Top 10 Legend of Zelda Bosses That Will Make You Rage Quit

Top 10 Hardest Zelda Bosses

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The 20 HARDEST Zelda Bosses

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 10 Hardest Zelda Bosses. For this list, we’ll be looking at those bosses who can make Link scream in frustration or fear. Which “The Legend of Zelda” boss should come with a new controller? Let us know in the comments!

Sticking to the franchise's standard formula for a three-phase final boss encounter, Majora's Mask is only as difficult as Link wants the battle to be. While all three forms have their hurdles, especially the final version Majora's Wrath, the Fierce Deity's Mask greatly reduces the threat offered by the boss. However, if Link is confident enough to face Majora's Mask without an ace in the hole or opts against eliminating the Boss Remains as early as possible, then this boss battle can become quite a punishing one. “The Legend of Zelda” games are rarely about their difficulty, but “Majora’s Mask’s” titular boss can put up quite a fight.

Armed with a Spinner and up against a boney dragon with a scimitar stabbed into its skull, Link better have a strong stomach because he spends most of this fight bouncing all over the place. Stallord is unlikely to kill Link, but landing hits to the boss while getting used to the Spinner and avoiding the Staltroops can be frustrating. Stallord's second form is considerably less annoying than its predecessor, and the fight becomes far easier on subsequent playthroughs, but the first time going up against this dragon is a test of patience and timing.

“The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past” (1992)

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Boss fights are not just about the massive creatures trying to send Link to the afterlife; sometimes, the arena is the hardest part. Featured in multiple games and always annoying, Moldorm is a worm-like boss with a tail for a weak point and a fondness for knocking Link down holes. In "A Link to the Past," the fight itself is simple enough, but falling down a pit situated in the arena resets Moldorm's health. The player must be constantly aware of their position while timing their attacks just right, as striking any part besides Moldorm's tail will send Link flying.

“The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005)

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For what is generally a pretty easy game, "The Minish Cap" ramps up the difficulty considerably in its final hours. Vaati is worthy of a final boss, a three-stage encounter that requires Link to use many of the tools and skills he picked up throughout his adventure. Vaati does not waste any time, as its first Reborn form uses projectiles that must be destroyed before the boss can be damaged and also teleports to keep Link at a distance. The second form is on a whole other level, mainly because the cloning mechanic needs to be used before Link can move on to Vaati's hard but manageable third phase.

“Zelda II: The Adventure of Link” (1988)

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A side-scrolling RPG quite unlike any other entry in the franchise, "The Adventure of Link" is a contender for the hardest "Zelda" game ever. While far from the only tough boss, Thunderbird is a hard-hitting and unforgiving endgame encounter. After Link casts Thunder and makes the boss vulnerable to damage, it just becomes a matter of avoiding a symphony of fireballs while striking blows to the creature's head. The Reflect Spell can make the battle easier, but this is one encounter that is primarily reflex driven. Thunderbird is like "The Legend of Zelda's" version of a bullet hell boss.

“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003)

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Link better get comfortable using a boomerang and a bow. Puppet Ganon is visually-striking in all of its three phases, but the challenge lies in the fact Link has to strike its tail with Light Arrows to score a hit. Although its attacks are not especially difficult to avoid, Puppet Ganon never stops moving, which makes it quite infuriating to cut the first form’s strings using a boomerang before attacking its tail with the arrows. Regardless of what animal or bug it happens to be mimicking, Puppet Ganon is a proper test of Link's quick reflexes and sharpshooting skills.

As the boss of the Great Bay Temple, Gyorg can be very irritating on a blind playthrough. This boss with teeth for days moves quickly, fires out mini-mes to frustrate Zora Link, and has a difficult-to-avoid close-quarters attack that bites hard. In the original game, the Gyorg fight can be cheesed by just firing arrows from the arena's central platform, but the 3DS remake removes that option and throws in a second stage that involves a lot of sucking and bombs. With the slower movement of Zora Link in the remake, Gyorg might even surprise veterans of the Nintendo 64 original.

“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

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"Breath of the Wild's" open-ended nature means the main bosses can be faced in practically any order. Even if the other phantoms are defeated first, granting Link access to useful items like Daruk's Protection, Thunderblight Ganon is still never anything short of crushingly difficult. While a bit of a glass cannon, Thunderblight hits quick and hard, and its second form ramps things up with even more electricity and the occasional laser attack. One wrong move or poorly timed parry could leave Link vulnerable to a combo, and Thunderblight Ganon does not waste any opportunities.

Be it as the final hurdle of "Zelda II" or a mini-boss in "Ocarina of Time," Dark Link tends to always put up a fierce battle. Unlike most other "Zelda" bosses, Dark Link is a bit more unpredictable, as a strategy that worked wonders in one playthrough might not be as fruitful in another. Dark Link is a countering machine and reflects the main protagonist's fighting style, although with a few limitations. Spamming attacks or using the Megaton Hammer can trivialize the battle on occasion, but then there can be times when Dark Link just seems to decide to mess with the player. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Calamity Ganon, “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

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“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)

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As the final fight in the “Champions' Ballad" DLC, Monk Maz Koshia feels like a celebration of the entire game. Going through multiple stages that harbor back to other "Breath of the Wild" bosses, Maz Koshia has the speed of Thunderblight Ganon, the raw destructiveness of the Guardians, and the sheer awe-factor of Calamity Ganon. Whittle down the boss's health enough and Maz Koshia will create clones or power-up to a supersized version of himself, with each phase requiring Link to use different tactics. Link and players have to apply everything they have learned to overcome the final trial.