Boss Strategies

In the grey-floored room east of the hub, Rolling Bones pushes a spiked roller back and forth across the floor. Jump the roller with the Roc’s Feather, then slash Rolling Bones, and repeat until it falls. A fairy and a warp point appear; the warp only takes you back to the dungeon entrance.

Moldorm is a giant worm that races around a floor ringed with pits. Stand near the middle and keep your Shield up when it charges, because a hit can knock you into a pit and force you to climb back to the arena. Only the tail can be hurt: strike it when it swings close, then give ground. Keep hitting the tail until it falls. It leaves a Heart Container, and the Full Moon Cello waits in the next room.

Hinox is a one-eyed giant who throws bombs. If he grabs you he hurls you across the floor, and the cracked tiles along the walls cost you extra damage if you fall through them. Stay near the centre, dash in and hit him with the Sword, then back off before the next bomb. A fairy and a warp tile appear when he falls.

The fight has two stages. First the Genie leaps from his bottle and throws fireballs, and the Sword cannot hurt him; keep moving, and use the Roc’s Feather to jump the flames. When he slips back into the bottle it starts to hop. Slash the bottle to stun it, lift it with the Power Bracelet and throw it against a wall, and repeat until it shatters. Now the Genie fights in the open. He spins, disappears and reappears in one of two places, then fires a large fireball. Wait near the middle of the south wall while he spins, step aside when he appears, and slash him before he spins again. A Heart Container appears, and the Conch Horn waits in the next room to the west.

Two snakes crawl around a room, and the Sword does nothing. Drop a bomb right in front of a snake’s mouth so it swallows it; keep feeding them bombs until they die, so carry plenty. A fairy and a warp spot appear when both are gone.

Slime Eye hides on the ceiling. Dash into a wall with the Pegasus Boots to shake it loose, kill any Zols that come with it and slash its eye until it is about to split. Dash through its middle with the Boots to cut it into two halves. Each half jumps and crashes down, and the landing stuns you unless you jump just before it arrives, so equip the Roc’s Feather and time a hop. Hit each eye while its half is on the floor, and repeat the cycle until both are gone. The Heart Container is followed by the Sea Lily’s Bell.

Cue Ball charges back and forth across its room and takes damage only from behind. Jump over it with the Roc’s Feather as it rushes in and slash its back, or charge a Sword spin first and release it as it passes. A fairy and a warp spot appear when it dies.

This fight is a side-scrolling swim in a tall water room. The Angler Fish swims up and down and rams the walls, shaking rocks loose from the ceiling, while small fish cross the room to nibble at you. Your target is the light on its head: swing the Sword quickly when it comes within reach, and cut down the small fish when they get in the way. The Heart Container is followed by the Surf Harp.

You fight Master Stalfos several times in the same tiled room. His shield is on his left, so move to his right and slash his head or sword arm just after he swings. When he collapses, drop a bomb on him. He runs away after each of the early fights; in the last one he stays down and leaves you the Hookshot.

Gohma is a big black spider that crawls from side to side across the top of its room. When it stops and opens its eye it spits a fireball, so keep moving. Shoot the eye with the Bow, or hit the eye with the Hookshot and then slash it if you have no arrows.

The Slime Eel’s spiked tail sweeps round a pit in the middle of the room, so circle the edge and keep clear of it. When its head pokes out of a wall, stand in front, fire the Hookshot and pull the head all the way out to reveal a glowing weak point, then slash it. Some heads in the walls are fakes that slither around and burst, so do not pull one that is close to you, and expect the tail to reverse direction after a hit. The Heart Container is followed by the Wind Marimba.

Bomb a hole in the middle of the north wall to enter the arena. Smasher throws a heavy ball at you. Step aside, lift the ball with the Power Bracelet and throw it back, repeating until he falls. If he picks the ball up first, run so he cannot throw it at you.

Facade is a face in the floor that vanishes and reappears while it flings floor tiles and pots at you. Keep moving and raise your Shield against the tiles. Drop a bomb on the face when it shows and again when it reappears. Once the tiles and pots are used up, holes open in the floor, so stay out of them or keep to the wall. Take the Heart Container, then go north for the Coral Triangle.

This Hinox lives in a room with holes in the floor that drop you a level, so a fall means a trip back up the stairs. Stay out of his reach and hit him with the Sword several times (the Boomerang also works).

Grim Creeper plays a flute and summons six Big Keese. They dive at you one at a time in the order they arrived, and you can hurt each only while it is diving. Slash each one as it comes. Kill all six before they fly off the screen, or all six come back. After the sixth falls a warp point appears and he flees.

You fight on the narrow roof of the tower. A fall means climbing back up the ladder, and the fight restarts. Stay near the middle and aim for the head and beak. When the eagle sweeps across, hit it with the Magic Rod (the strongest, needing the fewest hits), arrows, the Hookshot, the Boomerang or the Sword. When it perches at the side and sends wind and feathers, hold up the Mirror Shield and walk toward it so you are not blown off. When it dives straight down, shield up, and hit the beak if you can. The Heart Container is followed by the Organ of Evening Calm.

Vire is the first mini-boss, north of the entrance. A Boomerang hit kills it in one hit on the Game Boy games. Otherwise dodge its energy orbs and its charge, and cut it down with the Sword.

Kill the Ropes and go north to find him. Keep moving, hit him whenever you get a gap, and use the Boomerang to make the fight easier.

As in Tail Cave, jump the spiked bar that sweeps the floor and slash Rolling Bones until it falls. The Boomerang helps here too.

Dodge the iron ball, lift it with the Power Bracelet and throw it back at Smasher, repeating until he is gone.

Blaino is a boxer, and his punch hurts. Do not stand in front of him. Stay mobile, dodge his wind-up and strike after he punches. A safer trick is to charge your Sword, jump over him with the Roc’s Feather and release the spin to hit through his guard.

Cue Ball can be hurt only from behind, and the Magic Rod and Boomerang do nothing to it. Jump it with the Roc’s Feather and slash its back, or charge a Sword spin, jump straight up as it passes and release the spin when you land.

Hot Head rises from a lava lake in the arena. Its lava splashes hurt, so stand in the middle of the safe floor (or by the door) and wait until it jumps out as a flaming face. Fire the Magic Rod at it. It pauses briefly after each hit, so keep shooting. After several hits it shrinks into a smaller, faster creature; keep shooting until it is gone. The Heart Container is followed by the Thunder Drum.

While the Giant Buzz Blob has legs, touching it shocks you. Sprinkle Magic Powder on it to turn it into a round blob, then slash it. It hops, so back away until it lands. When it grows legs again, use more powder, and keep clear of the lightning bolts it fires.

Stone Hinox jumps to shake the ground and drops boulders from the ceiling. Bombs are the safest way to beat it. With the Sword, strike carefully, because each hit knocks you back and you may land in spikes.

The Hardhit Beetle (a few guides call it the Giant Hardhat Beetle) is the last fight before the Nightmare’s door. It starts out blue and turns red as it takes damage, but it heals if you give it time, so keep hitting it. It calls Stalfos and throws spinning blades. The Bow and the Magic Rod are best; otherwise jump the blades and slash as you land. A warp whirlpool opens when it breaks, and the Fairy Queen then offers the Red Clothes (more attack) or the Blue Clothes (more defense).

A huge Zol bounces around the room. When it stops moving, throw Magic Powder over it. Three sprinkles of powder make it change form.

A dark wizard fires energy balls. Stand in line and swing the Sword to knock each round ball back at him; keep returning them until he falls. The star-shaped shots cannot be reflected and break into smaller pieces on the walls, so move out of their way. The Mirror Shield does not stop them.

A giant worm like the Tail Cave boss. Only its tail takes damage, so slash it when it swings past and avoid the head and body. It speeds up after each hit and slows again after a short time, and keep hitting it until it falls.

Ganon’s shadow wraps itself in fire that turns into flaming bats, so keep moving. He then hurls a trident that flies out and returns. While the trident is away he is open: sidestep it and hit him with a charged Sword spin. Repeat until he falls.

The fast sand worm charges across the room. Switch to the Magic Rod and shoot at its head as it comes at you. On the Game Boy games, one hit with the Rod is enough.

The last form is one big eye with two long arms that sweep round the room with spiked tips. Jump the arms with the Roc’s Feather. When the eye opens, throw the Boomerang at it: on the Game Boy games a single Boomerang hit ends the fight. The arms spin faster as it weakens, so adjust your jump timing.