I'm playing through the original Legend of Zelda for the first time. After beating the second dungeon, I found my way to the sixth. I struggled with a deadly Wizrobe room until I realized that I wasn't on level three.
Is it possible to play through the levels out of order, successfully? Is this a good idea in terms of progression of items?
Best Answer
Ignoring glitches/exploits, there is some leeway in the order that dungeons can be completed. With the exception of Dungeon 9 (you must beat the previous 8 dungeons for entrance), you do not have to complete any of the dungeons to complete another one. Some dungeons require you to retrieve items from a different dungeon to either gain access or complete it. (I have omitted bombs and keys as a requirement, but they are probably the most useful tools to make it through the dungeons)
Once you are inside a particular dungeon housing one of required magic items for a different dungeon, there are no required items besides bombs and keys to retrieve the item.
Now, this is not to say it is a good idea to do them out of order. The sword upgrades are only available once you get a certain number of heart containers. In order to easily kill monsters in higher numbered dungeons it is advised to complete the lower numbered dungeon so you can get a new heart container and potentially gain access to an upgraded weapon.