Characters

Link is the only warrior you have at the very start of The Armies of Ruin, and he has the largest set of weapon types in the game: the Hylian Sword (Light), Magic Rod (Fire), Great Fairy (Water), Gauntlets (Lightning), Horse (Light), Spinner (Lightning) and the Master Sword (Light). The Fire Rod type comes from the results of The Sheikah Tribesman, and the Master Sword type is your reward for clearing The Sacred Sword. He is the all-rounder, with fast combos that suit any stage, and he can switch between very different styles just by changing weapon type.

Impa uses the Giant Blade (Water) and the Naginata (Fire). She fights beside Link from the start of The Sheikah Tribesman, and the Giant’s Knife type is among that scenario’s rewards. The message “You can now play as Impa!” appears partway through The Sorceress of the Valley, The Water Temple and The Other Hero. With the Giant Blade she swings a huge curved sword and throws water knives and sword copies that trap enemies in bubbles, while the Naginata gives her a longer-reaching polearm style that uses fire.

Sheik plays the Harp, whose weapon type is Lightning, and steps in to join Link and Impa partway through The Sheikah Tribesman, which unlocks her. In The Sorceress of the Valley the message “You can now play as Sheik!” appears mid-battle. Each strong combo leaves a song note under her special gauge: Serenade of Water gives a damage-absorbing shield, Bolero of Fire a delayed flame geyser, Song of Storms an electric whirlwind, Nocturne of Shadows a paralysing field of Darkness and Prelude of Light a field that refills her special gauge. Pick the song that fits the fight.

Lana joins your roster when you clear The Sorceress of the Woods, which also opens the Smithy. Her Book of Sorcery (Lightning) conjures barriers that she can shove, roll and shatter for damage. The Spear (Water) is a slower weapon for plant and ice magic and for summoning Deku Trees, and the Summoning Gate (Fire) calls monsters to fight beside her. She is a mage, strong against crowds and a good choice for a defensive build.

Zelda fights beside Link in The Armies of Ruin, but she becomes a fully unlocked warrior with the Polished Rapier when you clear The Water Temple. She wields the Rapier (Light), the Baton (Lightning) and the Dominion Rod (Darkness). Her combos and specials call on a magical bow and Light Arrows, and with the Baton she conducts songs that summon wind and lightning.

Darunia’s single weapon type is the Hammer (Fire), and clearing Land of Myth unlocks both him and the type, and in Enduring Resolve Lana summons him with Midna and Fi, with the message “You can now play as Darunia, Midna, and Fi!”. He is a straight power fighter that trades speed for weight: slow, wide hammer swings, fire geysers from cracking the ground, and a special attack that makes him giant for a moment.

Princess Ruto fights with the Zora Scale (Water). She first joins the Hyrulean army in the Ocarina of Time scenarios Land of Myth and The Water Temple, and in Linkle’s Tale you can switch to her in Powers Collide. She is another mage: whirlpools, a big water sphere that traps enemies and wide splashes. Her combos fill a blue gauge that you can spend on a long-range wave through a crowd.

Agitha uses the Parasol (Light). She joins your roster of playable warriors during The Shadow King, when the message “You can now play as Agitha!” appears. She calls swarms of golden butterflies and giant golden beetles to fight for her, so she is a summoner more than a brawler.

Midna wields the Shackle (Darkness) and is unlocked by Land of Twilight, where she turns from rival to ally, and she is one of the three warriors Lana summons in Enduring Resolve. She grabs and throws enemies with her hair and calls Shadow Wolves, and one of her attacks turns her into her Fused Shadow form. Her style is wild and close-range.

Fi is unlocked with the Goddess Blade (Light) when you clear Land in the Sky, and Lana summons her again in Enduring Resolve. She is the sword itself and fights with dance-like kicks, turning into the Goddess Sword for her attacks and calling Sacred Flames. She moves constantly and hits wide arcs, so she clears groups well, but she lacks a strong aerial or weak-point move against giant bosses.

Ganondorf is unlocked, along with the Great Swords type, by clearing Shining Beacon. His Great Swords (Darkness) are a brutal pair of heavy blades mixed with dark magic, and the Trident (Lightning) is a faster one-handed style. He is the warrior of the three Ganondorf scenarios, starting with Ganondorf’s Return.

Zant uses the Scimitars (Darkness), and the message “You can now play as Zant!” appears in the middle of the Ganondorf arc’s Battle of the Triforce, and you play him through The Usurper King. He swings twin blades with manic combos and adds twilight magic such as giant helmets, totem poles and the Zant Hand. A heat gauge fills as he chains finishers; if you overdo it, he stumbles and is open to attack, so vent it with a strong attack.

Ghirahim fights with the Demon Blade (Darkness). No Legend Mode scenario hands him over; he is selectable once The Armies of Ruin is cleared. He teleports, throws daggers from nowhere and ties an enemy to a red string, which opens stronger combos. Do not pose too much; dodging cancels several of his poses.

Cia carries the Scepter (Darkness), and she is the warrior you control in The Dragon of the Caves, the first scenario of Cia’s Tale. She is a spell-caster with wide, long-range attacks, a charge attack that makes her resist flinching, and Dark Links that she summons in several combos. Her fourth combo string is good at shredding the weak point gauge of a giant boss.

Volga uses the Dragon Spear (Fire). You play him in The Invasion Begins, and he is also the warrior to use for the Heart Container in The Demon Lord and Darkness Falls. He is a heavy-hitting dragon knight whose attacks use fire.

Wizzro’s Ring (Darkness) is his only type. He turns up when Cia finds the ancient ring in The Dragon of the Caves, and you play him in The Invasion Begins. He fires streams of fireballs and a laser, creates dark explosions, summons one-eyed serpents and Floormaster-like hands, and slips into shadow to reappear next to his target.

Twili Midna uses the Mirror (Darkness). In Legend Mode she is playable only in Her True Self, and for the rest of the game you unlock her by winning the battle on square C6 of the Adventure Map. Her specials warp objects and summon giant Twili wolves, and her Focus Spirit attack shatters the Mirror of Twilight.

Young Link is unlocked by winning the battle on square G9 of the Adventure Map. His only type is the Mask (Darkness), and his Focus Spirit and special turn him into Fierce Deity Link. He starts out modest in power and reach, but he can play the Ocarina of Time to convert his special gauge into magic, and with enough gauge he can stay in Focus Spirit as the Fierce Deity, firing sword beams.

Tingle is won in Adventure Mode on square A12 of the Adventure Map. His Balloon (Fire) lets him bounce, float and inflate to a giant size to hurt nearby enemies, and he also attacks with a wallet, maps and bombs.

Linkle comes with Linkle’s Tale, which opens after you clear The Sorceress of the Woods; her first scenario is The Girl in the Green Tunic. She uses Crossbows (Fire) and Boots (Lightning), with the Hylian Crossbows unlocked as a reward for The Demon Lord’s Plan. She is a fast, ranged brawler who shoots from both hands and kicks.

Skull Kid is unlocked by winning the battle on square C13 of the Adventure Map. He plays the Ocarina (Darkness), and the music directs his helpers Tatl and Tael in team attacks. His strong attack calls a puppet to fight in his place.

Toon Link is unlocked on the Great Sea Map by winning the battle on square B9. He uses the Light Sword (Light) and the Sand Wand (Fire) and is fast, with wind attacks from the sword and sand attacks from the wand. His little sister Aryll speaks for him.

Tetra is unlocked by clearing The Search for Cia, where she becomes playable once the southern desert Lizalfos is down, or by winning the battle on square C11 of the Great Sea Map. She uses the Cutlass (Water) together with a flintlock pistol that fires water bullets, and the Jeweled Cutlass is a reward for Reclaiming the Darkness.

King Daphnes is unlocked by clearing Reclaiming the Darkness, or by winning the battle on square C13 of the Great Sea Map. His Sail (Water) summons waves, and it lets him change for a moment into the King of Red Lions. The Swift Sail comes from capturing Rock Keep in Watchers of the Triforce.

Medli is unlocked by winning the battle on square B8 of the Great Sea Map. She plays the Rito Harp (Light), strumming out spheres of wind, trapping enemies in a tornado and diving at them from the air. Her special gathers enemies in a gust and headbutts them away.

Marin sings and plays the Bell (Water), and you win her on the Koholint Island Map, the Link’s Awakening map. Her special attacks are gentle on paper but they cover large areas, which makes her a good support pick.

Toon Zelda is unlocked by winning the battle on square F11 of the Grand Travels Map. She fights as a spirit inside a Phantom with Phantom Arms (Light): she can curl into an iron ball like a Wrecker Phantom, warp over enemies like a Warp Phantom and step out of the armor to use light attacks.

Ravio is unlocked on the Lorule Map, and the battle that holds him needs the Search item to reach. He fights with the Rental Hammer (Darkness), uses sub-weapons for his charge attacks, and calls the Ice Rod for his specials.

Yuga is unlocked by winning the battle on square H11 of the Lorule Map. He uses the Picture Frame (Lightning) to call lightning strikes, fire and the Trident of his Yuga Ganon form, and he can bind enemies in Magic Circles before blasting them into the air.

Ganon has no weapon types. You use him only in Ganon’s Fury, one of the Challenge Mode battles, where he plays as a fixed, hard-hitting beast.

The giant Cucco also has no weapons and is playable only in Cucco’s Fury. You unlock that battle by clearing Survival Battle Level 4 of Ganon’s Fury with an A rank.

Proxi is the fairy who speaks for Link and Young Link, since both stay silent. In the original Wii U release she was called Navi in North America.

The Great Fairy is called by Zelda’s Magic Circle in The Armies of Ruin. She sets off bombs across the field and gives your army a morale boost.

The Goron Captain asks for help in The Armies of Ruin. Goron Engineers are the allies you escort in Powers Collide to open the Water Temple gate.

The Great Deku Tree is the forest guardian you defend in The Sorceress of the Woods while Gohma attacks.

Levias is the Great Spirit of the Sky. In Land in the Sky you bring him Pumpkin Soup so that he pushes earth into place and later attacks Volga.

Dark Link is summoned by Cia and fights as her ally. In Darkness Falls the Dark Links matter for a Hard or Hero Gold Skulltula.

Aryll, Link’s little sister from The Wind Waker, speaks for Toon Link through the Pirate’s Charm.

Captain Keeta (Majora’s Mask) and King Bulblin (Twilight Princess) are enemy fighters in certain Adventure Mode battles. Bring either to about two-thirds health or less and he acknowledges your strength and joins your army.

Big Blins serve as Captains in the Wind Waker scenarios such as A New Disturbance, and the Lizalfos Chieftain and Dinolfos Chieftain lead assaults against your base in Powers Collide.