The Nintendo Switch 2 release of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker introduces subtle modifications that have significant implications for speedrunners. Speedrunning has long been a beloved activity among Zelda enthusiasts, with certain entries in the series being notably easier to complete quickly. While The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker remains a challenging game, the Switch 2 updates have made it more approachable for those looking to master its speedrunning techniques.

During its April 2 Direct presentation, Nintendo announced that The Wind Waker would be coming to the Switch 2. Unlike a full remake or remaster, the Switch 2 version features several improvements and tweaks through its emulator. Fans have since discovered that these updates make speedrunning Wind Waker a more achievable feat.

YouTuber and speedrunner Linkus7 highlighted these speedrunning-friendly changes in a June 25 YouTube video. One major update involves a glitch that allows players to fall through out-of-bounds areas and land on a chest to skip parts of dungeons. In the original version, the rest of the level wouldn't load after landing on the chest, and using the Song of Passing to force it would crash the game. Now, this crash no longer occurs, making the glitch a viable strategy for faster dungeon completion. While it may not be as dramatic as Ocarina of Time's massive speedrunning skip, it saves considerable time.

Another update pointed out by Linkus7 involves a technique called manual super-swimming, where players rapidly alternate Link's swimming direction to build negative speed and propel him across the map. On the GameCube, this maneuver was notoriously difficult, but the Switch 2's button remapping feature simplifies it. The Switch 2 allows Wind Waker players to customize controls, including mapping an analog stick direction to the A button, making super-swimming more accessible.

Although The Wind Waker is still one of the hardest Zelda games to 100% complete, these changes make it easier to speedrun, even for less experienced players. It remains to be seen how these updates will influence the Zelda speedrunning community, but the Switch 2 could mark a new era for Wind Waker runs.