The 10 LONGEST Legend of Zelda Side Quests

10 Longest Legend of Zelda Side Quests

Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re looking at side quests in “The Legend of Zelda” that are huge time commitments. Get ready for a lot of collectathons.

Rabbitland Rescue

“The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks” (2009)

Not long after the first section of “Spirit Tracks,” Link will find Rabbitland Rescue, where he meets the bunny-loving Bunnio. He’ll give you rewards, mostly Rupees and treasure, as you catch rabbits hidden across the five areas of the game. There are 50 in total; they’ll hide behind boulders, which you must shoot with your cannon before trying to catch them within ten seconds, or they run away. Some are naturally slippier than others, and can be a nuisance. But what really makes this quest take up time is the fact that some rabbits are found near hidden tracks, which you can only reach by doing other side quests. For all 50, Link gains the ability to shoot sword beams when at full health, which is nice but not exactly worth it.

The Poe Souls

“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)

Once upon a time, Jovani sold his soul for riches, which came with the unfortunate side effect of being turned to gold. In order to rescue him, Link must track down and defeat 60 Poes across the game and collect their souls. As you might expect, some are easy to find, but many others require a lot of exploring and digging. Collecting 20 souls gets you a Bottle of Great Fairy Tears, while collecting all 60 essentially gets you unlimited money; 200 rupees upon every visit to Hyrule, to be exact. This was made easier in the HD remaster, as the Bottle reward was replaced by the Ghost Lantern, which lit up when Link was near a Poe. But it’s still a major devotion of time.

Anju & Kafei

“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)

Technically, the optional Fierce Deity Mask requires you to complete most side quests in “Majora’s Mask.” But since you still can’t get it until right before the final boss, we’re going to talk about Anju and Kafei. The woman who runs Clock Town’s hotel is distraught over the recent disappearance of her fiance, Kafei, whom she’s meant to marry at the town festival in three days. Unknown to her, he was not only cursed into a child form by the Skull Kid, but was robbed of his ceremonial wedding mask. And it’s up to Link to help both of them. This quest has more moving parts and characters than any other in the game. Given the game’s time loop structure, missing a key moment or making a mistake can be devastating, as it means you’ll have to start the whole process over.

The Nintendo Gallery

“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003)

In “Wind Waker,” Link can show Pictographs of enemies and characters to Carlov, who turns them into figurines. But there are some important caveats. First, you have to upgrade your Picto Box through a smaller quest so you can take colored Pictographs. Carlov also won’t accept Pictographs where the subject isn’t facing the camera, or ones that don’t show enough of their body, which is obviously pretty hard to get for most enemies and bosses. Additionally, there are a few Legendary Pictographs that cost 50 rupees each, and certain others that can be missed, requiring a second playthrough if you do. It’s another quest made easier in the HD remaster; the Deluxe Picto Box is available from the start and holds 12 pictures instead of 3, and successful ones are marked with an icon so you don’t waste any time. With 134 figurines in total, though, the original version is a beast.

Mother Maiamai’s Missing Children

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” (2013)

Upon meeting Mother Maiamai in “A Link Between Worlds,” players would be smart to help her out. For every 10 of her missing children that Link finds and returns to her, she will upgrade one of his weapons, making it far more destructive than it was. However, with 100 missing babies in total, finding them all obviously takes a lot of time. At least they cry out whenever Link is near one, but 100 is still a fairly large number. And it isn’t as if you’ll always have the necessary gear to reach them when you hear them. Getting rewards at every interval of 10 makes it more worthwhile. But for your effort in finding them all, Mother Maiamai grants Link the Great Spin attack.

The Gold Skulltulas

“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)

Ah, the classics. In “Ocarina of Time,” Link meets a cursed family in Kakariko Village, who will only be at peace if you destroy Gold Skulltulas and collect the tokens they leave behind. There are 100 hidden throughout the game across both time periods. While they do make a tell-tale sound, you can go the whole game without ever coming across at least half of them. In fact, you get a reward after every group of ten, including bigger wallets. But after 50, you don’t get another reward until you complete the quest. After 100, you’re given an endless flow of Rupees. But at that point, you probably won’t have much need for them.

The Hunt for Bubbul Frogs

“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” (2023)

“Tears of the Kingdom” features multiple time-suck side quests. Who out there is still searching for all those Addison signs? But today, we’re talking about the 147 caves hidden across the world. In order to complete Koltin’s quest, Link must delve into each and every one of them, kill the Bubbul Frog hiding within, and collect the gem it drops. Given “Tears” is a huge open world game, finding all these caves obviously takes a lot of exploring. There are certain things to make it easier; you can set your sensor to Bubbul Frog, and light up caves by visiting a Cherry Blossom Tree. But that still lights up caves you’ve been to, and some feature labyrinthine designs. You get rewards through 46 gems, but it takes 101 more before you get Koltin’s paraglider fabric.

Batreaux’s Gratitude

“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)

Batreaux is one of Skyloft’s most interesting citizens; a monster with dreams of being human. In order for him to achieve this dream, Link must bring him 80 gratitude crystals, some of which are hidden in specific spots, but most of which are earned by completing various other side quests. Naturally, since side quests appear at different points in the story, this takes an awful long time. However, even looking at how long it takes to complete all these individual quests, Batreaux still deserves his spot. Most of the quests are still fun, though, and it’s a bit more interesting than other “Zelda” collectathons. Plus, you get rewards throughout, mostly different sized wallets, and it’s nice seeing Batreaux finally take on the form he’s meant to be.

The Koroks

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

Well, this one should come as no surprise. As most of you know, there are 900 Koroks hidden across “Breath of the Wild,” which is frankly absurd. Stumbling upon one is usually fun, as they’re normally accompanied by a small but engaging environmental puzzle. Plus, collecting their poo- I mean, “seeds,” is the only way to expand how many weapons and shields you can carry. So they’re definitely worth doing…to a certain extent. But you’ll eventually reach a limit on how much space you really need, and there will still be hundreds of these little rascals left. Finding them all is only for the biggest completionists, and your reward will be a literal, even bigger piece of crap from Hestu. “Tears of the Kingdom” tested our patience again, with 1,000 seeds this time, and no change to the final reward.

The Figurine Gallery

“The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005)

If we listen very carefully, we can hear anyone who played through this quest letting out a long, tired sigh. Like “Wind Waker,” “The Minish Cap” features a figurine-collecting side quest. But it is far less fun. Instead of the interactivity of taking pictures, Link must spend Mysterious Shells on a gacha machine. Naturally, as you continue to collect, the likelihood of getting something new constantly decreases, forcing you to fork over more shells…which then forces you to grind for more shells as you progress through the game. The figurines are charming, but nothing about the process is particularly enjoyable. And with 136 of them to earn, it’ll take a lot of time and patience. Your efforts get you a Piece of Heart, a ton of Rupees, and access to a Phonograph that lets you listen to the game’s music. But it is only for the most dedicated of players.

What lengthy “Zelda” side quest were you glad to finally put to rest? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos every day!