History DemonicSpiders / TheLegendofZelda

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In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' the Gibdos become this. These enemies will paralyze you as soon as they see you, and they will walk really, ''really'' slowly at you. When they are close enough, they will land a hit with their massive sword. And you cannot move in all that time, so you have to watch them walking at you. When they finally hit you, you'll be able to fight back... until you are paralyzed again. If they gang up on you, you are probably going to spend several minutes in that room. They have a lot of hit points, so fighting a pack of them is a nightmare. If you don't have the Jump Strike, which can be initiated outside of their range and kills them in a single hit, then using bomb-arrows or the ball and chain is recommended.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skulltulas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the previous games should know to aim for their [[AttackItsWeakPoint soft underbelly]], [[WrongGenreSavvy but will soon find that]] they'll no longer 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 ''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, which the [=WiiMotion Plus=] is notoriously unresponsive to. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and start the whole process over again. Of course, they're 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. Players can also ignore using the Slingshot entirely and time the Skulltulas swing with the kill stab, but in some ways that's even worse than getting the stun off.

* Darknuts. In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the original game]], you can't hit them from the front thanks to their shields, and hitting them from one of their three unprotected sides is practically impossible as they walk around in randomly erratic directions (the first game's stiff controls and DenialOfDiagonalAttack doesn't help). You think you're about to get a good hit in, but then [[NoSell CLANK!]] The orange ones are hard enough to get the hang of, but with practice an a sword upgrade or two they are lowered to GoddamnBats. Then there are the blue ones, who have double the health, and move faster. This alone causes them to remain DemonicSpiders, especially in groups. You could have full hearts and still manage to die because of a single idiot Darknut encounter. And if you didn't think it could get any more ridiculous, in many Labyrinths there's several rooms FULL OF THEM where you have to kill every one in order to move on (Level-5 in particular pits you against two rooms of blue Darknuts in order to get the Recorder). Unlike Wizzrobes, however, Darknuts are slightly weaker to the sword, lack projectile attacks and are slow. Thank goodness for small favors.

* ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', 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 II'' demonic spiders would be the appropriately-named Fokkās (the bastards don't have an official English name) in the Great Palace. Like blue Iron Knuckles and Lizalfos, they have a shield and shooting sword. You can block OR attack. Like every shield enemy, they can block AND attack, and at different heights. They also take huge leaps with no warning, which causes them to kick Link in the head, interfering a lot with the standard strategy for beating enemies with shields. 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? Fokkās are inexplicably worth only 70 (red) and 100 (blue).

** There's also the Darknut {{Expy}} Iron Knuckle in ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink''. They carry shields like their cousins, and they force you to play a guessing game of striking high or low to damage them while they swing their swords right back at you. The orange and red ones get easier once you get stronger (and you realize that striking them while jumping at them can bypass the shield), but the blue ones are what truly belong on this list. They're fast, powerful, they spam {{Sword Beam}}s, and they have a nasty habit of [[DirtyCoward backing away]] from you when you get close. Lizalfos, of which the strongest variant is mentioned above, behave similarly to Iron Knuckles but manage to be even more annoying, as do the appropriately named Fokkā, also mentioned above.

* The formerly manageable Lizalfos were elevated to this status in ''Skyward Sword''. 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 practice 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.\\

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. Even later on, they gain cursed breath which completely disables all of your weapons. No sword, no, shield, nothing at all-- you're completely defenseless until the curse wears off, which takes a long time.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI'': Blue Wizzrobes from. 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. They don't flinch when hit, so if they are moving towards you and you hit them they keep coming and hit you back. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). They're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. To quote ''Film/TheMatrix'''s Cypher: ''"You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off."'' You can always try killing the other stuff instead and running out of the room, hoping there will be fewer Wizzrobes... except when you are locked in and CAN'T retreat. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close-- they can phase right into them.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skulltulas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the previous games should know to aim for their [[AttackItsWeakPoint soft underbelly]], [[WrongGenreSavvy but will soon find that]] they'll no longer 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 ''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, which the [=WiiMotion Plus=] is notoriously unresponsive to. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and start the whole process over again. Of course, they're 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. Players can also ignore using the Slingshot entirely and time the Skulltulla's swing with the kill stab, but in some ways that's even worse than getting the stun off.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. They don't flinch when hit, so if they are moving towards you and you hit them they keep coming and hit you back. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). They're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. To quote ''Film/TheMatrix'''s Cypher: ''"You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off."'' You can always try killing the other stuff instead and running out of the room, hoping there will be fewer Wizzrobes... except when you are locked in and CAN'T retreat. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close-- they can phase right into them.

** [[SarcasmMode Better yet,]] both the Phantoms and Phantom Eyes make a return in ''Spirit Tracks'', and this time there's no Phantom Sword to kill them. [[BodySurf Luckily, you get to do something almost as satisfying.]] Also luckily, unlike the Dark Trains listed further down, "one hit kill" doesn't mean "instant Game Over", so much as it means "get forced back to the beginning", Wallmaster style. (That, and taking a full heart of damage, ''and'' getting 30 seconds taken off your timer (Phantom Hourglass only).)

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're [[BossInMooksClothing even harder]] this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe. They're also [[ArtificialBrilliance smarter]] than most other enemies: if they notice Link, they don't always mindlessly charge, and may simply observe from a distance and wait for him to approach and initiate combat. If Link tries to hide behind a rock or a hill to avoid their arrows, they'll fire them in a high arc and hit Link from above instead. Finally, they are the only enemy in the game that can see through a disguise; if Link is wearing a Lynel Mask it will fool them for only a minute, as opposed to other enemies which never figure it out until either they see you attacking them or a nearby species that doesn't match the mask weeds you out. However, the Ancient Arrows can be used as a OneHitKill against them and other non-Guardian enemies, but players may be reluctant to use them at times due to the fact that it disintegrates them along with their equipment (meaning you get nothing from the kill).

* The dreaded, temporarily-invincible, stunning, [[AsteroidsMonster splitting and regenerating]], sometimes invisible, Floormasters. These things are more [[NightmareFuel nightmarish]] than the Wallmasters. They're actually 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'' in any ''Zelda'' game as bad as nine of those things.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skulltulas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the previous 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 ''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, which the [=WiiMotion Plus=] is notoriously unresponsive to. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and start the whole process over again. Of course, they're 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. Players can also ignore using the Slingshot entirely and time the Skulltulla's swing with the kill stab, but in some ways that's even worse than getting the stun off.
** 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 chew your face off. Offensively they're less threatening, but defensively they're still a pain -- you can either slash ''upwards'' or hammer them with multiple hits ''in the same direction'' to flip them over [[DamnYouMuscleMemory (slashing back-and-forth will only push them away)]], but if you're not good at either of those techniques, forget about going for the kill shot.

In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' the Gibdo's become this. These enemies will paralyze you as soon as they see you, and they will walk really, ''really'' slowly at you. When they are close enough, they will land a hit with their massive sword. And you cannot move in all that time, so you have to watch them walking at you. When they finally hit you, you'll be able to fight back... until you are paralyzed again. If they gang up on you, you are probably going to spend several minutes in that room. They have a lot of hit points, so fighting a pack of them is a nightmare. If you don't have the Jump Strike, which can be initiated outside of their range and kills them in a single hit, then using bomb-arrows or the ball and chain is recommended.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. They don't flinch when hit, so if they are moving towards you and you hit them they keep coming and hit you back. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). They're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. To quote ''Film/TheMatrix'''s Morpheus: ''"You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off."'' You can always try killing the other stuff instead and running out of the room, hoping there will be fewer Wizzrobes... except when you are locked in and CAN'T retreat. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close-- they can phase right into them.

* ''VideoGame/ZeldaIITheAdventureOfLink'', 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 II'' demonic spiders would be the appropriately-named Fokkās (the bastards don't have an official English name) 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? Fokkās are inexplicably worth only 70 (red) and 100 (blue).
* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). They're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. To quote ''Film/TheMatrix'''s Morpheus: ''"You see a blue Wizzrobe, you do what we do. You run your ass off."'' You can always try killing the other stuff instead and running out of the room, hoping there will be fewer Wizzrobes... except when you are locked in and CAN'T retreat. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close-- they can phase right into them.

In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'', there's a variation of the Redead called the Redead Knight. These enemies will paralyze you as soon as they see you, and they will walk really, ''really'' slowly at you. When they are close enough, they will land a hit with their massive sword. And you cannot move in all that time, so you have to watch them walking at you. When they finally hit you, you'll be able to fight back... until you are paralyzed again. If they gang up on you, you are probably going to spend several minutes in that room. They have a lot of hit points, so fighting a pack of them is a nightmare. If you don't have the Jump Strike, which can be initiated outside of their range and kills them in a single hit, then using bomb-arrows or the ball and chain is recommended.

** The {{Bears|are bad news}}. To an extent they're a lot like the wolves: You can't target them, and they love to retreat outside the range of your melee weapons. What elevates them to DemonicSpiders is that they hit ''hard'' and can take a ''ton'' of damage before they finally die, meaning you can't pick them off with arrows or boomerangs at range like you can with the wolves (headshots can still kill them instantly, but good luck doing that with only one arrow if the bear is already trying to encircle you). And if that's not bad enough? {{Two words|obvious trope}}: ''[[FantasticCavalry Bear Cavalry]]''. That's right, in some parts of Hyrule ''Bokoblins ride the damn things''.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're [[BossInMooksClothing even harder]] this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe. They're also [[ArtificialBrilliance smarter]] than most other enemies: if they notice Link, they don't always mindlessly charge, and may simply observe from a distance and wait for him to approach and initiate combat. If Link tries to hide behind a rock or a hill to avoid their arrows, they'll fire them in a high arc and hit Link from above instead. Finally, they are the only enemy in the game that can see through a disguise; if Link is wearing a Lynel Mask it will fool them for only a minute, as opposed to other enemies which never figure it out. However, the Ancient Arrows can be used as a OneHitKill against them and other non-Guardian enemies, but players may be reluctant to use them at times due to the fact that it disintegrates them along with their equipment (meaning you get nothing from the kill).

** The {{Bears|are bad news}}. To an extent they're a lot like the wolves: You can't target them, and they love to retreat outside the range of your melee weapons. What elevates them to DemonicSpiders is that they hit ''hard'' and can take a ''ton'' of damage before they finally die, meaning you can't pick them off with arrows or boomerangs at range like you can with the wolves. And if that's not bad enough? {{Two words|obvious trope}}: ''[[FantasticCavalry Bear Cavalry]]''. That's right, in some parts of Hyrule ''Bokoblins ride the damn things''.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' also has the Guardians, with their most common type (the Stalkers) functioning more or less like a large Beamos with spider legs. Their only attack is an extremely accurate long-ranged laser attack that can do six hearts worth of damage (more than enough to [[OneHitKill oneshot you]] at the point you'll likely first run into them), and until you either get the Master Sword or a reliable source of Ancient Arrows, the only way to deal meaningful damage to them is to use a perfectly timed shield parry to bounce their laser attacks back at them, which will kill you in short order unless your timing is spot on. Some of them lack legs, making them much easier to deal with (assuming you have experience destroying Beamos in previous games), while the Guardian Skywatchers are capable of flight and are nearly impossible to defeat unless you have plenty of Ancient or Bomb Arrows.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're [[BossInMooksClothing even harder]] this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe. They're also [[ArtificialBrilliance smarter]] than most other enemies: if they notice Link, they don't always mindlessly charge, and may simply observe from a distance and wait for him to approach and initiate combat. If Link tries to hide behind a rock or a hill to avoid their arrows, they'll fire them in a high arc and hit Link from above instead. Finally, they are the only enemy in the game that can see through a disguise: if Link is wearing a Lynel Mask it will fool them for only a minute, as opposed to other enemies which never figure it out.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' also has the Guardians, with their most common type (the Stalkers) functioning more or less like a large Beamos with spider legs. Their only attack is an extremely accurate ranged laser attack that can do six hearts worth of damage (more than enough to oneshot you at the point you'll likely first run into them), and until you either get the Master Sword or a reliable source of Ancient Arrows, the only way to deal meaningful damage to them is to use a perfectly timed shield parry to bounce their laser attacks back at them, which will kill you in short order unless your timing is spot on. Some of them lack legs, making them much easier to deal with (assuming you have experience destroying Beamos in previous games), while the Guardian Skywatchers are capable of flight and are nearly impossible to defeat unless you have plenty of Ancient or Bomb Arrows.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're [[BossInMooksClothing even harder]] this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe. They're also [[ArtificialBrilliance smarter]] than most other enemies: if they notice Link, they don't always mindlessly charge, and may simply observe from a distance and wait for his guard to drop. If Link tries to hide behind a rock or a hill to avoid their arrows, they'll fire them in a high arc and hit Link from above instead. Finally, they are the only enemy in the game that can see through a disguise: if Link is wearing a Lynel Mask it will fool them for only a minute, as opposed to other enemies which never figure it out.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skultullas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the previous 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 ''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, which the [=WiiMotion Plus=] is notoriously unresponsive to. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and start the whole process over again. Of course, they're 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. Players can also ignore using the Slingshot entirely and time the Skulltulla's swing with the kill stab, but in some ways that's even worse than getting the stun off.

* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' also has the Guardians, which function more or less like a large Beamos with spider legs. Their only attack is an extremely accurate ranged laser attack that can do six hearts worth of damage (more than enough to oneshot you at the point you'll likely first run into them), and until you either get the Master Sword or a reliable source of Ancient Arrows, the only way to deal meaningful damage to them is to use a perfectly timed shield parry to bounce their laser attacks back at them, which will kill you in short order unless your timing is spot on. Some of them lack legs, making them much easier to deal with (assuming you have experience destroying Beamos in previous games), while others are capable of flight and are nearly impossible to defeat unless you have plenty of Ancient or Bomb Arrows.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're arguably even harder this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe. They're also [[ArtificialBrilliance smarter]] than most other enemies: if they notice Link, they don't always mindlessly charge, and may simply observe from a distance and wait for his guard to drop. If Link tries to hide behind a rock or a hill to avoid their arrows, they'll fire them in a high arc and hit Link from above instead. Finally, they are the only enemy in the game that can see through a disguise: if Link is wearing a Lynel Mask, it will fool them for only a minute, as opposed to other enemies, which never figure it out.
* ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendofZeldaBreathOfTheWild Breath of the Wild]]'' also has the Guardians, which function more or less like a Beamos with spider legs. Their only attack is an extremely accurate ranged laser attack that can do six hearts worth of damage (more than enough to oneshot you at the point you'll likely first run into them), and until you either get the Master Sword or a reliable source of Ancient Arrows, the only way to deal meaningful damage to them is to use a perfectly timed shield parry to bounce their laser attacks back at them, which will kill you in short order unless your timing is spot on.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're arguably even harder this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), resistance to all forms of elemental damage, and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe.

** Lynels make a comeback in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', and they're arguably even harder this time around. They're found across Hyrule rather than just Death Mountain, and are able to keep up with Link on horseback as well as carrying various elemental arrows to kill the player before they can even get close. They have between 2000-5000 HP (compare to the 200 you'd find on a Moblin or Lizalfos), and if by some miracle you manage to get close they can easily one-shot an unprepared player with a massive sword or axe.

* Lynels in the [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI original game]], ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkToThePast'', and ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds''. Centaur-like things found on Death Mountain in all three games, they not only have a fair amount of health, but do a ridiculous amount of damage with their attacks. How much? Well, in ''A Link Between Worlds'', enough to kill Link in one hit before the fourth or fifth dungeon, especially in Hero Mode. And they have projectile attacks in the form of {{Sword Beam}}s (in the original game) or fire breath (''A Link to the Past'' onwards) which can only be blocked with the strongest shield in the game. Did we mention that you tend to fight these things in narrow passageways on top of mountains with little room to dodge? Or that in ''A Link Between Worlds'', you have to sneak past two at the same time in at least two different areas to progress?

In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' there's a variation of the Redead called the Redead Knight. These enemies will paralyze you as soon as they see you, and they will walk really, ''really'' slowly at you. When they are close enough, they will land a hit with their massive sword. And you cannot move in all that time, so you have to watch them walking at you. When they finally hit you, you'll be able to fight back... until you are paralyzed again. If they gang up on you, you are probably going to spend several minutes in that room. They have a lot of hit points, so fighting a pack of them is a nightmare. If you don't have the Jump Strike, which can be initiated outside of their range and kills them in a single hit, then using bomb-arrows or the ball and chain is recommended.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. [[Film/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. Yeah if you ever think you won't have to clear out a room with Blue Wizzrobes... think again. You can always try killing the other stuff instead and running out of the room, hoping there will be fewer Wizzrobes... except when you are locked in and CAN'T retreat. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close - they can phase right into them.

* Darknuts. In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the original game]], you can't hit them from the front thanks to their shields, and hitting them from one of their three unprotected sides is practically impossible as they walk around in randomly erratic directions (the first game's stiff controls and DenialOfDiagonalAttack doesn't help). You think you're about to get a good hit in, but then [[NoSell CLANK!]] The orange ones are hard enough to get the hang of, but with practice an a sword upgrade or two they are lowered to GoddamnBats. Then there are the BLUE ones. they have double the health, and they move faster. This alone causes them to remain DemonicSpiders, especially in groups. This alone makes them MUCH more dangerous. You could have full hearts and still manage to die because of a single idiot Darknut encounter. And if you didn't think it could get any more ridiculous, in many Labyrinths there's several rooms FULL OF THEM where you have to kill every one in order to move on (Level-5 in particular pits you against two rooms of blue Darknuts in order to get the Recorder). Unlike Wizzrobes, however, Darknuts are slightly weaker to the sword, lack projectile attacks and are slow. Thank goodness for small favors.
** They're such DemonicSpiders that the designers of ''VideoGame/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.
*** Too bad you'll be needing that to even the playing field against the even ''harder'' Darknut variants added. The Super Darknut moves just as fast as Link and can take 4 hits from the Magical Sword... before splitting into two Blue Darknuts. But worst of all... the ''Death Knight''... who moves faster than Link, shoots sword beams, and deals 20 hearts of damage (more than the maximum health of the original Zelda game). Unless the quest sets up the level with safe places to use the Ladder (which it often does), you are DEAD.
** They were drastically nerfed in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker''. ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' 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 the extra one under the entrance platform on the second playthrough.
** Don't forget near the end of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' 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.
*** Yeah, the ones in Minish Cap are easy to beat with remote bombs. Just set down a bomb, let it run towards you, set off bomb, and it's stunned. Slap around as you please.

* The dreaded, temporarily-invincible, stunning, [[AsteroidsMonster splitting and regenerating]], sometimes invisible, Floormasters. These things are more [[NightmareFuel nightmarish]] than the Wallmasters.
** 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.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' manages to escalate Skultullas (bonus points for them being ''literal'' spiders) from mere cannon fodder into this. Players of the previous 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, which the [=WiiMotion Plus=] is notoriously unresponsive to. Do ''any'' other type of attack, and you'll flip them back and START THE ENTIRE PROCESS OVER AGAIN!!! Of course, they're 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. Players can also ignore using the Slingshot entirely and time the Skulltulla's swing with the kill stab, but in some ways that's even worse than getting the stun off.
** 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 -- you can either slash ''upwards'' or hammer them with multiple hits ''in the same direction'' to flip them over [[DamnYouMuscleMemory (slashing back-and-forth will only push them away)]], but if you're not good at either of those techniques, forget about going for the kill shot.
* The formerly manageable Lizalfos were elevated to this status in ''Skyward Sword''. 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 practice 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.
** 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.
** And later still, they gain cursed breath which completely disables all of your weapons. No sword, no, shield, nothing at all -- you're completely defenseless until the curse wears off, which takes a long time.

* Let's talk about Redeads, in any of the games they appear in. Though not too difficult once you've landed a hit, their ability to let out a horrible scream that paralyzes you can often make doing this practically impossible, especially if they gang up on you. It may reach a point where you cannot move at all as they come closer, which, depending on the game, either means you will be hacked to pieces by a zombie skeleton or disturbingly humped to death. These guys have trauma potential. In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' there are a variation of the Redead called Redead Knight. These enemies will paralyze you as soon as they see you, and they will walk extreeeeeemely slowly at you. When they are close enough, they will land a hit with their massive sword. And you cannot move in all that time, so you have to watch them walking at you. When they finally hit you, you'll be able to fight back... until you are paralyzed again. If they gang up on you, you are probably going to spend several minutes in that room. They have a lot of hitpoints, so fighting a pack of them is a nightmare. Using bomb-arrows or the ball and chain is recommended.
** They become MUCH more manageable once you learn the Jump Strike, which can be initiated outside of their range and kills them in a single hit.

* Blue Wizzrobes from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI 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 stab, but the blue Wizzrobes (unlike the orange ones) are ALWAYS in motion, take three stabs to kill with the Magical Sword (more if one has a weaker sword) and if you stand in front of one's path, they BeamSpam you with magic that'll take a whole heart even with the Red Ring. And, as described in the page on GoddamnedBats, they love to hang out with Bubbles (which temporarily take away your ability to use your sword) and Like Likes (which eat the Magical Shield[[note]]Which can block Wizzrobe projectiles unlike the default shield.[[/note]] if they swallow Link and aren't killed quickly). Like the Darknuts mentioned below, they're impervious to everything except the sword and bombs. [[Film/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. Oh, and don't think you can safely camp within dungeon doors and strike when they get close - they can phase right into them.

* Darknuts. In [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI the original game]], you can't hit them from the front thanks to their shields, and hitting them from one of their three unprotected sides is practically impossible as they walk around in randomly erratic directions (the first game's stiff controls and DenialOfDiagonalAttack doesn't help). You think you're about to get a good hit in, but then [[NoSell CLANK!]] You could have full hearts and still manage to die because of a single idiot Darknut encounter. And if you didn't think it could get any more ridiculous, in many Labyrinths there's several rooms FULL OF THEM where you have to kill every one in order to move on (Level-5 in particular pits you against two rooms of blue Darknuts in order to get the Recorder). Unlike Wizzrobes, however, Darknuts are slightly weaker to the sword, lack projectile attacks and are slow. Thank goodness for small favors.