The 10 Toughest Enemies In Zelda Games
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
These pesky enemies make each "Zelda" adventure just a little bit tougher. For this list, we'll be looking at regular enemies that cause us the most frustration throughout “The Legend of Zelda.” We won't be including mini-bosses unless they're a regular enemy from one game that has been beefed up as a mini-boss in another. Our list includes Wallmasters & Floormasters, Guardians, Wizzrobes, Lynels, and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
These pesky enemies make each "Zelda" adventure just a little bit tougher. For this list, we’ll be looking at regular enemies that cause us the most frustration throughout “The Legend of Zelda.” We won’t be including mini-bosses unless they're a regular enemy from one game that has been beefed up as a mini-boss in another. Our list includes Wallmasters & Floormasters, Guardians, Wizzrobes, Lynels, and more! Which “Zelda” enemy gives you the most grief? Head to the comments and let us know!
Any enemy that comes equipped with teleportation as well as projectiles is bound to be pretty annoying. Wizzrobes have been seen in most entries in the franchise. In the original game, you’d come across groups of them in dungeons where you’d have to constantly be on the move to avoid their attacks. Future appearances have made them slightly easier, giving you an indicator as to where they’ll teleport to next. But they’re most successful at vexing you in groups, taking advantage if you’re focused on another enemy to shoot you in the back. They can also come in variations, with some being more powerful than others or, in the case of “Breath of the Wild,” using different elemental attacks.
Link faces a lot of monsters throughout his adventures, some of which will put your sword-fighting skills to the test. In most of their appearances, Darknuts come equipped with a shield, meaning you have to attack from the side or behind. That’s a bit easier in 3D “Zelda,” but can be tricky in 2D entries, especially since they don’t usually come at you one at a time. Even in 3D games, being swarmed by these guys may cause you to panic. “Twilight Princess” really shook things up, where removing their armor just made them quicker and more aggressive. This is another enemy that can come in variants, with some obviously offering a greater challenge than others.
You’d think that a skeleton would go down easy, but you’d be mistaken. When Stalfoses first appeared, they could be minor annoyances. “A Link to the Past” would have them jump out of your sword’s range or throw bone boomerangs your way. However, they got a lot worse when the series transitioned to 3D. “Ocarina of Time” made them adept at hitting hard and blocking with their shield, requiring patience to best them. What’s worse is that, in some instances, if you don’t beat groups of them quickly enough, defeated Stalfoses can reform and keep attacking.
Eyegores have a big, obvious weak spot, but their speed will surprise you when you first encounter them. First seen in “A Link to the Past,” Eyegores will charge into Link as soon as they open their eye. They’re more easily dealt with when you come across them later, though it’s important to keep your cool when they rush your way. Although there are only two of them in “Majora’s Mask,” simply hitting its eye won’t work anymore. In between smashing Link into the ground or firing lasers, they can only be damaged when their eye turns yellow. This is by far their most problematic appearance, but they’ve popped up in a handful of other 2D entries to consistently cause Link pain.
We’ve all been caught in that extremely unfortunate circumstance: a shadow appears just before a giant, gross hand descends upon us, transporting us back to the beginning of a dungeon. For this, Wallmasters are one of the most frequently irritating enemies in the “Zelda” series. Although they don’t usually take a lot of damage before they go down, the Floormaster variant has some other annoying qualities. In some cases, Floormasters will fly towards you and break into three smaller hands upon defeat, only to reform if you don’t kill them quickly enough. Getting caught by a Wallmaster or Floormaster once is usually all it takes to pay close attention and keep your distance. No matter which game they appear in, these enemies are always annoying.
Though they resemble other knight-like enemies in the series, Phantoms have an extra layer of difficulty to them. In “Phantom Hourglass,” they’re found in the Temple of the Ocean King. If they see you, they’ll give chase. And if they hit you, you’ll be transported back to the beginning of the room and lose some of your precious time from the Hourglass. They also come in several frustrating variations, one of which can teleport. Thankfully, they’ve so far only appeared in one other game, “Spirit Tracks.” At least here, Zelda’s spirit is able to possess them. But we’d be happy if they stayed in the two DS entries.
The Hinox is another Cyclops enemy, though one that’s much harder to kill than the Eyegore. These lumbering behemoths love to rely on bombs and grabs to deal heavy damage to Link. They began as regular enemies in “A Link to the Past” but have risen to mini-boss status in a handful of other games. Regardless, Hinox encounters should always be treated with caution as their brute strength can make you regret getting too close. “Breath of the Wild” saw the toughest versions of the Hinox. They already always dwarfed Link in size, but here they were gigantic. And they came in several variations with different power levels, including the skeletal Stalnox.
“Zelda II” is a hard game, partially due to the slew of new, challenging enemies introduced. One of them was the Iron Knuckle, an enemy similar to the Darknut. Another coming in different variants, Iron Knuckles would constantly change the position of their shields to block while trying to stab you. They were closer to mini-bosses when they were brought into 3D, where they moved much more slowly than their 2D counterparts. However, getting hit by one would take off multiple hearts at a time. Although they don’t appear in most games in the franchise, finding one means you’ll have one Hell of a fight ahead of you.
The Guardians have, so far, only appeared in one game. And yet, they’re one of the hardest enemies Link has ever had the misfortune of fighting. You’ll come across them before you have any way of defeating them, which led to many frustrating deaths in our playthroughs. These massive machines can fire insanely deadly lasers that will knock off several hearts or kill you before you have the chance to think. It’s way worse if they have all their legs, relentlessly pursuing you until you're six feet under. Many players have now figured out multiple ways to cheese these encounters. But for the majority of us, Guardians bring fear through immense power and some seriously stress-inducing music.
Lynels have come a long way since the first “Zelda.” There, these lion centaurs never caused too much trouble. But they’ve gotten a bit tougher with each subsequent appearance. “A Link to the Past,” while only having three of them, has it so they can only be damaged by certain weapons. While their 2D appearances have grown frequently stronger, it’s really the Lynels in “Breath of the Wild” you need to look out for. Every Lynel variation will pose a challenge the first, second, third time you face them. You’ll need to come well-stocked with food, weapons, and shields as they’ll move faster and hit harder than most other enemies. And if you really want to test yourself, seek out the Golden Lynels on Master Mode.
These pesky enemies make each "Zelda" adventure just a little bit tougher. For this list, we’ll be looking at regular enemies that cause us the most frustration throughout “The Legend of Zelda.” We won’t be including mini-bosses unless they're a regular enemy from one game that has been beefed up as a mini-boss in another. Our list includes Wallmasters & Floormasters, Guardians, Wizzrobes, Lynels, and more! Which “Zelda” enemy gives you the most grief? Head to the comments and let us know!
Wizzrobe
Any enemy that comes equipped with teleportation as well as projectiles is bound to be pretty annoying. Wizzrobes have been seen in most entries in the franchise. In the original game, you’d come across groups of them in dungeons where you’d have to constantly be on the move to avoid their attacks. Future appearances have made them slightly easier, giving you an indicator as to where they’ll teleport to next. But they’re most successful at vexing you in groups, taking advantage if you’re focused on another enemy to shoot you in the back. They can also come in variations, with some being more powerful than others or, in the case of “Breath of the Wild,” using different elemental attacks.
Darknut
Link faces a lot of monsters throughout his adventures, some of which will put your sword-fighting skills to the test. In most of their appearances, Darknuts come equipped with a shield, meaning you have to attack from the side or behind. That’s a bit easier in 3D “Zelda,” but can be tricky in 2D entries, especially since they don’t usually come at you one at a time. Even in 3D games, being swarmed by these guys may cause you to panic. “Twilight Princess” really shook things up, where removing their armor just made them quicker and more aggressive. This is another enemy that can come in variants, with some obviously offering a greater challenge than others.
Stalfos
You’d think that a skeleton would go down easy, but you’d be mistaken. When Stalfoses first appeared, they could be minor annoyances. “A Link to the Past” would have them jump out of your sword’s range or throw bone boomerangs your way. However, they got a lot worse when the series transitioned to 3D. “Ocarina of Time” made them adept at hitting hard and blocking with their shield, requiring patience to best them. What’s worse is that, in some instances, if you don’t beat groups of them quickly enough, defeated Stalfoses can reform and keep attacking.
Eyegore
Eyegores have a big, obvious weak spot, but their speed will surprise you when you first encounter them. First seen in “A Link to the Past,” Eyegores will charge into Link as soon as they open their eye. They’re more easily dealt with when you come across them later, though it’s important to keep your cool when they rush your way. Although there are only two of them in “Majora’s Mask,” simply hitting its eye won’t work anymore. In between smashing Link into the ground or firing lasers, they can only be damaged when their eye turns yellow. This is by far their most problematic appearance, but they’ve popped up in a handful of other 2D entries to consistently cause Link pain.
Wallmaster & Floormaster
We’ve all been caught in that extremely unfortunate circumstance: a shadow appears just before a giant, gross hand descends upon us, transporting us back to the beginning of a dungeon. For this, Wallmasters are one of the most frequently irritating enemies in the “Zelda” series. Although they don’t usually take a lot of damage before they go down, the Floormaster variant has some other annoying qualities. In some cases, Floormasters will fly towards you and break into three smaller hands upon defeat, only to reform if you don’t kill them quickly enough. Getting caught by a Wallmaster or Floormaster once is usually all it takes to pay close attention and keep your distance. No matter which game they appear in, these enemies are always annoying.
Phantom
Though they resemble other knight-like enemies in the series, Phantoms have an extra layer of difficulty to them. In “Phantom Hourglass,” they’re found in the Temple of the Ocean King. If they see you, they’ll give chase. And if they hit you, you’ll be transported back to the beginning of the room and lose some of your precious time from the Hourglass. They also come in several frustrating variations, one of which can teleport. Thankfully, they’ve so far only appeared in one other game, “Spirit Tracks.” At least here, Zelda’s spirit is able to possess them. But we’d be happy if they stayed in the two DS entries.
Hinox
The Hinox is another Cyclops enemy, though one that’s much harder to kill than the Eyegore. These lumbering behemoths love to rely on bombs and grabs to deal heavy damage to Link. They began as regular enemies in “A Link to the Past” but have risen to mini-boss status in a handful of other games. Regardless, Hinox encounters should always be treated with caution as their brute strength can make you regret getting too close. “Breath of the Wild” saw the toughest versions of the Hinox. They already always dwarfed Link in size, but here they were gigantic. And they came in several variations with different power levels, including the skeletal Stalnox.
Iron Knuckle
“Zelda II” is a hard game, partially due to the slew of new, challenging enemies introduced. One of them was the Iron Knuckle, an enemy similar to the Darknut. Another coming in different variants, Iron Knuckles would constantly change the position of their shields to block while trying to stab you. They were closer to mini-bosses when they were brought into 3D, where they moved much more slowly than their 2D counterparts. However, getting hit by one would take off multiple hearts at a time. Although they don’t appear in most games in the franchise, finding one means you’ll have one Hell of a fight ahead of you.
Guardian
The Guardians have, so far, only appeared in one game. And yet, they’re one of the hardest enemies Link has ever had the misfortune of fighting. You’ll come across them before you have any way of defeating them, which led to many frustrating deaths in our playthroughs. These massive machines can fire insanely deadly lasers that will knock off several hearts or kill you before you have the chance to think. It’s way worse if they have all their legs, relentlessly pursuing you until you're six feet under. Many players have now figured out multiple ways to cheese these encounters. But for the majority of us, Guardians bring fear through immense power and some seriously stress-inducing music.
Lynel
Lynels have come a long way since the first “Zelda.” There, these lion centaurs never caused too much trouble. But they’ve gotten a bit tougher with each subsequent appearance. “A Link to the Past,” while only having three of them, has it so they can only be damaged by certain weapons. While their 2D appearances have grown frequently stronger, it’s really the Lynels in “Breath of the Wild” you need to look out for. Every Lynel variation will pose a challenge the first, second, third time you face them. You’ll need to come well-stocked with food, weapons, and shields as they’ll move faster and hit harder than most other enemies. And if you really want to test yourself, seek out the Golden Lynels on Master Mode.
