Infinite Sword Glitch

Discovered by TheHeroMX

Trick Description

The Infinite Sword Glitch (commonly abbreviated to "ISG") Is a glitch which causes the hitbox of link's sword to remain in it's attacking state after the attack has finshed, allowing the player to damage enemies and break breakable objects by simply standing next to them. Another useful side-effect of ISG is that link cannot fall off ledges with the glitch activated. This concept leads to various sequence breaks (Such as Goron Lullaby skip) as well as the very useful trick, Hovering.

How To

Regular ISG is by far the most common variety. Damage ISG can be useful as a backup for regular ISG off of a bomb and can also be the optimal method in some circumstances. Mask ISG similarly can be optimal in certain situations, but requires the Bremen Mask or Kamaro's Mask.

Regular ISG

The timing of this trick is one frame, so you may not get the trick first try. It can be performed with pause buffering to ensure success (see notes below).

1. Find an object that Link can interact with using the A button (A grabbable object to "Grab", a sign to "Check", a person with which to "Speak", etc.)
2. Perform a crouch stab (hold R and then press B)
3. Interrupt the crouch stab by pressing A to interact with the object at the end of the stabbing animation
4. If Link puts his sword away and it appears to be glowing white/leaving an afterimage, then ISG has been activated

Notes:

• Regular ISG can be achieved with B swords, Great Fairy Sword, and deku sticks
• The timing of the A press relative to the B press depends on whether the sword is already in Link's hand; press A 7 frames after B if the sword is not out, and press A 4 frames after B if the sword is already out
• If the A press in step 3 does nothing, it was too early or Link wasn't able to interact with the object, likely because of its position
• If the A press in step 3 makes Link interact with the object (e.g. pick up the bomb, read the sign, etc.) but does not give ISG, then it was too late
• The frame for pressing A is the first frame where the sword is back in its default position by Link's side and the shield is fully in front of him; this is useful to know for pause buffering ISG, but note that it is not possible to pause buffer getting ISG by reading a sign or talking to an NPC because those actions are not possible on the first frame out of a pause
• You can also mash the A button to activate ISG, which may be useful to do for your first time performing the trick, but the preferred method is to time the A button press

Damage Method

This method uses the blocking ability of your shield to interrupt the crouch stab.

1. Stand next to a source of damage.
2. Perform a crouch stab, and have your shield block the damage at the same time such that the crouch stab is interrupted. ††
3. Very quickly either release R or hold Z so Link returns to a standing position. If his sword is glowing, then ISG has been activated.

Notes:

• Damage ISG can be achieved with B swords but not with Great Fairy Sword or deku sticks
• Damage ISG is a useful backup if you fail regular ISG, as you can shield to drop the bomb and crouch stab into the explosion
• When getting damage ISG off of a hit that clanks against Link's shield as shown in the video below (as opposed to using a bomb, which knocks Link back even while shielding), hitting C-Up while being knocked back after the crouch stab makes interrupting the crouch stab animation easier

Mask ISG

This method uses the B functionality of the Bremen Mask or Kamaro's Mask to interrupt the crouch stab.

1. Take out a deku stick or the Great Fairy Sword and put on either the Bremen Mask or Kamaro's Mask
2. Crouch stab with the weapon
3. 2-4 frames later, begin holding B
4. Release the R button within 4 frames of starting the crouch stab

Notes:

• Mask ISG can be achieved with B swords, Great Fairy Sword, and deku sticks

Additional Notes

• Sheathing your sword or swapping to a different weapon will not cancel ISG
• If you want to draw your sword and keep ISG active, backflip and press B while in the air

The following actions will disable ISG, returning Link to a normal state:

• Crouching (i.e. taking your shield out while not targeting)
• Taking damage that interrupts movement (If you're running in a direction, ISG will not be cancelled)
• Swinging your sword or a Deku Stick
• Entering water
• Jumping to climb onto an object
• Entering a new area (loading zones)
• Performing a ground jump
• Opening a door
• Putting on a transformation mask
• Some (all?) cutscenes
• Dawn of the next day transition
• Sliding down a slippery slope