You'll encounter a variety of enemies in the overworld and in the dungeons, with special boss monsters warranting a third category.
Overworld Enemies
Armos Knight
This inanimate knight stands totally lifeless until you touch it. If you touch it, it'll come to life and move around. Some move slow and others move fast, so be careful when attacking this enemy.
Ghini
This ghost creature inhabits the cemetery in the west area of the overworld. When you touch a tombstone, another Ghini appears, but you can only actually harm the one that was originally there BEFORE touching any stones. Defeat the original one and all the "fakes" will disappear as well.
Leever
This sand-type enemy comes out of the ground and follows you for a moment before going back into the ground. It takes more than one hit to kill, but it's pretty simple to get away from either way.
Lynel
This half human, half beast creature is pretty tough, especially since it throws swords at you. The swords can only be blocked by the Large Shield, and this enemy is tough to beat, so make sure you hit it with the Boomerang to stop it, then attack, and repeat until you beat it.
Octorok
This octopus-like creature moves along on the ground and spits rocks straight ahead. They stop before shooting, so you'll know when they're about to attack. There are two types of Octorok: the red one and the blue one. They're both the same, but the blue Octorok takes more than one hit before dying.
Peahat
This rather interesting creature in the overworld flies in the air by using the propellers on its head. You can only hurt it when it's on the ground, so wait until it stops moving before attacking.
Tektite
This is the spider-type enemy that hops around in certain areas of the overworld. There are two colors of Tektites: blue and red. The blue ones are VERY good sources of rupees, so be sure to find areas with blue Tektites if you need some cash!
Zora
This water-dwelling creature surfaces and shoots a fireball at you before diving underwater again to appear in another spot. Its fireballs can only be blocked by the Large Shield, but if it pops up by the edge of the water, you can quickly try to kill it with your sword.
Dungeon Enemies
Blade Trap
This spiked trap sits in each corner of the room in some rooms of the dungeons. When you come close to any side of the room (i.e. the area between two traps), the Blade Traps against that wall will come together to try and crush you. Step in their path and step back, then as they retract, you should go through the door since it's safe.
Bubble
This round creature moving around in some dungeons are VERY annoying, especially later in the game. If one touches you, you cannot use your sword for a few moments. There are three types of Bubble: flashing, red, and blue. The flashing one's effects wear off after a few moments, but if you get hit by a red one, you can only use your sword again if you touch a blue Bubble. You can't destroy it, so your best bet is to stay as far away as you can from this creature!
Darknut
This armored knight with a sword and shield held in front can be pretty tough when encountered in the dungeons. You can only hit it from the sides or back, but be careful since it can quickly turn around and attack you. I recommend dropping Bombs so they explode when a Darknut is near, which is a safe way to kill it. There are two types of Darknuts: red ones and blue ones. The blue ones move much faster and can take many more hits before dying off, so be careful.
Gel
The tiny gel-like creature found in most dungeons is not a threat to you at all. It moves one tile at a time, so you can quickly kill it with one hit.
Gibdo
This mummy lurks in the dungeons of the game, but isn't too hard to get rid of. It moves and acts just like a Stalfos, except for the fact that it can take more hits.
Goriya
Here's the boomerang-throwing creature found in some of the game's dungeons. It wanders around, then stops to throw a boomerang straight ahead. Wait until it stops and throws, then attack it a few times from behind or the side to kill. There are two types of Goriya: red and blue. The blue ones are much stronger and throw metal boomerangs instead.
Keese
This small bat enemy is just about the most basic enemy in the game. It flies around in a room for a few moments, then stops for a moment, and repeats. It only takes one hit to kill, too.
Lanmola
This fast-moving centipede creature, also found in pairs, is not much harder than the Moldorm to defeat. Just attack it to decrease its size, then continue the attack until it disappears completely.
Like Like
This sponge-like creature, found in the dungeons, has a habit of swallowing Link whole, then eating his Large Shield! Avoid close contact with this enemy; use Arrows or Bombs to take it out safely instead.
Moldorm
This worm-like creature, usually found in pairs, are found in some dungeons of the game. It moves around the room at a slow pace, and each time you attack with your sword, it'll get smaller and smaller until you destroy it.
Patra
This fly-like creature is a two-part enemy to fight. There are many smaller flies spinning around the main blue one, and you must destroy all the small ones with a couple hits from your sword each in order to be able to damage the main body. Kill all the small ones, then hit the blue creature a few times to kill it.
Rope
This snake-like creature found in the dungeons dashes straight ahead when you're in its line of sight. Get out of the way or hit it as it approaches with your sword to kill it quickly.
Stalfos
This skeleton enemy, found in the dungeons, is pretty simple to get rid of. It moves slowly, so you can quickly hit it a couple times to defeat it without worrying about getting hurt yourself.
Vire
This is the hopping blue bat creature in later dungeons. If you attack it, it'll split into 2 Keese to attack. If you have the Magical Sword, you can destroy it in one hit, preventing the split altogether.
Wallmaster
This blue hand that comes out of the walls in some rooms of the dungeons can be pretty tough since if it grabs you, you
will be sent to the dungeon entrance. Defeat it from a distance, or just avoid it altogether to be safe.
Wizzrobe
This wizard enemy, found in later dungeons, can shoot magic waves at you to attack. It disappears, then reappears at a random spot and shoots a magic beam straight ahead before disappearing again. Attack while it's visible to cause damage.
Zol
This giant version of the Gel is just as easy to beat. Just hit it with your sword and it'll split into 2 Gels for you to kill. If you hit it with a stronger sword or weapon, it'll die without splitting in two.
Boss Enemies
Name: Aquamentus
Found: Levels 1 and 7 (First Quest), Dungeon 1 (Second Quest)
Strategy: This dragon boss is the simplest of the bosses in this game. It slowly moves back and forth and shoots fireballs in 3 different directions, which you can easily avoid. When it's not shooting fireballs at you, come in and hit it several times with your sword until you beat it.
Name: Dodongo
Found: Level 2 (First Quest), Levels 3 and 8 (Second Quest)
Strategy: The Dodongo is a tough-shelled creature and can't be damaged externally. The only way to hurt it is to feed it bombs. Get in front of it and place a Bomb in front of it. The Dodongo will eat the bomb and take damage. Repeat that a few times until you beat it. An alternate method is to place a bomb so it explodes when the Dodongo is near. It will stun the Dodongo, allowing you to attack it with your sword and defeat it.
Name: Manhandla
Found: Level 3 (First Quest)
Strategy: This weird man-eating creature moves around the room with a claw on each side. Each time you destroy a claw, it moves faster and faster. After all claws are gone, the boss is defeated. One way to quickly defeat it is to place a Bomb and time its placement so it explodes as the middle part of the boss passes over it. With luck, the bomb will hit the middle area, instantly killing the boss.
Name: Gleeok
Found: Levels 4 and 8 (First Quest), Levels 2, 5 and 7 (Second Quest)
Strategy: This multi-headed dragon is situated in the middle of the room against the north wall. The heads move around and shoot fireballs that cannot be blocked at you. Attack the heads with your sword to cause damage. After enough hits, a head will detach and fly around the room, shooting fireballs. Continue attacking the attached head(s) and avoid them as they fall off and fly around. After you defeat the last head, the boss is defeated.
Name: Digdogger
Found: Level 5 (First Quest), Level 4 (Second Quest)
Strategy: This round, yellow creature is a pretty simple boss to defeat. It cannot be damaged in its normal form, but when you use the Whistle, it'll shrink down to a much smaller and more vulnerable size. Attack it at that point with your sword until you defeat it.
Name: Gohma
Found: Level 6 (First and Second Quests)
Strategy: This giant crab-like boss is invulnerable to just about any attack you can hit it with. Its weak spot is its eyeball in the middle, and you can only hit it with Arrows. When its eye is open, shoot an Arrow to instantly kill it.
Name: Gannon
Found: Level 9 (First and Second Quests)
Strategy: This is the final battle against the evil Ganon, and you better be prepared for it! Ganon will be invisible as he moves around the room shooting fireballs at you. Basically, just stab around randomly and you'll eventually hit him, making him visible for that moment. Repeat that attack pattern a few more times until Ganon turns red when you hit him. At that point, shoot him with a Silver Arrow to defeat him and beat the game!
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