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Warping has been an ability of Link's as early as The Legend of Zelda. New additions to the series often bring newer methods of warping. In all cases, warping is the fastest mode of traveling across the land and sea. No physical or magical explanation has ever been offered for these mysterious portals and songs. One must simply assume "It's magic." And why not? Like all other aspects of The Legend of Zelda strewn together in a delicately executed manner- it is magic!
A recorder will warp to any dungeon you have cleared. If you are facing north or west, you warp to the next dungeon. If you are facing south or east, you warp to the dungeon before the one you are at. Upon completing the Triforce, Link can summon the whirlwind to warp to the ninth labyrinth.[1]
Some hidden stairways serve as warp points between its counterparts.
Within A Link to the Past, there exist two different types of warping. In one instance, there exist portals that travel to the Dark World. These portals will send Link to the same coordinates within the Dark World; use of the Magic Mirror while within the Dark World will accomplish the same task, only in reverse, sending Link to the Light World. A patch of sparkling light will remain and permits Link to travel back to the same spot in the Dark World. A similiar patch will show up on the map screen as well.[2]
The Magic Mirror also has an added advantage in that, unlike the portals which must be found, the Magic Mirror can be used anywhere. Within a dungeon, however, the Magic Mirror will merely send Link back to the entrance -- useful if ever he got stuck within the dungeon.
The gateway of Hyrule Castle will also warp to the Dark World after overthowing Agahnim.[3]
A second method of warping is of a more traditional kind, utilizing a Flute. Blowing into the Flute will summon a bird that will carry Link to any one of eight landing points.
Swimming through whirlpools will warp to other whirlpools throughout Hyrule. The 6 whirlpool waterways can only be used after obtaining the Zora's Flippers.
Playing Manbo's Mambo will warp Link to Manbo's pond near Crazy Tracy's home and potion shop. Manbo's Mambo will also warp to the dungeon entrance when played inside of dungeons.
A warp pad will appear at the entrance and in the mini-boss room once said mini-boss is defeated.
Warp Holes can be found on elevated platforms at various points across the overworld. They can be used to warp Link to the next warp hole he has seen, in a specific sequence.
There is also a spell that can be found known as Farore's Wind. When used, it will place a "marker" at the door of the most recently traveled-through entrance. Upon being used again, it will carry Link back to that marker. This is a useful tool as it can also warp Link out of locked rooms and escaping from difficult enemies, such as the dungeon's boss or mini-boss. It can also be used to warp from one dungeon to another, if a warp point was set and Farore's Wind was later used.
Drawing the Master Sword from the Pedestal of Time will warp Link 7 years into the Future. Replacing the sword warps back 7 years. Link's age will change from a child to adult and vice versa in this warping system. This would be the first Time-warping used in The Legend of Zelda series.
The Ocarina of Time's other function returns Link to Clocktown, Dawn of the First Day when playing the Song of Time. This is the only form of Warping with a cost. All rupees and item stocks will be depleted upon returning to the First Day.
There are also pads at the entrances of the four dungeons within the game. If Link has defeated the boss of that dungeon once before, Link will be have the option of warping right to the boss room and fighting the boss instantly. This can spare time instead of going through the troubles of the temple once again.
Gale Seeds have the ability to warp Link to any of the Mystical Trees.
The Harp of Ages warps Link through time. This works similiar to warping from the Dark World to the Light World in A Link to the Past, via warping Link to the same map coordinates the item is used.
The Tune of Echoes awakens warp portal tiles to travel to the opposite age.
The Tune of Ages allows Link to warp freely from one age to the opposite one. A sparkling pattern will remain to travel back where this tune is played. The marked spot will also appear on the Field Map.
Hidden portals will warp to Subrosia. The Subrosian portals return to Labrynna.
In a linked game, a warp portal will appear near the Maku tree. This portal leads to an extra mini dungeon with very major Bosses.
The Wind Waker features more warping utilizing the game's titular item, the Wind Waker. After obtaining the bow, Link can face any of the larger cyclones and shoot Cyclos, who is hiding within the cyclone. If three successful hits are achieved, Cyclos will submit to Link and teach him the Ballad of Gales, which allows Link to harness the power of the cyclones and travel to one of several squares of the map, and is in fact the only way to get inside the Mother and Child Isles.
Within many dungeons there are also pots with fogs of various colors. These are known as Warp Jars. If both Jars of the same color are found within the same dungeon, jumping into one will take Link to the other. The cycle is green, blue, yellow. The yellow pot is usually right outside the boss room. If one of the pots is still covered, that pot is skipped in the cycle.
The Savage Labyrinth has Pillars of Light that serve as a warp spot. Warping back to the entrance is the only possibility. This dungeon doesn't allow Link to warp to any previously cleared areas.
The Minish Cap brings back the Flute warping system from A Link to the Past with the Ocarina of Wind. Finding and activating any of the many Wind Crests around Hyrule will set it as a warp point. The Ocarina of Wind can be used once obtained to be carried away by a bird to any of the activated Wind Crests.
Other, different warp pads also appear within dungeons, similarly to the Game Boy and Game Boy ColorThe Legend of Zelda games of past. A blue warp pad will appear at the entrance and in the mini-boss room once said mini-boss is defeated. A red pad will appear at the entrance and in the room right before the dungeon's boss.
In Twilight Princess, Shadow Beasts dot the landscapes of Hyrule. Defeating each of the groups of Shadow Beasts will create a portal near their location, which Midna can then utilize to warp Link and herself across Hyrule. Very large objects can be transported in this manner.
The Great Fairy offers to warp Link back to the Cave of Ordeals entrance or to any of the Fountains in which she has sent fairies to. This power is not unexpected from such a magically powerful persona.
When in a dig cavern, the player can climb onto a rock when a beam of light shines. The player then appears above ground.
Phantom Hourglass features a system of warping similar to The Wind Waker, although instead of using The Wind Waker to summon cyclones, Link uses a Cyclone Slate upon which any one of six symbols can be drawn. These symbols are learned from Golden Frogs that swim in the seas, and drawing a symbol will take Link to the location of the frog that taught him that symbol.
Temple of the Ocean King employs a unique warp system due to it's clock based nature. The warp portals record and store the amount of Sands of Hours used to reach the portal. Returning to the other portal will subtract the recorded amount from your Sands of Hours.
Dungeon Warp Tiles. Serving as an interactive maze in many dungeons, this tiles test a hero's mental powers. Hera's Tower prominently features warp tiles.
Often after slaying a dungeon boss, Link will be warped outside.
Wallmasters and Floormasters. Being grabbed by one is much like warping back to the entrance. This is rarely used by a player's own free will.
Usually when you fall down a pitfall, you will be warped to a nearby location.
Trivia
The Adventure of Link features absolutely no form of warping, thus adding to its outsider status from other The Legend of Zelda titles.
References
↑"Well, once he's collected the last Trifrce fragment, Link can warp to the entrance to the ninth labyrinth by blowing the whistle and summoning the whirlwind." (The Legend of Zelda manual, pg. 26)
↑"The place you used it last is marked on the Field Map." (A Link to the Past manual, pg. 27)
↑"Once you have overthrown te wizard Agahnim, you can also enter the Dark World from the entrance of Hyrule Castle." (A Link to the Past manual, pg. 27)
↑"With the Ocarina, you can also warp to other places." (The Legend of Zelda The Ocarina of Time manual, pg. 23)
↑"Playing certain tunes can warp you to different places." (The Ocarina of Time manual, pg. 30)
↑"And when you play the Song of Soaring, which you will learn at some point in your quesst, you will be able to warp to areas where there are Owl Statues." (Majora's Mask manual, pg. 40)