No more games, no more pretense — this is our list of the top 25 Zelda items of all-time. Whether they were weapons or shields or utility items, these are the panel’s selections for the coolest or most useful inventory slots in the series. We’ll be counting down one by one until we reach the #1 pick on Jan. 31.
12) Fire Rod – 6 votes, 202 points
Shaun: In my Zelda fan-fiction (look for it in a theater near you), my Link is pretty balanced, for necessity. There are only so many items he can carry around with him on a live-action iteration. So you have the sword and shield, bow, and hookshot, but one of the most important items in this Link’s arsenal is the Fire Rod.
Why? Because it allows Link to even the odds against the bulls*** he is constantly forced to deal with, and fight magic with magic. Wizards, mummies, and animate skeletons want to try to bring you down, huh? Well, you could vanquish them with your superior sword skills, or you could just light them the f*** on fire and bask in the glow.
Look, I’ve established that I love lighting things on fire earlier in this list already (probably to a concerning degree), so of course the Fire Rod was going to be on my list. Things only get more broken with the Fire Rod from A Link Between Worlds, but I’ll let Chris explain that one.
Chris: Ah, the Fire Rod. I enjoyed the item in Link to the Past, but it’s Link Between Worlds where the love affair really set in.
Back in LttP, the Fire Rod was useful for destroying mummies in one hit, reaching faraway torches (or saving time versus using the lantern) and for decimating Ganon’s hidden technique of darkness. All of those things were cool, and it was an item I used a decent amount throughout my early playthroughs of the game. It was also pretty cool in Four Swords Adventure, where it had all of those functions plus the ability to be used as a flamethrower to mow down grassy areas.
But in Link Between Worlds, the Fire Rod switches from shooting a fireball to LAUNCHING A PILLAR OF DEADLY FLAMES. Throw in the upgrade to the Nice Fire Rod, and suddenly Link is tossing out towering columns of fire like it’s the easiest thing in the world. It’s great for quickly melting ice, decimating groups of vulnerable enemies and looking even cooler with the 3D slider turned up.
The Fire Rod was one of the first items I upgraded in Link Between Worlds, and it instantly increased the amount of fun I had playing the game.
Joseph: Of course the Fire Rod is on this list, it is an immolation machine. It was replaced by the Fire Arrow in the 3D games, but the mobile versions cannot seem to get rid of the rod. Its versatility keeps it alive and I will not be surprised to see it or a variant in Zelda games to come.
Michaela: A powerful and hilarious weapon, nothing is more entertaining than setting everything in sight ablaze with a single flick of the Fire Rod. I wish this item would make a return in the console games, because killing a Cucco is never quite the same without the aid of the Fire Rod.
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