Oracle of Ages: Boss Strategies

Pumpkin Head

Location: Spirit’s Grave (Level 1)

Description: Kicking things off is this spooky specter! As the name gives away, it’s a ghostly figure draped in a large gown, topped with a grinning pumpkin. Don’t let its simple appearance fool you; it’s the first test of your adventure.

Attacks:

• Wander: Mostly drifts around the room, seemingly aimlessly.
• Triple Ring Spell: If you line up directly in front of it, it’ll unleash a spread shot of three energy rings. Keep moving to avoid!
• Body Slam: It’ll occasionally leap high into the air and try to crash down on top of you. Keep an eye on its shadow to dodge effectively.

Strategy: This first boss is a perfect warm-up.

• Get close and start hacking away at its ghostly body with your Sword. Side swipes or diagonal attacks work well to avoid its direct line of sight for the ring spell.
• After a few solid hits, the gown will crumple to the floor, leaving just the bouncing pumpkin head.
• Now, equip your Power Bracelet! Quickly run up and lift the pumpkin head. This reveals Pumpkin Head’s true, smaller spirit form underneath.
• You have two choices:
  • Toss the pumpkin head aside and slash the vulnerable spirit with your Sword.
  • Better: Aim carefully and throw the pumpkin head directly at the spirit! This deals significantly more damage.
• Repeat the process of attacking the spirit (either with sword or thrown head) until it’s defeated. Congrats on clearing your first dungeon!

Head Thwomp

Location: Wing Dungeon (Level 2)

Description: Get ready for a unique side-scrolling battle! Head Thwomp is exactly what it sounds like – a massive, stone head reminiscent of the Thwomps from the Mario universe, blocking your path upwards.

Attacks:

• Fireballs: Its primary attack is spitting fireballs from its mouth. These are relatively slow and predictable, so watch their trajectory and move accordingly on the ladders.

Strategy: This fight is all about timing and positioning.

• Your goal is to reach the top platform using the ladders on either side of the room.
• As you climb, Head Thwomp’s face will continuously cycle through different colors (often Blue, Green, Yellow, Red).
• You need Bombs for this fight. Climb to the top platform.
• Wait until Head Thwomp’s face turns bright Red. This is your window!
• Quickly toss a Bomb so it lands inside the opening on top of its head while it’s Red.
• Timing is crucial! If you bomb it when it’s any other color, it might trigger a different effect or simply waste your bomb.
• Successfully land four bombs in its head when it’s Red, and this stony menace will crumble!

Shadow Hag

Location: Moonlit Grotto (Level 3)

Description: This Poe-like phantom is where things start getting tricky. Shadow Hag is a mischievous ghost that loves playing hide-and-seek, making her a potentially frustrating foe.

Attacks:

• Invisibility & Shadow Clones: If you make direct eye contact (face her directly), she’ll vanish! While invisible, four shadow clones of herself will appear and aggressively chase you around the room. Contact with these hurts!
• Direct Chase: When visible, she’ll still pursue you.
• Insect Swarm: She’ll occasionally release a swarm of annoying insects to pester you.

Strategy: Direct confrontation won’t work here. You need to get clever with your items!

• The key item here is your Seed Shooter. You’ll need to hit the Hag when she isn’t looking at you.
• The best way? Bank shots! Position yourself so you can fire a seed that will ricochet off the back wall and hit her from behind or the side.
• Any seed type works, but Ember Seeds might offer a slight visual advantage.
• Avoid looking directly at her to prevent her turning invisible and summoning those pesky clones. If she does vanish, focus on dodging the clones until she reappears.
• Keep bouncing those seeds off the walls and hitting her until this shadowy pest is exorcised.

Eyesoar

Location: Skull Dungeon (Level 4)

Description: Prepare for an unsettling sight! Eyesoar is a massive, single winged eyeball, supported by a swarm of smaller, winged eye-minions that act as its shield.

Attacks:

• Minion Swarm: The smaller eyes constantly circle Eyesoar, acting as a barrier. They don’t attack aggressively but will damage you on contact and block your path.
• Contact Damage: The main Eyesoar itself doesn’t have many direct attacks, relying on its minions and sheer presence.

Strategy: This fight tests your mastery of the dungeon’s item: the Switch Hook.

• First, you need to break through the shield of mini-eyes. You can slash them with your Sword or, more efficiently, use the Switch Hook to pull them out of formation one by one.
• Once you create an opening, target the main Eyesoar with your Switch Hook.
• Successfully hooking Eyesoar will cause you to swap places with it. This momentarily stuns the boss and scatters its minions across the room.
• This is your chance! While Eyesoar is stunned and vulnerable, rush in and slash it repeatedly with your Sword.
• Eyesoar will eventually recover and recall its minions. Repeat the process: clear a path, Switch Hook the main eye, and attack while it’s stunned. Keep at it until the big eye closes for good.

Smog

Location: Crown Dungeon (Level 5)

Description: Aptly named, Smog is a swirling cloud of poisonous… well, smog. This is less of a direct combat encounter and more of a dynamic puzzle boss.

Attacks:

• Contact Damage: Touching Smog or its smaller parts will hurt you.
• Fire Projectiles: Occasionally fires off basic fireballs. Easy to dodge.
• Splitting: Its main mechanic involves splitting into numerous smaller smog clouds (Smoglets).

Strategy: Get ready to use your brain and the Cane of Somaria!

• Smog will quickly break apart into many tiny Smoglets that drift around the room. Your Sword is useless against these.
• Equip the Cane of Somaria. Your goal is to strategically create blocks that force the Smoglets to collide with each other.
• As Smoglets merge, they form larger clouds. Keep creating and positioning blocks to continue merging them. Think of it like herding smoke!
• Once you successfully merge all the Smoglets back into the single, large Smog form, it becomes solid and vulnerable.
• Quickly switch to your Sword and attack the reformed Smog as much as you can before it splits again.
• Each time it reforms and splits, the Smoglets might move faster or in trickier patterns, requiring more complex block placements. Repeat the process of merging and attacking until the smog clears permanently.

Octogon

Location: Mermaid’s Cave (Level 6)

Description: An aquatic menace reminiscent of giant Octoroks from past adventures. This multi-limbed beast uses its watery arena to its advantage.

Attacks:

• High-Speed Ram: Zooms around the water’s surface trying to slam into you. Keep moving!
• Rock Spit: Will periodically turn to face you and spit volleys of rocks.
• Dive & Boulder Drop: If it dives underwater and you stay on the surface, it will cause boulders to rain down from the ceiling. Dodge the shadows!
• Bubble Shot (Underwater): If you follow it underwater, it will turn to face you and shoot damaging bubbles.

Strategy: You can fight Octogon both above and below water, but one way is definitely easier.

• Above Water: Mostly, Octogon keeps its back to you while charging around. The only time you can hit its weak spot (its face) is briefly when it turns to spit rocks. Get a quick slash in with your Sword then dodge. This is slow and risky due to the ramming.
• Underwater (Recommended): When Octogon dives, equip your Mermaid Suit and follow it down!
  • Down here, it always faces you, meaning its weak spot is constantly exposed.
  • Continuously attack its face with your Sword.
  • Its only attack underwater is the bubble shot, which is much easier to dodge than the surface chaos. Keep swimming and slashing.
• Whether you fight above or below, keep landing hits on its face until this eight-legged freak is sunk.

Veran (Possessing Nayru)

Location: Ambi’s Palace (Past)

Description: The Sorceress of Shadows herself, possessing the Oracle of Ages, Nayru! This isn’t the final battle, but it’s a crucial step in freeing Nayru from Veran’s control.

Attacks (as Nayru):

• Teleport: Veran will constantly teleport around the room. She tends to warp away if you get too close.
• Charged Energy Ball: If you keep your distance, she’ll stop and gather dark energy, releasing it as a large ball that shatters into multiple smaller, damaging projectiles that spread out.

Strategy: You need precision timing and the right seeds to break Veran’s hold.

• Equip your Seed Shooter loaded with Mystery Seeds. Veran absolutely hates these!
• Keep some distance to bait her into using the charged energy ball attack.
• As soon as she starts charging the dark energy (you’ll see the visual cue), quickly aim and shoot her with a Mystery Seed.
• A successful hit will stun her, causing Nayru’s body to collapse temporarily. Veran’s shadowy spirit form will detach and float above Nayru.
• Quickly equip your Switch Hook! Target Veran’s floating spirit form and use the Switch Hook to pull her away from Nayru’s body.
• Once the spirit is separated, immediately switch to your Sword and slash the Veran spirit frantically.
• Veran will eventually recover and repossess Nayru. You need to repeat the entire cycle: bait the charge, hit with Mystery Seed, Switch Hook the spirit, attack the spirit. Keep this up until Veran is driven out!

Plasmarine

Location: Jabu-Jabu’s Belly (Level 7)

Description: Deep inside Lord Jabu-Jabu, you’ll face this giant, electrified jellyfish. It’s impervious to standard weapons, making it a unique challenge.

Attacks:

• Electric Aura: Its body periodically crackles with electricity. Touching it during this phase will shock you.
• Energy Orbs: Fires slow-moving balls of energy towards you.

Strategy: Since your weapons are useless, you need to turn Plasmarine’s own power against it!

• You’ll need the Long Hookshot (the upgraded version of the Switch Hook) for this fight.
• Plasmarine is invincible to your direct attacks. Notice its energy orbs? That’s the key.
• Wait for Plasmarine to fire an energy orb at you.
• Crucially: Make sure its electric aura is down (it’s not crackling with electricity).
• Aim your Long Hookshot at Plasmarine itself and fire just before the energy orb hits you.
• The Long Hookshot will cause you to swap places with Plasmarine. If timed correctly, Plasmarine will now be in the path of its own energy orb!
• The orb will hit Plasmarine, damaging it.
• Repeat this process – wait for the orb, ensure the aura is down, swap places – until the jellyfish shorts out for good.

Ramrock

Location: Ancient Tomb (Level 8)

Description: The final guardian before Veran’s Lair, Ramrock is a massive, ancient stone sentinel with powerful, changing forms. This is a multi-phase endurance fight!

Attacks & Strategy: Ramrock changes its tactics multiple times. Be ready to adapt!

Phase 1: Stone Fists

• Attacks: Slams its giant stone fists down trying to crush you. Punches forward.
• Strategy: Dodge the slams (watch the shadows!). After a fist slams down, its hand will briefly open. Quickly toss a Bomb into the open palm. Repeat for both hands a few times.

Phase 2: Iron Crushers

• Attacks: Its hands transform into iron clamps that try to grab and crush you from the sides.
• Strategy: Stay mobile to avoid being caught between the clamps. When the clamps retract, Ramrock’s head is briefly vulnerable. Quickly fire your Seed Shooter (Ember Seeds work well) at its face. Repeat until this form is broken.

Phase 3: Ball and Chain Hands

• Attacks: Its hands become massive spiked balls on chains! It will shield its face and launch energy projectiles at you from its head. It may also try to swing its ball-hands at you.
• Strategy: This phase requires defense and reflection. Use your Sword to bat the energy projectiles Ramrock shoots right back at its ball-hands. Hitting the balls with reflected shots will destroy them. Once both ball-hands are destroyed, its face is exposed. Rush in and slash its head with your Sword! Repeat the projectile reflection and head-slashing until Ramrock finally crumbles.