Hidden Skills

During the Twili Invasion, Link was taught several Hidden Skills by a spectre known only as the Hero's Shade. Whether this spirit was the original Hero of Time or not remains to be seen, but he taught Link many useful sword skills that he would use throughout his entire adventure. Before Link could learn a new skill, however, he must have been taught the previous one in numerical order (he couldn't learn the 7th Hidden Skill without knowing the 6th for example). There were a total of 7 skills for Link to learn from this other-wordly adviser.

Ending Blow
The Ending Blow was the first of the Hidden Skills, and the only one which is required in order to finish the game; the others are optional. Some enemies Link would face would be able to get back into a fight after being knocked down. To prevent that, the Hero's Shade taught Link to finish his enemies off as quickly as possible. Once the opponent was laid flat, Link would jump through the air, point his sword straight down and drive it through his enemy's chest with both hands, killing them instantly regardless of health. If the enemy got up before Link hit, the sword would get stuck in the ground and Link would have to spend a second or two pulling it back out.

Link used this skill against Ganondorf himself after knocking him down, stabbing the Master Sword straight through him. It was also somewhat similar to the Downward Thrust.

Shield Attack
The Shield Attack, the second of Link's handy new skills was less of an attempt to damage an opponent as it was to leave them open for a follow up attack. The Shield Attack was accomplished by Link approaching his enemy and slamming them forcefully with his shield. The result was a dazed enemy open for a followed strike from Link's blade.

Back Slice
The Back Slice was the third skill added to Link's arsenal. It was a deadly combination that could just as easily be used to dodge an attack as it could be to finish an enemy off. While targeting his opponent, Link would quickly jump to the side of the opponent, and throw his weight into his shoulder. The result would be Link hitting the ground and using his shoulder to roll around behind the enemy, thus avoiding an attack. Once behind his opponent Link would often come up out of his roll using a powerful jumping spin attack, to hit his opponent from behind.

The attack was very similar to the sideways "parry" manuever that another Link had used.

Helm Splitter
The Helm Splitter, Link's fourth skill, was one of incredible agility. It used a combination of his excellent body control, and his ability to stun an enemy with his shield. It was especially useful against opponents who had heavy armor, but were far too fast to roll around behind for a back slice. Link would begin the attack by slamming his opponent with his shield, then, launching himself into a jump attack, he would us that momentum to begin a forward flip, using the connection of the sword on the opponents head to give him the last bit of momentum to finish the flip and land on his feet behind the enemy.

Like the Back Slice, the Helm Splitter was reminiscent of another Link's "parry" attack, except the one performed overhead instead of sideways.

Mortal Draw
The Mortal Draw, the fifth technique Link would learn was the most deadly to opponents but also the most dangerous to Link himself. Link would begin by having his shield still on his back and the sword still in its scabbard. When the enemy began to approach Link would quietly move his hand to the hilt of his sword. Just before the enemy would strike, Link would spin quickly whilst drawing the sword from its sheathe and cleaving it through his enemy. The result was almost always a fatal attack, less the monster be quite strong. However, the lack of shield and the fact that he had to wait for the enemy to be upon him left Link open to serious wounds if he was not fast enough. Also, even if done right, some enemies could block it.

Jump Strike
While Link's ordinary Jump Attack was powerful in and of itself, sometimes he would be swarmed by enemies, and attack one at a time was not safe. For this, he had the Jump Strike, his sixth skill. Drawing his sword from its scabbered he would wrap both hands around the hilt and await his enemies to be in range. Once the approached he would launch himself into the air slashing his blade up in an arc, then would swing it back down into his regular posture for the jump attack. However, as an added bonus, once the sword connected with the ground a small magical explosion would eminate from it.

Great Spin
There has been speculation that the Hero's Shade was that of the Hero of Time, and no proof was as convincing as the Great Spin that he taught Link. Link's spin attack was excellent should he ever be surrounded, but the Great Spin was even more so. As long as Link was at full strength (full health) his life would greatly increase the power of his attack, releasing the spin attacks power in a great wave of energy, much like the Hero of Time had done once he had gained magic.

Appearances

 * The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess