Ball and Chain Soldier

Not to be confused with Darkhammer, the mini-boss of Snowpeak Ruins.

Template:Enemy Ball and Chain Soldiers,^(LA)^[1] also known as Ball and Chain Troopers,^(ALttP)^[1] and Ball 'N Chain Guards,^(CoH)^[2] are recurring enemies in The Legend of Zelda series. They are a variation of the enemy Soldiers that wield a massive spiked ball on a chain which they use to attack with. They are among the strongest of enemy Soldiers, whose whirling flails makes them difficult to approach and can inflict heavy damage. Of all the enemy Soldiers, they are also the most common throughout the series.

The attack pattern of Ball and Chain Soldiers can vary between games; in some games they will only periodically fling their maces, while in other games they will constantly spin it around them, stopping only to toss it at Link. These are crucial times for Link to strike back. In some games, a stronger variant appears wielding a ball and chain on fire, which may seriously burn Link if he is struck by it.

Characteristics

A Link to the Past

Template:ALttPManual

In A Link to the Past, like other Soldiers, Ball and Chain Troopers are Hyrulean guards that have been brainwashed by Agahnim and are under his control. They attack by swinging their flail whenever Link is close, but will only swing it around periodically, allowing Link to quickly move in and strike back when the Soldier is not wielding his weapon. A unique, grey Ball and Chain Trooper first appears in the prison dungeon of Hyrule Castle, where he is guarding the Big Key to Princess Zelda's prison cell. Link can use the Boomerang to stun him, allowing him to get an easy strike, but the Soldier will soon recover. The Ball and Chain Trooper is also notably weak to thrown Pots, which can be picked up from the open cell and thrown back at him. Two thrown Pots are enough defeat him.

Later, when Link infiltrates the Hyrule Castle Tower on his way to face Agahnim, he encounters gold-colored Ball and Chain Troopers. These Troopers have the same strength as the grey one previously encountered, but come in pairs which makes fighting them harder. By the time they are encountered, Link has more items at his arsenal that he can use to fight them with. Link can place Bombs to explode when they are close, or fire Arrows from a safe distance with his Bow.

The Ball, and Chain was noted to be a popular weapon among Ganon's forces used for sharp and powerful attacks that could greatly damage enemies.^[3]

Link's Awakening

In Link's Awakening, a single Ball and Chain Trooper known as a Knight appears in the final room of Kanalet Castle. Like the other occupants, it was one of Prince Richard's servants until going berserk, and turning on its liege.^[4] It will swing its mace in its hand before tossing it at Link, which when struck, saps one whole Heart from Link's life meter. Like the Ball and Chain Trooper from A Link to the Past, it can be attacked when it is not tossing its mace. Link also needs to be careful while fighting it, as the ground along the walls are cracked and will crumble if stood on for too long. Once defeated, the Ball and Chain Soldier will drop one of the Golden Leaves. Despite being unique, the Knight will respawn.

Oracle of Seasons

In Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages, Ball and Chain Soldiers appear the same as in Link's Awakening but are no longer a single miniboss. In Oracle of Seasons, they can be found in the Ancient Ruins and the Sword & Shield Maze. In Oracle of Ages, they can be found in the Crown Dungeon. They are one of the few enemies that are immune to the effect of Gale Seeds when shot from the Seed Shooter or Slingshot, and cannot be blown back by them.

With the Master Sword and the Red Ring equipped, the Ball and Chain Soldiers can be defeated in one fell swoop.

Four Swords

In Four Swords, Ball and Chain Soldiers appear as gold knights wielding spinning flails. Unlike previous games, they will continuously swing their maces around them, protecting them from most attacks, before tossing it at the Links. The moment they toss it leaves the rest of their body vulnerable to attacks. They appear in Talus Cave and Vaati's Palace.

Four Swords Adventures

Four Swords Adventures offers a number of different types of Ball and Chain Soldiers, characterized by their armor's color. The common gold variety swings its ball and chain in a constant large loop that increases speed when hit. The black variety is similar to the original soldier from A Link to the Past, in that it aims its flail directly at the Links as before, and smashes through obstacles in the process. Just like A Link to the Past, they are corrupted Hyrulean guards.^[5]

A newer variety is the red-colored Ball and Chain Soldier, which adds a new twist in the form of a fiery mace that leaves behind a huge trail of flames. The only safe method of bypassing this flaming barrier is to use the Roc's Feather to jump over it.

The blue variety is extremely rare and only appears in the Tingle's Tower multiplayer gallery during the "Monster Hunting Returns" minigame. These soldiers swing their flails in a loop similar to the gold soldiers, but will switch between swinging in a small loop around their head, to a huge lashing swipe that travels far.

The Ball and Chain Soldiers are often seen alone or in pairs, usually appearing as the last in a swarm of regular Soldiers. They are also quite common in the Palace of Winds, and one final trooper is summoned by Ganon right before the final battle.

The Minish Cap

In The Minish Cap, Ball and Chain Soldiers appear the same as in Four Swords, as gold Soldiers that swing flails around them. As in previous games, they can be attacked after their maces are tossed. A unique attack strategy incorporates the use of the Roc's Cape to inflict damage from above with the Sword, all the while evading the lateral toss of the ball and chain. They have a tendency of dropping Big Green Rupees when defeated. They appear in the Palace of Winds, Dark Hyrule Castle and Simon's Simulation.

Ball & Chain Soldier (Figurine from The Minish Cap)
Ball & Chain Soldier	(North America): Appears in the Palace of Winds. They're not fast, but that iron ball is a bruiser! Try to hit them after they swing the ball. (Europe): Appears in the Palace of Winds and Dark Hyrule Castle. They're not fast, but that iron ball is a bruiser! Try to hit them after they swing the ball.

A Link Between Worlds

Ball and Chain Soldiers in A Link Between Worlds are strongly based on their A Link to the Past incarnation. Like other enemy Soldiers, the Ball and Chain Soldiers were originally Paintings that were painted by and brought to life by Yuga. Unlike the Troopers from A Link to the Past, these enemies constantly swing their flails around them as opposed to only periodically, and will toss their flails at Link twice before swinging them again. Both grey and gold colored variations appear. They appear Inside Hyrule Castle and Treacherous Tower.

In Lorule Castle, two Lorule Ball and Chain Soldiers wielding fiery maces appear as mini-bosses. They are fought in dark rooms, which their fiery weapons can light as they are spun. This becomes problematic in the second encounter, as the lighting will make the stone pathways in the room appear invisible, and the Soldier's spinning mace can potentially knock Link off the platform. They also appear in Treacherous Tower on the 39th floor.

Tri Force Heroes

Ball and Chain Soldiers appear in the Fortress Area of the Drablands in Tri Force Heroes, and seem to be servants of Lady Maud. They appear the same as in A Link Between Worlds, as they will actively spin their maces around them before tossing it at the Links. Both regular and fire Ball and Chain Soldiers appear. Regular Ball and Chain Soldiers appear in the Sealed Gateway and in the Training Ground, where one appears riding a Totem Armos, and will pursue the Links while swinging its mace. A Ball and Chain Soldier wielding a fire mace appears in The Lady's Lair.

In the Sky Realm, a golden variety called Sky Ball & Chain Soldiers also appear, as well as a variant wielding a fiery ball and chain called a Sky Fire Chain Soldier. These varieties are much stronger than the ordinary Ball and Chain Soldiers, and take more hits to defeat. Sky Ball & Chain Soldiers appear in Deception Castle and in the Sky Temple, while a Sky Fire Chain Soldier exclusively appears in the Sky Temple.

Other Appearances

Ambiguously Canon Information

Cadence of Hyrule

Ball 'N Chain Guards appear as enemies in Cadence of Hyrule where they move to the rhythm. They move on every second music beat, usually crouching before hopping onto an adjacent tile. When either Cadence, Link, Yves, or Zelda get too close, they will prepare themselves to attack in a 3x3 square radius before swinging their flail on the next beat, dealing damage to any heroes or enemies that stand too close.

Non-Canon Information

A Link to the Past (Ishinomori)

Ball and Chain Troopers appear briefly in Chapters 2 and 5 in the A Link to the Past comic by Shotaro Ishinomori. In Chapter 2, Link encounters one of these foes after visiting Sahasrahla's Wife in Kakariko Village. However, after the Ball and Chain Trooper swings his weapon at the young hero, Link falls into a bush, and the Trooper misses sight of him. Later in Chapter 5, after Link retrieves the Master Sword from the Lost Woods, he is ambushed by three Ball and Chain Troopers that the young hero quickly defeats with a single Spin Attack.

A Link to the Past (Himekawa)

In the A Link to the Past manga by Akira Himekawa, Link faces the Ball and Chain Trooper on his way to rescue Zelda in much the same way he does in the game. Upon orders from Agahnim, the soldier smashes through a wall to reach Link, and attacks him with his giant weapon. Link manages to avoid getting struck, but is caught by the chain around his neck and dragged across the room. He lands near some jars, and with quick thinking, he grabs one and throws it at the Trooper, which knocks the helmet off, revealing nothing underneath. A black mist emerges from the armor as it collapses, and as Link sits shocked, Zelda explains that the soldier was not human and was living darkness controlled by Agahnim.^[6]

Trivia

General Onox, the boss of Oracle of Seasons, wields a flail and attacks much like a Ball and Chain Soldier in his normal form, but also uses other attacks unique to his character.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Regions
Language		Name	Meaning
	Japanese	鉄球兵士 (Tekkyū Heishi) ^(ALttP) てっきゅうへいし (Tekkyū Heishi) ^(TMC)	Iron Ball Soldier
	French^EU	Soldat au Boulet ^(ALttP) Chevalier Fléau	Ball Soldier Scourge Knight
	German	Morgenstern-Truppe Eisenkugel-Soldat	Ball and Chain Force Iron Ball Soldier
	Italian	Soldato di Ferro
	Spanish^EU	Ferrobola	Ferro-Ball

Gallery

Artwork of the Ball and Chain Trooper from A Link to the Past
A gold Ball and Chain Trooper from A Link to the Past
A Ball and Chain Soldier in the Tower of Flames in Four Swords Adventures
A grey Ball and Chain Soldier in A Link Between Worlds
A gold Ball and Chain Soldier wielding a fiery mace in Tri Force Heroes
Sky Ball and Chain Soldier from Tri Force Heroes
Sky Fire Chain Soldier from Tri Force Heroes
A Ball and Chain soldier in the foreground of an artwork from Tri Force Heroes
A Ball and Chain Trooper in the A Link to the Past comic
Link facing the Ball and Chain Trooper in the A Link to the Past manga
A Ball 'N Chain Guard from Cadence of Hyrule

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 164 ^(ALttP)
↑ "Defeated By: Ball 'N Chain Guard" — Game Over (Cadence of Hyrule)
↑ "Many of Ganon's soldiers used these spiked balls on chains for a sharp and powerful attack. A square hit could greatly damage a warrior." (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Nintendo Power, pg. 65)
↑ "Salutations! You wouldn't know by the look of me, but I used to live in the castle! My servants went berserk and I was forced to flee to my villa... So, you want the key to Ukuku Prairie, do you? I may be able to help you... Let's make... a deal, shall we? I want you to retrieve the Golden Leaf I left behind in the castle when I fled..." — Prince Richard (Link's Awakening DX, 398)
↑ "The soldiers in the castle were behaving so oddly, and I couldn't get past them. They were moving the old cannons around...and they even aimed their bows at me!" — Malon (Four Swords Adventures)
↑ "That warrior was living darkness controlled by Agahnim's magic. It wasn't human." (A Link to the Past (Himekawa), VIZ Media, pg. 23)