The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening takes us through the dreamlike Koholint Island, filled with dangerous monsters, peculiar creatures, and a volcano with an egg perched on top. Your goal is to slay monsters, who are trying to prevent the Wind Fish from waking up. As you explore the island, you will go through nine different dungeons.
The fifth dungeon, called Catfish's Maw, holds the Wind Marimba. Prior to obtaining this instrument, you will need to defeat the Master Stalfos, who appears four times in the dungeon and will reward you with the Hookshot. In this guide, we are going to look at how to defeat the Master Stalfos. First, let's take a quick look at how to get to Catfish's Maw.
Catfish's Maw Location
Catfish's Maw is located near the bottom of the map. To get here, start from the warp Pad in Martha's Bay, which is located to the left of the phone booth near Martha's Bay.
From the warp pad, head up and to the right until you are above the phone booth. Here, you should see a small staircase leading into the water. Proceed into the water and swim towards the right. As you continue heading right, you will eventually make it to the entrance of Catfish's Maw.
Make your way through the dungeon until you come to the Master Stalfos.
Defeating The Master Stalfos
Unlike other mini-bosses in Link's Awakening, you will encounter the Master Stalfos four separate times at different locations in the dungeon. In the image above, you can see each location that he appears in.
Before fighting the Master Stalfos for the first time, the Owl Statue will say "if you can't destroy a skeleton with your sword, try using a bomb". This is very important to keep in mind.
Each time you encounter the Master Stalfos, his attacks will be the same. This means that once you understand his mechanics, you should be able to take him down quickly. Overall, to prepare, you should bring plenty of bombs.
Battle Strategy For The Master Stalfos
The Master Stalfos deals attacks with his giant sword while repelling your attacks with his shield. As the Master Stalfos is about to strike, hit him with your sword. Doing so will cause him to collapse. At this point, quickly place a bomb near him. After doing this three times, the Master Stalfos will disappear and move to the next location marked on the map.
Once you beat the Master Stalfos for the fourth time, you will be rewarded with the Hookshot.
Now that he is out of the way, you can head deeper into the dungeon!