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Majora’s Mask Beginner Tips: What to Do Before the First Three-Day Cycle Ends

Use the first cycle to learn the opening story and reset system—not to finish every Clock Town errand. Here’s what the Song of Time preserves and what to do before you stop playing.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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You do not need to finish every Clock Town errand before the first three-day cycle ends. Focus on the opening story that restores Link and recovers the Ocarina, learn what carries over when you reset, and use the Song of Time when you are ready to begin again. The detailed carryover list below is for the Nintendo 64 version; the 3DS remake describes its reset rules separately.

What should you do before the first cycle ends?

Treat the first cycle as an introduction to Majora’s Mask’s clock and reset system, not a race to complete every activity in Clock Town. Follow the required opening story and get comfortable with how the three-day schedule works. Optional errands can wait for later cycles, when you have more tools and information.

Nintendo’s official Nintendo 64 product description highlights the repeating cycle, character schedules, and masks as core parts of the game: Nintendo 64 product page. A spoiler-light opening walkthrough also recommends prioritizing the initial quest chain rather than attempting every optional Clock Town activity before the first reset: Arcade Games 101’s first three days guide.

What happens when you play the Song of Time?

In the Nintendo 64 manual, the three in-game days span 72 hours, and the world’s hours pass “in mere minutes”; the cited passage does not specify an exact real-world duration. If the three days run out, the game ends unless Link plays the Ocarina and uses the Song of Time. Playing it returns Link to 6:00 a.m. on the first day. Nintendo’s manual says, “When you play the SONG OF TIME, your game progress will be saved,” and, “You will always be returned to 6:00 a.m. of the first day.” Nintendo 64 instruction manual.

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That makes the Song of Time a deliberate save-and-retry loop: carry forward certain progress, then replay the cycle with what you have learned. It is not a way to preserve every temporary item, completed event, or conversation.

What carries over after a reset in the Nintendo 64 version?

Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 manual distinguishes lasting progress from things tied to the current cycle. Use this list for the original Nintendo 64 version, not as a guarantee for the 3DS remake.

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Saved after playing the Song of Time Not saved after playing the Song of Time
Masks, instruments, and major items Cleared maze puzzles, sub-events, and conversations
Songs and quest items Usable item counts
Notebook notes Small and big keys
Maps, dungeon maps, and compasses Stray fairies
Rupees deposited at the bank Rupees in Link’s wallet

The manual also warns that characters will not remember meeting Link. A reset therefore preserves selected records and possessions, but it does not leave the world in the same state or make conversations and events permanent.

Deposit rupees you want to keep

Wallet rupees are lost at reset, while rupees deposited at the bank are listed as saved. If you have money you do not want to lose, deposit it before playing the Song of Time.

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How should you save before stopping play?

On Nintendo 64, playing the Song of Time saves progress and returns Link to the first morning. The manual also describes an interrupt-save feature for pausing a session, but that save is temporary: after resuming, play the Song of Time or use an Owl Statue to save again before shutting down. Otherwise, the game returns to the last Song of Time save. See Nintendo’s Nintendo 64 instruction manual for the save instructions.

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Does the advice differ on Nintendo 3DS?

Yes. The Nintendo 3DS manual gives its own time and reset rules: time stops during conversations and while using subscreens, and returning to the first day loses rupees and some collected items while resetting dungeons and events. Do not assume the detailed Nintendo 64 carryover list applies unchanged to the remake. Check the manual for the version you are playing: Nintendo 3DS instruction manual. Nintendo identifies the remake separately on its Majora’s Mask 3D page.

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