It’s Dangerous To Go Alone!
One of the longest-running video game franchises in the world is bound to have a few tough spots. The Legend of Zelda series made a name for itself with its immersive world of Hyrule, fascinating enemies, and puzzle-based dungeon system, all while following the multi-generational story of our silent green-clad hero and his favorite princess.
1. Stone Tower Temple, Majora’s Mask
This skytall temple is often revered as one of the best temples throughout the entire series, but that doesn’t mean it's easy. Many folks get frustrated trying to find their way around this maze, but its excellent puzzles and full incorporation of all abilities gained throughout the game make it hard to forget.
2. Water Temple, Ocarina Of Time
To pass through this infamous multi-layered temple, you’re constantly having to change the water level while switching in and out of the heavy iron boots. Not to mention, the temple layout forces you to backtrack constantly, as new rooms are discovered every time you alter the water.
3. Great Palace, Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
Every franchise has a bad apple, and The Adventure of Link is no exception. The second game in the series had a steep learning curve that frustrated fans and was incredibly difficult to finish. The Great Palace alone is cited as an incredibly confusing labyrinth full of powerful enemies, traps, and challenging combat.
4. Sky Keep, Skyward Sword
This dungeon is cited as one of the most difficult and one of the most enjoyable in the series. While still trying to solve puzzles within the rooms of the dungeon, the dungeon itself is also a massive sliding block puzzle, making it a memorable, albeit time-consuming, section of this game.
5. Eagle’s Tower, Link’s Awakening
This multi-level layout requires the player to constantly retrace their own steps, only becoming more difficult when you realize how many rooms are in this dungeon. Players often describe it as annoying and tedious rather than difficult, but first-timers may find themselves working through it for hours, if not days.
6. City In The Sky, Twilight Princess
Often considered one of the best games in the series, Twilight Princess is also home to one of the worst dungeons. The City in the Sky featured a double clawshot item, often seen as a positive, if not positively difficult, element to the game. The dungeon is also said to have a tedious boss battle, and is otherwise criticized for being too long.
7. Trial Of The Sword, Breath Of The Wild
This DLC is considered one of the hardest to complete in Breath of the Wild. Consisting of 54 floors, Link is stripped of all his weapons, clothes, materials, and food before facing 45 enemies found throughout the world of Hyrule.
8. Ice Palace, A Link To The Past
This dungeon is home to difficult enemies, frustrating puzzles, and an incredibly confusing layout. All of that could be forgiven if it weren’t for the floor of the dungeon being made up entirely of ice. This added difficulty of navigating Link through the rooms of the dungeon is what ranks it as a high-difficulty area of the franchise.
9. Death Mountain, The Legend Of Zelda
In the original Zelda game, Death Mountain is home to Ganon’s Lair. It’s notoriously difficult due to its confusing layout and difficult enemies. It also requires Link to have all 8 pieces of the Triforce, meaning that the player must find their way back through other areas of the game if not already completed.
10. Palace Of The Winds, The Minish Cap
Everything is scarier when you’re the size of a bug. Minish Cap’s Palace of the Winds is a vertical monster that requires precise timing and careful movements to complete. Unsurprisingly, the Palace of the Winds also has…strong winds, pushing your Picori-sized body at whim.
1. Thunderbird, Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
This blue and purple boss is notoriously difficult to beat thanks to his flying capabilities and his weak spot being located on his head. Link must use the Thunder and Reflect spells with precise timing to beat Thunderbird, or risk having to traverse the Great Palace dungeon again.
2. Gleeok, The Legend Of Zelda
While one of the harder end-game battles in Tears of the Kingdom, this dragon-esque enemy actually appears in the first Zelda game as a dungeon boss. Like Hercules, you must cut off each of the gleek's three heads while avoiding its constant fireballs.
3. Moldorm, A Link To The Past
This caterpillar-like boss’s weak point is at the end of its tail. Unfortunately, the molding is constantly moving and changing patterns, making it difficult to defeat this otherwise easy enemy. Not to mention, the guy will push you right off the edge of the dungeon if you’re not careful.
Francisco Gonzalez Romanelli on Unsplash
4. Vaati, The Minish Cap
The main antagonist of this top-down Zelda game has three final forms: Reborn, Transfigured, and Wrath, which usually requires a trial-and-error approach to beat him. Not to mention, he also sends out smaller enemies you have to fight while dodging his attacks.
5. The Imprisoned, Skyward Sword
This black beast is more of an irritant than difficult, as he shows up multiple times in the game. If you’re playing it for the first time, it can be difficult to time your swings correctly, leading to an anxiety-inducing trek up from the sealed grounds.
Philip Terry Graham on Wikimedia
6. Dark Link, Ocarina Of Time
He’s a shadow of Link, so it makes sense that the master sword is quite useless against him. Dark Link can block and counter sword strikes, and requires players to change their usual sword-fighting tactics to defeat this boss.
PantheraLeo1359531 on Wikimedia
7. Puppet Ganon, Wind Waker
Puppet Ganon comes in three forms. The first two are often considered challenging but not frustrating, while the final phase, the snake boss, is often a reason to rage quit. Think of the molding boss, but infinitely more difficult.
8. Gyorg, Majora’s Mask
This final boss is its own puzzle entirely, requiring players to jump into the water to attack before jumping back onto the central platform. Due to the game’s controls, it's often noted that you have to wait for the gyorg to perform specific attacks before you can try to damage it.
Daniel Benavides from Austin, TX on Wikimedia
9. Phantom Ganondorf, Tears Of The Kingdom
Making use of multiple weapons and the literal heartbreaking gloom powers, many players have struggled to defeat this final boss. The battle is long and features a series of surprising attacks and parries made by the demon king. However, the final fight makes it all worth it.
William Tung from USA on Wikimedia
10. Ganon, Oracle Of Seasons/Oracle Of Ages
This reincarnation of Ganon is a slippery one. Featuring teleportation powers, a constant flow of malicious orbs, and a trip or two to a blue dimension where your Game Boy’s controls are inverted, trying to defeat this little piggy is a bit of a learning curve.
