Boss & Mini-Boss Strategies
Below you'll find a chronological list of bosses and mini-bosses with specific fighting strategies as copied directly from my walkthrough. You'll also find my traditional star meter that ranks the difficulty of each fight (see scale below).
Difficulty Level:
*- easy
**- fair
***- hard
****- very hard
*****- whoa, mama!
Baboon
Where: Forest Temple
How: First, defeat all the big Deku Babas in front of you, then approach the series of pillars. The Baboon uses a boomerang as its only weapon, jumping from pillar to pillar. When it stops on one, bang into it to knock him off-balance and he gets hit by his own boomerang. When he lands, slash with your sword. Continue this strategy until he bails.
Reward: Gale Boomerang
Difficulty: *
Diababa, Twilit Parasite
Where: Forest Temple
How: This fight works in two stages. First, stay safely out of range of the big Deku Baba heads and use the boomerang to target first a Spider Bomb, then a head to fed it the TNT. Repeat on the other head to move into stage two where a giant head (I guess those other “heads” were like hands) appears. Target the head and avoid its slime attack until the Baboon appears. You can never trust a monkey…except him. He carries a Spider Bomb and swings across the area on a rope. Target the bomb, then the Diababa head to make booming contact. The eye is exposed (ew) on the ground where you can perform your fencing techniques (um, slash it).
Reward: Heart Container, Fused Shadow
Difficulty: * 1/2
King Bulbin, Part I
Where: Kakariko Village, Hyrule Field
How: Ride north and over the gate to chase King Bulbin into Hyrule Field. The first round involves catching up with the big guy, who is easily noticeable. The best strategy here is to push the limit of Epona’s speed by using up all the spurs that appear on the screen. While riding towards Bulbin, take out your sword and charge up a spin attack. When you’re close to Bulbin, release the attack for a major wallop. When the spurs run out, you will slow down, but keep your eyes on Bulbin so you can catch up again when the spurs charge up. When he’s “defeated” (not really), he rides to Eldin Bridge in the northeast. Follow him there to enter a second phase. Charge with Epona as fast as possible towards Bulbin as he charges towards you along the bridge. At the last possible second, move to either side of Bulbin and slash with your sword. This may take a couple more tries, but it’s not too difficult. You can also try charging up a spin attack if you want. It takes a couple of trips across the bridge, but eventually Bulbin falls off into the abyss, miraculously surviving to return later.
Reward: Saves Colin, nothing material
Difficulty: * 1/2
Biggoron
Where: Goron Mines
How: The name means absolutely nothing…nah, just kidding, he’s huge. And that factors into this fight. Wait until he tries to hit you, then slash with your sword. Avoid the edges of the disc that may tip and send you flying into the hot stuff. Keep it up until he rolls up into a ball, then it’s time to party. Get to the edge of the disc and equip the Iron Boots. Like the sumo wrestling games before, press A when prompted to lift and toss him into the lava. Repeat this until he gives in.
Reward: Hero’s Bow
Difficulty: * 1/2
Fyrus, Twilit Igniter
Where: Goron Mines
How: Basically a hyped-up King Kong (or maybe Donkey Kong?). This battle is fought within a single phase, but requires two important items to be used. Run to a temporarily safe spot and shoot an arrow at the glowing eye on Fyrus. Find the handle on his shackles and pick it up. Equip the Iron Boots and pull the chain to trip him up. Lastly, run to his exposed eye and slash with your sword to deal damage. Repeat this pattern until he reverts back to Darbus, his true self.
Reward: Fused Shadow, Heart Container
Difficulty: * 1/2
Shadow Bird/Archer
Where: Lake Hylia
How: He shoots arrows at you while flying, so dodge them while attacking the bird when it swoops close to you. Avoid its claw grasp, then defeat the lone Moblin when the bird retreats.
Reward: Nada, nothing, zilch, and zero
Difficulty: *
Queen Bug
Where: Lake Hylia
How: Warp with Midna to Lake Hylia. Swim into the middle of the lake after the short cinema. Use the four little platforms, the biggest one being the most sturdy and spacious, to stay above water and keep your senses on at all times, reactivating them if you are hit. Dodge her electrically-charged attacks and when it stops temporarily, use a jump attack to latch on and bite as much as you can chew. After some more dodging of deep water attacks, continue the same pattern until it flips on its back, helpless. Show no mercy and stand on the belly, using Midna’s charge to get all six legs at once to get the last tear.
Reward: 16th Tear
Difficulty: *
King Bulbin, Part II
Where: Hyrule Field, bridge from Castle Town
How: The spin attack is less effective here as he has donned a shield in each arm. Chaaaaarge! Use Epona to ride forward a bit (not too close to Bulbin) and fire an arrow at him between the shields, then head past him and repeat this process until another one bites the dust.
Reward: Gate Keys (to Kakariko Village)
Difficulty: * (Bulbin), ** (carriage ride)
Giant Frog
Where: Lakebed Temple
How: Concentrate on obliterating the melee of tadpoles, then the frog will try to squash you from the ceiling, so roll out of the way of his shadow. If he hits the floor instead of you, attack his tongue with your sword. When his mouth is open in a croak, try firing a bomb arrow to stun it again and go crazy on that tongue. He will then unleash a mob of tadpoles, and you’ll repeat the same routine.
Reward: Clawshot
Difficulty: **
Morpheel, Twilit Aquatic
Where: Lakebed Temple
How: Use the iron boots to sink down. Of course there are two phases to this fight. First, use the clawshot to target and hit the eyeball to bring it in and pummel it with your sword. As for Morpheel’s attacks, you can safely ignore the bomb fish as they just distract from the goal. If you need to avoid an attack, you can remove the iron boots to swim out of range. Once you’ve hit the eyeball enough, phase two begins with Morpheel swimming around. Swim after him sans iron boots (like it’s possible to swim with them on!) and try to keep tabs on him by L-targeting the eye on the, ew, back of his head. Once close, use the clawshot to pull yourself to it and slash away. Avoid his big fat maw that can swallow you up and this phase is pretty doable.
Reward: Fused Shadow, Heart Container
Difficulty: **
Skull Kid
Where: Sacred Grove
How: This fight can be super annoying if you get lost, and unfortunately these instructions will be somewhat vague. Sorry. Defeat the Deku Golems that appear, however they will reappear continuously, so fight them only if they entrap you. Follow the Skull Kid through the new cave, then go left up a tunnel. Listen for the song he plays on his flute (Saria’s Song to Zelda veterans). Climb the ledge left to find him, and attack if possible. Follow the new tunnel and to the pool area and head between the waterfalls through another tunnel. Follow the path through another tunnel to a second pool. Swim to the waterfall in back and swim through another hidden tunnel. Climb the platforms behind that and attack the Skull Kid quickly before he runs. Now, retrace your steps to the first pool area and another tunnel is opened at right. You’ll spot the Skull Kid atop a stone structure out of reach. Head through the tunnel at left behind him to a series of ledges. Jump across, then take a path made of a very long branch. Follow another tunnel to find the Skull Kid and whack him. Follow him through a new tunnel that emerges in the stone structure. Drop down to corner the Skull Kid in a more narrow area. The second phase begins here with the Skull Kid teleporting a la Wizzrobe while summoning more annoying Deku Golems. Use Midna’s charge on the Golems and wait for the Skull Kid to start blowing his horn to summon more Golems to attack. He gets quicker, so keep attacking when he’s about to blow the horn. Three hits and he’s down for the count.
Reward: Master Sword
Difficulty: ** (more for annoyance than difficulty)
King Bulbin, Part III
Where: Gerudo Mesa
How: Dodge his charges and use Back Slice or Helm Splitter moves as best you can.
Reward: Poe Soul (inside the ruins of the fight area)
Difficulty: * 1/2
Poe
Where: Arbiter’s Grounds
How: The Poe splits into four versions, one being real, the others fake. Wait until they stop spinning around you and just before they (it?) attacks, look for the Poe that glows blue and attack it.
Reward: Poe Soul
Difficulty: *
Undead Prisoner (Big Stalfos)
Where: Arbiter’s Grounds
How: You must be wolf Link and use your senses to see him (after all, he’s dead). When he goes to attack, dodge it and his sword will (*giggle*) get caught in the ground. When he glows blue, attack with malice. Of course, that is only phase one. After that, he becomes more alive (if that’s even possible), so turn back to human Link and use arrows to attack while dodging his own projectile attacks. Once you hit him, he spins around, so dodge that until the sword again gets stuck in the ground. Attack with your sword like there’s no tomorrow, then rinse and repeat.
Reward: Spinner
Difficulty: * 1/2
Stallord, Twilit Fossil
Where: Arbiter’s Grounds
How: At the bottom of the ramp, get on the track with the Spinner and build speed as you ride along the lower perimeter, avoiding spikes. Once you’re going at a fair clip, hop off and aim for and hit the spine buried in the sand (press A to attack). He sets up Skeletons that act as bumper cars. Avoid Stallord’s toxic gas attack and get a fast momentum on the spinner, aiming again for and attacking the spine. Three hits later and you enter the second phase. This one is the best, making up for the tougher first phase. Use the hole slot to do the egg beater move with A and create a massive tower. Ride the track along the tower and avoid his fireball attack, jumping to the parallel track on the wall. Once close, jump out and strike the head to down him, then attack with your sword on the ground. After a couple of hits, spike barriers will appear, so dodge them as you did in the track courses of the dungeon. Once he starts spitting out fireballs, the spikes disappear. Repeat the same tactics.
Reward: Mirror Chamber warp portal, Heart Container
Difficulty: ** 1/2
Armoured Lizard
Where: Snowpeak Ruins
How: This boss is really tough due to the narrow room and his massive body. You’ll need to move around a lot to avoid his ball-and-chain attack. Sidestep or backflip to avoid this attack, stalling the enemy. Get behind it and slash the tail. Continue this until he is defeated. Luckily, it’s not a long battle
Reward: Ball & Chain
Difficulty: ** 1/2
Blizzeta, Twilit Ice Mass
Where: Snowpeak Ruins
How: She will first slide around as a big ice mass trying to squash you, so use the B&C while L-targeting to shrink her down. If she unleashes any Freezards, try to ignore them and focus on her, attacking with the B&C. About eight hits later, she transforms into the second phase where she hovers on the ceiling and tries to land on your face. Avoid the series of ice masses by watching their shadows on the ice reflecting the ceiling. In the second barrage, look for a gap in the circle of masses, then when they land, use the B&C to clearly L-target Blizzeta and attack with the B&C. Mace the face, as disgusting as that sounds.
Reward: Mirror Shard, Heart Container
Difficulty: ** 1/2
Skull Kid, Part II
Where: Sacred Grove
How: This time you’re human, so the fight is a bit quicker. Follow his lantern to spot him and use your arrows when he’s out of reach.
Reward: Entrance to Temple of Time
Difficulty: ** (more for annoyance than difficulty)
Dark Nut
Where: Temple of Time
How: Use the Helm Splitter religiously to break off his heavy armour and the Back Slice when his sword gets stuck in the ground. In the second phase, damage him after dodging an attack repeatedly until he’s down for the count.
Reward: Dominion Rod
Difficulty: **
Armogohma, Twilit Arachnid
Where: Temple of Time
How: Like the Gohma boss from older Zelda games, the eye on its back is the weak point. Shoot it with an arrow to bring it down, then control a statue by getting very close and L-targeting it and using the Rod to smash the spider with its weapon by swinging the Rod. Continue this strategy, watching the light beams to determine its position (if a beam disappears, the spider has crawled over it). Also, fight any tiny Skulltulas, especially when still in their eggs, and avoid the laser attack, hitting the eye with an arrow as fast as possible. In a very quick second phase, the spider is reduced to its eye among a bunch of Tiny Skulltulas. Attack the eye to defeat the boss.
Reward: Mirror Shard, Heart Container
Difficulty: ** 1/2
Dragon Knight/Dragon Knight x2
Where: City in the Sky
How: Throughout the fight, beware of the blue tiles that will crumble under you. Focus on the dragon’s shield with a clawshot target on it and once he tries to attack you, clawshot the target to bring him in and slash away with your sword. The second phase beings once he flies out a hole in the wall. He will fly in and out of four holes in this room. Keep tracking that target and continue the same strategy to defeat him using stronger sword attacks to dismantle his armour, like Helm Splitter and Back Slice. Always L-target him as long as he is away from a hole and you’re watching the floor for blue tiles.
Reward: Double Clawshots
Difficulty: * 1/2 (both times)
Argorok, Twilit Dragon
Where: City in the Sky
How: To begin the fight, clawshot the grating on the pillar above, then to the ivy, and climb to the tower. In the first phase, he will divebomb you and try to blow you off the tower with his wings. L-target the tail with the clawshot when he tries that and use the iron boots to weigh him down, dragging him and breaking off his armour. Use your iron boots to defend any wind attacks, then continue until he flies too high to reach. Clawshot one of the four pillars surrounding the tower until you’re high enough to reach the tail, then continue this until a red crystal switch appears on his back to enter phase two. You’ll need to clawshot and climb a pillar, then clawshot Peahats one after the other to avoid a fiery breath attack. Remember to keep L-targeting the Peahats to move fast. Once you’re safe enough behind him, clawshot the switch to pull enough in, then slash with your sword. Continue this, and watch the fire attack to change direction. Just clawshot the other way to avoid it. You may lose a lot of health from getting hit by fire or falling in this battle, so use the skulls around the base of the area for extra hearts.
Reward: Mirror Shard, Heart Container
Difficulty: *** 1/2
Image of Zant
Where: Palace of Twilight
How: First, defeat the waves of enemies that come intermittently throughout the battle. Use your spin attack at will. When you get close enough to “Zant”, use sword attacks, especially when a red orb appears over his head.
Reward: Access to the first Sol
Difficulty: **
Zant, Usurper King
Where: Palace of Twilight
How: You will fight Zant in six stages reminiscent of previous dungeons. As long as the fight is, it’s not all that difficult. The first is in the Forest Temple. Like Diababa, Zant hovers off a swamp of goo, firing projectiles. Block with your shield, use your boomerang to bring him towards you, and slash with your sword, extra powerful as a Light Sword. Continue this strategy to move on to phase two in the Goron Mines. Like the fight with Biggoron, Zant will rock the casbah on a rickety magnetic platform above the lava. Use your iron boots immediately to magnetize and use them whenever he jumps up and down. Wait for Zant to fire projectiles (a common theme apparently). Dodge an attack sans iron boots, and get close to use sword attacks on him. That’s it for this phase. Next you’re in Lakebed in a revival of the Morpheel show. Use your Zora Armour and Iron Boots to sink down. A giant Mask of Zant appears. L-Target Zant when he appears within it and block projectiles with your shield, using your clawshot to bring him towards you and slashie slashie. After a while, four masks appear. Only one contains Zant. Look for the L-targeting yellow arrow that gives it away and clawshot him in to slash away again. The fourth phase reconvenes in the Forest Temple with a Baboon fight restaged. Change your clothes and no iron boots this time. As Zant hops the pillars, he’ll stop on one to fire projectiles. Roll into this pillar two times (emphasis: TWO TIMES) to make him fall, then slash away. The next phase is at Snowpeak where he balloons in a mimic of Blizzeta (a.k.a. evil Yeta). A convenient camera angle allows you to avoid his shadow. Roll out of his way as he crashes (boom) and use the Ball & Chain, aiming for the foot. In a hilarious scene, Zant hops around on one foot, shrinking considerably down to a tiny size. Chase him and slash away with your sword, continuing the pattern to finish the phase. The sixth and final phase is in Hyrule Field in a great sendoff of the final Ganondorf battle in Wind Waker. With two swords, he’s pretty formidable. Use Jump Attacks or Jump Strikes when he lunges slowly. When he spins around, dodge well to avoid them (sidestepping is helpful). When he stops for a rest (lazy bum), slash with no mercy.
Reward: Fused Shadows, Heart Container
Difficulty: **
King Bulbin, Part IV
Where: Hyrule Castle
How: Same battle as in Gerudo Desert. Use Back Slices or Helm Splitters, especially when he starts an attack or when his sword gets stuck in the ground.
Reward: Small Key
Difficulty: * 1/2
Ganondorf
Where: Hyrule Castle
How: Climb the stairs to the chapel to begin the first of four phases. The first phase is a fight with Puppet Zelda where you’ll torture an effigy of your one true love. Ah, romance. She hovers around and attacks by divebombing you (dodge it), creating a golden triangle on the floor (don’t stand on it), and most importantly, flinging a ball of light at your head. When this attack occurs, repel it back with your sword back and forth (now this is familiar) until she gets hit. Three hits and you change phases. Now Ganon is a wolf-like beast. This phase is arguably the toughest. There are two parts to this phase (a sub-phase if you will). First, he’ll run around smashing things and then disappear into a portal. Stand in a relatively safe spot against the wall and aim your bow ready to shoot. Wait for a hole to appear (and the anticipating sound effects), then stun him with an arrow as he barrels out the portal. When stunned, slash the silver scar on his body. He may try to squash you from above, so look for his shadow on the ground and avoid it at all costs. Continue the same arrow-stun, scar-slash strategy until when you try to fire an arrow at him, he disappears quicker. Change to wolf Link and stand in the middle of the portals. When Ganon jumps out of one, L-target and press A to grab him, then fling him away to stun him, giving you ample time to attack that silver scar again. Continue this strategy to move on to the third phase. Now you fight the real Ganon on Epona. Zelda becomes your riding partner (yippee-ky-yay!). The fight is similar to the King Bulbin fight on horseback when you saved Colin. Ride close to Ganon and L-target him for Zelda to stun him with a light arrow. Once stunned, slash away with your sword. Charge a spin attack as you ride and when the time comes, unleash it to deal major damage. Avoid the phantoms that Ganon unleashes or you’ll be knocked off Epona and have to mount her again. After a while, you’ll enter the final phase, a good old-fashioned swordfight. The shield becomes pretty useless here, so use the Back Slice religiously and backflip or sidestep to avoid Ganon’s mighty sword attack. If he leaps into the air, roll to avoid his squashing bod. If you press A at the right moment, you may be lucky enough to engage in a close-up game of arm wrestling with your swords clashing. It’s very climactic and stressful, so keep pressing A if that happens. Once Ganon is down but not out, perform an Ending Blow to finish him off.
Reward: End of Game
Difficulty: * 1/2 (first phase), *** (second phase), *** (third phase), *** (overall)
Home