Welcome to the second part of this The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past Randomizer LP! I simulpublished (real word) the first two episodes, so if you found this one before Episode 1 be sure to start over here for an explanation of what's going on.

At the end of the first episode, Garflink finally made it out of Hyrule Castle's sewers after trying and failing to bash his way through with a useless blue stick and with one fewer key than was required. The overworld of the Kingdom of Hyrule is now Garflink's oyster carbonara, but where to go first?

Side-Note: The Magic Hammer is the first dungeon item you find in the Dark World, and is the only way to get past the wooden stake barricades that cordon off a lot of the Dark World's regions. It's the only weapon that can damage certain enemies - though, oddly, the boss of the dungeon it pertains to is not on that list of exclusives, as he can also be hurt by bombs - but it's also a pretty powerful weapon in general and is usually considered the best alternative for the sword, if the sword is inaccessible. Another lucky early find for Garflink!

Side-Note: The Boomerang is even more ubiquitous than the hookshot as a constant companion of Link, usually found early in his adventures. Its damage potential isn't significant - like the hookshot, it tends to only stun all but the smallest enemies - but it's useful for grabbing distant items. There's also an enhanced version available somewhere out there, though I'm not sure if it's part of the randomizer pool or an item I have to upgrade the usual way by tossing it into the right fairy fountain.

Side-Note: The Fighter's Sword is Link's first weapon, assigned to a special attack button (B) independent of the action button (Y) everything else uses, and his main offensive means throughout the first half of A Link to the Past. There are certain barricades in the game that require a sword, but for the most part it's a versatile weapon that works well against everything and can also be used to cut grass and bushes.

I, uh, didn't expect to find it quite so early. Like, it was going to be this fun running joke that I really could use a damn sword right about now, but I'm starting to think this randomizer seed has been blessed by Jim Davis or something.

Side-Note: The Butterfly Net is a notorious item in A Link to the Past (and Ocarina of Time) for its bizarre properties, one of which is reflecting Agahnim's laser beams back at him. It is for this reason that the butterfly net is a necessity for the Agahnim fights if you don't have a sword. You also need the net to capture fairies in bottles, which make for useful curative items in any Zelda game for their unique property of activating upon death. However, since we already have the sword for Agahnim and no bottles to store fairies, the butterfly net's uses are minimal right now.

Side-Note: The Fighter's Shield is Link's first shield, given to him along with the Fighter's Sword. It has a limited ability to deflect enemy attacks and projectiles, but it's still better than nothing. Like the sword, it has a dedicated equipment spot rather than being an item that Garflink has to use from the item menu. The shield's going to make survival a little easier, even if I can't quite recall where I'll ever absolutely need it. Importantly, it's a step towards the Mirror Shield, which will be more useful.

(Yeah, there's no Garfield strip where he guards himself from Odie with a kite shield. I know, I'm disappointed too.)

A surprisingly busy episode for new items:

• We have the sword and shield, rendering the whole "let's make this run interesting by taking them away" angle moot - however, if I remember the rules of the randomizer right, you earn their upgrades by finding successive swords and shields randomly around the world, so we were bound to pick up the Level-1 versions sooner or later.
• The hammer's a great weapon that does more damage than the sword, which made it a better weapon for smacking the Armos enemies outside of the Eastern Palace, and I'll need it when I hit the first Dark World dungeon.
• We picked up another four heart pieces, giving us a new heart container. Considering we might need to hop into tougher dungeons before defeating the easier bosses, every bit of extra health is going to be vital.
• The boomerang and butterfly net are nice items to have, even if their utility is lost on me right now. I guess anything's better than more rupees.
• I've no way of tracking them on this image, but we also received two bomb upgrades between this episode and the last - I missed screencapping the other one, which I found while wandering the Lost Woods to the north of Kakariko. More boomies is always good.

Next Time, on A Randomized Link to the Past: The Light World still has two more dungeons, even if I won't have the means to take on Agahnim until I find the Master Sword (which, I'm guessing, won't be the item I acquire at its pedestal even if I find all the Pendants of Virtue regardless). Let's go see what they got.