Child walkthrough: from Kokiri Forest to the Master Sword
This is the standard order of the story as a child. Optional side content is mentioned only where it helps.
1. Kokiri Forest
- Mido blocks the path to the Great Deku Tree until you carry a sword and a shield.
- Kokiri Sword: crawl through the small hole in the training area to reach the Kokiri Sword chest.
- Deku Shield: buy it in the Kokiri Shop for 40 Rupees. Rupees can be found in grass, rocks and the chests inside Mido's house.
- Equip both and show them to Mido to enter the Deku Tree.
2. Inside the Deku Tree
- Get the Fairy Slingshot from the Slingshot chest.
- Defeat Queen Gohma to receive Kokiri's Emerald and a Heart Container.
3. Leaving the forest
- On the bridge to Hyrule Field, Saria gives you the Fairy Ocarina.
- Cross Hyrule Field to Hyrule Castle Town Market and continue to Hyrule Castle.
4. Hyrule Castle and Princess Zelda
- Malon gives you the Weird Egg outside the castle. It hatches into a Cucco after some time passes.
- Use the Cucco to wake up Talon, who is sleeping by the crates. With him gone you can push the crates and climb into the castle grounds.
- Sneak through the courtyard to meet Zelda. She gives you Zelda's Letter, and Impa teaches you Zelda's Lullaby as you leave.
5. Optional songs before Death Mountain
- Saria's Song (needed for the Gorons): go through the Lost Woods to Sacred Forest Meadow and talk to Saria.
- Epona's Song: visit Malon at Lon Lon Ranch during the day after meeting her at the castle.
6. Kakariko Village and Death Mountain
- Show Zelda's Letter to the guard at the Death Mountain gate in Kakariko Village to open the trail.
- In Goron City, go to Darunia's room and play Saria's Song. He gives you the Goron's Bracelet, which lets you pull Bomb Flowers.
- Use a Bomb Flower to blow open the entrance of Dodongo's Cavern on Death Mountain Trail.
7. Dodongo's Cavern
- The Bomb Bag chest gives you the Bomb Bag.
- Defeat King Dodongo for the Goron's Ruby.
8. Zora's River and Zora's Domain
- Follow Zora's River upstream and play Zelda's Lullaby in front of the waterfall to open Zora's Domain.
- Win the diving game at the top of the waterfall in Zora's Domain to get the Silver Scale.
- Dive to the bottom of Lake Hylia (you can drop down from Zora's Domain through an underwater tunnel) for the bottle with Ruto's Letter.
- Show the letter to King Zora. He moves aside and you keep the empty bottle.
- Catch a fish in the bottle and offer it to Lord Jabu-Jabu in Zora's Fountain.
9. Inside Jabu-Jabu's Belly
- Find Princess Ruto and carry her through the dungeon.
- The Boomerang chest gives you the Boomerang.
- Defeat Barinade to receive Zora's Sapphire.
10. The Ocarina of Time and the Master Sword
- With all three Spiritual Stones, return to Hyrule Castle Town. At the drawbridge Zelda flees and throws the Ocarina of Time into the moat; dive for it.
- Zelda then teaches you the Song of Time.
- In the Temple of Time, place the three stones on the altar and play the Song of Time to open the Door of Time.
- Pull the Master Sword from the pedestal. You wake up seven years later – continue with the adult walkthrough.
Worth doing as a child before or after the time jump
- Plant Magic Beans (sold by the bean seller at Zora's River) in soft soil; the plants become platforms for the adult.
- Get the Great Fairy's magic on top of Death Mountain and Din's Fire near Hyrule Castle (both need Zelda's Lullaby and bombs to open the fountain).
- The grave in Kakariko Graveyard contains a Hylian Shield.