Often considered the black sheep of The Legend of Zelda franchise– and not without good reason– Zelda II doesn’t actually deserve the negative reputation it’s garnered in recent years. While it is indeed a very difficult and at times obtuse game, it’s still one of the best action RPGs on the NES, mixing reflex based gameplay with a magic system that’s more strategic than most fans of the series seem to realize.
Every town in Hyrule houses at least once spell that Link can learn. While a few are optional, it’s worth going out of the way to learn each one. Magic in The Adventure of Link is never not valuable, and will outright be the key to victory come the last two Palaces. Shield is a vital piece of magic that buffs Link’s defense, but it’s only one of many spells players will need to learn in order to survive Zelda II.
8 Shield
Given how close to North Palace Rauru Town is situated, and the fact players will be guided by the path directly towards Rauru Town, it’s more than likely Link will learn Shield before any other Spell– and ultimately for the best should players hope to have stress free time inside of Parapa Palace.
To learn Shield, Link must simply find and speak to a woman inside town. She’ll inform Link that he should speak with her father, and a Wise Man will teach Link Shield– a spell which increases the player’s defense by a considerable margin. If you have magic to spare, it never hurts to pop Shield before a fight.
7 Jump
Unlike the original Legend of Zelda, The Adventure of Link actually has platforming elements as part of its gameplay loop. Link’s jump plays a key role in combat, and Miyamoto even came up with the idea for the battle system because he wanted to develop a 2D game that made use of “up and down movements” for action.
Jump increases Link’s jump height by double, and is actually necessary for progressing the game. Jump is notably the first spell tied to a side quest– Link must find a lost Trophy in Tantari Desert (the immediate surrounding area) and then return it to a woman in Ruto Town who will give Link access to a Wise Man.
6 Life
Zelda II’s reputation as a brutally hard game is well earned, and its difficulty curve still remains the most consistently punishing in the franchise. Part of the challenge stems from Link’s limited healing options. The first Zelda had frequent Heart & Fairy drops along with Potions Link could buy, but Zelda II is more restrictive.
The only reliable means of healing is by learning the costly Life spell. Thankfully, while Life is tied to a side quest, it’s one of the easiest in the game (if you know what to do.) A woman in Saria Town will complain that her Mirror is lost and Link simply needs to find it in the very same town. The Mirror is hidden under a table inside of an abandoned home.
5 Fairy
The second mandatory spell for progression, Fairy transforms Link into one of the series’ many fairies, allowing him to circumvent difficult platforming sections altogether or fly into otherwise inaccessible alcoves (actually tied to a puzzle in one of the later Palaces.) That said, Fairy costs an extreme amount of magic to cast and Link can only return to normal by moving to a new screen.
To learn the Fairy spell, Link needs to find the Water of Life in a western Midoro swamp cave and then deliver it to an old woman in Mido Town on the coast of Western Hyrule.
4 Fire
Come mid-game, players will start running into enemies that Link’s sword simply can’t damage due to their hard, outer shells. Considering this is conveyed in-action, it’s something of a rude awakening that can feel unfair during a first playthrough. At the same time, savvy players should use these battle screens as a means to refine their dodging.
That said, Zelda II doesn’t leave Link defenseless. A thirsty woman will request a drink in Nabooru Town, and Link just needs to walk up & interact with the water fountain. From there, speaking to the woman again will give players access to a Wise Man– an easy side quest for a vital spell.
3 Reflect
Reflect is one of the most notorious spells in Zelda II, in large part because it’s an incredibly easy one to miss while also being mandatory. In particular, Link needs to cast Reflect just to damage the boss of Maze Island Palace, Carock. By casting Reflect, Link can counter all magic spells directed at him with his shield.
To learn Reflect, Link needs to find a lost child in Maze Island (hug the right right and Link will eventually stumble into the right cave.) After finding the child, Link needs to go to Darunia Town and deliver him to a woman. Considering Maze Island Palace is attached to Maze Island, many attempt the Palace before ever learning Reflect.
2 Spell
The poorly named Spell spell is mandatory for completion, but it’s not made clear exactly how. Spell seemingly does nothing for Link while only turning some enemies into Bots (Zelda II’s version of Chu-Chus.) Spell isn’t very costly, but it isn’t very useful in combat either. That said, this is because Spell plays a puzzle purpose.
There’s an empty area in Kasuto that’s clearly a secret for something, but what isn’t made clear. By using Spell, Link can summon a tower and obtain the Skeleton Key– a necessary tool for fully exploring the Hidden Palace. Unlike other late game spells, Spell is learned in Hidden Kasuto with no fuss.
1 Thunder
To learn Thunder, Link must have collected all four Magic Containers in the overworld. One is in a cave directly south of North Palace, the second is under a boulder in Death Mountain, the third is hidden to the west of Maze Island, and the last is given to Link inside Hidden Kasuto. Link must then travel to Old Kasuto and speak to the Wise Man there.
Thunder is the strongest spell in the game, but it’s not worth using in random encounters. Link should ideally save as much magic as he can (and a life or two) for the final battle. To start damaging Thunderbird (the first half of the final boss,) Link must cast Thunder. From there, players will need to finish the game with half a magic meter.