Crossbow

A Crossbow is a long-range weapon capable of taking out targets from a distance and functions much like a regular Bow, though it instead is fired width-wise with a handle beneath to steady the wielder's aim when zeroing in on a target. In the spin-off title of Link's Crossbow Training, this is the chosen weapon wielded by the hero Link as he travels around Hyrule hoping to improve his performance with this particular weapon. From his home of Ordon Village to the far-away desert sands of the Gerudo Desert, Link goes through several training modules all over Hyrule with the sole purpose of improving his performance with this weapon to improve his fighting arsenal in order to better defend Hyrule from evil. The crossbow has a real life twin apparatus which comes with the game package that holds the Nintendo Wii Remote to allow fans to better control Link's movements with the weapon and to get a more realistic feel for how a crossbow works.

Use
The crossbow functions as a long-range weapon to hit with more accuracy and precision than a normal Bow. This rule of thumb largely stems from its design, which features the bow part of the weapon being set width-ways and resting on a handle that gives the wielder a better ability to control the aim of the weapon. It fires arrows that are typical of a normal bow, thus striking enemies without the wielder having to get too close to the targets in dangerous situations. In the event that a bunch of enemies that could overwhelm the wielder are present, this is where the crossbow is most useful, as it allows the wielder to take out the enemies one-by-one without getting in range of their weapons or the risk of being overwhelmed by sheer numbers. In Link's Crossbow Training, Link typically uses the crossbow to hit a number of targets set up or held by certain characters as a safe means of testing his skill with the weapon without causing harm to those assisting his training. However, he does have to use it in real situations at times, such as his final test with the resurrected head of Stallord at the end of the game.

Design
In terms of design, the crossbow is basically a hybrid of a regular bow and a gun-like handle, turning it into a rudimentary form of a gun in a way. It is fired in a similar manner as a gun, though its ammunition remains the same used by a normal bow, which are merely Arrows. It also features a unique triggering mechanism that functions quite similar to that used on a real life gun such as a rifle. For this reason, crossbows are viewed by some as a forerunner of guns with their firing system and increased precision. Though they still use arrows as ammunition, they serve the same capacity and are fired in the same manner as bullets fired from a real life gun. Rather than having to release arrows manually by hand, crossbows will release their ammunition upon command through the use of such a triggering mechanism as the one featured on the one wielded by Link. In terms of the design of training for crossbow use, a target system such as the one used by Link is typical in providing stationary and moving targets to improve one's abilities to strike a target whether it is stationary or in motion. The crossbow wielded by Link appears to be made of carved and polished wood in two pieces (the main body and bow portions), and is painted with decorative designs in gold and purple.

Ammunition and Upgrades
The Crossbow has unlimited normal ammunition. Throughout the stages, temporary crossbow upgrades may be obtained.

The Exploding Crossbow enhancement fires Bomb Arrows. The bomb arrows do much more damage, but limit the succession of shots by requiring a charge up time between them.

The Automatic Crossbow enhancement transforms the crossbow into a "rapid-fire crossbow" which is the equivalent of a real life fully automatic submachine gun. This enhancement is obtained by defeating any onscreen enemy that is flashing with a green aura. The automatic arrows have a finite supply and the crossbow reverts to normal when exhausted of them. Naturally, this enhancement is not kind to Link's precision score. The advantage of the automatic crossbow is to rapidly eradicate hoards of approaching enemies, but fires so many arrows that misses are much more likely.

Appearances
Thus far, the crossbow has to date only featured in one instance in the Zelda series, that instance being Link's Crossbow Training. Though it received an entire game to itself, this game is only a spin-off title that is smaller in size, thus meaning that the crossbow has yet to feature in any of the main titles of the series.

Link's Crossbow Training
Link takes an interest in his competence with a crossbow for the first time in Link's Crossbow Training, which is presumed by many fans to take place a short time after the events of Twilight Princess since it features the same locations and the same incarnation of Hyrule as Twilight Princess. In this spin-off title, Link has chosen to learn mastery of the crossbow, a weapon that would be a powerful addition to his arsenal as the hero of Hyrule and could give him another great advantage over enemies. To this end, he travels around Hyrule from the forests of Ordon Village to the Goron stronghold of Death Mountain to the vast never-ending sands of the Gerudo Desert completing training modules that involve targeting practice with the crossbow to increase his accuracy and precision with the new weapon. His ultimate test to determine his competency with the crossbow comes however when the hero is forced to face the resurrected head of Stallord, a massive skeletal beast he faced and defeated in Twilight Princess that is faced in the Gerudo Desert near the Arbiter's Grounds in this game. After triumphing a second time over the colossal beast's head, Link is deemed to be proficient with the crossbow, thus completing his training mission for this title.