Stalfos

Stalfos are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. One of the most frequently appearing enemies in the series, Stalfos are skeletal warriors who attack with swords, shields, and occasionally, their own bones. They have appeared in every game except The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, though the game contains very similar enemies while not using the term Stalfos.

The Legend of Zelda
Stalfos appear in Level 1 and Level 7 of the First Quest. In the Second Quest, they attack with Sword Beams and appear in Level 1, Level 3, and Level 8.

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Stalfos are found in various palaces, equipped with a single sword and one shield. Owing to the fact that they hold their weaponry at torso-height, their lower body is rendered defenseless. Their are two varieties of Stalfos, red and blue, with the blue being stronger. Red Stalfos simply attack with their sword, but Blue Stalfos can jump and perform a Downthrust.

Stalfos Knights wear a helmet and breastplate, making them more durable, but otherwise they are identical to regular Stalfos.

Killing a Red Stalfos gives Link 30 experience points, and killing a Stalfos Knight gives Link 50 experience points.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Stalfos do not attack with weapons; instead, they throw bones at Link to damage him, and jump to avoid his attacks. They can be found in variations of white, blue or red, similar to The Adventure of Link. Certain Stalfos also have the ability to detach their skulls from their body in order to send them towards Link to damage him. They can easily be defeated with the Bow & Arrow, though they can be attacked with the sword if backed against a wall. A Boomerang is also effective against them. If a jar is thrown at one, it instantly dies.

A larger form of Stalfos, known as a Stalfos Knight, appears in the Ice Palace; unlike regular Stalfos, this enemy attacks with a weapon and requires a bomb blast to be destroyed.

The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
Stalfos have no weaponry other than the ability to jump in order to cause damage. Shrouded Stalfos also appear, whose attack patterns are very similar to the Moblin in the game.

A large Stalfos, Master Stalfos, appears as the mini-boss in Catfish's Maw. He guards the Hookshot, and must be battled four times.

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Stalfos appear as enemies in the Forest Temple as well as other extant locations. It is possible to encounter a total of 16 Stalfos in the game.

Stalfos are frequently battled in pairs. Sometimes in the two-on-one battles, Link must defeat both Stalfos within a certain amount of time of each other. If Link defeats one but fails to defeat the second within the time limit, the first Stalfos will be revived and must be defeated again. Not all dual Stalfos battles are like this, however. Stalfos have two attack patterns. The first has a Stalfos letting its guard down, only to raise its sword and damage Link for one heart. These attacks can be avoided either by hitting a Stalfos while it strikes or by blocking its attack with a shield. The other attack pattern consists of jumping and if it connects with Link, he is dealt two hearts worth of damage. During this, Link can damage a Stalfos' vulnerable backside. In a certain room of the Shadow Temple, it is possible to knock a Stalfos off of the ledge, immediately ending the battle.

Additionally, the nature of Stalfos is explained in this game. Fado, a Kokiri girl who Link meets in the Lost Woods as an adult, tells Link that those lacking a fairy become Stalfos if they lose their ways in the maze-like woods, suggesting that some of the Stalfos that Link battles are wayward travelers. According to Fado, Grog got lost in the Lost Woods and became a Stalfos. Also, when fighting two or more Stalfos, while Link is is Z-Targeting one of them, the other(s) will wait their turn patiently.

The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons
Regular Stalfos appear throughout both games, similar in appearance and attack method to Stalfos from Link's Awakening, only with a number of new color schemes and variations. They can be damaged or killed by the Rod of Seasons, making them some of the only enemies that it inflicts damage on.

In Oracle of Ages, the Blue Stalfos serves as the miniboss of the Ancient Tomb, the eighth and final dungeon. It shoots balls of energy at Link that can be reflected back at it with a sword. When hit, it turns into a baby and becomes vulnerable to damage. If Link unsuccessfully deflects the Stalfos' attack, he becomes a helpless infant himself.

There is also a character who appears in both game; a Stalfos known as Cap'n, captain of a crew of skeletal sailors who also appear to be Stalfos.

In Oracle of Seasons, Cap'n appears once more. It is later revealed that the Stalfos Captain was once the King of Labrynna and husband to Queen Ambi, and that he was somehow transformed into a Stalfos while lost at sea.

The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords
Stalfos attack by jumping around and they can dodge Link's attacks. In order for Link to defeat them, they must be cornered or stunned with the Boomerang.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Stalfos rarely appear in dungeons on the Great Sea; however, they make quite a number of appearances during Link's quest to reassemble the Triforce of Courage and they are the mini-bosses in the Earth Temple. They are larger than previous incarnations, and as such, much slower. They hobble around on short stubby legs while swinging around large spiked clubs. They wield the maces inexpertly and spin violently across the room while using them, often losing their balance.

When Link repeatedly slashes one or plants a Bomb near a Stalfos, their bodies shatter into several segments and their heads leap around the room. In order to keep them from reassembling, Link must destroy their heads. It is also possible to cut them in half, in which case their torso and lower body walk around separately; the upper body will flee, running on its arms, while the lower body will chase Link and try to kick him. Taking a Stalfos' mace while in its shattered state and waiting until it reassembles causes the Stalfos to pull off its left arm and use it as a weapon until it reclaims its weapon.

The easiest and most expedient method to dispose of these skeletal fiends is to throw a bomb in front of them, then lure them over it. When it explodes, Link should quickly L-Target the head and stun it using the boomerang. He then should run over to the head and smash it with the Skull Hammer. Link is unlikely to take any damage using this method, and he will defeat the Stalfos much more quickly than if he only uses his sword.

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The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures
Stalfos are usually found in the Dark World or in dungeons. There are standard-sized Stalfos as well as slightly larger ones. Furthermore, there are four big Stalfos who were once Knights of Hyrule. Stalfos can be dispatched with the Four Sword.

The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap
There are two types of Stalfos in The Minish Cap; blue Stalfos and red Stalfos. The blue ones dash towards Link to collide with him and also will try and jump over Link and smash him, while the red ones throw bones at him. Sometimes a Stalfos disguises itself as one of the breakable skulls in a dungeon, during which Link can actually absorb the Stalfos in his Gust Jar to destroy it. If Link uses the Gust Jar on Stalfos that are walking around while in their full state, it removes the head, causing the body to wander around slowly. A decapitated Stalfos will not notice or attack Link, but will hurt him if he touches it. It may also walk blindly into a bottomless pit, something that ordinary Stalfos do not do. Their heads can also be removed with the Cane of Pacci. Also, burning off a Gibdo's bandages with the Flame Lantern reveals it to be a Stalfos in disguise.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Stalfos in this game appear in two different varieties. Some carry swords and metal shields while others wield small knives and breakable wooden shields. Both types can only be killed by dropping Bombs on their broken corpses, or, alternatively, by using Bomb Arrows or the Ball and Chain.

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Stalfos appear on the Isle of the Dead and the Isle of Ruins, as well as Mutoh's Temple. There are two kinds of Stalfos in the game; blue ones that throw bones and red ones that wear pirate hats and use swords. The red variety are one of two enemies in the games that employ a unique slashing motion with their swords, the other being Jolene. Without the Hammer, they are one of the toughest enemies in the game. Similar to The Wind Waker, their weak points are their heads. They can easily be defeated with the aforementioned Hammer, Bombs, or Bombchus. They are usually hidden amongst the other dead skeletons that lie on the ground, but when they are approached, they rise and fight. Bombs can be thrown at them from a distance before they get up. Their heads can be pulled off their bodies using the Grappling Hook or the Boomerang.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
Stalfos toss bones at Link from a safe distance. While their attack pattern is essentially identical to what it was in Phantom Hourglass, they seem more aggressive, jumping away from Link's attacks and throwing bones much more often. The sword-wielding variant also made a return appearance, renamed "Stalfos Warriors". Without the Grappling Hook to pull their heads off or the Hammer to smash them, both types are considerably tougher to dispatch than they were in Phantom Hourglass; ranged weapons, such as the Whip, Bow, and bombs work best. They occasionally drop Stalfos Skulls.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The E3 demo of Skyward Sword featured a Stalfos as hidden mini-boss. By bombing a wall in the demo's starting area, a hidden room can be found containing the Stalfos. In this iteration, Stalfos wield two swords, which are used both offensively and defensively. When it holds both swords upright, the player must strike vertically in between them. When it hold them horizontally, the player must strike accordingly. It can also hold the two swords perpendicularly, so that the player can only strike from a certain angle and direction.

Link's Crossbow Training
Stalfos appear in a number of stages throughout this game. They are first seen in the Gerudo Desert, and also fight Link in the graveyard of Hyrule Castle. Some of the Stalfos are larger and more difficult to kill than the regular variety, and are skillful at blocking the crossbow bolts with their shields.

The Legend of Zelda animated series
Stalfos are one of the most common enemies in the service of Ganon. They wield their traditional swords and shields and use bombs in battle. Interestingly, characters refer to a singular Stalfos as "Stalfo", using only "Stalfos" when they appear in numbers.