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.
11) Pegasus Boots – 7 votes, 235 points
Chris: Our panel seems to enjoy items like the Pegasus Boots and the aforementioned Bunny Hood because of their ability to make traversing the world map easier. I’m no exception: I’ve always enjoyed seeing the Pegasus Boots (or Shoes) show up in a Zelda game.
What makes these boots stand out is that you can use them for devastating dash attacks along the way. Charging through a group of corrupt Hylian soldiers always feels great, especially when you can kill them with one hit from a tempered or powered-up sword. If you’re especially good at the timing, you can even start to dash in one direction, then turn and bounce off a wall to cover short gaps that you otherwise couldn’t jump over.
Different versions of the Pegasus Boots have had slightly different effects — it’s fun to jump huge gaps in Link’s Awakening by pairing them with the Roc’s Feather, and you can run in more than just straight lines in a couple other versions. Regardless, it’s all about speed.
Shaun: The Oracle games tried to replace the Pegagus Boots with the Pegagus Seeds, which still enabled fast movement but took out the sword dash, and it just wasn’t the same. There’s something iconic now about dashing in a straight line across the screen and killing everything in your path.
This item was always one of the first I sought out when I could, because they made traversing the overworld so much faster. They also had a surprising amount of versatility to them – combine them with the Roc’s Feather to leap huge gaps, or dash into certain walls to clear crevices from the rebound that you’re not really supposed to clear. At the end of the day, though, nothing is more satisfying than skewering enemies on your sword like so many shish kabobs.
Joseph: Do you want to ride Epona, or do you want to frolic through the fields on your own? I, for one, would rather ditch the horse and have the capability myself. Majora’s Mask upgraded the Bunny Hood, which let you run faster, and I have wondered why the developers have not come up with a similar item in the subsequent games. Boots are fun, horses are a responsibility. And they bite.
RELATED LINKS
PREVIOUS TOP 25s:
Gray Areas 