Timestop

Timestop puts Link in a cutscene state while still allowing him to move around. While in timestop, in-game time is paused, the camera is facing Link, and cutscene triggers are disabled. Most methods of timestop can be canceled with c-up; see the notes at the bottom of this page for exceptions. Timestop can always be canceled by hitting a load zone or voiding. Timestop can be used to skip cutscenes and overlap playing songs with other actions.

Bomb method

  1. Pull out a bomb
  2. Before the bomb explodes, hold target and begin moving in any way; backwalking is most common, as it gives a clear visual cue for step 3
  3. On the first frame that the final white puff of smoke has vanished, press R and a cutscene item (ocarina, transformation mask, non-empty bottle); continuing to hold target on this frame will cause Link to do an extra animation

Notes

  • You can't get timestop from a bomb that you've picked up off the floor, only a bomb that has only ever been in Link's hands
  • In step 2, if moving without holding target, you can still get timestop by also targeting on the frame in step 3. However, this timestop cannot be canceled with c-up.
Visual cue

2 frames early (2 white puffs of smoke visible) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -1 frame early (1 white puff of smoke visible) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - input R + cutscene item on this frame

Bottle method

Discovered by ZAR12344
  1. Catch an item in a bottle so that the bottle is in link's hands.
  2. Hold target (Z/L).
  3. With the bottle still in your hand, press and hold R to shield.
  4. On the frame after beginning to hold R, press the button for the bottled item.

Note that you must wait for the camera to stop moving from targeting before activating timestop in order to be able to cancel out with c-up.

Ocarina and Gossip Stone method

Discovered by Siglemic
  1. Find a Gossip Stone and stand in front of it so that the A icon says 'check'.
  2. Pull out the Ocarina of Time.
  3. Quickly press/mash B to cancel.
  4. Navi's text should pop up and time stop with be activated.

Death method

Discovered by GlitchesandStuff
  1. Lower your health to 1/2 heart or lower.
  2. Locate a heart drop.
  3. Stand a little more than a sidehop's distance from the heart and drop a bomb.
  4. Just before the bomb explodes, sidehop towards the heart (this can also be done with a backflip or jumpslash).
  5. If timed correctly, you should be hit down to 0 hearts in the air and then grab the heart, activating time stop.

Notes

  • After activating time stop all control stick inputs will move link relative to the way that the camera was facing when you performed the glitch. This usually means the controls are inverted. By performing inverted camera before doing the glitch, you can get the controls of link to be mostly normal.
  • Time Stop can be cancelled using c-up in almost all circumstances with a few exceptions. Opening a chest will disable c-up; c-up may not be used while swimming in water; c-up may not be used if the bottle variant of the glitch was performed too soon after targeting; c-up may not be used with the bomb method if the bomb exploded while untargeted. In these cases a transition to another area will be required to cancel the glitch.
  • Although the A button still functions for most things, you will not be able to open doors.
  • By opening chests that have a cutscene while time stop is active, it is possible to duplicate bottles into all of the empty bottle slots of you inventory. It is also possible to duplicate heart pieces an almost infinite number of times.
  • While time stop is active, link won't put away the bottle in his hand while swimming in water. A Zora egg can be caught from a pirate's fortress tank, and then timestop while in the tank will allow zora to swim out of it without removing the bottle from his hands.

Play ocarina while moving

Getting timestop with the bomb method or bottle method right next to a gossip stone allows Link to play songs while moving and doing other things. This ability lasts even after canceling timestop until hitting a load zone, voiding, or pressing B. This can be used for cutscene skips, song storage, day skips, day resets, and simply to multitask. If you play SoDT from this state, you must then pull out the ocarina and cancel it in order to use the gossip stone again for playing ocarina while moving.

Example with day reset
Example with day skip
Last updated 03/28/2024 – GlitchesAndStuff