History DemonicSpiders / TheLegendofZelda

"WellExcuseMePrincess, but you're on your own with [[DemonicSpiders these guys]]."

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZelda the first game]]. By the time you get the Magical Sword, orange Wizzrobes (and most other foes) cease to be a threat, getting cleaved in two in a single swing, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three swings to kill, if you run in front of one they blast you with a beam that'll take a whole heart even with the max Level 3 armor ring and, as described in the page on {{Goddamned Bats}}, love to hang out with Bubbles, which take away your ability to swing your sword, and Like Likes, which eat your magic shield, which can block Wizzrobe projectiles. Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except your sword and bombs. [[TheMatrix You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off.]] Unless the next room is sealed and you're forced to fight them. Which, of course, it ALWAYS IS.

** But they're much more menacing at small size, after the big ones separate. When grabbing you they take out several hearts and stopping them ''from'' grabbing you is nigh impossible. If all three latch onto you you are ''dead'', plain and simple. The full-size ones' strikes aren't nearly as bad. Oh, and they become full size after a while, requiring you to hit them again and brave even ''more'' of the miserable beasts. Three are nasty. Six are insane. Nine... there hasn't been a ''final boss'' as bad as nine of those things.

** And of course, it gets worse with the EscortMission late in the game, wherein Scrapper will, as usual, get suicidally close to you as you attempt to strike these fiends down.

* ''Anything'' in ''Minish Cap'' with fire attacks is a pain, since a fire wound inflicted will induce you to run around screaming rather than being controllable.

"[[WellExcuseMePrincess Excuse me, Princess]], but you're on your own with [[DemonicSpiders these guys]]."

* ''[[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] [[ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink 2: The Adventure of Link]]'', having a much different playing style than the other ''Zelda'' games, can seem full of demonic spiders to players who haven't got the hang of the mechanics yet. And even then, some border on this. For example, blue Lizalfos, which in this game 1) use a shield that blocks most of Link's attacks, and 2) throw hammers that his shield can't block without the reflect spell. But the champion of Zelda 2 demonic spiders would be the appropriately-named Fokka, otherwise known as the Bird Knights in the Great Palace. Like Iron Knuckles and Lizalfos, they have a shield and shooting sword. They also take huge leaps with no warning, which causes them to kick Link in the head. Oh, and with Link's defense power at maximum, they take off 1 and 3/4th of a block of life, out of (up to) 8 total. Oh, and where the aforementioned Blue Lizalfos was worth 200 experience points? Bird Knights are inexplicably worth only 70 (red) and 100 (blue).

** They're such DemonicSpiders that the designers of ''ZeldaClassic'' went so far as to make it possible to set up your own custom quests such that the hammer can be used to break their shields.
** They were drastically nerfed in Wind Waker. Twilight Princess knocks them back up a little but not too bad, until the Bonus Dungeon where three of them walk in this tightly-huddled group that doesn't allow you to attack all of them. And if you try to attack one? The OTHERS strike you. Doesn't help that the ''Twilight Princess'' ones are still menacing when their armor's off.

** Don't forget near the end of ''TheMinishCap'' where you have to fight a roomful of these bastards while on an invisible time limit whose expiration results in a NonstandardGameOver. Bombs are quite useful on them however, especially remote-triggered ones.

* ''SpiritTracks'' has the evil Dark Trains, along with their smarter, tougher cousins the Armoured Trains. Heaven help you if you find one in your path, because if it moves towards you, you better be near the last fork and it better not follow you or you're on a one-way train ride to an ''automatic GameOver''. Just to make it worse, the Aumoured Trains ''pursue'' you until you leave the area. Even getting to a fork backward, quickly shoving the train in reverse and flipping the switch will only get you a few seconds' respite. To make matters worse, they are often found right in front of a station or area that you need to get to.
* ''SkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skultullas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the preveous games should know to aim for their [[AttackItsWeakPoint soft underbelly]], [[WrongGenreSavvy but will soon find that]] [[ArtificialBrilliance they'll no longer]] [[TooDumbToLive simply present their back to you.]] Instead, you have to slash them with your sword to make them start swinging, but you have to get the angle right, do it wrong and [[OhCrap they'll be swinging right at you.]] But you're not done yet, you now have to hit their belly with the Slingshot to stun them. Hitting a rapidly moving target is ''a lot harder than it sounds''. And you're ''still'' not done, you have to finish the job with your sword, but only ''one'' type of strike will work. Specifically, the forward stab, thus far probably the least useful sword strike. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and START THE ENTIRE PROCESS OVER AGAIN!!! Of course, their much easier once you've figured out this process, but they're the first enemy that requires such a complex sequence of steps to defeat, and they ''will'' kill you if you get it wrong.

* The formerly manageable Lizalfos were elevated to this status in ''SkywardSword''. Rather than relying on dodging like in ''Ocarina'' or having only rudimentary blocking abilities (as in ''Twilight Princess''), they now have enormous iron gauntlets that can not only block most sword attacks, but will also render ALL ranged attacks useless unless you manage to catch them unawares from behind; you are pretty much ''forced'' to take them in close quarters. And then once you do so, prepare to have them either jump away from your sword at the last second or block you with the aforementioned gauntlets. All while occasionally stopping to taunt you with ''the'' most annoying noise imaginable (though thankfully, they become vulnerable at this point). A single Lizalfos is usually not too tough, but they tend to attack in pairs, and unlike in past games, they don't practise MookChivalry, and will not hesitate to gang up on you. Also, they now have fire breath which lets them attack from a longer range than they could in previous games.

* ''Anything'' in "Minish Cap" with fire attacks is a pain, since a fire wound inflicted will induce you to run around screaming rather than being controllable.

* The formerly manageable Lizalfos were elevated to this status in ''SkywardSword''. Rather than relying on dodging like in ''Ocarina'' or having only rudimentary blocking abilities (as in ''Twilight Princess''), they now have enormous iron gauntlets that can not only block most sword attacks, but will also render ALL ranged attacks useless unless you manage to catch them unawares from behind; you are pretty much ''forced'' to take them in close quarters. And then once you do so, prepare to have them either jump away from your sword at the last second or block you with the aforementioned gauntlets. All while occasionally stopping to taunt you with ''the'' most annoying noise imaginable (though thankfully, they become vulnerable at this point). A single Lizalfos is usually not too tough, but they tend to attack in pairs, and unlike in past games, they don't practise MookChivalry, and will not hesitate to gang up on you.

* ''SkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skultullas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the preveous games should know to aim for their [[AttackItsWeakPoint soft underbelly]], [[WrongGenreSavvy but will soon find that]] [[ArtificialBrilliance they'll no longer]] [[TooDumbToLive simply present their back to you.]] Instead, you have to slash them with your sword to make them start swinging, but you have to get the angle right, do it wrong and [[OhCrap they'll be swinging right at you.]] But you're not done yet, you now have to hit their belly with the Slingshot to stun them. Hitting a rapidly moving target is ''a lot harder than it sounds''. And you're ''still'' not done, you have to finish the job with your sword, but only ''one'' type of strike will work. Specifically, the forward stab, thus far probably the least useful sword strike. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and START THE ENTIRE PROCESS OVER AGAIN!!! Of course, their much easier once you've figured out this process, but they're the first enemy that requires such a complex sequence of steps to defeat, and they ''will'' kill you if you get it wrong.\\
Alternately, once you have it, you can use the Beetle to sever their threads and force them to the ground, but they will try to wrap you up in thread and nom your face off. Offensively they're less threatening, but defensively they're still a pain - this time you have to front flip them to expose their underbellies and deliver a Fatal Blow. Pick your poison.

* The one-hit killer Phantoms and the Phantom Eyes that warn them in ''PhantomHourglass'' can GO SHOVE IT UP '''THEIR F-'''[[CurseCutShort *ahem*]] Sorry about that. The fact that you have to return to their dungeon SEVERAL TIMES in the game really gets frustrating; they get harder to avoid as you progress, eventually teleporting around the place and you can't get rid of them until finding the right sword. When you finally do, its very satisfying to kill them.

* ''SkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skultullas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the preveous games should know to aim for their [[AttackItsWeakPoint soft underbelly]], [[WrongGenreSavvy but will soon find that]] [[ArtificialBrilliance they'll no longer]] [[TooDumbToLive simply present their back to you.]] Instead, you have to slash them with your sword to make them start swinging, but you have to get the angle right, do it wrong and [[OhCrap they'll be swinging right at you.]] But you're not done yet, you now have to hit their belly with the Slingshot to stun them. Hitting a rapidly moving target is ''a lot harder than it sounds''. And you're ''still'' not done, you have to finish the job with your sword, but only ''one'' type of strike will work. Specifically, the forward stab, thus far probably the least useful sword strike. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and START THE ENTIRE PROCESS OVER AGAIN!!! Of course, their much easier once you've figured out this process, but they're the first enemy that requires such a complex sequence of steps to defeat, and they ''will'' kill you if you get it wrong.

** They get a SpiritualSuccessor in the upcoming ''SkywardSword,'' the Guardians of the Silent Realm. First off, the only Safe Zone is the entrance - once you're out, the Guardians are on you like white on rice. Secondly, a single hit banishes you and dismisses your Tears of Light, forcing you to start over. Thirdly, your entire inventory is banished from your person, so no Stamina Potions or shields for you. Finally, even if you collect a Tear of Light, the Guardians are stilled for a minute and a half or until a sentry spots you. Thankfully, you retain the map marks for every Tear you collect before you're banished, so if it happens you don't have to start from ''absolute'' scratch. Good luck - ''you'll need it!''

** They get a SpiritualSuccessor in the upcoming ''SkywardSword,'' the Guardians of the Silent Realm. First off, no safe zones. Secondly, they can kill you in one hit. Better yet, you have no means of defense beyond using the tear-like items in the realm or just flat out running. Either way, they're shaping up to be pretty damned annoying.

* ''SpiritTracks'' has the evil Dark Trains, along with their smarter, tougher cousins the Armoured Trains. Heaven help you if you find one in your path, because if it moves towards you, you better be near the last fork and it better not follow you or you're on a one-way train ride to an ''automatic GameOver''. Just to make it worse, the Aumoured Trains ''pursue'' you until you leave the area. Even getting to a fork backward, quickly shoving the train in reverse and flipping the switch will only get you a few seconds' respite.

** They get a SpiritualSuccessor in the upcoming ''SkywardSword,'' the Guardians of the Silent Realm. First off, no safe zones. Secondly, they can kill you in one hit. Better yet, you have no means of defense beyond using the tear-like items in the realm [[FightOrFlightSituation or just flat out running.]] Either way, they're shaping up to be pretty damned annoying.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[Game/TheLegendOfZelda the first game]]. By the time you get the Magical Sword, orange Wizzrobes (and most other foes) cease to be a threat, getting cleaved in two in a single swing, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three swings to kill, if you run in front of one they blast you with a beam that'll take a whole heart even with the max Level 3 armor ring and, as described in the page on {{Goddamned Bats}}, love to hang out with Bubbles, which take away your ability to swing your sword, and Like Likes, which eat your magic shield, which can block Wizzrobe projectiles. Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except your sword and bombs. [[TheMatrix You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off.]] Unless the next room is sealed and you're forced to fight them. Which, of course, it ALWAYS IS.

* ''SpiritTracks'' has the evil Dark Trains, along with their smarter, tougher cousins the Armoured Trains. Heaven help you if you find one in your path, because if it moves towards you, you better be near the last fork and it better not follow you or you're on a one-way train ride to an ''automatic GameOver''.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[Game/TheLegendOfZelda the first game]]. By the time you get the Magical Sword, orange Wizzrobes (and most other foes) cease to be a threat, getting cleaved in two in a single swing, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three swings to kill, if you run in front of one they blast you with a beam that'll take a whole heart even with the max), Level 3 armor ring and, as described in the page on GoddamnBats, love to hang out with Bubbles, which take away your ability to swing your sword, and Like Likes, which eat your magic shield, which can block Wizzrobe projectiles. Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except your sword and bombs. [[TheMatrix You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off.]] Unless the next room is sealed and you're forced to fight them. Which, of course, it ALWAYS IS.

* ''[[TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] [[ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink 2: The Adventure of Link]]'', having a much different playing style than the other ''Zelda'' games, can seem full of demonic spiders to players who haven't got the hang of the mechanics yet. And even then, some border on this. For example, blue Lizalfos, which in this game 1) use a shield that blocks most of Link's attacks, and 2) throw hammers that his shield can't block without the reflect spell. But the champion of Zelda 2 demonic spiders would be the Fokka, otherwise known as the Bird Knights in the Great Palace. Like Iron Knuckles and Lizalfos, they have a shield and shooting sword. They also take huge leaps with no warning, which causes them to kick Link in the head. Oh, and with Link's defense power at maximum, they take off 1 and 3/4th of a block of life, out of (up to) 8 total. Oh, and where the aforementioned Blue Lizalfos was worth 200 experience points? Bird Knights are inexplicably worth only 70 (red) and 100 (blue).
* Blue Wizzrobes from [[Game/TheLegendOfZelda the first game]]. By the time you get the Magical Sword, orange Wizzrobes (and most other foes) cease to be a threat, getting cleaved in two in a single swing, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three swings to kill, if you run in front of one they blast you with a beam that'll take a whole heart even with the max, Level 3 armor ring and, as described in the page on GoddamnBats, love to hang out with Bubbles, which take away your ability to swing your sword, and Like Likes, which eat your magic shield, which can block Wizzrobe projectiles. Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except your sword and bombs. [[TheMatrix You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off.]] Unless the next room is sealed and you're forced to fight them. Which, of course, it ALWAYS IS.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[Game/TheLegendOfZelda the first game]]. By the time you get the Magical Sword, orange Wizzrobes (and most other foes) cease to be a threat, getting cleaved in two in a single swing, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three swings to kill, if you run in front of one they blast you with a beam that'll take a whole heart even with the max, Level 3 armor ring and, as described in the page on GoddamnBats, love to hang out with Bubbles, which take away your ability to swing your sword, and Like Likes, which eat your magic shield, which can block Wizzrobe projectiles. Like the Darknuts mentioned above, they're impervious to everything except your sword and bombs. [[TheMatrix You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off.]] Unless the next room is sealed and you're forced to fight them. Which, of course, it ALWAYS IS.

* The Lynels, those demonic sword-throwing lion-centaur enemies. Fortunately, they're mostly only found on the far west side of the map. And they can be boomerang-stunned, which helps a lot.
* ''SpiritTracks'' has the evil Dark Trains, along with their smarter, tougher cousins the Armoured Trains. Heaven help you if you find one in your path, because if it moves towards you, you better be near the last fork and it better not follow you or you're on a one-way train ride to an ''automatic GameOver''. At least with the Lynels in the first game in the series you can move around to evade them, and they can't kill you instantly even if they do hit you.

** The Bonus Dungeon of ''Twilight Princess'' has three of them. And they tend to walk in this tightly-huddled group that doesn't allow you to attack all of them. And if you try to attack one? The OTHERS strike you. Doesn't help that the ''Twilight Princess'' ones are still menacing when their armor's off.

*** They actually got NERFED in ''Twilight Princess'', as it doesn't matter where the back slice lands you, it always hits. Doesn't make them any less hard. And the [[GuideDangIt suggested primary tactic?]] Harder by far than the secondary tactic, which is helm splitters until he throws the sword at you, then back slices. Basically, the tactic is "while targetting him, jump back with perfect timing, then forward before he picks up the BFS again." Is there a trope where the GuideDangIt solution is less optimal than what the player can do? If not, there should be.
*** The timing's not as bad as all that. Basically, it amounts to "As soon as he moves his weapon, jump back. As soon as you land, jump forward and attack, then jump back." Fairly easy if you mash the A button a bit.

** Darknuts? I seem to recall taking down the two red mighty darknuts in Ganons tower in wind waker without taking one hit, though i cant really recall the darknuts from TP that well...

* The infamous [=ReDeads=] of ''OcarinaOfTime''. What's so bad about [=ReDeads=]? [[http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=74 This is]].
** The ''[=OoT=]'' Redeads are a little daunting, but not that bad. Sure they can paralyze you and each require [[MadeOfIron about 8 hits to kill]], but they're so slow that you can simply keep your distance until you can get behind them where their paralyzing technique get can't you, and combo the bajeezus out of them. And even if you do get paralyzed, button mashing will allow you to get away before they latch onto you.
** The [=ReDead=] of ''Legend of Zelda: TheWindWaker.'' While they aren't terribly quick, They have a primal, horrific scream which makes Link freeze in fear, giving them ample time to shamble over and take out a whole Heart. And they always seem to come in groups, so that means the second you've recovered from the first Scream-mutilate, the second one is already screaming. Also having the distinction of being one of the truly terrifying enemies of the game.
*** Don't forget that the ''WW'' [=ReDeads=] are camouflaged, if you first encounter them in the Earth Temple. Due to them being a similar colour to the walls and floors, the player can easily mistake them for statues, which can add to the shock when they come 'alive'.
** The [=ReDeads=] of ''TwilightPrincess'': even worse. They will often paralyze and slash you when you have a dozen [[GoddamnedBats Goddamned Skeletons]] or so attacking you, so just as you break free, the skeletons may knock you down or distract you, allowing the [=ReDead=] to paralyze and maul you again.
*** Oh, they don't even need to have GoddamnedBats around... you're paralyzed until mere moments before their BFS is hitting you, and it's nearly impossible to dodge in that small frame of time. It's a LOT easier to just stand back and blast the f*** ers with Bomb Arrows or the Ball and Chain, or to claw their faces off in Wolf Form.

* The Seahats in ''Wind Waker'', which come in swarms at night and keep knocking you out of your boat.

* While it's a better example of [[HighOctaneNightmareFuel nightmare fuel]] than anything, Dead Hand appeared twice in OOT. Overall, he's a slow enemy, yet he has the ability to spawn a swarm of skeleton arms that will grab you and hold you in position as he takes his time coming to chomp you.