A Link to the Past Enemies: All 94 with Sprites

Every regular enemy in the SNES game: where it appears and how to beat it. Bosses are on the boss page.

Find an enemy

94 enemies

Hyrule Castle soldiers

Soldier

Hyrule Castle

Basic castle guards with short blades that wander aimlessly and only charge once they see Link. A few sword hits finish them, and Magic Powder turns them into Slimes.

Sword Soldier

Hyrule Castle, Hyrule Castle Tower, Light World fields and Kakariko Village

The most common of Agahnim’s guards; they react to sight and sound and parry frontal sword swings. Hit them from the side or behind, or stun them with the Boomerang first; blue ones are tougher, and horned assault types charge on sight in the Tower.

Spear Soldier

Hyrule Castle grounds, Hyrule Castle Tower, Kakariko Village, Light World

Spear-wielding guards: some charge and hit twice as hard as sword soldiers, while others pop out of tall grass or rush in to hurl their spears. Green ones swarm Kakariko Village when a villager calls the guards on Link.

Bow Soldier

Hyrule Castle grounds and Light World fields; green ones in the Great Swamp

Archers that keep their distance and pepper Link with arrows, which even the Fighter’s Shield can block. Walk in behind the shield, stun them with the Boomerang or dash in with the Pegasus Boots; green ones hide in tall grass between shots.

Bomb Soldier

Hyrule Castle walls

Stationary guards posted on the castle walls who lob Bombs at intruders. Close the distance quickly, or pick up a Bomb and throw it back.

Ball and Chain Trooper

Hyrule Castle dungeon (guarding Zelda’s cell), Hyrule Castle Tower

A heavily armoured guard who periodically whirls a spiked flail. Strike while the ball is retracted, stun him with the Boomerang, or throw pots at him; Bombs and arrows work well on the gold pairs in the Tower.

Overworld

Armos

Around the Eastern Palace

Statues that spring to life and hop after Link when he gets close. They soak up several sword hits but go down quickly to arrows.

Octorok

Eastern Hyrule, the path to Zora’s Waterfall, the Great Swamp

Darts about in straight lines and stops to spray rocks, sometimes in every direction at once. The Shield blocks the rocks and a single sword hit defeats it.

Octoballoon

Eastern shore of Lake Hylia

A bloated, floating Octorok that drifts toward Link and bursts into a spray of tiny bouncing Octoroks. Hitting it also makes it pop, so be ready to dodge or swat the little ones.

Buzz Blob

North-eastern Hyrule near the Witch’s Hut

A slow, wandering blob that shocks Link if he hits it with a sword. Use arrows, stun or freeze it first, or sprinkle Magic Powder to turn it into a Cukeman.

Cukeman

Near the Witch’s Hut (from a Buzz Blob)

What a Buzz Blob becomes after a dose of Magic Powder. It is still electrified, but walk up and talk to it and it chatters about Sahasrahla.

Deadrock

Death Mountain

Scuttles around erratically and hits hard; sword blows only freeze it into a harmless stone statue for a few seconds. Magic Powder or the Quake Medallion turns it into a Slime, the only way to destroy it.

Tektite

Death Mountain

Spider-like hoppers that leap around and dodge sword beams. Red ones are faster and tougher than blue.

Geldman

Desert of Mystery

A sand creature that surges out of the desert floor to chase Link, then sinks back under. It is quick but falls to a couple of sword hits.

Sand Crab

Lake Hylia and riverbanks

Zips sideways at high speed but crawls slowly up and down, so line up vertically to hit it. One sword swing finishes it.

Hoarder

Under bushes and rocks across the Light World

A timid critter hiding beneath a bush or rock. Lift its cover and it panics, bouncing around and shedding Rupees until it vanishes; it never hurts Link.

Toppo

Tall grass in the Great Swamp

Springs straight up out of the grass and drops back down. Cut the grass it is about to land in and it crashes helplessly, handing over a prize if Link walks up.

Thief

Lost Woods

Barges into Link to knock loose his Rupees, Bombs and arrows, then scrambles to grab them. Weapons only knock it back, so scoop the items up first.

Bee

Hidden in bushes and grass; a Good Bee lives in the Ice Cave fairy fountain

Bees buzz out of cut grass and sting Link. Catch one with the Bug-Catching Net and keep it in a Bottle to release against enemies; the rarer Good Bee stays and fights much longer.

Moblin

Across the Dark World

Pig-faced spearmen that patrol quickly and hurl tridents from anywhere on screen. The Shield stops the throws and they go down easily, but a direct bump costs two hearts.

Hinox

Across the Dark World, notably around the Bomb Shop

A one-eyed brute with an endless supply of Bombs to throw. It takes many sword hits, but one of Link’s own Bombs or a few arrows bring it down safely.

Taros

Dark World (blue); Ganon’s Tower (red)

Bull-headed soldiers that rush Link and block blows with their weapons, much like Light World guards. Red ones carry tridents and take and deal more damage.

Snap Dragon

Dark World fields

A toothy plant creature that hops diagonally at speed, often in groups, and bites for up to three hearts. Most weapons work on it.

Ropa

Skeleton Forest, around the Palace of Darkness and elsewhere in the Dark World

A small, anemone-like hopper that bounces toward Link and hits much harder than it looks.

Slarok

Ice Lake shores and near the falls north of the Palace of Darkness

The Dark World’s Octorok: a slug-like creature that fires one rock at a time. It hits harder than an Octorok but dies to one Master Sword swing.

Pikit

Skeleton Forest, Ice Lake, Plains of Ruin

A hopping blob that lashes out its long tongue, even over low walls, to steal Rupees, Bombs, arrows or a non-Mirror Shield. Defeat it to get back the last thing it swallowed.

Pikku

Village of Outcasts

A fox-like Dark World thief that charges Link to scatter and steal his Rupees, Bombs and arrows. It cannot be defeated, so grab the dropped items first.

Stal

Dark World fields, disguised among skull rocks

Looks like an ordinary liftable skull until Link walks too close, then it flashes and gives chase. A sword or Magic Powder deals with it.

Lynel

Dark World Death Mountain, near the bridge to Ganon’s Tower

Rare, powerful centaurs that shoot fireballs only the Red or Mirror Shield can block. They shrug off weak hits; use the Magic Hammer, Silver Arrows, a Spin Attack or an upgraded sword.

Dungeon

Leever

Desert Palace

Burrowing creatures that rise from the sand to chase Link before sinking again. Purple Leevers are a little faster than green.

Popo

Eastern Palace, Desert Palace, Misery Mire

Shambling clumps of tentacles that drift aimlessly instead of chasing Link. One hit defeats them, often for a Rupee.

Eyegore

Eastern Palace, Desert Palace, Ganon’s Tower

Stone cyclopes that wake and lunge when Link comes close, and can only be hurt while the eye is open. Green ones fall to many sword hits or one arrow to the eye; red ones take arrows only.

Devalant

Desert Palace

A creature lurking at the bottom of a sand pit: the blue kind waits for Link to slide in, the red kind spits fireballs. Defeating it makes its sinkhole vanish.

Hardhat Beetle

Tower of Hera and many Dark World dungeons

Slippery jellyfish-like beetles that home in and try to bump Link into pits. Sword hits just bounce both sides apart, so knock them into holes; red ones are faster and very tough.

Mini-Moldorm

Tower of Hera, Skull Woods

A small segmented worm that wriggles erratically around the room. A few sword strikes or Magic Powder take care of it.

Kodongo

Tower of Hera, Palace of Darkness

Small rhino-like lizards that pace behind low barriers breathing bursts of fire. One sword hit kills them; the Boomerang does nothing.

Bari

Swamp Palace, Palace of Darkness and most Dark World dungeons

Floating jellyfish that periodically crackle with electricity, shocking any sword that touches them. Red ones split into small Biri when struck; attack between pulses or use ranged weapons like the Hookshot.

Green Goriya

Palace of Darkness, Ganon’s Tower

Mirrors Link’s movements, walking the same way he does. Corner it and use the sword, or shoot it with arrows.

Red Goriya

Palace of Darkness, Ganon’s Tower

Moves opposite to Link and spits fireballs whenever it faces him. Like a Red Eyegore, only arrows can kill it.

Helmasaur

Palace of Darkness, Skull Woods, Turtle Rock, Ganon’s Tower

A masked little saurian that rams Link relentlessly; its mask deflects sword blows. Hit its back, or use arrows, Bombs or the Magic Hammer.

Terrorpin

Palace of Darkness

A shelled creature that creeps toward Link and ignores ordinary attacks. Pound the floor with the Magic Hammer to flip it, then strike its belly before it rights itself.

Buzz

Thieves’ Town (attic)

Giant grasshoppers that scurry along the room edges like Rats but take several hits and deal two hearts of damage.

Gibo

Thieves’ Town

A jelly body guarding a separate core that drifts off and drags the body after it. The body is invincible; attack the core while it is exposed.

Zazak

Thieves’ Town, Ganon’s Tower

Lizard warriors that charge Link, often alongside Stalfos. Red ones also spit fireballs only the Mirror Shield can stop, and take twice the punishment.

Skullrope

Thieves’ Town

Skull-faced snakes that rain from the ceiling when Link pulls a certain lever. Otherwise they behave just like Ropes.

Pengator

Ice Palace

Penguin-like beasts that lunge and belly-slide across the ice at high speed, jaws open. Sidestep the slide and strike back.

Freezor

Ice Palace

An icy spirit that bursts out of special walls and zips around the room. Only fire hurts it: use the Fire Rod or the Bombos Medallion.

Sluggula

Misery Mire

Slugs that squirm around dropping green Bombs. They are immune to explosions but weak to most other weapons.

Hokkubokku

Turtle Rock

A stack of bouncing segments; each hit knocks one loose to bounce about, and the rest speed up. The Fire Rod destroys the whole column at once.

Zol

Swamp Palace, Thieves’ Town, Ice Palace, Misery Mire, Turtle Rock

Hopping blobs that don’t split in this game; some lurk under the floor and pop up beside Link. Red ones are the weakest, green and yellow ones need more hits.

Slime

Wherever Magic Powder or Quake transforms an enemy

The harmless blob many enemies become after a sprinkle of Magic Powder or the Quake Medallion. One sword slash finishes it.

Rat

Hyrule Castle’s dungeon and sewers, caves

Darts around dark passages, including the escape route to the Sanctuary. A single hit defeats it.

Rope

Light World caves and passages

A snake that slithers about and lunges at Link. It is weak to almost anything, including Magic Powder.

Babusu

Ice Palace

Shadowy creatures that shoot from one wall crack to another at great speed, often over slippery floors. Any solid hit destroys them; move slowly and pick them off.

Zoro

Misery Mire, Turtle Rock

Little black blobs that stream out of walls Link has bombed open and run straight down. Weak, but they keep coming.

Chain Chomp

Turtle Rock

Chained to a post and lunging at anything nearby for four hearts of damage. It can’t be hurt; slip past, or use the Magic Cape or Cane of Byrna.

Rabbit Beam

Later Dark World dungeons and Ganon’s Tower

A sparkling curse that lies hidden, then slowly homes in and turns Link back into a bunny for a short while. Any Medallion destroys it, and Magic Powder turns it into a Fairy.

Flying

Keese

Light World caves and dungeons

Bats that cling to walls until Link approaches, then swoop in a curving arc. Any attack defeats them.

Chasupa

Hyrule Castle Tower, Thieves’ Town

Bats that wake and fly at Link like Keese. The Dark World ones are tougher and hit harder.

Crow

Perched in Light World trees

Sits quietly until Link passes, then dives at him and keeps harassing him. Hard to hit, but it only takes a swing or two.

Dacto

Rocky outcrops and the Swamp of Evil

The Dark World’s pterosaur-like answer to the Crow, swooping down from trees and ledges and pursuing Link until he leaves or defeats it.

Vulture

Desert of Mystery

Rests on cacti and ledges, then circles Link and slowly tightens in before diving to attack.

Zirro

Dark World fields such as the Ice Lake area

Winged pests: blue ones crowd Link and dodge close attacks, while green ones drop bombs that burst on landing but are easier to kill.

Water

River Zora

Lake Hylia, Zora’s River and Zora’s Waterfall

Surfaces from the water to spit fireballs the Fighter’s Shield can’t stop, then dives again. In shallow water it climbs out to fight; strike it while it is exposed.

Ku

Lake of Ill Omen, Ice Lake, Swamp of Evil

The Dark World counterpart to Zoras, popping out of the water to fire a single fireball before sinking again.

Swamola

Swamp of Evil

A worm that bursts up from the swamp mud to bite anything nearby, then dives back under.

Water Tektite

Swamp Palace

Pond skaters that glide diagonally across the water in small groups. Weak on their own, but they share rooms with nastier foes.

Pirogusu

Swamp Palace

Drop out of holes in the walls into the water and race around its edges in straight lines. They keep coming, and each contact can cost two hearts.

Kyameron

Swamp Palace

A bubble that forms out of shallow water and ricochets around the room until it hits Link. Freeze it with the Ice Rod and smash it with the Magic Hammer to stop it reforming.

Undead & spirits

Stalfos

Eastern Palace and many later dungeons

Skeletons that leap away from sword swings; red ones also throw bones, and in some dungeons only a floating skull remains. A thrown pot defeats them in one hit, or corner them and attack quickly.

Yellow Stalfos

Various dungeons in both worlds

A Stalfos that pulls off its skull and hurls it at Link; the flying skull can’t be destroyed. Struck bodies collapse into bones and eventually fly off.

Stalfos Knight

Ice Palace

A huge skeleton that drops from the ceiling, often in pairs, and leaps at Link. Sword hits only knock it into a pile of bones; drop a Bomb on the pile to finish it.

Gibdo

Skull Woods, Ganon’s Tower

A bandaged mummy that shrugs off sword blows and hits for three hearts. It is weak to fire, so the Fire Rod is the answer.

Wallmaster

Skull Woods, Ganon’s Tower

A giant hand that drops from the ceiling to grab Link and carry him back to the dungeon entrance. Keep moving when its shadow appears.

Poe

Graveyard near the Sanctuary

Lantern-carrying ghosts that flit around the gravestones in groups. They take many hits but often drop Magic Jars or arrows.

Hyu

Village of Outcasts, Skeleton Forest, Dark World graveyard

The Dark World’s Poe, drifting about rather than chasing Link but hurting him on contact.

Anti-Fairy

Eastern Palace and dungeons in both worlds

Skulls ringed by fireballs that ricochet diagonally off the walls, hurting Link and draining his magic. Almost nothing harms them, but Magic Powder turns them into Fairies.

Wizzrobe

Misery Mire; Purple Wizzrobes in Ganon’s Tower

Sorcerers that fade in, fire a magic beam and fade out again. They can only be hit while solid; the skull-faced purple ones in Ganon’s Tower are faster.

Traps & hazards

Ball

Eastern Palace, Ganon’s Tower

Rolling balls, some of them huge, that barrel through corridors and rooms. They can’t be stopped, only dodged.

Beamos

Desert Palace, Misery Mire, Ganon’s Tower

A statue with a rotating eye that fires a short laser bolt when it spots Link. It is indestructible, so stay out of its gaze.

Cannon

Desert Palace (Big Key room), Ganon’s Tower

Wall-mounted cannons that slide back and forth firing cannonballs from both sides of a room. They can’t be destroyed; time your run.

Flying Tile

Desert Palace, Tower of Hera, Misery Mire, Turtle Rock, Ganon’s Tower

Floor tiles that lift off and fly at Link one after another; doors stay shut until every tile is destroyed. Blocks from the Cane of Somaria can shield him.

Fire Bar

Tower of Hera, Swamp Palace, Skull Woods, Turtle Rock, Ice Palace, Ganon’s Tower

A chain of fireballs spinning around a fixed block. It can’t be destroyed; the Magic Cape or Cane of Byrna lets Link pass through safely.

Spark

Tower of Hera and later dungeons

A flickering ball of energy that travels along walls and edges. It cannot be harmed, only avoided.

Bumper

Tower of Hera, Skull Woods, Thieves’ Town, Ice Palace, Ganon’s Tower

Pinball-style bumpers that bounce Link (and enemies) violently away, often toward pits. They can’t be destroyed; the Magic Cape lets Link pass through.

Blade Trap

Palace of Darkness and most later Dark World dungeons

Spiked blocks that slide back and forth or shoot out when Link lines up with them. They are indestructible; watch the pattern and slip past.

Medusa

Palace of Darkness and many Dark World dungeons

Invincible stone faces that keep firing fireballs at Link, even after the room is cleared. The Fighter’s Shield can’t block them, so a Red or Mirror Shield helps.

Yomo Medusa

Swamp Palace, Ganon’s Tower

A low four-holed statue that fires a fireball the moment Link swings his sword nearby. Keep the sword sheathed and it stays quiet.

Mole

Palace of Darkness, Swamp Palace, Thieves’ Town, Ice Palace, caves

Grinning pegs that pop up and down to block a path. They don’t hurt Link; flatten them with the Magic Hammer.

Winder

Swamp Palace, Skull Woods, Thieves’ Town, Misery Mire, Ganon’s Tower

A snake of fireballs that crawls around the room and changes direction whenever it hits something. Keep clear of its unpredictable path.

Laser Eye

Misery Mire, Turtle Rock, Ganon’s Tower

Eyes set into walls that fire rapid laser beams when Link passes in front; some only open when he faces them. The Mirror Shield blocks the beams.

Rolling Spike Trap

Turtle Rock

A long spiked log that rolls back and forth across a room. It cannot be destroyed; time your crossing.

Boulder

Lower western Death Mountain

Large rocks that bounce down the mountainside and deal a full heart of damage. Dodge them or take the caves instead.

Lightning Lock

Entrance to Hyrule Castle Tower

Agahnim’s magical barrier sealing the Tower door. It hurts Link if he strikes it early; only the Master Sword can cut through.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against Zeldapedia. Screenshots, sprites and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Zeldapedia file pages (listed on the image gallery).