The 10 BEST Zelda Mini Bosses
Molduga
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017) Found only in the Gerudo Desert, Moldugas are massive beasts that tunnel beneath the sand sensing vibrations before they attack. There are a couple of ways to deal with them. The most satisfying is placing a bomb, waiting for it to emerge, and detonating the explosive as the Molduga eats it. You can also go shield surfing with a Sand Seal for a greater challenge or simply shoot it from afar. Regardless, the Molduga’s scale and the open areas in which you fight it make it a very fun battle. Only four exist, but they all drop valuable loot, making them more than worth seeking out.
Garo Master
“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000) The Garo Master from “Majora’s Mask” deserves credit on two fronts: he’s incredibly fun to fight and his background adds to the lore of Ikana Canyon. First found in the Stone Tower Temple, he’ll waste no time before diving at Link with flaming swords and dropping from above to deal a heavy blow. You can either try to avoid his attacks or stun him to catch him off guard. But either way, standing still is out of the question as he moves incredibly fast. This makes it a fantastic sword duel. Additionally, in life the Garo Master led a group of spies from Ikana’s enemy nation. Like many others, his spirit is trapped here, making him a bit more interesting than a mindless monster.
Phantom Ganon
10 Things To Know Before Playing Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003) After playing “Ocarina of Time,” we were delighted to see this spectral version of Ganon reappear. You first fight him in the Forsaken Fortress, where his use of Dead Man’s Volley is just as fun as it is in past fights. The game uses him more uniquely later in Ganon’s Tower. Here, Link must face several of them in a row. He can now use a copy ability and fire harder-to-deal-with dark energy balls. Each one goes down in one sword hit, with the hilt of his sword pointing to the next one. It’s a neat combination of combat and dungeon exploration. Plus, Phantom Ganon’s shadowy appearance with the game’s cel-shaded art style makes for a great design.
Death Sword
Saddest Video Game Death of All Time - Aerith
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006) Speaking of mini-bosses with terrific design, Death Sword is the creepiest enemy found in Arbiter’s Grounds. Considering it’s an abandoned prison with all kinds of nasty beasts, that’s saying a lot. The build-up to the fight is terrific; Link finds a gigantic, lone sword in an arena, tied down with rope and ofuda. Once the fight begins, Link must switch to his Wolf Form to see the horrific demon wielding it. Death Sword is the only fight that requires both of Link’s forms. The fight itself isn’t too difficult but its aesthetic features make it memorable. Its ram-like skull, its shrieks as it flies around the room, the way it disperses into a bunch of bugs upon defeat. Every bit of it is awesome.
Dead Hand
The 5 HARDEST Bosses In Wanted: Dead
“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998) “Ocarina of Time” is filled with adventure and whimsy…until you get to the Bottom of the Well. The mini-dungeon is one of the most disturbing locations in the series and holds an enemy that permanently scarred us. Yet, that in part is what makes Dead Hand such a good mini-boss. When you first enter its room, you see nothing but unsettlingly pale, long arms sticking up from the ground. Only by getting grabbed by one will you start the fight. What makes it interesting is that Link must get grabbed for a chance to attack, as Dead Hand will stay underground otherwise. But if you can’t break free fast enough, Dead Hand will relish chomping down on you. It’s an extremely ghoulish encounter and one that we’ll never forget.
LD-002G Scervo
Top 10 Hardest Mini-Bosses in Video Games
“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011) Not a memorable name, but definitely a memorable duel. Most fights depend on you depleting your enemy’s health, but Scervo operates differently. Found on the Sandship, the robot pirate’s fight appropriately takes place on the ship’s bowsprit. Link must go three rounds with him, pushing the bot towards the edge while a spike-wall moves forward behind him, giving you less room to fight each time. Scervo gets more aggressive with each consecutive round and his uninterruptible hook-hand swing can be deadly. Fencing with a robot pirate is one of the coolest fights in the game, period. And we were delighted that Nintendo gave us a second opportunity with Dreadfuse in the Sky Keep.
Darkhammer
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006) Part of what makes the mini-boss of Snowpeak Ruins so enjoyable is actually how limited the space is. He’s fought in a small corridor with areas to the side blocked by metal bars. So when he starts swinging his ball and chain around, you better be careful with your movement. He’s heavily armored except for his tail, so you’ll have to get behind him to deal damage. Link can roll underneath the swinging weapon or Clawshot a target above to get on the other side. However, being patient works out better as Darkhammer will be slow to retrieve his ball after he hurls it toward you. The fight is somewhat claustrophobic, but that works to its advantage.
Igos du Ikana
“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000) The skeletal monarch of the doomed Ikana Kingdom, Igos du Ikana naturally provides a terrific sword fight. First you’ll have to defeat his guards, who get right back to fighting after you defeat them unless you burn their bones with the Mirror Shield. As for the King himself, he doesn’t go down so easily. He can breathe purple fire and detach his head, which will float around waiting to attack you while his body still does. The head’s attack is pretty tough to avoid and can’t be countered. It’s a tense fight to say the least, but one bursting with personality. And like the Garo Master, Igos du Ikana plays a big part in the area’s engaging worldbuilding.
King Bulblin
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006) In terms of theatricality, King Bulblin’s fight is hard to top. It begins with a tense, slow-mo scene where he charges into Kakariko Village in full armor, kidnapping Colin in the process. Afterwards, it’s a high stakes chase across Hyrule Field with Link in pursuit. With his minions attacking you, you have to knock his armor off bit by bit. “Twilight Princess” introduced swordplay while on your horse, making this a really cool moment. He then challenges you to a joust. And knocking him off the side of the bridge is immensely gratifying. You have a few more memorable battles with him throughout the game. But this encounter did a lot to elevate the cinematic quality of “Zelda.”
Dark Link
Top 10 Memorable Dark Souls Moments
“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998) When you come across Dark Link for the first time, he’s unlike anything you’ve faced up to that point. He has great reaction time and can mimic your attacks, making swinging madly in hopes of dealing damage an unviable strategy. Not only that, but he has as much health as you do, which can either hurt or help your chances. Players have now figured out multiple ways to make this fight easier. But just viewing it as a sword duel, it will certainly test how well you’ve mastered the sword mechanics. He also has one of the best arenas; a lone tree in a seemingly endless puddle of water. The Water Temple has its issues, but Dark Link definitely isn’t one of them.
