annoyed about being walloped by
12:55a boomerang, she agrees to go see the Wayfarer upon hearing about him. And after a brief run-in
13:01with Linebeck, you can find her back at the old man's hut. She decides to keep pretending to be a
13:06mermaid, and the Wayfarer is none the wiser. It's an odd quest, but an entertaining one. Oh,
13:12and it gets you fishing, if you're into that sort of thing.
13:29Once you complete three other quests in Kakariko Village, you'll find that the orb inside Impa's home
13:34has gone missing. Entrusted to find the thief, Link can question the townsfolk for an engaging
13:40and surprisingly deep mystery. At 10 o'clock at night, he can follow Dorian, one of the guards,
13:46who confronts the Yiga clan blademaster who took it. Link gets to fight him off, but what's most
13:51enjoyable is learning about Dorian. It's revealed he was once a Yiga, but left when he met his wife
13:57and had children. The Yiga took her life as punishment and threatened to do the same to his
14:02daughters, exploiting him for information on you and stealing the precious heirloom from Impa,
14:08the last straw for Dorian. It's a tragic, memorable corner of Breath of the Wild's narrative,
14:14especially when interacting with his daughters.
14:23Colin's Love Letter, The Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword
14:35Colin is one of Groose's cronies, who spends most of the game helping his able-bodied friend
14:40taunt and berate Link. At a certain point, he'll ask Link to deliver a love letter to Karain,
14:45which leads to one of two outcomes. You can give the letter to a ghost found in the Academy's bathroom
14:51at night, which will fall in love with Colin and spend subsequent nights in his room, caressing him as
14:56he sleeps. But if you give it to Karain, it leads to her getting together with Pippet instead,
15:07sending Colin running away crying. Either way, Colin doesn't get what he wants, but you get five
15:13gratitude crystals and the reward of enacting sweet emotional revenge on one of Link's tormentors.
15:22The Pirate Hideout, The Legend of Zelda, Spirit Tracks.
15:34Who doesn't love a thrilling rescue mission? After finishing a fetch quest for a woman in Papoochia
15:40Village, Link will unlock new tracks that lead to a hideout filled with pirates, or rather,
15:45a bunch of those annoying miniblends. He'll find a villager in need of rescue, prompting a fantastic
15:51minigame where you shoot as many of these little gremlins as you can. From jail cell to minecart,
15:57the DS's stylus is a great tool for the bow. And we won't lie, it's really satisfying sniping all
16:04these miniblends. You can also go back to rescue a Goron, but this time must score enough points to win
16:10a bigger quiver and a heart container. It's simply addictive.
16:19Saving Luralyn Village, The Legend of Zelda, Tears of the Kingdom
16:29Sticking with the theme of monster pirates, let's talk about Luralyn Village. As you meet citizens from
16:35the beachside town in Tears of the Kingdom, you learn it has been invaded by pirates. When you reach
16:41it yourself, you find it swarming with enemies, which can offer a decent challenge depending on
16:46how far you've progressed in the game. Ridding the place is a ton of fun though, and it's also
16:52rewarding to free the homes of these villagers, especially if you happen to find one on the road
16:57before they've returned, so you can give them the good news. Rebuilding the village after the fight
17:02can be a little tedious with the resources required, but it's worth it to see the community come back
17:08together.
17:14The Spring of Wisdom, The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild
17:28Breath of the Wild is full of stunning moments. Chief among them, a sequence where Link frees an
17:34ice dragon from corruption atop a mountain peak. Meta in Hateno Village will tell Link about a
17:40secret spring on Mount Lanayru, and heading to the Spring of Wisdom, you'll find Nadra, the
17:45aforementioned dragon covered in malice and evil eyes which Link must shoot to free her.
17:51Gliding down the mountainside in pursuit, using gusts of wind to propel you, and hopefully Revali's
17:57Gale if you have it, makes for a standout scene. On top of being beautiful, you get the satisfaction of
18:04aiding an ancient almighty deity. The Postman, The Legend of Zelda, Majora's Mask
18:24While part of his story crosses into the Anju and Kaffe saga, which we'll obviously touch on,
18:30the Postman of Majora's Mask deserves his own spot. His extreme devotion to his job is immediately
18:37apparent. Following him throughout the three-day cycle reveals he wants to flee town like most
18:42everyone else, but can't bring himself to because it isn't on the schedule. Unless you intervene,
18:48his story ends with him wallowing on the floor in uncertainty until the moon falls. However,
18:54if you're doing the Anju and Kaffe quest, Link enlists him to send the couple letters. Eventually,
19:01you can give him priority mail to deliver to Kaffe's mother, who gives him orders to flee. Seeing him
19:06able to abandon his post without guilt is all the more satisfying, having seen the alternative.
19:21The Cave of Ordeals
19:23The Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess
19:32Several entries hold combat challenges, but the one in Twilight Princess is perhaps the best. In the
19:39Gerudo Mesa, you can take on a 50-floor dungeon of increasingly stronger enemies, but you'll need
19:46all items from the dungeons in order to fully complete it. Twilight Princess has some of the
19:51strongest enemy designs in the series, as well as some of the strongest combat thanks to the hidden
19:56skills Link learns. The Cave of Ordeals is obviously a fairly big endeavor to take on that you should be
20:03appropriately prepared for, but it's a lot of fun and understandably rewarding to make it to the end of.
20:09You feel accomplishment, but it also unlocks fairies at each of the Spirit Springs and gets you great
20:15Fairy Tears, which completely refill Link's health and give him a brief damage boost.
20:27Potential Princess Sightings
20:29The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
20:38This one's a bit of a cheat, considering it encompasses multiple side quests, but Potential
20:44Princess Sightings has too many great moments and rewards, making it one of the strongest side
20:50adventures in Tears of the Kingdom. It follows Link teaming up with Pen, a member of the Rito and
20:56reporter for the Lucky Clover Gazette. At most stables across Hyrule, you'll find him investigating reports
21:02on information of the missing Zelda. None of it ever leads to her, of course, but they do lead to
21:08things
21:08like a Yiga pretending to be a psychic kuko, a special breed of animal that eats luminous stones and
21:15poops out gems, and the ability to access great fairies through the power of music. It's all highly
21:21entertaining, and you earn a ton of money and the slip-resistant froggy suit for covering the stories.
21:27Also, Pen is never not delightful.
21:38Defending Romani Ranch
21:40The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask
21:42While Epona is required in Ocarina's follow-up, helping Romani Ranch isn't. But how could you say
21:48no when a sweet child asks for help against an alien invasion? Fighting them off isn't too hard, but where
21:53the aliens came from and why they want the ranch's cows is one of the biggest mysteries in the game.
21:58Afterwards, you can escort Romani's older sister Kremia to Clock Town while defending against the
22:04vile Gorman brothers.
22:12Completing both parts gets you a bottle of milk and a shiny new mask, but the sisters are also some
22:17of the
22:17most engaging NPCs in the game, which is saying a lot. It's also worth visiting the ranch after the
22:23first night if you don't help to see how alien abduction has impacted the sisters.
22:34Even Tide Island
22:35The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
22:48Over the course of Breath of the Wild, you build up your inventory of impressive weapons and
22:52resources. But Even Tide Island strips you of everything, save for your Sheikah Slate and any
22:58champion abilities you may have unlocked. The island tasks you with collecting three ancient
23:02orbs to gain access to a shrine. You'll only have resources the island offers you while having to
23:13contest with its enemies, one of which is a Hinox wearing an ancient orb as a necklace. It's a great
23:19test of the player's abilities without relying on an arsenal. It forced us to plan strategically before
23:24acting, like one big combative puzzle. And it's definitely the best shrine quest the game has to offer.
23:36The Big Goron Sword
23:38The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
23:44Trading quests have been seen in many Zelda games, though one of the most beneficial was in Ocarina of
23:50time. Beginning with Akuko Egg and Kakariko Village, this quest took Link all over Hyrule. Matching
23:56each item with the correct NPC required paying attention and a certain amount of exploration
24:00as some of the characters were hidden in small corners of the world.
24:11But it was a fun distraction from the main adventure, and a distraction more than worth following.
24:16It eventually earned Link the Big Goron Sword, which is longer and twice as strong as the Master Sword,
24:22but at the cost of Link's shield.
24:28Mallow Mart
24:29The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess
24:37Mallow is a sassy, business-savvy baby, and by far one of the best NPCs in Twilight Princess.
24:44He eventually opens his own shop in Kakariko Village, though Link can help him expand.
24:49It does take a thousand rupees, as you'll have to repair Hyrule's Eastern Bridge first. Then,
24:54you can either pay two thousand for Mallow to purchase a rival store in the castle's town,
24:58or two hundred with the caveat that you give hot spring water to a certain Goron.
25:08But ponying up the dough is a small price to pay. With the Mallow Mart castle branch open,
25:14Link will be able to afford the magic armor, which makes him invincible by siphoning rupees.
25:18Seeing the snooty owner dance around in a Mallow Mart uniform is just a nice bonus.
25:39One of the best side quests in The Wind Waker doesn't actually get you anything,
25:44but is nonetheless immensely rewarding to complete. First, you'll have to finish Lenzo's quest on
25:50Windfall Island to get the deluxe Pikto Box. After that, you'll be able to visit Karlov at the
25:55Nintendo Gallery located by Forest Haven.
26:02This eccentric sculptor will lovingly craft models of any character or enemy you show him a picture of.
26:08With multiple rooms for different islands and environments, filling each one is a grand
26:13accomplishment in and of itself. This obviously isn't a quest for everyone, but we loved admiring
26:19our collection of mini figurines and basking in this entry's unique art style.
26:27From the Ground Up, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild
26:37After Link purchases a home in Hateno Village, Bolson construction employee Hudson will set off to
26:43establish a new town. You'll find him again in the Akala region, where he'll ask for Link's help.
26:48While part of this quest requires a bit too much wood collecting, the other part has Link recruit
26:53various NPCs to join Hudson's Village.
27:04Each one is dissatisfied with their current life and jumps at the chance to open up shop in a new
27:09location. Seeing the town grow with each step is joyful and the quest even ends with a wedding.
27:15More NPCs will move in, creating an adorable little community where once it was a desolate rock in the
27:21middle of a lake.
27:27Madison's Independence
27:29The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
27:38Tears of the Kingdom follows up the Terrytown quest with a touching continuation. A few years
27:44later, Hudson and Ronson are still married, running a construction company and raising their daughter
27:49Madison. However, as is her people's custom, Madison must prepare to leave her childhood home and head to
27:56Gerudo Town. Link is asked to spend time with her to make her feel less lonely, but the quest culminates
28:02in
28:02helping father and daughter build a hot air balloon, leading to a lovely scene across the sky.
28:15The goodbye that comes soon after is certain to pull at the heartstrings, though it's a lovely
28:20moment of growth and letting go.
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28:48Anju and Cafe. The Legend of Zelda. Majora's Mask.
28:57Half of Majora's Mask consists of side quests, though the most emotionally fulfilling revolves
29:02around these two doomed lovers. Before the game begins, poor Cafe is transformed into a child by
29:08the Skull Kid and has his ceremonial wedding mask stolen by Sakon. He then hides out, with Link offering
29:15aid to his loved ones before helping Cafe track down the thief.
29:25It's the longest side quest in the game, bringing in multiple interesting NPCs like the heartbroken
29:31yet steadfast Anju and the anxiety-ridden Postman. It requires keeping track of a multitude of events
29:37across the time loop, but it leads to several masks, pieces of heart, and other rewards. And
29:42everything is worth it to see the two finally reunite.
29:50Did we leave off any of your favorite Zelda side quests?
29:53Let us know about them in the comments, and we will see you next time.