Intense Boss Battles

Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker have been out for years and by now I doubt any of the bosses pose much of a challenge for any of us. Few of them were particularly difficult to begin with, and now that we've memorized the simplest strategies and have defeated each boss many times over, it often feels like just going through the motions when fighting any of them again.
But, a fierce, desperate battle is always more fun than one that requires no effort, and I have found a number of ways to make some of the 3D Zelda bosses more threatening. Try fighting them again using some of these strategies, and you might find yourself clinging to that last heart and panicking, or seeing the game over screen for the first time in years. Or not. See for yourself just how good you really are at Zelda.

General tips:
- Do NOT enter a battle with twenty hearts and four fairies, or something to that extent. There'll be no sense of tension since you're practically immortal (unless you're REALLY bad) and the fight won't be any fun because you're basically guaranteed a victory. The less health you have, the more desperate the battle will be.
- Do NOT use the Fierce Deity Mask in MM. Only wimps rely on it.

Volvagia:
- Use the Megaton before your first and last attacks. Volvagia won't start flying until you use the hammer, and the battle won't end unless you use it again before the last blow. Aside from those two instances, don't use that hammer at all; Volvagia will start flying fairly often whether or not you use it. There are other ways to deal damage to the dragon.
- The easier method is to fire arrows at his skull when he begins flying.
- The other, more fun and dramatic method is to slash at his skull with your sword (preferrably the Biggoron's Sword, if you have it) when he is flying in circles about you. When you think you've done a great deal of damage to Volvagia this way, you may use the hammer again to put an end to him.

Ganondorf (OoT):
- Use the quick spin attack (this is easier with the GCN controller) to return the lightening attacks that get volleyed back and forth. The speed of the lightening will increase dramatically.
- Don't stand in the corners unless there's nowhere else to go.
- Just for fun, try hookshoting the ceiling above Ganondorf, and see if the Great King of Evil goes through the roof.

Ganon (OoT):
- Do NOT use the Light Arrows and do NOT roll between his legs. Sheesh.
- Dodge Ganon's horizontal slice and before he prepares to deliver his vertical blow, slash his face with a quick jump attack. Ganon will pause for a moment to shake his head, and during that INSTANT you must run around his hoof and jump attack his tail as soon as Navi targets it. This will be easy enough at first, but as the battle goes on Ganon will become increasingly vicious, giving you less and less of an opening. You might actually find yourself using Nayru's Love, which looks really dramatic when Link summons it. (How do I know this? ... :embrsd: moving on...)
- If you don't have the Biggoron's Sword, just find some other way to get to his tail during the first phase of the fight that doesn't involve the wimpy traditional methods. Ganon's slow enough at this point.
- Call him GAW-none, not GAH-nin. It sounds cooler.

Majora's Mask:
- Just to reinforce this: Do NOT use the Fierce Deity Mask.
- Do NOT use the Zora Mask.
- When the Mask starts spinning, fire an arrow at its backside as it flies over you. I forget whether the spin attack works as well; you could try it.
- AVOID destroying the four boss masks.

Majora's Incarnation:
- Don't use arrows; attack with your sword. It's still not very hard, but the boss masks may start getting on your nerves. Don't destroy them.

Majora's Wrath:
- This is the fun part. Again, do NOT use the FD Mask, because only wimps rely on it.
- Do NOT use arrows, or the Great Fairy Sword. If you don't have the Gilded Sword, it's even better.
- Try to attack using the weapons that you're left with; if you can't find any way to hurt Majora with them, then use your sword. Majora will try to kick you if you get too close, but deal with it. This gets really fun when the demon starts pulling out the spinning blades.
- If you haven't done this before, when Majora starts tossing you around with its whips, don the Zora Mask and hold R when you are ensnared. Electricity will travel up the whips and stun the boss.

Ganondorf (TWW):
- To give the battle a much needed risk factor, come with only 3 to 9 hearts, counting the extra health you'll get from fairies/elixer if you bring any. Don't use the Magic Armor, cause it's TWW for crying out loud.
- Instead of just keeping a safe distance between yourself and Ganondorf and waiting for the parries to cue (wimpy), go on the offensive frequently and trigger the parries that way. You'll begin to dread Ganondorf's stab attack if you have low health.
- Use your shield to block the boss's blades. He'll notice it and use the combo that ends with the kick that can't be defended against. Dodge the kick, and when Ganondorf laughs try to position yourself so that a parry will trigger for a really dramatic attack.
- Always stay within Ganondorf's range, whether you are fighting offensively or defensively. Don't use your shield (unless you are performing the step listed above). The Zelda combat system was pretty much designed for this battle, so make full use of all the sword combos, side jumps and backflips, and enjoy the fast pace.
- Go crazy with the camera, and find dramatic angles to make the fight look cooler.
- Instead of chatting with Zelda ASAP to trigger the final phase of the fight, let the battle go on for as long as you can let it. You can't deal any damage, but it's still wicked fun.
- TWW Ganondorf has more personality than all other Zelda bosses combined, and then some. Keep his character in mind during the fight. Whether you pity him, loathe him, fear him, or whatever, it'll get you much more immersed in Link's situation.


So try some of these methods and let me know what you think of them, and if you have your own strategies for any of the 3D bosses then by all means share them.

I never tried to fulfil the whole trading thing, so I never got the magic armour. It probably would have helped a LOT in the battle with Ganondorf. I brought some fairies in with me, and I probably never would have completed the game if it wasn't for them. No matter how easy people say that battle was, I just beat Ganondorf with my final quarter of a heart. :embrsd:

if you realy want to make it hard dont collect any heart containers after the boss battles

I wonder if you could (making the game difficult), try beating a boss without using your sword. Also I guess you would have to obstain from using the hammer, to make things really difficult.

Originally Posted by Zelda_Stuff_Guy

I wonder if you could (making the game difficult), try beating a boss without using your sword. Also I guess you would have to obstain from using the hammer, to make things really difficult.

If it's possible, do that, it's great fun.

You should have seen me on AlttP, fighting the Desert Temple boss!

I had to drop bombs at just the right moment, so when they came out of the ground, BOOM!
I ran out, had to use arrows, very tricky!
Finally, I was down to the lantern, yes that's right.

It makes it far more fun, even though it's still not particularly tricky.

and just to spice things up how about trying to beat the final boss with only three hearts and no fariys!

Originally Posted by malon lover

and just to spice things up how about trying to beat the final boss with only three hearts and no fariys!

When I fight Ganondorf in TWW, I usually have three hearts and one fairy. That's enough to let myself get a little reckless, but if I'm a bit too sloppy I'll still die quickly. With three hearts you can't always let yourself get too caught up in the battle since there's very little room for error.

Has anyone tried the strategy I posted for Ganon in OoT? It completely changes the battle; the fight is much more fast paced and dangerous- there's a much greater risk of getting sliced by Ganon's blades.

Originally Posted by Hylian Dan

When I fight Ganondorf in TWW, I usually have three hearts and one fairy. That's enough to let myself get a little reckless, but if I'm a bit too sloppy I'll still die quickly. With three hearts you can't always let yourself get too caught up in the battle since there's very little room for error.

Has anyone tried the strategy I posted for Ganon in OoT? It completely changes the battle; the fight is much more fast paced and dangerous- there's a much greater risk of getting sliced by Ganon's blades.

oops maybe i should have been more clear, what i ment when i said "had three hearts" i ment only having three heart comtainers.

Originally Posted by Hylian Dan

Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and The Wind Waker have been out for years and by now I doubt any of the bosses pose much of a challenge for any of us. Few of them were particularly difficult to begin with, and now that we've memorized the simplest strategies and have defeated each boss many times over, it often feels like just going through the motions when fighting any of them again.
But, a fierce, desperate battle is always more fun than one that requires no effort, and I have found a number of ways to make some of the 3D Zelda bosses more threatening. Try fighting them again using some of these strategies, and you might find yourself clinging to that last heart and panicking, or seeing the game over screen for the first time in years. Or not. See for yourself just how good you really are at Zelda.

General tips:
- Do NOT enter a battle with twenty hearts and four fairies, or something to that extent. There'll be no sense of tension since you're practically immortal (unless you're REALLY bad) and the fight won't be any fun because you're basically guaranteed a victory. The less health you have, the more desperate the battle will be.
- Do NOT use the Fierce Deity Mask in MM. Only wimps rely on it.

Volvagia:
- Use the Megaton before your first and last attacks. Volvagia won't start flying until you use the hammer, and the battle won't end unless you use it again before the last blow. Aside from those two instances, don't use that hammer at all; Volvagia will start flying fairly often whether or not you use it. There are other ways to deal damage to the dragon.
- The easier method is to fire arrows at his skull when he begins flying.
- The other, more fun and dramatic method is to slash at his skull with your sword (preferrably the Biggoron's Sword, if you have it) when he is flying in circles about you. When you think you've done a great deal of damage to Volvagia this way, you may use the hammer again to put an end to him.

Ganondorf (OoT):
- Use the quick spin attack (this is easier with the GCN controller) to return the lightening attacks that get volleyed back and forth. The speed of the lightening will increase dramatically.
- Don't stand in the corners unless there's nowhere else to go.
- Just for fun, try hookshoting the ceiling above Ganondorf, and see if the Great King of Evil goes through the roof.

Ganon (OoT):
- Do NOT use the Light Arrows and do NOT roll between his legs. Sheesh.
- Dodge Ganon's horizontal slice and before he prepares to deliver his vertical blow, slash his face with a quick jump attack. Ganon will pause for a moment to shake his head, and during that INSTANT you must run around his hoof and jump attack his tail as soon as Navi targets it. This will be easy enough at first, but as the battle goes on Ganon will become increasingly vicious, giving you less and less of an opening. You might actually find yourself using Nayru's Love, which looks really dramatic when Link summons it. (How do I know this? ... :embrsd: moving on...)
- If you don't have the Biggoron's Sword, just find some other way to get to his tail during the first phase of the fight that doesn't involve the wimpy traditional methods. Ganon's slow enough at this point.
- Call him GAW-none, not GAH-nin. It sounds cooler.

Majora's Mask:
- Just to reinforce this: Do NOT use the Fierce Deity Mask.
- Do NOT use the Zora Mask.
- When the Mask starts spinning, fire an arrow at its backside as it flies over you. I forget whether the spin attack works as well; you could try it.
- AVOID destroying the four boss masks.

Majora's Incarnation:
- Don't use arrows; attack with your sword. It's still not very hard, but the boss masks may start getting on your nerves. Don't destroy them.

Majora's Wrath:
- This is the fun part. Again, do NOT use the FD Mask, because only wimps rely on it.
- Do NOT use arrows, or the Great Fairy Sword. If you don't have the Gilded Sword, it's even better.
- Try to attack using the weapons that you're left with; if you can't find any way to hurt Majora with them, then use your sword. Majora will try to kick you if you get too close, but deal with it. This gets really fun when the demon starts pulling out the spinning blades.
- If you haven't done this before, when Majora starts tossing you around with its whips, don the Zora Mask and hold R when you are ensnared. Electricity will travel up the whips and stun the boss.

Ganondorf (TWW):
- To give the battle a much needed risk factor, come with only 3 to 9 hearts, counting the extra health you'll get from fairies/elixer if you bring any. Don't use the Magic Armor, cause it's TWW for crying out loud.
- Instead of just keeping a safe distance between yourself and Ganondorf and waiting for the parries to cue (wimpy), go on the offensive frequently and trigger the parries that way. You'll begin to dread Ganondorf's stab attack if you have low health.
- Use your shield to block the boss's blades. He'll notice it and use the combo that ends with the kick that can't be defended against. Dodge the kick, and when Ganondorf laughs try to position yourself so that a parry will trigger for a really dramatic attack.
- Always stay within Ganondorf's range, whether you are fighting offensively or defensively. Don't use your shield (unless you are performing the step listed above). The Zelda combat system was pretty much designed for this battle, so make full use of all the sword combos, side jumps and backflips, and enjoy the fast pace.
- Go crazy with the camera, and find dramatic angles to make the fight look cooler.
- Instead of chatting with Zelda ASAP to trigger the final phase of the fight, let the battle go on for as long as you can let it. You can't deal any damage, but it's still wicked fun.
- TWW Ganondorf has more personality than all other Zelda bosses combined, and then some. Keep his character in mind during the fight. Whether you pity him, loathe him, fear him, or whatever, it'll get you much more immersed in Link's situation.


So try some of these methods and let me know what you think of them, and if you have your own strategies for any of the 3D bosses then by all means share them.

Why didnt you include the 1st boss from the WW!? I he still hits me when i fight him.

Originally Posted by Hylian Dan

Ganondorf (TWW):
- To give the battle a much needed risk factor, come with only 3 to 9 hearts, counting the extra health you'll get from fairies/elixer if you bring any. Don't use the Magic Armor, cause it's TWW for crying out loud.
- Instead of just keeping a safe distance between yourself and Ganondorf and waiting for the parries to cue (wimpy), go on the offensive frequently and trigger the parries that way. You'll begin to dread Ganondorf's stab attack if you have low health.
- Use your shield to block the boss's blades. He'll notice it and use the combo that ends with the kick that can't be defended against. Dodge the kick, and when Ganondorf laughs try to position yourself so that a parry will trigger for a really dramatic attack.
- Always stay within Ganondorf's range, whether you are fighting offensively or defensively. Don't use your shield (unless you are performing the step listed above). The Zelda combat system was pretty much designed for this battle, so make full use of all the sword combos, side jumps and backflips, and enjoy the fast pace.
- Go crazy with the camera, and find dramatic angles to make the fight look cooler.
- Instead of chatting with Zelda ASAP to trigger the final phase of the fight, let the battle go on for as long as you can let it. You can't deal any damage, but it's still wicked fun.
- TWW Ganondorf has more personality than all other Zelda bosses combined, and then some. Keep his character in mind during the fight. Whether you pity him, loathe him, fear him, or whatever, it'll get you much more immersed in Link's situation.

I did this battle with 5 hearts. Lets just say it was a lot more fun than my first time fighting him. Even though I only lost a heart (a foolish one at that) I felt the much needed tension. I reccomend anyone who has any skill to try this. Forget fairies, forget potions, forget everything. All you need is a couple of hearts and the will to win. Sadly, this boss battle is still quite simple with only 5 hearts. Ah well, it's fun nonetheless.

So uh, yeah those are actually good ideas. You are not only telling us how to make the boss battles more intense, but you also are helping us enjoy the game even more! That's what you call good thinking.

Yeah, I love doing this in games. It helps me focus when you have your favorite song blasting in the background. And it can set the mood to give you that epic battle feeling...

(This goes off topic) But I think whats really fun, is in Kingdom Hearts (and # 2), If you ever have faced Sephiroth, You'll find he's hard enough as it is while healing, but try beating HIM without healing once!!!

i fought volvagia with only two hearts and that had to be the biggest challenge i ever faced! it was even harder than ganon!

I tried to beat the last boss in MM first time i encountered the boss..Didn't go that well, had to finish him of with the fiercy deity mask. Someday i will crush him with my sword..

Break the original Biggoron's Sword, and don't do the trading sequence So you still have the broken hilt. Use that instead of a sword.