General Zelda Enemy Preference

[Justac00lguy]

When I think Zelda I think of adventure, puzzles, dungeons and it's lore however I rarely think of combat or more specifically the enemies that provide the combat aspect of the game. It's quite weird in a way because combat is such a big part of the series, even though it was heavily emphasised in Skyward Sword I still felt it fell rather short.

It's all well and good having a great combat system and the controls to match however it's all about how enemies force this type of combat. There have been a variety of enemies within the series and a lot can differ in how you approach to actually defeat them. You have the basic enemies that just take a quick slash with the sword, you have airborne enemies that require accuracy with an aiming weapon, enemies that require tactics like darknuts, enemies that a more puzzle based and so on.

So my question to you is what type of enemies do you prefer and why?

 

[Mercedes]

I like other enemies who use a sword and shield. Like the stalfos, I think they're called? I just think if they explored the whole sword gameplay, they could make the fights a lot more intense and in-depth, rather than "HIT THIS THING 3 TIMES" type deals. It'd be nice to fight more advanced sword-wielding enemies that require careful blocking and dodging, and they'd do the same. Kind of like Dark Link in Oot I suppose but less shadowing you, more doing there own thing.

 

[Ventus]

I love enemies that take to the sword/shield route, but that's a bit unfair. What I prefer are the quick and hard-hitting foes. Anything that can maneuver around me and cause me to tear my hair out (e.g Iron Knuckles in Adventure of Link).

 

[JuicieJ]

Anything that can maneuver around me and cause me to tear my hair out (e.g Iron Knuckles in Adventure of Link).

I hate enemies like that, at least when they're cheap like in Zelda II. Enemies capable of maneuvering is fine. Broken tactics is bad design.

 

[ScouseOctorok]

Enemies you're afraid to see. Whether that's afraid because of their difficulty (i.e. Leevers and the way they can quickly gang up on you) or their actual appearance/presence (i.e. Dead Hands), having that little bit of extra stress and the way your heart beats just a little bit faster is what I love in enemies.

 

[Egregious]

I always thought that the big poes in Ocarina of Time were a fun challenge, because you couldn't target them and had to learn to shoot a moving target from afar while also moving yourself. And unlike the stationary targets in the Gerudo archery range, the poes always take a different path so you can't just memorize the aiming/timing to kill them. And, on top of that, you have to hit them twice before they disappeared, and then go pick up the flame before that disappeared.

It was extremely frustrating at first, but now that I've done it a few times, I enjoy going for that fourth bottle.

 

[Sir Quaffler]

I like two main types of enemies: Humanoid enemies that brandish weapons, preferably swords and shields, and enemies that have a serious scare factor.

I find that the armed humanoid enemies tend to utilize better fighting tactics. Especially enemies with shields that can deflect a lot of your attacks, so you have to pay more mind to how you fight them instead of slashing wildly. Most of all, though, I love certain examples of this type that force me into a corner, causing me to rethink and improve my strategies; OoT's Dark Link, TP's Darknuts, and SS's Technoblins, Scervo, and Demise in particular.

And on the other side I love enemies that scare the ever-loving crap out of me. Those that just get under my skin in ways I can't quite put into words. Whether it be in a psychological way, as in Dark Link (I am literally my own worst enemy, so having to fight myself really intimidates me), or in an Eldritch Abomination kind of way, where I cannot comprehend what I am looking at and thus am utterly terrified (mostly the Dead Hand on this one, though WW's ReDeads also quantify).

 

[Vivaereth]

I prefer enemies that make me think. Particularly the ones that freak you out, eat your hearts like cookies, and aren't predictable. I'm drawing a blank right now for specifics... I really like (and this applies to bosses, too) it when you not only have to figure out how to exploit the holes in the enemy's strategies, but also figure out the weak point (so eyeball and crystal bosses are a flat-out fail for me). I suppose I enjoy Iron Knuckles from OoT and MM, though they move too slow to be much of a challenge.

 

[HylianHero]

I love enemies like the Dark Nuts from TP, the over-powered two-phased awesome bad-*** dark knights. I really wish Hyrule Castle had been crawling with them. You would face a Dark Nut gauntlet!

But overall, I like a variety of different enemies. A dungeon should have a multitude of one and two-hit enemies like Keese just flying around, three to five hit enemies stationed here and there, combat rooms with a gauntlet of three-five hit enemies or several seven-eight hit enemies, and a boss and mini-boss. And as you scale up, enemies would be able to take more damage and you would encounter more powerful enemies, like Dark Nuts.

And I do really like humanoid enemies like Stalfos, Lizalfos, Dinalfos, and Moblin. There should be more of those.

 

[Spirit]

I like enemies i can beat the hell out of and that can take a beating so TP Darknuts and OoT Iron Knuckles, i do love squaring up and having a proper duel with them.

 

[ihateghirahim]

I want something challenging and intimidating. These guys haven't appeared in a while. The old enemies like Iron Knuckles, Gerudos, and Stalfos really do this well. They look like a serious threat and they are. I'm also not jumping on the humanoid bandwagon. Enemies like those bugs that charge you in MM, those accursed Redeads, and the dreaded OoT Moblins (I guess they're humanoid) all provided a fun and challenging time. Bring them back!

 

[Sweets]

I like enemys that use sward play like Darknuts or Gannon. Not moblens that just mindlessly run at you with a club with no since of direction usually missing till you stand still or thay sneack up behind you and them being unprepared hitting you upside the head not even trying to parry when you tern around an with one swing knock them down.

 

[SpiritGerudo]

I'm with everyone else here. Swordsman enemies are the most fun to fight, mostly because button mashing doesn't work on them. I just remember leaning into the screen while playing Wind Waker, fighting the Darknuts (Darknuts?) and just waiting for the parry icon thing to show up.

 

[DarkestLink]

Three types of enemies I think they should focus on...

Ice enemies

Range enemies

Team enemies

These are the ones that provide the most challenge. I've begun to see this more and more as I play through Snowpeak and go through the Cave Ordeals. Darknuts have spectacular teamwork, the ice rooms are among the most challenging, and even mere bulbins are a threat when they are archers. Even if you're a cheating dork who tries to snipe the bulbins on the top of the ledge, you're still going to have a hard time not getting hit. And once you're on the ground, you have to stay very mobile at all times or you will get hit. And heck, look at chilfos...being in a room full of those is a nightmare and that's because they implement all three of these...they're ice enemies who have great range, and they work in a team. While you're busy trying to kill one, the others are gang raping you all at once.

I also want enemies to make me thing outside the box...like Darknuts in TP. For awhile I've pondered what was an effective way to beat 4 of them without getting hit...and after awhile I came to an answer...it was so simple and so effective: Don't use hidden skills. These teams were practically designed to negated them. The moment you're ready to use helm splitter on one, the other intercepts you midair....same with backslice. It took me quite awhile to realize this because I had grown so accustomed to using these skills.

 

[Sydney]

I like enemies i can beat the hell out of and that can take a beating so TP Darknuts and OoT Iron Knuckles, i do love squaring up and having a proper duel with them.

I have to agree here. TP Darknuts and OoT Iron Knuckles are some of my favorite enemies from the Zelda Franchise. They provided a good battle and were worthy opponents. If we could have more enemies like them, I think Zelda games would be even more fun to play.