Look for a small hole you can crawl through on a wall near the training center in Kokiri Forest. Crawl through it and watch out for the rolling boulder on the other side.

   

Look for a treasure chest in an alcove sitting on a tree stump near a sign. Open it to get the Kokiri Sword. This one is mandatory. You cannot get through to see the Deku Tree without it.

   

When you have all three Spiritual Stones and the Ocarina of Time, go the Temple of Time in Hyrule Market and play the Song of Time at the altar. The back door will open and reveal a room with the Master Sword embedded in a pedestal. Go ahead and pull it out and you're on your way to the second half of the game.

   

Visit Medigoron as Adult Link and you can purchase his Giant's Knife for 200 rupees. This sword is more powerful than the Master Sword, but it will break after several uses and you'll have to buy another one if you still want it. This sword requires two hands, so you can't use your shiled while wielding it.

After you complete the trading game, wait three days and then present the Claim Check to Biggoron. He'll give you the Biggoron's Sword. It's the same as the Giant's Knife, except that it will never break.

   

Run around Kokiri Forest collecting rupees until you have 40 or more. Go to the building with the red roof and a Kokiri girl sitting above the doorway. Enter it and buy the Deku Shield from the shopkeeper. This one is mandatory. You cannot get through to see the Deku Tree without it.

   

Enter the main square of the Hyrule Castle Market during the daytime, and go to the shop (it has a picture of a bearded man's face above the door). Buy the Hylian Shield for 80 rupees. Young Link cannot properly use the Hylian Shield, but he can duck under it to shield himself from the falling rocks on Death Mountain. Adult Link can equip it for use in battle.

   

In the adult Link portion of the Spirit Temple, find and defeat the Ironknuckle miniboss. Exit the room and you'll be outside the Desert Colossus on one of its hands with a large treasure chest. Open the chest for the Mirror Shield. This shield can reflect light and cannot be eaten by Like Likes.

   

As Adult Link, you'll find a lone small Goron rolling around Goron City. Stop him with a bomb and talk to him. When you're done conversing, he'll give you the heat-resistant Goron Tunic.

   

Take a bottled blue flame back with you from the Ice Cavern and use it to melt the red ice encasing King Zora. Talk to him and he'll give you the Zora Tunic. This allows Link to breathe underwater.

   

After solving the ice puzzle in the Ice Cavern, you'll come to a weird-looking room with a White Wolfos miniboss. Beat him to make a large treasure chest with the Iron Boots appear. These will let you sink to the bottom of any body of water.

Find and defeat Dead Hand in the first part of the Shadow Temple. (It isn't difficult to find him. Use the Lens of Truth to find hidden pathways in the walls.) When he's beaten, a large treasure chest with the Hover Boots will appear. These allow you to cross gaps that would normally be too wide for Link to jump, but they have no traction, so you'll slide around a bit while wearing them.