In 3d zeldas where you can roll infinitely (By memory Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Windwaker and Twilight Princess) I usually just roll over and over again instead of simply walking. It feels just a little bit faster.
I know this may change from game to game (I didn't want to create 4 questions that are the same except what game we are talking about) but is it faster to roll instead of simply walking/running to your next location? And if so, by how much?
Best Answer
Yes it is always faster to roll. By how much depends on the game, so let's break it down a bit. All of this information was found on the ZeldaSpeedRuns website, which has in-depth mechanical information compiled by the community of Zelda speedrunners. All of the values provided are in units per frame.
Ocarina of Time
In Ocarina of Time, your standard movement speed while walking is 9 units as adult, and 8.25 units as child. Rolling and backwalking have a movement speed of 13.5 units as adult, and 12.375 units as child. As far as I can tell, these values are the same in Ocarina of Time 3D. Source
Majora's Mask
In Majora's Mask, walking as Link has a constant speed of 5.5 units. Rolling as Link has an average speed of 6.583 units. However, in that game, the fastest regular movement by far is spike rolling as Goron, which has a constant speed of 18 units. As far as I can tell, these values are the same in Majora's Mask 3D. Source
The Wind Waker
In The Wind Waker, Link walks at a speed of 17 units and rolls at a top speed of 26 units. As far as I can tell, these values are the same in The Wind Waker HD. Source
Twilight Princess
In Twilight Princess, Link walks at a speed of 23 units, and rolls at a top speed of 32.9 units. However, Wolf dashing is generally considered to be faster than rolling in most cases, which has a top speed of either 33 or 45 units, depending on the area. As far as I can tell, these values are the same in Twilight Princess HD. Source