Enemies

Where: Termina Field, high in the branches of the big trees, and around Ikana. Bad Bats are larger and darker than Keese, they drift slowly and swoop down when you pass. The one that matters is the bat in the withered tree on the road to the Southern Swamp: it guards a Piece of Heart, so knock it out with an arrow or a Deku bubble, then climb the vine (see Heart Pieces). Bubbles, arrows, the Hookshot and the sword all work, and a single hit usually finishes one.

Where: the southern part of Termina Field, the road to the Southern Swamp, Great Bay Temple and Stone Tower Temple. ChuChus are gel blobs that hop at you, and they come in green, red, blue and yellow. Their health is very low, so almost any attack finishes them. Green ones drop magic, which is why you can refill your meter on the respawning Green ChuChus in front of Wart in Great Bay Temple.

Where: a hole in the open in the north of Termina Field. It is open at all times, but you need Bombs to deal with the two large Dodongos inside. Back away so only one is in view, and throw bombs at it as it lumbers toward you. They breathe fire, so do not stand in front of one for long. When both are down a chest appears with a Piece of Heart (see Heart Pieces and Hidden Holes). Fill your Bomb Bag in West Clock Town first.

Where: a grotto in the south-west of Termina Field, close to the Milk Road path; follow the butterflies to find the hole. The grotto is open all the time, but the Peahat only fights between 6 AM and 6 PM. While it spins its leaves it flies out of reach, so hold up your shield and wait until it lands or sinks low, then hit its weak spot on the underside. When it falls, a chest with a Piece of Heart appears (see Heart Pieces).

Where: Termina Field, circling the entrance to Milk Road in the south-west corner, and it is the only one in the game. When it dives at you it steals an item, such as your sword or an empty bottle, and flies off with it. Wear the Stone Mask and it cannot see you. To kill it you need roughly a dozen plain arrows, or about six magic arrows, and it drops a 200-rupee Gold Rupee. Stolen items can be bought back at the Curiosity Shop, or recovered by playing the Song of Time. More about the road in Clock Town, Termina Field and Romani Ranch.

Where: Termina Field at night, the roads to the Southern Swamp and to Goron Village (where ordinary Wolfos replace the White Wolfos once spring returns). Wolfos hold up a guard and block frontal sword swings. Keep Z-targeting so you stay facing them, wait until the guard drops, then dodge sideways and counterattack. A jump attack can break the guard.

Where: Termina Field, the road to the Southern Swamp and the swamp itself, the main hall of Woodfall Temple, Stone Tower Temple and Beneath the Well. Deku Babas are carnivorous plants that lunge when you step close, and a single sword strike usually finishes one. Cut a Baba near its stem and it leaves Deku Sticks or Nuts, so they are a handy place to restock. At the bottom of the Woodfall main hall ramp, the Deku Baba is holding Stray Fairy 3, which is released when it dies.

Where: Woodfall, around the ring of Deku Flowers that you reach as Deku Link, and in the Deku Palace garden. Mad Scrubs are aggressive relatives of the Deku Scrub that sit in a flower and fire Deku Nuts at you. Hold up your shield to knock the nuts back, or hop between flowers and hit them with a Deku bubble, then finish them with a spin attack. Clearing the last one lets you open the chest with a Piece of Heart (see Southern Swamp and Deku Palace and Heart Pieces).

Where: the Deku Flower route above the poisoned water in Woodfall, and the bridge rooms of Stone Tower Temple. Hiploops are armoured insects that charge you. In Woodfall, hit each Hiploop with two Deku bubbles before you attack it, while you watch for the nuts the Mad Scrubs spit. In Stone Tower Temple the Hiploop wears a mask, so take out the Hookshot, pull the mask off and then cut it down.

Where: the Southern Swamp, the room before the Compass chest in Woodfall Temple and the entrance room of Stone Tower Temple. Dragonflies are large winged insects that dart around and ram you. Take them down with arrows or Deku bubbles as they approach, and clear them before you start climbing the ledges near the Woodfall boss door, where they harass you while you jump.

Where: Woodfall Temple (the block room, where one holds Stray Fairy 6, and the ledges near the boss door), the invisible one in the Snowhead cave, the Skulltula room in the Ancient Castle and the Ikana Graveyard grave tunnels. Skulltulas hang from the ceiling on a thread and spin when you get too close. Hit them from behind with a bubble, a sword strike or an arrow when their back is turned, or use the Lens of Truth to reveal an invisible one. Gold Skulltulas drop a token when killed, and collecting every one in a Spider House earns a reward; read more on the Swamp Spider House and Oceanside Spider House pages.

Where: a lone Skullwalltula in a grotto in Termina Field. It is a spider that clings to a wall, so shoot it with an arrow, a Deku bubble or the Hookshot, since it dies to any ranged weapon.

Where: the Woods of Mystery on the way to the Deku Palace and Woodfall Temple, where Gekko rides one in the mini-boss fight. Snappers are hostile turtles with spiked shells. They pull into their shells and spin when you approach, and their weak spot stays hidden, so do not walk into them. In the temple, launch out of a Deku Flower as one passes overhead to hit it from below, or blow it over with the Blast Mask. In the woods the best answer is to ignore them.

Where: the Southern Swamp, the Swamp Spider House ceilings and the Pirates’ Fortress. Bees only come out when you hit their hive, so leave hives alone unless you need them. Run from a swarm and jump in water to lose it. In the Pirates’ Fortress, an arrow at a hive can send the bees after the pirates.

Where: the poisoned main hall of Woodfall Temple. These big flowers float like lily pads on the water. If Hylian Link steps on one it eats him, but Deku Link can stand on it safely and hop across to the platforms beyond. Switch to the Deku Mask before you cross to the corner platform with the stack of jars that hides Stray Fairy 4.

Where: the roads to Mountain Village and Goron Village, Goron Village itself, and the pools of Great Bay Temple. Blue Tektites are four-legged hoppers with a hard blue shell that leap at you as you come close; the ones in the temple can skate across water. Hold your shield up as they land to block the hop, then strike while they sit still for a moment. Arrows work well from a distance.

Where: the snowy mountain paths and the Eeno room of Snowhead Temple. Eenos look like small snowmen made of two snowballs and pelt you with snowballs when you come close. Block the snowballs with your shield and close in while they wind up again. In the temple, the big Eeno splits into small ones when hit: cut down the small ones with your sword and use Fire Arrows on the big one. A bubble on the south-west icy ledge of the room holds Stray Fairy 12.

Where: Snowhead Temple and Beneath the Well. Freezards are icy apparitions that blow a stream of freezing mist, which freezes Link solid for a few seconds if it reaches him. In the northwest room of the ground floor, three Freezards stand on platforms: burn them with Fire Arrows from a distance, and a chest with Stray Fairy 7 appears. Another guards the Dungeon Map chest on the second floor, together with a Real Bombchu.

Where: the snowy road to Mountain Village, around Snowhead and in Snowhead Temple. White Boes are the snow-dwelling cousins of the Black Boe and look like drifting snowflakes. Any attack clears them, but more may keep appearing, so do not linger.

Where: the lava pits of Snowhead Temple. Red Bubbles are flaming skulls that leap out of the lava and try to set you on fire. Block their attack with your shield to knock the flames out, then strike the skull with your sword before it relights.

Where: the stretch of road toward Goron Village (near the rope bridges), the spiral path on the way to the temple, and Snowhead Temple. White Wolfos are the white-furred version of the Wolfos. Use the same guard-and-counter approach, and keep your shield up when you cross the bridges. After Goht falls, ordinary Wolfos take their place on the roads. Read more in Snowhead Region.

Where: Great Bay Temple, Stone Tower Temple and a few secret grottos. Bio Deku Babas are aquatic relatives of the Deku Baba that grow beneath lily pads or hang upside down from the ceiling, and they launch at you when you pass under. In Great Bay Temple a hall full of them guards a chest: kill each one with Zora Link’s punch or fin boomerangs, then cross the lily pads and kill the last one on the far platform to raise the chest with Stray Fairy 7.

Where: Great Bay Temple (including the Compass room beside the door) and the water rooms of Stone Tower Temple. Dexihands are turquoise arms that grab you and fling you around, then throw you away. To destroy one, use Zora Link’s boomerang fins or swim through them while holding R for the Electric Barrier.

Where: the burrows in the depths of Pinnacle Rock on the Great Bay coast. Deep Pythons guard three of Lulu’s stolen Zora Eggs. They shoot out of their burrow and swallow you when you swim close, then spit you out. As Zora Link, swim near to lure one out of its burrow, then stun it with the Electric Barrier or the Boomerang Fins. The route through the tunnels is in Great Bay Region.

Where: the tank of the last Zora egg in the Pirates’ Fortress and the water of Great Bay Temple. Desbrekos are large skeletal fish, tougher and fiercer cousins of the Skullfish, and they swim in packs. In the fortress tank, fire the Hookshot at the largest one and the others scatter. Zora Link’s Boomerang Fins, the Hookshot and the Hero’s Bow all work well against them.

Where: the pool at the foot of the Zora Cape waterfall, the beach, and the water of Zora Cape. Like Likes are large, pulsing enemies that swallow Link and eat his shield. Defeat the Like Like in the waterfall pool as Zora Link to make it give up a Piece of Heart (see Great Bay Region). Punch it repeatedly or use the Electric Barrier. If a Like Like has eaten your shield, you can buy another at the Trading Post in West Clock Town for 80 rupees.

Where: the Southern Swamp, the Turbine Room of Great Bay Temple, the river in Ikana Canyon and the Town Shooting Gallery targets. Octoroks surface from the water to spit rocks, and you can block the rock with your shield. At the Ikana river an Ice Arrow turns an Octorok into a block of ice that you can stand on. In the Town Shooting Gallery they are the targets.

Where: Snowhead Temple (the second-floor Dungeon Map room), Great Bay Temple (the red pipe), Stone Tower Temple (the entrance room and beside the Compass chest), the Road to Ikana and Termina Field. Real Bombchu are living, mouse-like creatures with a bomb hanging from the tail. They dash at Link and explode on contact. An arrow from the Hero’s Bow makes them explode from a distance, a fin boomerang does the same for Zora Link, and you can also raise your shield and let one blow up against it.

Where: the egg tanks of the Pirates’ Fortress and the Turbine Room of Great Bay Temple. Shell Blades are bivalves that are immune to damage while the shell is closed. When one stops and opens, the soft interior is exposed. As Zora Link, punch the interior or hit it with the Boomerang Fins at that moment. In the fortress, drop into the tank from the Hookshot plank and strike the Shell Blade when its mouth opens before you bottle the egg.

Where: the Zora Cape waterfall pool, the water around the Great Bay coast, and Great Bay Temple. Skullfish are small skeletal fish that swim in groups and lunge to bite. As Zora Link, use the Electric Barrier to hit several at once, and the Boomerang Fins also work well.

Where: the Pirates’ Fortress, on the Great Bay coast. Guards patrol the walkways and the boats overhead and cannot be killed; anyone who spots you throws you back outside, so stay underwater until a boat passes. The pirates behind the locked doors challenge you to a sword duel: lock on, keep your shield up until the pirate swings, then strike back, and after a few hits the pirate retreats and the door opens. The stealth route and the eggs are in Great Bay Region.

Where: the dark room of Woodfall Temple (clear them all to raise the chest with Stray Fairy 9), the mirror room of Stone Tower Temple, Beneath the Well, the Oceanside Spider House and Mountain Village. Black Boes are small fuzzy spheres with glowing red eyes that gather in groups. A Deku spin attack clears a group quickly.

Where: the Road to Ikana at night, Ikana Canyon (two guard a corridor of the Ancient Castle) and Stone Tower Temple. Blue Bubbles are flying skulls wrapped in blue flame. Block their attacks with your shield until their flames go out, then strike the skull with your sword.

Where: Stone Tower Temple, on the main floor of the inverted temple, where three of them float. Poes are lantern-carrying ghosts that fade in and out of sight. Kill the three with arrows or the Hookshot when they appear, and ignore the flames they leave behind.

Where: Ikana Graveyard, and in the Oceanside Spider House. Stalchildren are the skeletal remains of Ikana soldiers and attack you at first, then bow to anyone who wears the Captain’s Hat. With the hat on, talk to them to have them move gravestones (each night opens a different grave), and the ones in the Oceanside Spider House tell you the order in which to shoot the skull masks for a Piece of Heart. During the chase after Captain Keeta they raise walls of fire, so defeat them with the sword. See Ikana Canyon.

Where: Stone Tower Temple, where there are two of them. Each stays dormant until you provoke it, and then it hops after you, throws rocks at close range or fires a beam from its single eye. Provoke it with an arrow, back away from the rocks, wait for its eye to open, then shoot the eye. The first Eyegore guards the bridge over the pool and its chest holds Stray Fairy 7; the second, in the inverted part of the temple, fires lasers while idle, so stand at the edges of the bridge. Defeating the second one earns you the Giant’s Mask. See Stone Tower Temple.

Where: the Floormaster room in the south wing of the Ancient Castle of Ikana. Floormasters are hand-shaped enemies that leap at Link, and damaging one splits it into three smaller hands that try to grab him. Light and the Mirror Shield are the best answer, so reflect the beam onto it, and also onto the Sun Block in the room to reveal four ReDeads.

Where: the Road to Ikana, Ikana Canyon, and the roof of the Ancient Castle of Ikana. Garo are ninja-like spies who guard the canyon. Wear the Garo’s Mask and they stop attacking and give you cryptic hints. Without it they attack with fast sword combos. The mask comes from the Gorman Track race (see Clock Town, Termina Field and Romani Ranch).

Where: the caverns of Ikana Canyon, the Music Box House and Beneath the Well. Gibdos are bandaged mummies that groan and drag themselves toward you. Wear the Gibdo Mask to keep them from attacking and to talk to them. Beneath the Well, a Gibdo stands in front of each locked door and asks for a specific item before it lets you through: Magic Beans, 10 Deku Nuts, 10 bombs, a fish, milk and a Big Poe (see Ikana Canyon). Pamela’s father in the Music Box House is a Gibdo too, and the Song of Healing frees him and earns you the mask.

Where: Termina Field, Zora Cape, the road to Goron Village, Stone Tower Temple, and the roof of the Ancient Castle of Ikana. Guays are crow-like birds that circle and dive at Link from above. Ranged attacks are the simplest way to deal with them, and a Deku bubble or Zora boomerang also works. They are more of a nuisance than a threat, but they can knock you off a ledge during a jump.

Where: the Road to Ikana and inside Stone Tower Temple. Nejirons are rocky, spherical enemies that hide in the ground, roll into Link and explode when struck. Shoot them from a distance with the Hookshot or the bow.

Where: the courtyard of the Ancient Castle of Ikana, and the Floormaster room, where four hide until you hit the Sun Block with light. ReDeads are emaciated zombies that paralyze you with a stare and then bite. Wearing the Gibdo Mask, the Garo’s Mask or the Captain’s Hat makes them dance instead of attacking, and light reflected from the Mirror Shield destroys them. See Ikana Canyon.

Where: some rooms Beneath the Well and in Stone Tower Temple. Wallmasters are large hands that drop from ceilings to grab Link and carry him back toward the entrance. They behave as they do in Ocarina of Time: a growing shadow on the floor and a warning sound give them away, so watch the floor, roll out from under the shadow just before it lands and strike the hand when it settles.

Where: Stone Tower Temple and other ruins. Armos are stone statues of armoured warriors that stay still until Link comes close. Usually the best move is to leave them alone, but if you need them out of the way, place a Bomb near them from a safe distance. In Stone Tower Temple, wear the Goron Mask, punch each statue to wake it, then punch it again before it reaches you so it crashes into the wall. They flash and explode if you let them linger, so back off when one starts to glow. When all are down, a chest rises in the lava with Small Key 1.

Where: Stone Tower Temple, in the entrance room and the maze of the inverted temple that leads to Small Key 4. Death Armos are floating, almost indestructible statues that slam down to crush you. A Light Arrow shot at the red emblem on its body flips the statue upside down, and only then can you damage it. Wear the Stone Mask and they ignore you completely, which makes the maze much safer.

Where: the Stone Tower climb and Stone Tower Temple. Beamos are stationary statues with a single rotating eye. Once the eye spots Link, it fires a laser that follows him as long as he stays in sight. Stay out of its line of sight, or blast it with a Bomb or with the Blast Mask. Wearing the Stone Mask makes them ignore you.

Where: caves, dungeons and the overworld at night. Keese are the common bats of dark places; Fire Keese and Ice Keese are elemental variants that you can recognise by their colour. Ice Keese live on the roads around Snowhead and Beneath the Well. In the Ikana Graveyard grave tunnels, clearing the Keese opens a chest with 50 rupees. Their health is low, so almost any attack finishes them, but block the elemental ones with your shield so they cannot burn or freeze you.

Where: the sandy ground of Termina Field, the beaches of the Great Bay coast and Zora Cape. Leevers rise out of loose ground and spin toward Link. Raise your shield to block the spin, then counterattack while the Leever recoils.

Where: Woodfall Temple, Snowhead Temple and the Secret Shrine. The lone Dinolfos fights in a room beyond the large flower room of Woodfall Temple, and defeating it opens a chest with the Hero’s Bow and a quiver of 30 arrows, which you need for many later puzzles. It breathes fire, so stay in Hylian form, block its blade with your shield, back away from the flames and strike when it leaves itself open. Two Dinolfos fight together on the fourth floor of Snowhead Temple, and each releases a Stray Fairy (13 and 14) when it dies. Read the full route in the temple chapters.

Where: Woodfall Temple and Great Bay Temple. In Woodfall, Gekko rides a Snapper: launch out of a Deku Flower into the Snapper, or use the Blast Mask, to knock Gekko off, then shoot it with an arrow while it is exposed and repeat until it falls. Defeating it opens a chest with the Boss Key. In Great Bay Temple it shields itself with a mass of Mad Jelly and may hurl a blob at you; watch its shadow, freeze the mass with an Ice Arrow when it gathers so it falls apart, then strike Gekko. That opens the way to the Boss Key.

Where: Snowhead Temple (two), the inverted Stone Tower Temple and the south wing of the Ancient Castle of Ikana, and again in the Secret Shrine. Wizzrobes teleport between tiles while casting. Stay near the middle, hit it with your sword or an arrow when it appears, and when it splits into copies aim at the one that dances, which Tatl highlights. The first Snowhead Wizzrobe leaves the Fire Arrows, the second the Boss Key, and the Stone Tower one leaves a chest with Stray Fairy 11.

Where: Great Bay Temple, past the respawning Green ChuChus, and again in the Secret Shrine. Wart hangs from the ceiling of its room, so look straight up to start the fight. The blobs around it cannot be hurt while attached, so knock them off with the Hookshot (a Fire Arrow, a bomb or a Deku Nut clears many at once), then Hookshot its large eye. Once the blobs are gone Wart dashes around: stand in a corner where it cannot reach you and shoot its eye when it opens, repeating until it falls. A chest with the Ice Arrows appears when it falls.

Where: the first part of Stone Tower Temple, and again in the Secret Shrine. The Garo Master leads the Garo. Shielding and countering does not work on it as it does on ordinary Garo, so wear the Bunny Hood, sidestep its charges, hit it while it searches for you, and watch its shadow when it jumps. The chest it leaves holds the Light Arrows, which you need to turn the temple upside down.

Where: the inverted Stone Tower Temple, in the room before the Boss Key. Gomess is a scythe-wielding bat lord who is surrounded by a swarm of bats. Hit him with a Light Arrow first to scatter them, then strike the glowing orb in his body with your sword. Raise your shield against his spinning scythe and the swings that follow each of your attacks. A chest in the next room holds the Boss Key.

Where: beneath Ikana Graveyard, one behind the Night 1 grave and another behind the Night 2 grave. Iron Knuckles are armoured knights with a heavy axe. Wake the knight with one hit, back away from its axe swings, and strike while the axe is stuck in the floor. After its armour falls off it moves faster, so dash in, hit and retreat. On Night 1 you light the three torches with Fire Arrows first, and defeating the knight frees Flat. On Night 2 you use the Lens of Truth and bombs, and the chest behind the second knight holds a Piece of Heart. The Ikana Canyon chapter shows how the graveyard route leads to each.

Where: beneath Ikana Graveyard on Night 3, and Beneath the Well. In the grave, guide Dampe with Tatl’s light and dig up three blue flames, which merge into a Big Poe; defeating it makes a chest appear with an Empty Bottle. Beneath the Well, stand in the middle of the blade-trap room to bring out the Big Poe, shoot it with arrows until it falls and catch its spirit in an empty bottle, then give the spirit to the Gibdo in the Deku Baba room. See the Ikana Canyon chapter and Bottle Locations.

Where: the Spirit House in Ikana Canyon, run by the house’s keeper. You pay 30 rupees and must defeat all four sisters within three minutes, keeping your hearts above three or he ends the match. The last sister, Meg, splits into copies and only the real one can be hurt. Finishing in time earns a Piece of Heart. The Ikana Canyon chapter explains the encounter.

Where: Ikana Graveyard, behind the giant skull that blocks the archway. Play the Sonata of Awakening in front of the skull to wake him, then chase him through the graveyard, shooting him with arrows to slow him down. Stalchildren rise beside the coloured stone structures and raise walls of fire; defeat the two of them and wait for the flames to die before you advance. Once you land one hit the real fight begins: strike his legs, and step aside when his shadow shows where he will jump. He gives you the Captain’s Hat, which makes the Stalchildren obey you and the ReDeads dance. See Ikana Canyon and Mask Collection Guide.

Where: the throne room of the Ancient Castle of Ikana, where two Stalfos knights defend the king. The king lowers the curtains to darken the hall, so shoot Fire Arrows at the two curtains on the right wall to let in sunlight, and stand in a beam of light. Hit the knights in the openings around their swings, and after each falls shine the Mirror Shield on its body, or it will revive. Then Igos du Ikana himself attacks.

Where: the throne room of the Ancient Castle of Ikana. Igos du Ikana is the last fight of the canyon and the full tactics are on the Boss Guide. After his two Stalfos knights fall he fights with his sword; burn away what blocks the light and shine the sacred rays on the king with the Mirror Shield to finish him. He then teaches you the Elegy of Emptiness, which you need for Stone Tower Temple.

Where: the poisoned water of the Southern Swamp, on the boat ride from the Swamp Tourist Centre. The Big Octo is a huge Octorok, so keep your distance from it. The route is in Southern Swamp and Deku Palace.