The challenges are challenging for reasons beyond puzzle solving and enemy fighting. We’ll do our best to make these challenges as easy as possible, but most of what you’ll have to tackle is based on your own skills, reflexes, knowledge of each level, and cunning. Most of our strategies from the walkthrough still apply here, so make sure to brush up on each level before you take on a challenge there. Getting 100% completion in this game is only for the most stalwart of heroes—no one will look down on you for not reaching this goal. If you’re still not dissuaded, read on to get as much help as we are able to give you. First, here’s a look at the types of challenges you will run into.
Fewer Heart Containers
Fewer Heart Containers challenges are exactly what their name suggests. Instead of having nine Heart Containers, you’ll start these challenges with a mere four. To add injury to insult, these challenges, like most others, will throw more enemies your way. A lot more. You’ll need to be extremely careful to complete these challenges. There is no timer in this challenge like there are in other challenges, so you can afford to crawl your way through these stages. You can either follow the level strategies suggested in the walkthrough to pick an Outfit, or you can bring a good general Outfit, like the Sword Suit, Lucky Loungewear, or Legendary Dress. Whatever you choose, always proceed on the side of caution once the challenge begins. Things can get out of hand very, very quickly, so always be alert!
Clear Within the Time Limit
These are some of the more difficult challenges in the game. As soon as you start the level, a timer will begin ticking down. The only way to fill it up again is to pick up small and large hourglasses scattered around the level. You’ll need to be quick with everything you do and you’ll need to consider every way to save time to complete these stages. If you run out of time, you’ll have to start the entire level over. It’s a good idea to play through the levels with these challenges a couple of times before trying to tackle the challenge itself, that way you can get a refresher on the level, figure out what areas and puzzles you get stuck on, and choose an Outfit accordingly. You’ll want to pick any Outfits that make you defeat enemies quickly or help you solve puzzles faster. The last thing we can tell you about these grueling challenges is to not let the small hourglasses distract you. They only give five seconds, which isn’t a lot of time. If you can’t grab them on the way to your next destination, don’t bother with them at all. You can very easily burn through five or more seconds going out of your way for one of these small hourglasses, meaning most of the time you’ll break even or lose time. Stay focused, be quick, and don’t let anything distract you! That’s the only way to best these Drabland challenges.
Guard the Orb
Guard the Orb challenges require you to carry an orb to the end of each room. The orb creates a ring of light around it, which protects you from a poisonous miasma encompassing the whole level. Stand outside of the orb for too long and you’ll start taking damage. There aren’t too many major changes to levels that have this challenge. The way you tackle puzzles and enemies doesn’t change. You just need to keep the orb around you at all times. This can be a hindrance, as it limits where you can go and since one Link must almost always have the orb in hand, you’ll be down a man for just about every challenge. All of that being said, taking it slow and thinking about your surroundings before making any dramatic moves will make these challenges slow, but fairly easy.
Pop All Balloons
Pop All Balloons challenges are strange beasts. There aren’t many changes to a level with one of these challenges, except that there are now several balloons. Your job is to pop them all. The number on the top of the top screen will keep you informed on how many balloons you have left. The numbers on the balloon indicate how tall your Totem will need to be to reach that balloon, but it’s not as cut and dry as it might seem at first. You don’t need to make a Totem that matches the number on the balloons most of the time. If you can get to a higher location, you can often just hit the balloon with your sword or shoot it with a Sub-Weapon. Another trick, which you’ll need to employ for a lot of balloons that aren’t numbered, is to pull out a Bomb, hold it until it’s just about to blow, and then throw it right at the balloon. A Bomb’s explosion will give you some extra reach for those balloons that are just a bit too far to reach. You also don’t actually need to hit balloons with a weapon of any sort—just throwing a Link at them will be enough to pop them. The real trick of these challenges comes from the hidden and hard-to-reach balloons. You’ll have to get creative and think hard about your surroundings to figure out how to reach tougher balloons. Look behind structures. Look under bridges and platforms. If the room has breakable platforms, then break them and search for balloons there. Nothing is sacred when it comes to these balloons!
Clear Using Only Bombs
Despite what their name suggests, the Clear Using Only Bombs challenge doesn’t actually require you to use only Bombs. This challenge will replace the Sub-Weapons for this level with Bombs, which means you’ll need to solve all the puzzles with Bombs—unless, of course, you can hit something with your sword. Your sword is still completely in play, so if you can reach a switch or an enemy with your sword, do it. The real challenge comes from enemies and puzzles that originally required the use of Bows to reach them. You’ll have to be creative with your Bombs by holding on to them and throwing them just before they blow to hit higher switches. In single-player, you can also make a three-Link Totem and throw the top two Links with a Bomb in hand. They can stand by taller objects and have the Bomb explode on a higher level with no fear of them taking damage, provided you’re not controlling them at that time, of course. Be clever about how you use your Bombs and solve puzzles and you’ll have this challenge knocked out without much of a struggle.
Defeat All Foes Without a Sword
This challenge requires you to beat the level without using a sword. More than that, you’ll have to clear each room, which is now packed with enemies, to make the Triforce gateway appear. This isn’t a particularly hard challenge if you bring along the Kokiri Clothes or Big Bomb Outfit. Finding all of the enemies can be a bit of challenge, so make sure to check every corner, nook, and cranny to find all of them.
Transport the Orb Quickly
Transport the Orb Quickly challenges combine the timer of Clear Within the Time Limit challenges with the orb escorting from the Guard the Orb challenges. As terrible as that might sound, these challenges are actually more forgiving than both of their counterparts. The timer is less intense and there is no poisonous miasma to deal with. You can feel safe grabbing pretty much any hourglass you find in the level, and while you need to do everything quickly, there is room for mistakes. The best tip we can offer is that if your path to the orb pedestal and Triforce gateway are blocked (which they often will be), throw the orb up to or near a location you know you’ll have to come back to. This will save you the time and effort required to pick up the orb and make a Totem to escort the orb to its pedestal. Using the Cheetah Costume will help you move faster during the level or using Outfits that help you defeat enemies as quickly as possible, such as the Sword Suit and Sword Master Suit, will help make these stages as easy as possible.
Adventure in the Dark
Adventure in the Dark challenges are exactly what their name implies. You’ll have to play through the entire level, but in a level of darkness found only in the last two worlds of the game. You won’t be able to see more than a foot around each Link, so taking your time is an absolute must! It’s incredibly easy to walk off of a cliff or into an enemy in these challenges. To make them significantly easier, wear the Light Armor. It will create a much larger radius of light around the one wearing this Outfit. The levels with this challenge are virtually the same, so you can do a few practice runs in the No Challenge version of the level before trying to take it on with the lights out. Careful steps, an eye for detail, and exceptional patience will get you through these challenges. Don’t let these challenges best you!
Clear with Halved Energy
These challenges require a good deal of patience and fortitude. Your energy bar will be halved, meaning using a Sub-Weapon and water dashing will take twice the amount of energy as they did before. You’ll need to think very carefully about how you’re going to solve puzzles, especially ones involving the Water Rod. You can offset this debuff by equipping the Energy Gear or Outfits specifically related to the Sub-Weapons found in the level. The Energy Gear will work for Link and the Doppels while playing in single-player, but will only work for the Link that has the Outfit equipped in multiplayer. If you want to offset the halved energy bar for everyone in multiplayer, you’ll need to equip the Cheer Outfit, which will increase all three players’ energy bars. You’ll have to be slow and plan your moves carefully to complete these challenges, but take your time and you’ll knock these out with no problems!
Evade the Wallmaster
Evade the Wallmaster challenges are pretty intense. A Wallmaster, a disembodied hand, will float over whatever Link you’re currently controlling (or a random Link in multiplayer). After twenty to thirty seconds, the Wallmaster will wiggle its fingers rapidly, then swat straight down in an attempt to smash you. If it succeeds, you’ll be KO’d on the spot, no matter how full your Heart Containers are. You’ll need to do everything quickly while paying close attention to the Wallmaster. If you see those rapidly wiggling fingers, move! You can use the Wallmaster’s swats to have it defeat enemies. You can also use it to swat nearby Bomb Flowers to have it defeat itself. The Sword Suit and Sword Master Suit will help you defeat the Wallmaster when it swats down, which will give you a bit of a breather. The Lucky Loungewear and Kinda Cursed Tights will give you a chance of avoiding death if you’re unlucky enough to have the Wallmaster actually land a swat. Be smart, be careful, and you’ll get through this tough challenges.
Halved Attack and Defense
As the name implies, these challenges will leave you and any of your friends with half attack damage and you’ll take double damage from any attacks. While that can be a pretty rough challenge in the later levels, there are ways to easily offset these downgrades. You can wear the Sword Suit to balance your attack damage back to its normal values, or wear the Sword Master Suit to deal more than the normal values. A Legendary Dress or Lucky Loungewear can help mitigate the damage you take, somewhat neutralizing the effects of your lowered defense. For the most part, the levels are the same, but you’ll likely encounter stronger enemies and more of them. Just carry on through the level as you would any other level and make sure to be more mindful of your attacks to prevent yourself from taking unintended damage. You’ve got this!
Don’t Pop Any Balloons
These challenges are awful! Awful, we say! Balloons will be scattered all throughout the level and you can’t pop a single one—not a single, solitary balloon. As if that isn’t enough of a challenge, the balloons are in the worst possible places. They’re practically begging to be popped. DO NOT, under any circumstances, bring Outfits that increase the size of your Sub-Weapons, or the amount of projectiles they fire! These challenges demand absolute precision. A single misfire, a sole balloon popped, and you’re done. You’ll lose a fairy and be forced to start the room over again, and believe us when we say it can happen much faster than you’d expect. Take as much time as absolutely necessary to avoid hitting any balloons. Think carefully about how your Sub-Weapons work. Your Boomerang always comes back to you—is it going to catch a balloon on its way back? Is that Bomb’s explosion going to pop the balloon near it? You’ll have to be incredibly meticulous to beat these challenges. And it doesn’t stop there, friends! Fighting an enemy that throws spears, Bombs or other projectiles? What about enemies that create shockwaves, like the Stalchampion? They can pop balloons too! These are arguably the toughest challenges in the game.
Avoid the Volcanic Rocks
These challenges are pretty straightforward: Avoid volcanic rocks that are constantly falling from the sky. You’ve already seen these rocks while playing through world 3, Volcano. Just pay attention to the shadows on the ground to see where the rocks will land and promptly step away from them. Bringing along a Legendary Dress or Lucky Loungewear will help offset any damage you take, if you’re struggling to avoid the rocks. Careful steps and an attention to detail will get you through these stages unmarred.
Only Bombs—No Swords
These challenges will replace the Sub-Weapons in a level with Bombs and remove your ability to swing your sword. Just about everything you do in levels with these challenges will require you use Bombs. You’ll need to think about how to solve puzzles, how to defeat enemies, and how to complete a level using nothing but Bombs! We’re being a bit more dramatic about it than these challenges deserve. They’re actually quite fun, and while they require some extra thought, you shouldn’t have too much trouble overcoming these new challenges. You can make them easier by bringing the Big Bomb Outfit or the Energy Gear. Bombs take an awful lot of energy to use, so bringing either Outfit will help you make the most of your exploding Sub-Weapon.
Don’t Get Hit By Snowballs
These challenges are nearly identical to the Avoid the Volcanic Rocks challenges found in Volcano. Obviously, instead of fiery rocks, you have to avoid giant snowballs falling from the sky. You need only pay attention to the shadows that appear on the ground to avoid getting smashed by a snowball. You can bring the Lucky Loungewear or Legendary Dress if you want to mitigate any accidental damage. These challenges are quite simple if you pay attention and stay focused. You’ve got this!
Win Without Using a Sword
These are some of the easier challenges in the game, provided you have the right Outfits. To complete these challenges, you’ll have to play through a whole level without a sword. You’ll still have access to a Sub-Weapon, which will be more than enough to get the job done. Just put on an Outfit that works directly with a Sub-Weapon in the level you’re about to do and things should go pretty smoothly. Take the time to think about how to defeat enemies with the Sub-Weapons you’ve been given and you’ll finish these challenges in no time at all.
Don’t Drop the Pot
Don’t drop the pot challenges are a lot like the Transport the Orb Quickly challenges, but without the time limit. There is a bit more to it than that, however. If you drop the pot, you’ll lose a fairy right then and there. This means that if the pot holder gets hit, falls off of a cliff or into a pit, falls into water, or throws the pot to the ground, there goes a fairy. Once the level begins and you pick up the pot, it has to be in someone’s hands at all times. To make things even trickier, you can throw the pot to your teammates, but it’s extra heavy and will fall much quicker than when you throw other Links or destructible objects. To be safe, stand right next to the person you’re throwing the pot to. That will keep you from missing your target. If you’re playing single-player, you can just hide the pot holder in a corner. Doppels can’t take damage, so unless the pot holder is knocked off of a ledge or into lava or water, you have nothing to fear. Multiplayer is an entirely different story, but the strategies are the same. Keep your pot holder as far away from enemies as possible and get in nice and close to your teammates before transferring the pot over to them. These are hard challenges, but they are far from unbeatable.
Don’t Fall at All
Don’t fall at all. Don’t do it. If you do, you’ll end up losing a fairy immediately. As easy as it may sound to avoid falling off cliffs or platforms or into pits, it’s actually much trickier than you’d think. You’ll need to be on the lookout for any obnoxious enemies hanging out around moving platforms and narrow pathways—they’re real killers now. You can avoid immediately losing a fairy by wearing the Tingle Tights. They’ll keep you alive after falling up to three times, so they’re definitely worth wearing for these challenges. Be on your guard, look out for any would-be prankster enemies, and you’ll make it through these challenges.
Avoid Falling and Quicksand
This is the Don’t Fall at All challenge with an extra twist. In this particular challenge, you’ll have to avoid sinking into the quicksand in addition to not falling. You can wear the Dunewalker Duds to eliminate the possibility of sinking into quicksand, but the choice is entirely up to you.
Clear Without Any Items
This is definitely one of the hardest challenges in the game, and it has very little to do with fighting the last boss. The rooms leading up to The Lady are very challenging, but if you followed our strategy and used Hammerwear plus a Hammer, you undoubtedly barreled through it. Now you’ll get a real taste of what these rooms are like. Problem is, you won’t have a single Sub-Weapon to help you through. This will become an exceptional burden when you reach room 3, where all of the Sky Soldiers are located. You’ll have to find a way to defeat the Soldiers who have swords and shields.
The best way to tackle this challenge is to try and make the Sword Master Suit. You’ll need to battle in the Coliseum and win the rare Materials in The Dunes, The Ruins, and the Sky Realm Coliseum stages. You’ll need to win and get lucky enough to land each of the stages’ gold Materials, but if you do, this challenge will be a lot easier. If you don’t have the means to play in the Coliseum, or if it’s taking longer to get the Materials than you can handle, you can also use the Sword Suit to help you.
In order to deal with the Sky Soldiers with swords and shields, you’ll need to position a Link behind them. When the Soldiers get in close, switch to that Link and hit the Soldier in the back. Their attention will immediately shift to their attacker. Switch Links, so that you’re behind them again, and slash them in the back. It will take several hits to defeat them, but if you keep this strategy up you should be safe from most of their attacks. You’ll want to try and clear out any other Sky Soldiers in the area before taking out the Sky Soldiers with swords and shields.
If you can handle this challenge, you can handle just about anything! Now get in there and show them what you’re made of!