Darknut: Difference between revisions

'''Darknuts''' are recurring enemies in [[The Legend of Zelda (Series)|''The Legend of Zelda'' series]].{{Ref|''[[The Legend of Zelda: Encyclopedia]]'', pg. 173}} They are humanoid figures, who use a sword and shield to attack and defend, respectively, just like [[Link]]. Most battles against them are of the classic sword-and-shield variety.

[[File:Darknut-Red-LoZ-Sprite.png|left|50px]]

Darknuts appear in ''The Legend of Zelda'' in two variations: [[Red Darknut]]s and [[Blue Darknut]]s. Blue Darknuts take more hits to defeat than red ones. These enemies often appear in groups of three or more, making them tough to defeat in constricted areas. They are commonly found in dungeons.{{Ref|[[:File:The-Legend-of-Zelda-North-American-Instruction-Manual-Page-36.jpg|''The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet'' (US NES Version), pg. 36]]|A knight who lives in the labyrinths. He has lots of attacking power. He repels Link's attacks from the front with his shield.}}{{Ref|[https://www.zeldadungeon.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album{{=}}537&pid{{=}}14997#top_display_media ''The Legend of Zelda Instruction Manual''] (US GBA Version), pg. 27|These heavily-armored knights use their massive shields to deflect your attacks.}}{{Ref|[https://web.archive.org/web/20150722213853/http://www.zelda.com/universe/pedia/c.jsp The Great Hyrule Encyclopedia]|Darknuts are skilled knights who fight with swords and shields. Found only in dungeons, these foes wear either red or blue armor.}} One of the easiest ways to defeat them is with the use of bombs.

[[File:Darknut-LA-Sprite.png|left]]In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening|Link's Awakening]]'', Darknuts only appear near and inside of [[Kanalet Castle]], and were the ones who chased off [[Richard (Link's Awakening)|Richard]]. Darknuts here behave very similarly to sword-wielding [[Soldier (Enemy)|Soldiers]] from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|A Link to the Past]]'', charging at Link while defending their front with the large shield they carry.

''[[The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords|Four Swords]]'' Darknuts look like yellow-armored knights wielding large spiked balls. They will swing it around while moving towards [[Link (Four Swords)|Link]] (or Links), and if they are close enough for a certain time, they will launch the ball in a straight line — a very long-ranged attack — and then bring it back close to themselves and stop moving. This is Link's only chance to attack, since the fast moving ball makes it impossible to approach at any other time. They can take a number of hits, and without both Sword Shards can be hard to defeat. They are found whithin areas that close all exits until Link defeats the enemies that appear — like mini-boss battles of sorts — and a lightning bolt strikes the ground to make them appear. They are very seldom — if ever — fought alone, making them (and the enemies Link fights at the same time) very hard to defeat.

Darknuts are some of the toughest enemies Link faces in ''[[The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap|The Minish Cap]]''. Like in ''The Wind Waker'', they come in a variety of colors. The black versions have the most health and use a 'tornado thrust' attack in which they stab forwards whilst unleashing a powerful rotary energy in their sword. Their sprites are 2D representations of the Darknuts from ''The Wind Waker'' and share the same weak point. However, unlike in ''The Wind Waker'', Darknut armor in ''The Minish Cap'' cannot be removed or destroyed.

Link first faces off against a Darknut in the mini-boss battle in the Temple of Time. From there, Link will encounter Darknuts as regular enemies from time to time. When battling one, look for openings in its defense and attack it with the sword. It uses its massive sword to attack, but this can be blocked with the shield. The back slice works well against the Darknut but even that will be blocked quite often. The best bet is to hold out a shield and keep side jumping, at which point he can be hit with the sword. The shield attack and helm splitter if the attacks pop-up. Each time a Darknut is hit a piece of armor will break off. After several hits, all his armor will be removed and he'll toss away his massive sword and pull out a more traditional blade.

In the second phase of the battle Link can simply wait for him to attack, dodge its strikes, and then slash at him repeatedly with the sword. Alternatively, using the back slice attack will cause the Darknut to block. Once it blocks the attack, it will be vulnerable for a few seconds at which point Link can slash at him with his sword.  

When facing multiple Darknuts at once, it is recommended to tackle them one at a time. (See the Mini-Boss Guide on Darknuts for more details). Darknuts also appear in the [[Hyrule Castle (Twilight Princess)|Hyrule Castle]] and [[Cave of Ordeals]].

Darknuts are tough enemies that patrol Militron and Fortress Centrum. They wield large swords and shields. They have a full body of armor and can be quite difficult to defeat. It takes numerous sword slashes to penetrate the thick armor of the Darknut. Link must keep his distance, and shoot beam attacks towards the Darknut. Alternatively, Link can use a bomb to defeat the Darknut. Even though they are rare and sturdy enemies, they will only leave a single red [[Rupee|Rupee]] as a spoil.

Darknuts can be found patrolling the Dodamai Palace and Reesong Palace. They look like and act the same as they did in ''The Faces of Evil''.  

* [[Link]] is shown battling with a shiny metallic knight resembling a Darknut from ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' in the ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|Ocarina of Time]]'' Space World ([[1995]]) Tech Demo. In later beta versions, the Darknut model is improved and can be seen wearing gold armor. However, this enemy was never used in the final version of the game.

 

* A Darknut is named a ''Tartnuc'' in some Japanese strategy guides.