Sand Rod¶

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Obtained: Ravio’s Shop (after completing the Thieves’ Hideout dungeon) Rent fee: 50 Rupees Purchase fee: 800 Rupees Upgrade and how: Nice Tornado Rod (Mother Maimai)

Beyond one dungeon and a few puzzles, this item is sadly limited in its use. What is does is create a line of pillars in the sand, which you can then walk on top of provided you’re on higher ground. Normally, the sand pillars crumble after a while, but if you have the upgraded Sand Rod, the sand pillars last forever, which is great as you can take your time. The Sand Rod can also push things out of the sand, like sand-bound monsters or hidden chests. Where there isn’t sand though, this item is mostly useless. It can stun monsters, but at short range, which is dangerous for you.

Hookshot¶

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Obtained: Ravio’s Shop Rent fee: 50 Rupees Purchase fee: 800 Rupees Upgrade and how: Nice Hookshot (Mother Maimai)

Another Zelda staple; fire this nifty contraption to grapple onto objects. You can grapple small objects like rupees and bring them towards Link. Meanwhile, if you grapple onto a large wooden object, like a pole or fence, Link will fly towards that object–great for navigating across gaps. You can even grapple monsters, stunning most of them or rending them vulnerable to attack. The ability to stun from a distance is useful, so you can close in on monsters without fear of getting attacked. The upgraded version shoots faster and damages monsters–nice!

Boomerang¶

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Obtained: Ravio’s Shop Rent fee: 50 Rupees Purchase fee: 800 Rupees Upgrade and how: Nice Boomerang (Mother Maimai)

Conceptually, the Boomerang is a poor man’s Hookshot; you can use it to stun monsters or grab rupees from a distance, but you can’t use it to cross gaps or do other Hookshot specific functions. What the Boomerang does have going for it is the ability for Link move immediately after chucking it; while you use the Hookshot, you’re a bit of a sitting duck. Also, as you move, the Boomerang will follow you back, so you have more chances to stun monsters. The upgraded version flies further and you can throw up to three at once–no monster is safe from this stunning contraption (get it?)!

Ice Rod¶

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Obtained: Ravio’s Shop Rent fee: 100 Rupees Purchase fee: 1200 Rupees Upgrade and how: Nice Ice Rod (Mother Maimai)

This chilling wand drops a block of ice from below, freezing monsters and immobilising them for a while. It can also solidify lava, allowing you to create solid platforms in the lava that you can walk on to cross. As a weapon, it’s a bit unwieldy as you have to get in close to use it, plus there’s no feedback to push away monsters. Worse still, when used on tougher monsters, they will thaw immediately after getting hit; stunning them is more reliable. The upgraded version drops a larger block of ice–making it easier to hit monsters and move on top of lava.

Fire Rod¶

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Obtained: Ravio’s Shop Rent fee: 100 Rupees Purchase fee: 1200 Rupees Upgrade and how: Nice Ice Rod (Mother Maimai)

This fearsome wand shoots a pillar of flame ahead, burning monsters, lighting torches and melting ice. Basically it’s a more versatile version of the lamp. Watch out though, because the pillar of flame will hurt you as well–this is especially dangerous when you try to use it along a narrow path or against a wall. Also, unlike the lamp, it uses up a fair amount of the energy gauge. The upgraded version shoots a large pillar of flame, which remains on the field for longer–a force of nature to be reckoned with!

Final Item¶