Link carried his raft to the port near the harbor town of Mido. Carefully arranging his belongings, he shot off into the waters of Hyrule's ocean, heading toward the eastern island of the continent. Luck was with Link that day - the current took him due east, and he soon arrived at the shores of eastern Hyrule.

Leaving his raft at a convenient port, Link traveled by foot to the town of Nabooru. One woman begged Link to save their town; another one begged Link to save Hyrule. Link stopped at a fountain to fill his flask with water. A woman standing outside her house nearby told Link she was thirsty, and he kindly offered to let her drink from his flagon. Seeing his good heart, she invited Link inside. A wise man living there taught Link the Fire spell, which would make Link's magic sword shoot fire.

Link received some valuable tips in Nabooru. One man told Link about boots that would allow their wearer to walk on water. A boy suggested that Link jump into a hole in the palace, if he went. One woman told Link about a terrible river devil guarding the river to the south, a terrible monster that preyed upon the weak. Another woman told Link to see a man in Darunia before the islands.

Armed with these clues, Link left Nabooru and followed the road north to a cave, emerging in the northernmost area of eastern Hyrule. Hiking high up into the perilous mountains, Link battled blue Octoroks to reach the mountain town of Darunia.

A woman there told Link more about the river devil: legends said that the devil didn't like noise. A man told Link that the palace had a false wall, but he didn't specify which palace. Link tried to talk to others, but some of the villagers turned into Aches and attacked him. A sad old woman asked Link to save the kidnapped child on the island to the east, and Link solemnly promised to do so.

The island to the east was a twisting series of roads through mountains, which earned it the name of Maze Island. At a dead end, Link fell into a well-disguised hole. He tumbled down into a tunnel, where he found the kidnapped child guarded by a lizard warrior. This lizard man attacked Link with a trident, and Link bravely fought and defeated the cold-blooded reptile. Carrying the child back to Darunia, Link was hailed once again as a hero. As a reward, the child's grandfather taught Link the Reflect spell, which would strengthen his magic shield.

A young boy there told Link that a powerful knight lived in this town, so Link began to search for him. He used the Jump spell to reach a rooftop and go down the chimney, and found the knight in the basement. This knight carried spear and shield, and taught Link the second Art of Swordfighting, the jump thrust. Link could now thrust up with his sword to attack enemies above his head.

Link explored Maze Island some more, wandering the intertwining paths. At last he found what he was looking for: the Maze Palace. Magicians warped in and out of sight in this palace, sending magic at Link's feet. Using the Reflect spell, Link was able to bounce the magicians' magic back and defeat them. When Link reached a suspicious-looking pit, he remembered what the boy in Nabooru said he should do: jump in. Taking a deep breath, Link bravely jumped into the dark maw. He landed safely in another room, and fought a blue Ironknuckle to obtain the Boots. As he remembered it, these boots would let him walk on water. Through the rest of the palace, Link fought Myus, slimes with thorns protruding from their bodies, by using the downward thrust, and did battle with red Ironknuckles and iron men.

Carock, the guardian of this palace, was the baddest magician of them all. He warped in and out quickly, disappearing and reappearing at blinding speed. Magic spells whizzed by Link, but he cast the Reflect spell before Carock could get the upper hand. Carock's magic bounced off of Link's shield, and Link was able to hit the cloaked magician. Finally Carock was defeated, and Link placed the fourth crystal into the palace's statue. Link left Maze Island, and the palace turned to stone.

Now Link wanted to try out his boots. Following the road east from Nabooru, Link walked to the edge of the ocean. He tried on his Boots and walked out into the cold water. He could hardly believe it - he wasn't sinking in, so the legends were true! Link explored the ocean by foot until he saw a palace on an island in the distance. The Ocean Palace was damp and green with mold and algae inside, and sorcerers warped in and out of sight, casting flames in Link's path.

Behind a blue Ironknuckle Link stumbled into a false wall by accident. Lucky for him, this led him to the treasure hidden in the palace, the Flute. This instrument could play the legendary mysterious music of Hyrule, the sound of which would rouse old powers.

In the final room of the palace, an ugly white ogre named Gooma towered above Link. His spiked helmet, spiked ball and chain, and primitive appearance were designed to inspire fear, but Link felt none. He noticed that Gooma's chest was unprotected, so he skillfully avoided the monster's swinging ball and jumped up to strike Gooma's midsection. This strategy worked, and soon Link placed the fifth crystal into the palace's statue. The palace turned to stone, and Link, done with his ocean exploration, walked on the water back to dry land.