Gold Skulltula

Gold Skulltula's resemble Skullwalltulas and are of roughly the same size yet with a metallic gold faceplate (although, when seen in the video game, their gold faceplates are somewhat covered in spikes). There are a finite number of these creatures in existence, which are associated with a certain curse that changes people (usually those of greedy minds) into deformed Skulltulas. As part of Link's quest in the series, it is his duty to free the accursed people by defeating all the Gold Skulltulas throughout the land and collecting Gold Skulltula Tokens that they leave behind. Once a token is collected from a Gold Skulltula, it will no longer appear in that location again. Gold Skulltulas also produce the telltale scratching sound of Skullwalltulas (though the exact sound varies slightly — it is more metallic), and are present in, and.

A notable difference between these creatures and Skullwalltulas is that they commonly attach to walls that cannot be climbed, requiring the use of the Hookshot or the Boomerang. Other projectile weapons can also be used to dispatch the Skulltula, but without the Boomerang or Hookshot, Link must retrieve the token left behind by hand. Gold Skulltulas can also appear in trees and boxes, and can be extracted from these hiding places onto the ground in easy reach of Link's sword. Unlike Skullwalltulas, Gold Skulltulas will not attack Link in aggression, but they are fairly harmful if touched. Certain criteria must often be met in order to come upon them in nature — some only appear at night, for example, while others live deep in soft soil patches and can only be drawn out by releasing bugs from a bottle near the soil. Gold Skulltulas are unique among enemies in the 3D Zelda games because they cannot be Z-targeted, forcing Link to aim manually (why they cannot be targeted is never explained, though it is likely to make them harder both to find and to catch). To make Link's quest easier, a Gold Skulltula icon appears on his map wherever he has defeated every Gold Skulltula in the area.

In Hyrule, there are a total of 100 Gold Skulltulas spread throughout the entire region. In Termina, the Gold Skulltulas are limited to two houses (the Woodfall Spider House and the Great Bay Spider House) with 30 each.