Stalfos

Stalfos

Artwork from The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet

Games	The Legend of Zelda The Adventure of Link A Link to the Past Link's Awakening Ocarina of Time Oracle of Seasons Oracle of Ages Four Swords The Wind Waker Four Swords Adventures The Minish Cap Twilight Princess Phantom Hourglass Spirit Tracks Skyward Sword A Link Between Worlds Tri Force Heroes
Location	Link's Awakening Green Stalfos Bottle Grotto Key Cavern Catfish's Maw Orange Stalfos Bottle Grotto Key Cavern Catfish's Maw Eagle's Tower Turtle Rock Skyward Sword Skyview Temple Sky Keep The Wand of Gamelon Sakado Gohiyan Ship
Threat
Attacks	Link's Awakening Green Stalfos Contact Stomp Orange Stalfos Bone Club Contact Ocarina of Time Sword Jump Attack Oracle of Seasons Blue Stalfos Contact Green Stalfos Contact Body Slam Orange Stalfos Bone Contact Red Stalfos Contact Oracle of Ages Blue Stalfos Contact Orange Stalfos Bone Contact The Wind Waker Club Spin Attack
Effective Weapons	Link's Awakening Sword - 2 hits Koholint Sword - 1 hit Boomerang - 1 hit Bombs - 1 hit Bow - 1 hit Hookshot - 1 hit Pegasus Boots - 1 hit Oracle of Seasons Blue Stalfos Sword - 1 hit Green Stalfos Sword - 2 hits Orange Stalfos Sword - 2 hits Red Stalfos Sword - 2 hits Oracle of Ages Blue Stalfos Sword - 1 hit Orange Stalfos Sword - 2 hits In General Sword Bomb Ball and Chain

Stalfos are recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda series. They are large skeletal warriors, and are usually fairly difficult to defeat. Sometimes they are weaponless, and sometimes they wield large swords and shields (with the exception of The Wind Waker, where they wield large spiked clubs). They are usually found in dungeons.

The Legend of Zelda

The original appearance of the Stalfos is probably actually the easiest version to defeat as well. They are found right away in Level 1. They deal a half a heart of damage, and only take a few slashes to defeat. They wield two swords and often have keys embedded into their ribcage. In the Second Quest, Stalfos shoot a beam sword, similar to that of Link's sword beam.

The Adventure of Link

The Stalfos of this game are armed with a sword and shield with no armor. They come in two colors, a Red Stalfos and a Blue Stalfos, with the blue one being the stronger of the two. The red Stalfos attack simply by swinging their sword and can be defeated by a sword slash while crouching. The blue Stalfos has the same attack, but can also jump and down-thrust in mid-jump. Link defeats them the same way as he would a red Stalfos.

Enemy Data

Red Stalfos

	Experience Points	30
	Item Drop	Red Magic Jar or 200 exp Point Bag
	Enemy Habitat	Parapa Palace
Combat Data	Hide
Defensive Stats Offensive Stats Attack Level Hits to Kill Life Level Contact Container Damage Projectile Container Damage 1 4 1 1 3 2 3 2 .875 - 3 2 3 .625 - 4 2 4 .5 - 5 1 5 .375 - 6 1 6 .375 - 7 1 7 .25 - 8 1 8 .25 -

Blue Stalfos

	Experience Points	50
	Item Drop	Red Magic Jar or 200 exp Point Bag
	Enemy Habitat	Midoro Palace Palace on the Sea
Combat Data	Hide
Defensive Stats Offensive Stats Attack Level Hits to Kill Life Level Contact Container Damage Projectile Container Damage 1 6 1 1 - 2 4 2 .875 - 3 3 3 .625 - 4 2 4 .5 - 5 2 5 .375 - 6 1 6 .375 - 7 1 7 .25 - 8 1 8 .25 -

A Link to the Past

Main article: Stalfos (A Link to the Past)

Main article: Stalfos Knight

Stalfos in A Link to the Past come in multiple variations and colors. Smaller Stalfos come in both Red and Blue and jump away from Link when he draws near. Some of these Stalfos toss bones toward Link if he strikes to attack them. The second type comes in the form of Stalfos Knights. These skeletons are significantly larger and first appear within the Ice Palace.

Link's Awakening

A change to the usual Stalfos, the type that appears in Link's Awakening wields no sword and prefers to jump or throw bone-like projectiles at Link. They come in two variants: A Green Stalfos and Orange Stalfos.

Green Stalfos

These skeletal enemies slowly travel around the room, ready for battle. When Link approaches a Green Stalfos, it launches itself into the air and tries to stomp down on him. Quickly dodge their stomp attacks by moving away, then turn around and try to attack swiftly with the Sword. Spin Attacks may be useful when trying to defeat this Stalfos.

Orange Stalfos

Orange Stalfos wander the room like the green variety, but instead of jumping on Link, they jump away from him. When it lands, it throws a bone club at Link. Be ready to avoid its club since it is one of the few projectiles that can travel diagonally. Attacking from a distance may be a good idea when fighting an Orange Stalfos.

Ocarina of Time

		Stalfos Lure it close to you and watch its movement carefully! Attack it when it drops its guard!

Stalfos from Ocarina of Time

These skeletal warriors make their return from previous Zelda titles. Watch out for their jump attack, which can do a great deal more damage to Link than their regular sword attacks. Use Z-targeting to get close while using the Shield, then take a quick stab as soon as Link sees them let their shield down. Try to circle around them when they jump at Link. Also, if Link gets right in their face, he can easily "force them" to attack and get a quick stab in. If done right, Link can take them out very quickly this way. They are found in the Forest Temple, the Water Temple, the Shadow Temple, the Spirit Temple, and in Ganon's Castle.

Many of their sword techniques mimic Link's (i.e. the Jump Attack). This enemy can be prevented from jumping at Link with a sword slash by keeping the Shield up, holding Z and keeping as close to it as possible because it may jump and mid-air slash at Link if he is too far away.

A superstition exists with the Kokiri where if any adult becomes lost in the Lost Woods, they will turn into one of these creatures. This supposedly happens to the Master Craftsman's Son in the Trading Sequence when Fado gives Link the Poacher's Saw.

Majora's Mask

Only three Stalfos appear within the game as mini-bosses. They are Igos du Ikana and his lackeys.

Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages

The Stalfos here appear in the same fashion as they do in Link's Awakening.

Four Swords

The Stalfos follow the same attack pattern as A Link to the Past

The Wind Waker

These Stalfos that appear in The Wind Waker are large, skeletal enemies and they are probably larger in The Wind Waker than they are in any other Zelda title. To defeat Stalfos, Link has to hit them with the Sword to break their bodies into bones, then slash away at the bouncing skull. An easier way to defeat a Stalfos in The Wind Waker is to use a Bomb to quickly demolish their bodies, then stun the bouncing skull with the Boomerang and then finally finish it with the Skull Hammer.

The Minish Cap

In The Minish Cap, Stalfos are found in red and blue varieties. The blue Stalfos walk toward Link and hop away when he swings the Sword at them. They can be defeated by cornering them and slashing at them or forcing them to jump down a hole. Red Stalfos usually stand a distance away from Link and hurl bones at him. They can be defeated by simply slashing them. An effective way to defeat Stalfos in The Minish Cap is to use the Cane of Pacci or the Gust Jar to suck or flip their heads off.

Twilight Princess

Artwork from Twilight Princess

In Twilight Princess, Stalfos are skeletons that wield a sword, shield, and minor armor, much like they do in Ocarina of Time. They can be found in the Arbiter's Grounds. In order to take them out, Link must first defeat them in a sword fight, then bomb their remains that they crumble into once he has hit them enough times. One good strategy for taking out multiple Stalfos simultaneously is to simply to fire Bomb Arrows at them from afar to instantly defeat them. Alternatively, Link can strike these enemies with the Ball and Chain to instantly defeat them.

Phantom Hourglass

The Stalfos that appear in Phantom Hourglass appear as a collection of bones on the ground. Once Link draws near, the bones form a skeleton enemy and begin to throw bones toward Link. Stalfos are quite agile and jump away if Link tries to strike them with the Sword. Use the Jump Attack with the Sword. Alternatively, the Grappling Hook, Bombs, and the Boomerang work wonders against these boney foes. There is also another variety that wears hats, uses a sword, and is much more difficult to deal with. The Hammer also dispatches Stalfos in one hit.

Spirit Tracks

These Stalfos have the same design as they do in Phantom Hourglass. The Stalfos that wield swords also return, now called Stalfos Warrior. Occasionally, they drop Stalfos Skulls when defeated.

Skyward Sword

Stalfos from Skyward Sword

		Target lock: Stalfos This skeleton soldier is born of the dead. In its previous life, it was an ordinary knight, but undeath has improved its combat abilities. It is possible to overpower it with a well-timed shield bash during the creature's attack.

The Stalfos in Skyward Sword are skeleton-like enemies that wield two large swords which they use both to block and to attack. Link must attack from specific directions that are unprotected, requiring good timing and accurate sword slashes.

Stalfos have three main attacks. They quickly swing one sword horizontally, perform a cross-chop with both swords, or raise both swords above its head in preparation for a powerful two-part attack. The Stalfos is defenseless while its swords are above its head, so this is Link's chance to run around behind it and slash away. There is also a more powerful version of Stalfos with four arms and more life called Stalmaster.

A Stalfos is the mini-boss of Skyview Temple. When Link returns for the Sacred Water, three appear in the room where he fought Ghirahim.

A Link Between Worlds

Stalfos return with a more traditional style of combat. Stalfos attempt to dodge a slash attack by jumping away from Link. If Link follows and slashes again fast enough, he will land a hit and can then move on to attack. If too slow, Stalfos will jump away, and if Link makes no attempt to follow Stalfos, they will attack by throwing bones at him. They return in two colors, but are the same in terms of combat style, simply dealing more damage and having more health. It is advised to attack with ranged items as they deal good amounts of damage and Stalfos rarely dodge item attacks, though some items (such as the Hookshot) have no effect. A Stalfos can be uncovered by setting a Gibdo on fire to burn its bandages off.

Non-Canon Appearances

The Faces of Evil

These skeleton creatures wield two swords and will try to walk right up to Link, and slash at him with them. The attacks are incredibly slow and are very weak, making the Stalfos one of the simplest enemies to defeat in the game. While they don't really travel in packs too often, they do tend to re-spawn. Link just needs to slash his sword once at the Stalfos and it will be defeated. Stalfos will almost always leave a single red ruby behind as a reward. They can be found in Goronu and Lupay.

The Wand of Gamelon

Stalfos can be found patrolling the area of Sakado and Gohiyan Ship. They look like and act the same as they do in The Faces of Evil.

Battle Quest

		These monsters are made of nothing but bones. Sometimes it seems like they vanish into the ground and warp through the earth. Did I mention that bones are scary?

Stalfos make an appearance in Battle Quest. They come up from underground and hold a shield, similar to that of Moblins. Link will need to make precision sword attacks to defeat them. Stalfos will burrow underground and come up at another location.

Hyrule Warriors

Stalfos are a common enemy in Hyrule Warriors, with the Stalmaster being their tougher soldiers.

See also

• Stalfos Knight
• Master Stalfos
• Shrouded Stalfos

Gallery

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  Artwork from Million Publications The Legend of Zelda Strategy Guide

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  Sprite from The Legend of Zelda

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  Official artwork from The Adventure of Link

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  Artwork from Futabasha The Adventure of Link Strategy Guide

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  Red Stalfos sprite from The Adventure of Link

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  Blue Stalfos sprite from The Adventure of Link

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  Stalfos Knight sprite from A Link to the Past

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  Blue Stalfos sprite from A Link to the Past

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  Red Stalfos sprite from A Link to the Past

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  Artwork from The Legend of Zelda 4 Koma Manga Kingdom Volume 2

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  Orange Stalfos sprite from Link's Awakening DX, Oracle of Seasons, and Oracle of Ages

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  Green Stalfos sprite from Link's Awakening DX and Oracle of Seasons

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  Blue Stalfos sprite from Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages

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  Red Stalfos sprite from Oracle of Seasons

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  Artwork from Ocarina of Time

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  Model from Ocarina of Time

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  A Stalfos in the beta version of Ocarina of Time

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  Artwork from The Wind Waker

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  Sprite from Four Swords Adventures

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  Red and Blue Stalfos sprites from The Minish Cap

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  Figurine from The Minish Cap

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  Model from Twilight Princess

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  Artwork from Twilight Princess

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  Stalfos in Phantom Hourglass

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  Model from Phantom Hourglass

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  Model from Skyward Sword

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  Trophy from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS

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  Sprite from The Faces of Evil and The Wand of Gamelon

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  A Stalfos in Battle Quest

References

1. ↑ "These skeleton soldiers will come at you with a two-handed sword. They may look menacing, but they can be easily defeated.", The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (US GBA Version), pg. 26
2. ↑ "A skeleton that's got a sword in each hand. Little attacking power.", The Legend of Zelda Instruction Booklet (US NES Version), pg. 35
3. ↑ "Trick the king into thinking he's seeing a child-sized version of Captain Keeta by wearing the Captain's Hat during your bone-rattling battle with the skeletal Stalfos knights and Igos himself." — The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask Official Nintendo Player's Guide, pg. 419