Death Mountain Descent Glitch

The "Death Mountain Descent" is in fact a moderately complicated glitch. The overall purpose of it is to get into the Dark World without completeing the Tower of Hera, get the Master Sword, or even defeat Agahnim for the first time. You do not even need the Moon Pearl if you are that determined. This glitch also leads to many other corresponding glitches I would like to encourage people to send in for the Zelda Secrets and Oddities section. This glitch has two parts of it, the first is the actual "Death Mountain Descent" itself. The second is to change back into Link without getting the Moon Pearl. Both work on the GBA versions and the GBA holds a plus side - you can save and get back to your location. SNES players will have to repeat the Descent again and again. And, don't ask me if you can beat the game like this, I don't know, but if you do, answer our questions by sending in the results of your attempts.

In order to complete the transformation glitch, you will need the flippers and at least one fairy in a bottle. When you are ready, go to Death Mountain and get the Mirror from the old man and then jump into the portal for the first time. Once in the Dark World, jump down off the ledge and then off the ledge below that, and make your way to one screen transition to the right. In the Light World there would be a bridge here that you would need the Hook shot to get across. However, in the Dark World, there are only two statues where the bridge's posts would be.

	Step 1: Position Yourself
	Position yourself in the corner below the upper post as shown in the picture. Make sure you are up against both the statue and the ledge. Face right as you will be doing throughout the rest of the glitch.

	Step 2: One Pixel Move
	Use the mirror and warp to the Light World. Just BARELY hit the controller to go 1 pixel to the right. When Link stops blinking he will automatically warp back. DO NOT MOVE!! If you did this correctly you should be over just 1 pixel to the right a little more and you should not be automatically warped back by the game. If you are, go back to Step 1.

	Step 3: Backwards Step
	Use the mirror and warp back into the Light World and head to the right until a post in the bridge prevents you from going further. Press your sword button and let it power up and continue holding it. VERY SLOWLY go back to the left (Link is still facing towards the right with his sword powered up) and step into the portal as slow as possible - 1 pixel taps.

	Step 4: On Top of the Ledge
	If you stepped back slowly enough then when you warp back you should be standing on the ledge as shown in the picture and you should not be warped back into the Light World. If you are, guess what, go back to Step 1 and start all over again. While on the ledge DO NOT go left, down, or up.

	Step 5: The Black Space
	Hit the controller to the right to jump off the ledge and into the black void that ultimately should be sky with lava streams below. I guess not. You can walk around anywhere around here. It's kinda kewl actually, but you ultimately should head downwards. Do NOT enter into another screen unless I tell you to.

	Step 6: The Land Masses
	Going downwards you should locate two landmasses. Focus on the one to the left. Go around to the right side of it and go downwards as shown in the picture. Enter into the next screen.

Step 7: Glitchy Dark World

Congratulations! If done correctly, you should now be on the cliff to the left of the waterfall. If you did it incorrectly, you will be stuck ON the waterfall, and then you have to restart your game and start over from Step 1. But, if you're on top of that ledge, jump down onto land! As you can see by even my picture, the Dark World is glitchy. What did you expect after messing with this? Don't worry. Easily fixed by going into a cave and coming out, or even warping back and forth.

DMD Glitch - Reverting to Link Form

From here, you can explore the Dark World as much as you would like. However, it is in Bunny Link form. How do we get rid of that without having to go into the Tower of Hera and getting the Moon Pearl? That would be Part 2: Transformation and requires the use of the flippers and fairy I recommended you grab. Please note that there is no "permanent" solution to remain as Link and when you enter and leave a building of some sort you will come out as Bunny Link again.

Step 1: Pond Skipping

So, where do you go? To the marshes, actually. You have to get there by going around through the Village of the Outcasts, but you can get there. Make your way to the north-west lake and start in the screen shown in the picture. Before you start, get your heart meter low to near death. Now, head into the deep part of the water. If you are careful, it glitches and you aren't dunked and thrown back out. The trick is, you can't just keep pressing the button, you have to do it in pixel steps.

	Step 2: Pond Skating
	Head towards the left. Link should start blinking as you skip your way over. Enter the next screen. If it worked right, Link will not long "skip" and blink but he will start sliding as if he's on ice. If it goes wrong, he will just continue to blink and you will have to start over.

	Step 3: Fairy Transformation
	Now, allow one of those bomber guys to kill you, if all went well. Your fairy, however, will not allow you to die, of course. In the death sequence you will become Link again and the fairy will revive you.

	Step 4: Successful Glitch!
	If everything went right, guess what, when you are entered back into the scene where you died, you will not be turned back into Bunny Link but instead will remain in your true form! If you are turned back into Bunny Link, try try again.

Note: in my own first attempt at this glitch, I did it on my GBA version of the game and I did it wrong - I didn't do the screen transition. I didn't realize that I had done it wrong until I tried it on the SNES and realized my mistake when it wouldn't work. It might just be safe to say that GBA versions have it easier, though, I have not performed a second test yet and might have got a double glitch my first time.

Remember, if you enter a building, cave, or dungeon, when you come back out you will be Bunny Link again and you will have to repeat the above steps.

Be sure to check for more follow-up glitches in the Zelda Secrets and Oddities page under either/or A Link to the Past and LttP Four Swords sections.