Zelda: FAQ and Walkthrough

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS "Boss FAQ"
By Mykas0
version 1.14
2-5-2009


BE SURE TO READ THIS FIRST PART! You can read this faq as long as you
don't change ANY part of it (including this small introduction). Also,
you can print it but only for use at your home, you may NEVER sell 
this stuff or else you will make me really mad and maybe I won't work
anymore! Finally, if you want to use this faq on your site (or use any
part of it for other things, like writing your own faq or something) you
have to mail me and ask me for it, I will almost surely grant it to you!
Finally, this guide may NEVER be published in CheatCC.


Also, I must warn you that this faq is full of small spoilers, so if
you don't want the game spoiled for you, just don't read it!


0~. Version History
1~. Introduction and important tips
---------------------------------------------------

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Normal Bosses
No1~. First Boss (Blaaz, Master of Fire)
No2~. Second Boss (Cyclock, Master of Wind)
No3~. Third Boss (Crayk, Bane of Courage)
No4~. Forth Boss (Diabolical Cubus Sisters)
No5~. Fifth Boss (Dongorongo, Armored Lizard)
No6~. Sixth Boss (Gleeok, Two-Headed Dragon)
No7~. Seventh Boss (Eox, Ancient Stone Soldier)
No8~. Final Boss, part 1 (Bellum, Evil Phantom)
No9~. Final Boss, part 2 (Bellum Knight)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Marine Bosses
Ma1~. Huge Plant
Ma2~. Flying Fish
Ma3~. Ghost Ship

---------------------------------------------------
FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions
B_END. Special Thanks
END. Contacts



0~. Version History

-> version 1.14 <-
- Added a new strategy for "Bellum Knight".

-> version 1.13 <-
- Improved the general strategy for "Bellum Knight".

-> version 1.12 <-
- Added an improved strategy for "Bellum Knight".

-> version 1.11 <-
- Added the name of the character controlled in the fifth boss battle, I
  missed it during my game.

-> version 1.1 <-
-- Fixed problems with some of the boss battles.

-> version 1.0 <-
- Added the names of every boss;
-- Added a new question to the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.

-> version 0.9 <-
- Wrote all the guide, but didn't included the real names of the bosses,
  as (formerly) explained in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.



1~. Introduction and important tips

Since Zelda titles aren't turn-based RPGs, its boss battles are all about
timing. While I can't help you when it comes to the timing itself, this
guide will help you understand what you have to do in each battle, leading
you across the main points of the enemy attacks and helping you to defeat
them.
Before heading to the sections pertaining to each boss, I strongly suggest
you read the many tips stated below. While they don't magically save you
from your foes, they may be more helpful than you may imagine, and by
following these I can assure you that you'll have an easier time dealing
with all bosses that will cross your path. Now, on to some tips:

- Properly healing before any kind of boss battle is VERY important. So,
  each time you reach some area where there are some vases (usually a
  number between two and eight) and a blue portal appears when you
  interact with a tablet nearby, that means that a boss is coming. If
  that's the case, keep destroying the vases in the near areas until your
  character is at full health before proceeding. Also, be sure to remember
  that vases reappear if you go to another area and get back to that one,
  which is very useful.

- Apart from the tip given above, it is also a good idea to take two
  health restoration potions with you at all times. Personally, I take two
  red ones with me, but that's really up to you. It is also a good idea to
  use one of them if your life is below the two hearts limit, as some sort
  of problem may rise and you'd have to start that battle again. Don't be
  afraid to use them, even if that means you'll have to buy some more
  potions at the next shop.

- Check stores often. Once in a while, they may sell Heart Containers,
  which add more hearts to your usual bar and may be important in later
  battles.

- Some bosses summon smaller creatures to help them. If that happens, feel
  free to take your time to defeat those weak monsters, as they may drop
  health or other helpful items.

- When engaging a fight with any of the marine bosses, try to head for the
  confrontation with as much health as possible. Remember, each time you
  enter any location your health is fully restored. So, it is a good idea
  to stop by a city nearby before heading for the battle, in order to
  ensure that you'll be facing it in top condition.

- Oddly (or maybe not...), every marine boss tends to shoot green balls at
  you. When struck by your projectiles, those balls may randomly drop
  useful health restorers. Obviously, you should try to hit as many as
  possible, apart from focusing your other attacks on the opponents' weak
  points, stated in the proper section of this guide.

That's all for this section. I strongly suggest you try to follow these
tips, as they will prove quite useful as you advance further in your
adventure and progressively face harder bosses.



No1~. First Boss (Blaaz, Master of Fire)

This boss battle is so easy that some people may even think this is all a
simple joke. You'll start by seeing the real enemy, but this true shape
will later split into three small enemies.
Basically, you should start by hooking them with your boomerang. Now, if
you try to do that, you'll notice that sometimes they get stuck (forming
the real enemy) and others they don't. The solution is looking at the
upper screen, where you'll notice that there are some
 differences between
the three sprites - the number of horns they have - which you can use to
help you. The proper order is 1 horn, 2 horns, 3 horns, and you should use
this information to properly connecting them as soon as possible.
When they turn into the larger enemy, quickly head to his location and
struck him with your sword as many times (and as quickly!) as possible. If
some rocks start falling, you just have to continue moving in a straight
line and you will easily dodge them.
Once the enemies get disconnected, repeat the step stated above to reunite
them. Keep following those steps until he is defeated, but be aware that
you can also use the boomerang to stun him for a very small period of
time.
Finally, if you need to heal there are a few pots in the room, which you
can use to restore small portions of Link's health.



No2~. Second Boss (Cyclock, Master of Wind)

Slightly more powerful than your last opponent, this is the kind of enemy
that turns out being easier to defeat if you know what you're doing. Keep
on reading and you will know it.
You can easily notice that the enemy is up in the sky and there is no
normal way to send a bomb up. Now, you can see that the floor contains a
few whirlwinds, with locations that seem to change. Presenting it in a
short way, you must use those whirlwinds to send your bombs up, which
works great if your enemy's shadow is placed in that very same area.
If this octopus-like creature is hit by a bomb he will fall to the floor,
an opportunity that you should take to hit him with your sword as many
times as possible.
Keep repeating these instructions, moving to new whirlwinds as required,
until the enemy comes down in some sort of dash, which you should try to
avoid by rolling to one of the sides. You can also try to run away, but
you'll be hit more often than not. Also, if he releases small hurricanes
in your direction, you are free to dodge them by simply moving out of
their way, which is easy to do since they won't follow you around.
Every time you get the change to do it, try to quickly put a bomb in one
of the whirldwinds, so that you may hit your enemy and throw him to the
floor, before landing a few more hits with your sword.
Repeat, repeat, repeat and keep on repeating until your enemy is finally
down for good. As before, the pots/jars placed in the area will be useful
for healing purposes, apart from granting you free bombs (yes, that's what
those strange bomb-shaped flowers are for, by the way).



No3~. Third Boss (Crayk, Bane of Courage)

This battle starts with what I consider to be an interesting concept for a
boss. As odd as it may seem, you'll start by seeing the battle from the
boss' prespective, but it later becomes a more straight-forward one, with
the usual hacking and swinging of your sword.
When the battle starts, you should move Link to a place where he can see
the center of the area you're currently in. There's not much you can do,
simply wait for the enemy to come in your direction (look at the upper
screen) and quickly shoot an arrow to make him visible for a bit. You
should then continue repeating this part until the opponent's shell starts
to crack, opportunity that you should take to land a couple hits from your
sword in such weak point.
After his shell actually cracks, exposing his naked (not literally, by the
way) back, you should continue to strike with your sword, hitting the blue
spot placed in his tail. Now, that's not an easy task, since the boss is
constantly turning and moving, so you should shoot an arrow to his face in
order to put him in attack position, which prevents him from moving. While
he is at it, you should quickly move to his back and hit the the tail as
quickly as possible.
Repeat the strategy stated in this second paragraph for a few times and
you'll eventually defeat him. Be aware that you can defeat the minor
enemies to get extra arrows and health, which may be important and rather
useful if you run out of those precious items.



No4~. Forth Boss (Diabolical Cubus Sisters)

Provided you have already mastered the controls by now, this will turn out
being an incredibly easy boss battle.
Can you see that the enemies try to throw an energy ball at you? Well, you
just have to deflect it with your sword as many times as possible. Once
you do it, keep following its path (with your eyes only) and try to send
it back as many times as possible. Personally, I did it by having Link
spin around himself (done by quickly drawing a circle around him), but it
is really up to you, if you have any other effective way of sending that
energy ball back.
When the number of enemies is reduced to a certain amount, the ones who
are still alive will start to throw other projectiles at you. You just
have to ignore them and keep on deflecting the energy ball, an operation
that you should repeat until all the enemies are down and your battle is
won.



No5~. Fifth Boss (Dongorongo, Armored Lizard)

This battle is composed by two different sections. First, you'll be
controlling Link and another character, who will be helping him. However,
your main character will later have to face the boss by himself, which is
slightly harder.
So, the first part is a bit tricky. You should focus your attention on the
other character and leave Link behind, unless required. Also, if Link's
face, as seen in the lower screen, displays a "Danger" sign, be sure to
quickly switch to him (done by merely tapping that face) and get rid of
the danger nearby, which will probably be probably composed by a few
snakes.
With that odd character, who is here named Gongoron, you should spin
around the boss until you can hit his left and right side, near the belly
(or ass?) area. Continue attacking it by such means, switching to Link
when necessary, until the enemy falls over and becomes stunned. You should
then quickly switch to your green fellow and use one of the
recently-acquired controllable bombs, which you should direct to the
enemy's mouth. If well timed, this will produce a massing explosion inside
the enemy's body, damaging him. Repeat for a few times until the battle is
"over", which is easy to spot since Link's helper will go away.
After crossing the bridge (be sure to grab the items from the jars placed
on both sides of the platform, as they may prove useful later on), the
second part of the battle will begin, allowing Link to face this powerful
enemy in a more direct confrontation.
The second part of the battle is easier. When the enemy is trying to suck
you in (i.e. before unleashing his usual flames), quickly throw a bomb in
his direction and he will swallow it, causing him to explode, as you've
seen before, before knocking him out. While he is calmly "sleeping" in the
floor, hit the blue portion of his tail for several times and as quickly
as possible.
Finally, you just have to repeat these final steps until he goes down for
good.



No6~. Sixth Boss (Gleeok, Two-Headed Dragon)

Here, it's all about physics. I have no clue on how can a simple rope be
used to deflect magical balls, but let's ignore that detail, shall we?
First, you have to deflect the balls thrown at you, with an angle that
varies with the enemy who is attacking. Usually, the field will look like
this, displaying four stomps:

o    o




o    o

Now, if the enemy on the right attacks, you should place your rope (using
the newly-acquired weapon) like this:

o    o
    /
   / 
  /
 /
o    o

Doing so will deflect the projectile in a way that it will hit the
opposite enemy, damaging his face. Now, if the enemy on the left attacks,
you should place the rope like this:

o    o
 \
  \
   \
    \
o    o

Obviously, this will deflect the projectile in a way that it will hit the
enemy on the right, damaging him.
Keep on repeating until both enemies disappear. When that happens, you
must get on top of one of the stomps QUICKLY, or you'll be damaged by a
huge wave. Once the wave has passed, ice blocks will come in your
direction. In order to avoid them, you should simply stay by your current
location until a lot of blocks are coming, occasion which you should take
to move to the opposite point of the platform. After that, your two
enemies will be back and you should apply the strategy above until both of
them are showing their plain face.
By the time such thing happens, they'll start to strike you with physical
attacks from near the platform. You can easily notice that their tongues
look weird (i.e. they have some sort of handle), and you should use that
detail to quickly hook their tongues up with one of the two stomps that
will be up by then. Doing so will make them unconscious, time during which
you should strike their faces with your sword.
When that enemies gets up, you just have to repeat the stated steps
(dodging the wave and the ice blocks before seeing these two enemies
again), which you should do until both enemies turn to sand. As you may
suppose, that's a sign that you have won the battle.



No7~. Seventh Boss (Eox, Ancient Stone Soldier)

This boss sure looks impressive, but defeating him is a lot easier than
one could think.
There are some easy-to-spot joints in the enemy body, clearly marked with
a red light. Now, you just have to use one of the several jumpers
available in this area to perform a big jump, during which you should try
to hit those joints as many times as possible. Keep on repeating and
eventually you will reach some point where there are no red spots to be
seen, as they are probably in the back of this boss. Trying to move either
left of right will usually prevent you from achieving a good result, as
the enemy also spins around. Instead, when he is striking with the spikes
that come out of his head, he will stay totally unmovable, time which you
should take to use any jumper that allows you to hit the giant's back.
When you've caused enough damage (i.e. hit all the joints marked with red
balls), your opponent will be reduced to a walking head. Once more you
should use the jumpers to gain some kind of impulse that allows you to
reach the top of this boss' head, which contains a crystal that you should
try to quickly hit.
After hitting the crystal for a few times (perhaps 3~5 times, depending on
your speed?), this enemy will turn to dust, literally.



No8~. Final Boss, part 1 (Bellum, Evil Phantom)

This monster, despite being the final boss, isn't hard at all. Sure, you
may take a while to defeat him, but it all depends on how quick and
accurately you can hit his weak points. He has four different patterns,
which are easy to recognise and are quite easy to defeat.
When this enemy is in the middle of the water pool, you should use your
crane (well, you know, the weapon with the rope) to detach some of the
purple dust that is stuck to the enemy. Then, when you get the chance to
attach it to the monster itself, take some of your time to defeat the
smaller enemies that he conjures, since you can win some free healing
items. After doing so, attach the crane to the enemy and pull it to your
location, which allows you to land some hits with your sword. Repeat until
the enemy heads to the next floor.
During pattern two, your opponent will be placed in the middle of some
columns. You should use your arrows to hit the yellow eyes that can be
seen next to the columns, but be careful with the ocasional physical
attack that he will try to land in your character. When you hit all of
them, he will drop to the floor below and you just have to repeat the
pattern stated in the previous paragraph.
Eventually this enemy will move to the top floor, and the eyes will also
start closing and opening. It's all a matter of timing, since you need to
throw the arrow when the eye is actually open and unprotected, or it won't
turn to purple.
After following the patterns above, you'll get to see a cutscene where you
are awarded a new item. From here on, this enemy will not longer try to
attack you. Instead, he will just circle around the lower floor and, from
time to time, head to the center of the room.
When such events are happening, you just have to use the hourglass that
you were given a few seconds ago. In order to do so, you have to tap the
icon shown at the bottom of the screen and draw the hourglass motion on
the screen, like this:

--> Step one
________


--> Step two

_______
      /
     /
    /
   /
  /
 /
/

--> Step three

_______
      /
     /
    /
   /
  /
 /
/______

--> Step four

 ______
 \    /
  \  /
   \/
   /\
  /  \
 /    \
/______\

Easy, hum? Doing so will stop the time for a few seconds, and you should
use those moments to quickly hit the yellow eye seen in the front of your
enemy.
Now, if you're playing the Western release of this game, it appears
that your task is made easier if, instead of following the motion shown
above, you draw big eights ("8") - now, it appears to be the easiest way
to attain the desired effect, and while I haven't played any of the
Western releases (this guide was written based on the Japanese version of
the game), many people confirmed that this was the best way to do it,
making it a possibly reliable strategy.
A few seconds after the effect of the hourglass ends, your friendly fairy
will appear and restore the status of the icon. You should obviously
repeat the step stated above and your enemy will go down after some of
this "stop time and attack the eye" pattern.



No9~. Final Boss, part 2 (Bellum Knight)

The main difficulty about this battle is knowing what to do. Now, if
you're reading this kind of guide, it's obviously because you have
problems figuring that out, right? Fear not, I'll tell you what to do.
First, simply use the power of the hourglass (if you don't know how to do
so, simply re-read the strategy for the previous battle), which should
freeze time. Unfortunately, this leads nowhere, and simply ends up with a
small cutscene, where the friendly fairy will be captured.
From now on, your battle will take place in the lower screen, while the
upper one is used to display the back of your opponent. Whenever the big
yellow eye, displayed in that screen, is open, you should use your
hourglass to stop time and hit it as quickly and as many times as
possible. Unfortunately, this is not as easy as it sounds, since your
fairy isn't be around to fill the hourglass for you.
So, you have to try leading your enemy to one of the corners of the wooden
platforms and then strike him several times, which (eventually) unfolds a
small mini-game, where you need to rub the screen as quickly as possible.
Another way to trigger this mini-game is by countering the enemy's spin
attack with one of your own.
Doing so will harm your enemy for a split second, giving you a small
opportunity to actually hit him, allowing the fairy to recharge your
precious item. Use it as I stated above, and be sure to damage the eye
that this boss has in his back as quickly as possible.
Another possible strategy relies on the fact that you can hit him from the
side, or resorting to the spinning attack, and this turns out being an
even easier way to damage your enemy.
Either way, repeat any of these strategies for a few times, being
specially careful with the part where you have to lead your enemy to the
mini-game and you'll eventually win this battle.
It wasn't that hard, was it?

Strategy by varga46:
"
After your "friendly fairy" is captured, strike Bellum several times as
quickly as you can by tapping him repeatedly.  He will eventually jump to
the side and try to strike you. There you have a small window of
opportunity. When he is pulling back for the strike quickly tap him. This
will throw him off balance. Tap him two more times and it will activate
the mini-game where you rub as quickly as possible to disable him.
"

Strategy by Zy A.:
"
Although I have to say, that "Lure into corner and hack like a headless
chicken" doesn't always work, not for me at least. I could be doing it
wrong, but here's something easier:

No matter where you are, hack like a headless chicken until he jumps to
the side to slash you. Walk back to avoid his slash, as if you move side
to side, it'll still hit you. However, once you run back, run towards him,
as while his sword is out in a slash movement, he'll be open. Hack like a
headless chicken again to get into that sword-clash-"rub!" mini-game.
Done.

Also, when trying to counter his spin attack with your spin attack, you
have to make sure your spin attack is going in a counter-direction to his,
as his direction changes too. Your swords also have to meet at a certain
point, although there is a large "hitbox" as it were for this, so you do
not have to be ENTIRELY precise about it.

And for the last tip - Equip the Spirit of Wisdom. She'll reduce either
1/4 or 1/2 of the damage he does depending on her level.
"



---------------------------------------------------



Ma1~. Huge Plant

The main problem with this gigantic plant (or whatever that is) is that
most people think that all that matters is hitting it with their cannon,
without even noticing that the not-so-fearsome beast actually has an
hidden eye, which is shown at the beginning of the battle. Obviously, you
should be hitting that part of the body, instead of focusing your attacks
in random points.
Now, the question is: how can I make the eye appear? It's simple, that
monster only shows the eye when it doesn't feel threatened, I mean, when
you're so far that you can't hit it. So, simply move your ship away for a
bit, until you can see the eye. Then, quickly set a new route in the
direction of the beast and hit the eye ONCE (you can't even do it more
than once, in case you're wondering).
Repeat until you defeat him, which doesn't take much time and works even
better if you trace the smallest possible route.



Ma2~. Flying Fish

As you can easily notice, this huge creature has some odd eyes in both
sides of its body. Hit them and he will be down in no time. Sorry, but
there's not much else I can tell you about this enemy, and if you can't
even follow these instructions, hitting the balls for extra health as I
previously told you, maybe you shouldn't be playing this game.



Ma3~. Ghost Ship

Unlike people may think, this battle is easier than it seems, if you know
what you're doing.
First, instead of looking at the console's upper screen, which simply
shows the location of the eyes stuck on the ship, focus on hitting the
green balls that are thrown at you, which are the only real threat here
and may range from one up to four at each time.
Then, when there are no balls coming in your direction, use your cannon to
hit the eye which is closer to you, no matter which one it is. If one goes
down, start hitting the next one. Eventually those eyes will be back, but
you shouldn't care about it. Instead, continue following this strategy,
first hitting the balls and then focusing on the eyes, and you'll later
notice that the ship will appear to be going down, literally.
When that happens, and you can't seem to find any other eye, start looking
at the upper screen, as it displays the position of the eyes. The most
difficult to hit are placed in the upper part of the ship, and only tend
to appear for a limited time. So, you should be more careful about those,
taking care of all others before focusing on the stated two, which may be
harder to hit.
When all the eyes are down (which will be a short and easy battle, if you
follow my instructions), this enemy will die and you'll proceed in the
game.



FAQ. Frequently Asked Questions

Some of the questions you, readers, may have... in case you mail me an
interesting question and I think that other readers should also hear the
answer, your question will be added here and your name will be credited.

Q: [Insert something here], where should I go next?

A: Did you noticed that this was a Boss FAQ, not a FAQ/Walkthrough? Be
   sure to read one of those instead, since I have no idea on what to tell
   you about that kind of question.


Q: Hey, my strategy is better than yours! What should I do?

A: First of all, if your strategy is indeed better than mine, just use
   yours instead of mine. Also, you can mail me that strategy and in case
   I find it interesting, I will also add it to this Guide and credit you.


Q: Why do you display the bosses in that order? I fought them in a
   different one!

A: The order given here is exactly the one I've faced in my game, but
   yours may be different. It doesn't matter, the strategy you should use
   is always the same.


Q: Why didn't you included the names of the bosses in this guide?

A: Thanks for asking. While I'm writing this guide, only the Japanese
   version of the game is released. I know I could translate the names of
   every boss, since they are displayed before every battle, but I refuse
   to do so since there are always people who complain about those
   translations. So, I'd rather wait for an English release, in order to
   ensure that the proper name will be added.


That's all...



B_END. Special Thanks

I want to thank the following people:

- Everyone who made this game;

- Everyone who likes my works, it's for those people that I like to work
  in this type of project;

- "ZeldaFan89", for reminding me of what happens in the second part of the
  fifth boss battle;

- "Jarred M.", for the American names of each boss;

- "stryphoon", for aditional information on the Bellum Knight;

- People who submit strategies, they are credited alongside with their
  very own contributions;

- Everyone who mailed me about a problem with the "Final Boss, part 1
  (Bellum, Evil Phantom)" battle.



End. Contacts

If you want, you may see my web page, just check it at the HTML 
address www.geocities.com/Mykas0/ .
My e-mail is Mykas0 [at] gmail.com , you can send me some questions you
may have or contributions to this guide, but please try not to ask any
questions that aren't about this guide or Boss battles, as I am not the
best person to reply to those. Also, se the following subject or I will
NEVER reply.

Subject: "ZPH BOSS FAQ" for posing questions or giving contributions

Thanks and until the next version!!!!!!