DHSU'S GUIDE TO ZELDA 64 BOSSES AND MINI-BOSSES What, no ASCII art? CONTENTS I. Introduction II. Version History III. Boss Guide A. INSIDE THE DEKU TREE 1. Queen Gohma B. DODONGO'S CAVERN 2. Lizalfos 3. King Dodongo C. INSIDE JABU JABU'S BELLY 4. Parasitic Tentacle 5. Bigocto 6. Barinade D. FOREST TEMPLE 7. Wolfos 8. Stalfos 9. Normal Poe sister 10. Meg Poe 11. Phantom Ganon E. FIRE TEMPLE 12. Flare Dancer 13. Volvagia F. WATER TEMPLE 14. White Wolfos 15. Dark Link 16. Morpha G. INSIDE THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL/SHADOW TEMPLE 17. Dead Hand 18. Bongo Bongo H. GERUDO FORTRESS 19. Gerudo Guard I. SPIRIT TEMPLE 20. Iron Knuckle 21. Twinrova J. GANON'S CASTLE 22. Ganondorf 23. Ganon IV. Acknowledgments V. Legal Stuff I. INTRODUCTION This is the first real FAQ I've ever completed, and I've made it as good as I can. I'll try to give you step-by-step directions on how to beat all the bosses and mini-bosses of my favorite game of all time, namely the Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. I hope you enjoy reading this and I hope that this guide will help beat those bosses you have the most trouble with (although it would be nice if you did it on your own =)). Veterans might even find something new in here that'll make them dust off that old cart and play the game over again. If my guide does any of those things, it's accomplished it's purpose. If you have questions, comments, flames, or whatever, feel free to e-mail me at atihsu@juno.com. Your feedback will make this guide even better (or at least make me feel good). =) II. VERSION HISTORY 1-26-00, 1.00 -- I got bored one day and was kinda disappointed at the quality of a lot of the FAQs out there, so I said, "Hey, why don't I make one myself?" So this is what happened. The only place I've ever posted this version is on my web site. 5-06-00, 1.01 -- Fixed some grammatical errors, added extra stuff for Queen Gohma, King Dodongo (maybe the two should meet sometime, eh?), Wolfos, Phantom Ganon, the Poe sisters, Flare Dancer, Volvagia, Dark Link, Dead Hand, Iron Knuckle, and Ganondorf. Also added the Gerudo Guard, which I stupidly left out before. Thanks to the authors (sorry, don't remember which ones) who wrote the FAQs that either refreshed my memory or told me things that I didn't know before. If you see something in my FAQ that just had to come from you, e-mail me and I'll put you in my newly-added acknowledgments section ASAP. Oh yeah, and did you notice the table of contents? 5-15-00, 1.02 -- A mini-update, nothing really noticeable except the new records next to Ganondorf and Ganon. Even though it's kinda obvious what they are, they're explained in more detail below. I'll add more records as I re-beat each boss/mini-boss. III. BOSS GUIDE The records in parentheses below each name are my best times in defeating that particular boss/mini-boss and other miscellaneous stats. "Record time" means how long it took from the time I actually started fighting (i.e., when I could start moving) to the time I stopped fighting (i.e., usually the killing blow). ***SPOILER*** In the case of Ganon, I stop timing when I delivered the last blow to his tail, before Zelda holds him down. I mean, you don't do any actual fighting past that point. =) ***END SPOILER*** "Times got hit" means the times I got hurt by the boss. "Heart Containers" is the maximum amount of hearts I had at the time. "Total hearts lost" means the total amount of hearts I lost during the battle, even if I used a fairy or potion. "Times collapsed" means the times I ran out of hearts and "died," though usually a fairy revived me afterward. "Equipment" is what I had equipped during the battle. Sometimes I switch equipment in the middle of the battle, so don't be surprised if you see any extra equipment there. If the boss doesn't have a record beside it, that means I haven't timed myself yet. =) If you can beat my time, e-mail it to me (include the other stats if you can) at atihsu@juno.com, and I'll put it in the guide along with your name. I'll also put my record beside it so that everyone can see how much better you are. And now, onto the goods... --------------------------------- 1. PARASITIC ARMORED ARACHNID: GOHMA There once was tree who swallowed a spider...ummm, never mind. Anyway, you need to initiate the confrontation by entering the chamber and looking at the ceiling, where the Queen is lurking, using the C-up button. This will start the introduction cinematic, followed by the actual battle. When Gohma lands, wait for her eye to turn red, then shoot a Deku Seed or throw a Deku Nut at it to temporarily stun her. Proceed to attack her as rapidly as you can (I suggest starting off with a jump slash). She will then retreat to the ceiling. Target her and shoot her with a Deku Seed when her eye turns red to bring her back down for another sword session. If you weren't quick enough, she will release three Gohma Larvae. Quickly destroy these (and pick up the items they leave behind if you need to), get away from the center of the arena, and wait for Gohma to come back down and repeat the process. 2. LIZALFOS If you're kid Link, the safest thing to do is to use your Hylian Shield, wait for the Lizalfos to strike, then do a quick jump slash counterattack. Whether you're a kid or an adult, the quickest way to get rid of Lizalfos is to target it, and rapidly slash at it. This is also true for its cousin Dinalfos. 3. INFERNAL DINOSAUR: KING DODONGO Target him and when he opens his huge mouth to shoot flames, quickly lob a bomb into it, and give him a good jump attack as he collapses. If you didn't make it, quickly run to the edge of the lava pool to avoid the seeker flames. This is also a good way to avoid King Dodongo himself when he starts rolling after you attack him. You can turtle up under the Hylian Shield to protect yourself as well. Three jump slashes (or four or five regular attacks) later, King Dodongo will suffer fatal indigestion and yield another heart container. 4. PARASITIC TENTACLE Target it and throw your boomerang at it. When it hits, the tentacle will retreat into the ceiling. Lure it out by getting close to it, then quickly throw your boomerang at it. This will make it retreat to the ceiling again but it will come right back down if you stay close to it. Throw the boomerang again and repeat until it detaches from the ceiling. 5. BIGOCTO Very annoying mini-boss. The object is to stun it while it's facing away from you, and then slash the green thing on its back. Wait until it lumbers up to you, then throw your boomerang at it to stun it and then back up a little. You can also use Deku Nuts to stun Bigocto. When it recovers, it will start spinning around. Stun it again. If it's facing toward you, wait for it to spin around again and stun it. Keep doing this until it's facing away from you, exposing the green spot on its back, then run up to it, and (duh) rapidly slash the thing as much as you can. Watch out for the spikes on the spinning platform in the center. 6. BIO-ELECTRIC ANEMONE: BARINADE Safety first: target the Barinade and start moving in circles around it to avoid getting zapped by its electricity bolts. Target one of its tentacles and throw your boomerang at it. Repeat for the other two. If you're quick, you can target the next one before you lose the lock on the severed tentacle, thus avoiding the hassle of running around and trying to target it at the same time. After you sever all three tentacles, it will start swinging Baris at you. It's difficult to avoid them, but they do minimal damage, and you can restore your life by breaking the handy pots in the arena. At this point you can either target the Barinade and stun it with your boomerang now, or you can wait until it stays still and stun it then. When you do, you can either go up and stab it or have fun destroying the annoying Baris and slash it later. It doesn't matter what you do since after you attack it, the Barinade will regenerate any Baris you destroy, now spinning them closer to its body as a protective shield. This time, it is impossible to get past them. You must wait until it settles into the ground to shoot bolts of electricity at you, then destroy the motionless Baris. You will probably only get one or two at a time, so you must repeat the above process. After you destroy all the Baris, it will start spinning around and try to zap you with electric bolts (again). You must, of course, avoid them, and once again rely on your trusty boomerang to stun it, then give it as many slashes as you can. After about three such attacks, it won't be able to take any more, and the gigantic pimple will pop. 7. WOLFOS Target it and wait for it to strike. When it starts to swing, quickly back up. It will miss and spin around, giving you your chance to strike its very vulnerable behind. You can also use Deku Nuts to stun Wolfos. One jump slash will quickly dispatch this howling enemy. 8. STALFOS They're hard to defeat the first time, but it gets easier as you become more experienced. There are many ways to defeat this sword-wielding skeleton. The first way is to target it, hold up your shield and wait for it to strike, then do a quick counterattack. Another way is to keep stabbing at them until they let down their guard. Still another way is to stun it with a Deku Nut and then slash the defenseless Stalfos. However, this method is both slow and ammo dependent. 9. NORMAL POE SISTER This refers to Amy, Beth, and JoElle, whose names allude to the Little Women. Wait for her to materialize, then shoot an arrow or attack her with your sword. A fun way to beat her is to target her, hold out your shield, and get really close to her. Wait for her to materialize and give her a good jump slash. Your reward for defeating her is a bundle of arrows and a lighted torch in the room at the center of the Forest Temple. 10. MEG POE This Poe sister will form 3 hallucinations of herself to confuse you. However, Meg is the only one that spins around before they start circling you. Target that one, and sink an arrow into her or give her a good slashing. It isn't as easy as it sounds, though. If you miss or take too long, the illusions will disappear and Meg will charge at you. You can avoid her by either jumping out of the way or protecting yourself with your shield. Like the other sisters, it will take about three or four attacks to defeat Meg and light the last torch in the temple. 11. EVIL SPIRIT FROM BEYOND: PHANTOM GANON You need to start the battle by running into the arena, then trying to escape. This will start the introduction and battle sequence. Again, safety first: stand on one of the Triforce symbols around the edge of the arena to protect yourself from the bolts of lightning Phantom Ganon will shoot at the ground. Then take out your bow and draw an arrow. You will see Phantom Ganon riding his horse in two pictures. You can tell which one he will come out of because he's riding a little more to the right of the path and actually glows a little. As he emerges, a large purple orb will appear on the painting. Immediately release the arrow at it as he comes out. If you were quick enough, the arrow will hit the horse, and it will retreat back into the painting along with its rider. After about three successful shots, Phantom Ganon will dismount and start flying around, shooting balls of energy at you. Since he will block anything you send at him, the only way to harm the phantom is to target him and reflect his bolts by swinging your sword (or an empty bottle for fun). More often than not he will reflect them back at you, and at this point it is wise to just diffuse the ball with your shield, though you can try playing ping-pong with him. Be careful here; the energy ball goes faster every time you deflect it, so it's a good idea to stay as far away from Phantom Ganon as you can. When you finally turn his own magic on himself, quickly run up to him and rapidly slash him as many times as you can. You can use the Hookshot to quickly bring Link right next to Phantom Ganon if you're far away from him. Sometimes Phantom Ganon will ride on his mace and charge at you. When you see him start spinning his mace with crackling fireworks coming out of it, quickly move or side-jump out of his way. This can potentially be a very long battle, so keep a few recovery items with you. 12. FLARE DANCER Boy, these used to be so hard, but now they're really easy. The hard way is to use bombs to put out the flames, then run up to the core and slash it once or twice. The really quick and easy way is to use your Hookshot to pull the core out and dish out some damage. You can also pound the ground with the Megaton Hammer to get rid of its fiery appendages. As soon as the Flare Dancer finds itself literally disarmed, it will start running away from you around the platform. The best way to catch it is to just run the opposite direction and give it a little surprise attack when it nearly bumps into you. If you don't extinguish it quickly enough, it will do a pyro-pirouette, spurting flames from itself, then it will skate around the room. It's hard to avoid, but try your best and stay out of its fiery wake. When you damage it enough (or if you take too long), it will jump back into the flames to regenerate its limbs, which are green this time if you hurt it enough. Repeating the process will turn them blue. When you deliver the last blow, the core will blow up, so quickly run out of the way when it starts inflating and flashing a dangerous red. You usually get bombs for your fire-fighting efforts. 13. SUBTERRANEAN LAVA DRAGON: VOLVAGIA I can't understand why so many people think this is such a hard boss. It looks pretty cool, like one of those Chinese dragons. All you do is watch for a hole to spew fire, then quickly get near it and wait for the dragon to come out and thrash around. Stupid beast. Its fiery hair is harmless, but be careful not to touch anything else besides its head. Pound it with the Megaton Hammer, and it will fall to the ground limp. This is your chance to slash or pound it with all you've got. Sometimes it will come out of the ground and start circling you and blowing fire at you. Start moving in circles, and be sure to avoid both the flames and its body. When it does this, you can take out your Fairy Bow and shoot an arrow at Volvagia's head, making it retreat back into a hole. Once in a while it will go up to the ceiling and you will lose your lock on it. If this happens, boulders will start falling from the ceiling. They are fairly easy to dodge if you watch for the shadows. You can also avoid them by dangling on the edge of the arena. After a few attacks, you will see fire in one hole and Volvagia will come out of another. It also breathes fire at you from time to time as it pops out from its hole, so don't get too reckless. Just be sure to be careful and quick, and eventually you'll defeat this Whack-a-Mole wannabe. 14. WHITE WOLFOS Same strategy as regular Wolfos. 15. DARK LINK This is easily the most confusing mini-boss in the whole game. He can be the hardest or the easiest, depending on what you know about him. Dark learns how to fight from what you do. He starts out almost transparent and jello-like, but will grow darker and more solid as he accumulates more battle knowledge. The first thing he learns to do is to counter your regular sword attacks with one of his own. As the battle progresses, he will figure out that he can jump on your sword whenever you stab, and take a cheap shot at you. Also, when you try to use a jump attack, he will jump to the side and seize the opportunity to stab you while you're vulnerable. He will dodge spin swings, your Hookshot, bombs, even arrows. He's even equipped with a mirror image of the Master Sword, so he takes out half a heart for each regular hit and a whole heart for a jump slash. Basically, Dark Link has an equal and opposite reaction for all of your actions. Except one. This is where Din's Fire comes in. Use it whenever he's stupid enough to get close, and remember to bring along a Green Potion because Din's Fire can deplete your magic faster than you expect, especially when you're fighting Dark Link. You can also use his copycat nature to your advantage by "training" him for a minute or two by continually slashing him with your sword. If done right, his sword will become his only means of defense. Then it's hammer time. You guessed it, pull out your Megaton Hammer, and start dispensing some indiscriminate justice. Release all your anger on the mini-boss that's caused you so much grief. Since he hasn't learned how to use his shield yet, he is unable to block your attacks. If you've obtained the Biggoron Sword (doesn't matter if it's equipped or not), then the above method will not work. It's still simple enough, though; just get a lock on Dark Link and stab (forward + B) him with the Biggoron Sword. For some reason, it's too big for him to stand on, so he can't counterattack. Sometimes the Megaton Hammer method doesn't work even if you've never even touched the Biggoron's Sword. During those times, you can try to defeat him by simply slashing at him as fast as you can. Your only reward for defeating him is rupees. Chivalry is never appreciated these days, I guess. 16. GIANT AQUATIC AMOEBA: MORPHA You will have to lure Morpha out by standing on one of the pillars in the middle of the pool, but when the battle actually starts, quickly jump off and run to a corner. Morpha will swirl around and summon a tentacle to give you a very wet hug, but you always be out of its reach if you hug the corner. When it lashes out at you, the nucleus will move around inside the tentacle. Target the nucleus, pull it out with your Longshot, and give it a good slashing. After a few slices, the nucleus will be able to create two tentacles and even remotely control them, but this is of no consequence if you stay in the corner of the room. Be patient and eventually this watery nuisance will evaporate. 17. DEAD HAND This thing is far from dead. The only thing you see when you first enter the arena is six long arms sticking out of the ground with hands attached at the end of each one. The purpose of these disembodied appendages is to trap unfortunate adventurers as soon as they're in range, allowing the Dead Hand to feast on the helpless person. As revolting as it may seem, you must let them do just that by getting close to one. This is the only way of unearthing the Dead Hand. Rapidly tap B to get free of the hand, and wait for the Dead Hand to get close to you and lower its head. Then quickly slash it as many times as you can and get out of the way when it retreats; the dirt that flies up as it burrows can hurt you. When it is underground, you can use the Lens of Truth to spot its location and place a bomb on it, but I prefer to bring it up again by letting a hand get me. Be careful, though; even though the Dead Hand is slow, the other hands are FAST. If you happen to get caught by one while the Dead Hand is above the ground, chances are you'll be missing a pound of flesh pretty soon. The hands effectively limit your maneuvering space since it's hard to move around and avoid them at the same time. You can stun them with your Hookshot, or even destroy them with your sword, but they quickly regenerate as long the Dead Hand is alive, errr...undead. You get a large magic jar for sending the Dead Hand to the next world. 18. PHANTOM SHADOW BEAST: BONGO BONGO What kind of name is that?! Anyway, the object is to stun both of it's hands, either with arrows, or the slower Longshot. Don't forget to target to make it much easier. When you stun one hand, the other will go after you. You can either get out of the way, or try to stun it while it's attacking. Bongo Bongo has several attacks, and I will try to give you strategies for each. For his squeeze attack, he will charge his open-palmed hand at you, and if you get caught, he will squeeze you, taking out several hearts. My strategy for this attack is to lock onto the hand and stun it while it's charging. The throw attack starts out the same, except he grabs you and throws you somewhere, sometimes out of the arena altogether. When this happens, just climb back on. The strategy is the same for this attack, too. Sometimes he will try to squash you. You will recognize this attack when you see his hand move directly above you. If you like taking chances, you can try to stun it before it drops; otherwise, move out of the way and stun it then. Other times he will try to knock you down by sliding his hand across the arena. It's very fast and hard to avoid, but if you're quick you can stun it before it hits you. The last attack I know of is the punch attack. He will form a fist that will charge at you. You cannot stop this attack by stunning the hand, so when you see the fist, quickly get out of the way. Whatever attack he uses, you can always avoid them by running or jumping out of the way. When both hands are stunned, the invisible body will charge at you. I recommend using the Lens of Truth, but it's not necessary since you can target him even when he's invisible. Target the eye and hit it with any sharp object you can find. =) To stun him at closest proximity (and thus getting the most chances to strike) use your sword. When you poke its eye, it will fall to the ground stunned. This is your chance to attack. You can't get hurt by touching him, so don't be afraid to get really close. Repeat until you defeat this overgrown drummer boy. Bye bye, Bongo Bongo! 19. GERUDO GUARD These girls can be tough, especially since you can be thrown back into jail after being hit only once. I like to keep a safe distance (ahhhh, cooties!) and wait for the guard to do her spinning sword attack, then counter with a jump slash as she lands (you can learn a lot from Dark Link, eh?). You can chance another attack or two whenever you catch her off guard. Of course, you can always take the direct approach and just get up close and personal using your sword, but it's considerably more risky. 20. IRON KNUCKLE Slow and clumsy, this juggernaut makes up for its lack of speed with sheer power. One chop will take out six hearts. Ouch! Many people prefer to take the direct approach and just run up to it and slash it like there's no tomorrow (which will be true if he gets you too many times =)) The safer way is to get behind it, slash it a few times, get out of the way when it turns around, then repeat the process. You can also take it on from the front and quickly backflip out of his blade's way. After several such attacks, you might slice off a chunk of armor, making it lighter and more agile, i.e. now it can run! My way is to run in front of it and quickly get out of the way while it slashes. Then do a quick counterattack with your sword. Bombs and Bombchus are a guaranteed way to not get hurt, and so is Nayru's Love if you have it yet. If you're low on hearts, run behind a pillar, and Iron Knuckle will slice through it like grape jelly, releasing three hearts. Quickly collect these and get out of the way, or you'll end up losing more hearts than you got. 21. SORCERESS SISTERS: TWINROVA What an annoying pair of ugly hags. You will need the Mirror Shield for this battle. First you must figure out which one is shooting the magic and target that one. If you guessed wrong, then quickly run to the edge of the arena because the magic will expand to form a pool that will still cause damage. For this reason it is a good idea to stay at the center of the arena because you might find yourself with nowhere to run if you're at the edge. Anyway, when the witch you've targeted shoots out her magic, hold out your Mirror Shield and quickly target the other sister. This will reflect the magic to the vulnerable witch. If the other sister is not in sight, press Z again to get rid of the target and turn the shield manually to reflect the magic 90 degrees to either side. If she is not within 90 degrees, you can try to move around a little then try the trick above, but normally you do not have enough time to do that. Also, using the Biggoron Sword as a shield while locked on will deflect the beam almost 180 degrees. It is impossible to aim this way though, so it will rarely hit. If the other witch is directly above you, remove the lock and use the Biggoron Sword to deflect the beam 90 degree upwards. Your Fire or Ice Arrows will not work, as the witches will deflect them harmlessly away. After four successful hits, Kotake and Koume will combine to form an even uglier witch called Twinrova which is as annoying as...well, the two of them combined. She will shoot balls of both fire and ice, which you must absorb with your Mirror Shield. You must absorb three of ONE kind of magic, then get close to her to release it (if the shield is on your back, you'll have to turn around). If she fires a different kind of magic than you have on your shield, quickly get out of the way blast, as this cannot be reflected and will not only neutralize the absorbed magic, but it will also form a pool of lava/ice that will burn/freeze you. When you finally give Twinrova enough of her own medicine, she will split up into the two witches again, and you will see (in my opinion) the funniest cinematic in the game. 22. GREAT KING OF EVIL: GANONDORF Record time: 1'30" Times got hit: 0 Heart Containers: 3 Total hearts lost: 0 Times collapsed: 0 Equipment: Biggoron Sword, Hylian Shield, Kokiri Tunic, Kokiri Boots, Longshot, Ocarina of Time, Light Arrows This is a really fun boss for me. He's basically like Phantom Ganon, but a little harder, just as he promised after you beat Phantom Ganon. Right at the start, Ganonorf will pound the center of the arena, sending shockwaves that will make all the blocks around him fall off. Then he will start throwing bolts of energy at you, just like his ghostly counterpart. This time around, Navi can't help you out, so you won't be able to target Ganondorf. Stand in a corner, face him, and time your swings carefully. If you have the Biggoron Sword equipped, don't forget to take it out first because it's so heavy that you can't take it out and swing it in one stroke like you can with the Master Sword. You can also swing earlier with the Biggoron Sword since it's so long. If you want some variety, try bouncing the energy ball back with the Megaton Hammer or an empty bottle. If you keep it up long enough, the ball will eventually hit Ganondorf and paralyze him in the air. If you didn't succeed, the ball will take away three normal hearts (one and a half if you've doubled your defense). Once Ganondorf is paralyzed, quickly draw a Light Arrow and shoot it at his body. Aim well; you only get one chance and shooting anywhere else besides his body (e.g. his cape) will be ineffective. This will bring him down to earth. Here's your chance to Longshot him and give him a taste of your sword. You can also jump to the center if you want. At this time, you are close enough to target him, so you might want to take advantage of that. Immediately retreat when he starts to shakily get up. If you stay there too long, he will do another ground pound and destroy more blocks, giving you limited maneuvering space and most likely damaging you at the same time. If you're ever unfortunate enough to miss your step and fall to the floor below, take this chance to break a few pots (if you haven't broken them all already) and climb back up on the pillar. Ganondorf will be waiting for you above with a bolt of energy, so right when Link reaches the top, swing your sword and deflect the ball. You can't miss. Peg him with a Light Arrow and start slashing before even he hits the ground. This will insure maximum damage. Occasionally, he will gather up an orb of black magic and send five seeker bolts at you. When you see him charging up, you can hit him with a Light Arrow if you're quick. If you aren't, hold B to charge up your sword and release it before the bolts hit you to deflect them back at Ganondorf. This will paralyze him again, giving you the chance to sink another Light Arrow into him. After you do this four or five times, the King of Evil will finally succumb to the Hero of Time. If you want more to do when fighting him the second or third time around, try equipping the Hover Boots or the Iron Boots. 23. GANON Record time: 4'59" Times got hit: 2 Heart Containers: 3 Total hearts lost: 6 Times collapsed: 2 Equipment: Biggoron Sword, Master Sword, Hylian Shield, Kokiri Tunic, Kokiri Boots, Longshot, Ocarina of Time, Light Arrows I thought I already creamed this guy! Now he's back and badder than ever. One slice from one of his huge blades will take out 10 full hearts (five, if you've doubled your defense), so you'd better have a few fairies with you. If you're good, you won't need them, but it's a good idea to have some on hand just in case. Ganon is basically a huge version of Iron Knuckle, and twice as powerful, but the strategy is a little different. Right at the start, he knocks your Master Sword away beyond your reach. No weapon? No problem. Remember that nifty, shiny, ground-pounding thingy you found in the Fire Temple? That's right, it's hammer time once again. The Biggoron Sword works well, too. The safest way to bring him down is to target his head and shoot a Light Arrow at it. This will paralyze him (wouldn't it paralyze you?), giving you plenty of time to move around him and pulverize his tail. If you don't want to waste magic, you can use regular arrows, bombs, even Deku Nuts, just about anything that does any damage to annoy him. He will stand there and shake his head, giving you just enough time to run around or roll under him and smash his tail. Another easy way to get a few cheap shots is to take your lock off Ganon and roll under his legs. You will end up behind Ganon and have a second or two to pound his tail before he even knows what happened. Anyway you choose to do it, he will turn around after he feels the impact and try to make a Darth Maul out of you, so quickly run away while you have the chance. If you're running low on hearts or magic, use the same strategy as for the Iron Knuckles; run behind a pile of debris and wait for Ganon to destroy it. He will release either three hearts, three magic jars, or three fairies. After pounding away at his tail for what seems like forever, he will finally collapse and the fire wall will disappear. At this point, you can either retrieve the Master Sword and get ready for round two, or wait until the fire wall comes back up and have some more fun whupping Ganon's butt. Either way, you'll eventually have to pick up the Master Sword, and Ganon will magically recover one last time. You will have to repeat the whole process, this time with the Master Sword, the only weapon capable of defeating the mighty Ganon once and for all. You can use the Biggoron Sword or Megaton Hammer to weaken him, but only the Master Sword can deal the final blow. If you use any other weapon, you won't beat him even if you live as long as the universe. When Ganon falls for the last time, Princess Zelda will...well, I don't want to ruin the ending for you! --------------------------------- IV. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Well, I'm sure I picked up a few tips from several GameFAQs FAQs, but unfortunately I can't remember what I got from whom. So I'll just name all the authors of all the Boss FAQs. This would include EdTheMoogle, Jason Velez (from GameSages; awesome FAQ, dude!), KTorgersen, BobDole53, SMK5Q2, and STARSCOP33. Thanks guys; this wouldn't have been possible without you. Also, thanks goes to Shigeru Miyamoto, the man who made Zelda 64 possible. And Nintendo, for giving him a job. =) My parents, to whom I owe my life, and the wonderful people at Video Gamer X's FF8 message board, to whom this FAQ is dedicated. (http://boards.eesite.com/board.cgi?boardset=khakain&boardid=ff8) I'd also like to mention FuzzyLemur (ryansalsman@excite.com), whose "Fun with Zelda" FAQ gave me a few ideas for my FAQ format, which was probably the only format that made sense, anyway. And thanks just for being a friend. And last, but not least, God, Who made it all possible. =) "Nintendo: Leave Luck to God" V. LEGAL STUFF Well, I spent a lot of time on this FAQ, so I'd appreciate it if you don't copy, sell, or change this FAQ without mentioning me or getting my permission, which isn't too hard anyway. I'm not making any money off this thing, so I personally don't really mind, but I'm told that this document is already protected under U.S. copyright law. So if you violate some part of that, you'll have to take it up with the Feds. But basically, if you want to improve it, go ahead, and if you can figure out a way to actually make money off of this, more power to you. Just tell me first, or at least mention me in the FAQ. The above statements are NOT to be construed as permission. You don't have to ask to copy tiny sections of the FAQ for quotes and stuff like that, though. Thank you for your consideration of other peoples' work. You can contact me through e-mail (atihsu@juno.com, or atihsu@oz.sunflower.org for attachments), AOL Instant Messenger (atihsu1), or ICQ (17695995). Although I wouldn't mind a call or snail mail, my phone number and street address will remain confidential. =) My web site address is http://www.angelfire.com/ks2/dhsu/index2.htm You'll find my FAQ in the files section. ---------------------------------- Copyright © 2000 by Dhsu