Hidden Skill

Seven hidden skills exist in Twilight Princess. These skills are taught by the Hero's Spirit, summoned by Howling Stones, and are very powerful. After Wolf Link howls the newly learned song with him he will ask you to transform into Link's human self and find him. When Link has found the golden wolf, Link will walk up to the wolf and be transported to a cloudy area and learn the hidden skill. After the Hero's Shade has taught Link the button combination, he will instruct Link to perform it on him. If Link fails or has difficulty performing the skill, he will instruct Link with greater detail. When Link has demonstrated the skill correctly he will say that the hidden skill has been passed on and how many skills are left to learn. A list of the skills, in the order they are learned, is shown below.

Ending Blow
The Ending Blow is the first Hidden Skill that is taught to Link by the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess. It is the only Hidden Skill that must be learned in order to advance through the game.

Once a foe is knocked down, the player will be prompted to press the Action Button on the controller when "Finish" appears on the screen. If the button is thus pressed, Link will dispatch the downed foe with a jump and a downward thrust of his sword. However, if the enemy moves out of the way, Link will be temporarily vulnerable while trying to pull the sword out of the ground. The Ending Blow is a decisive stroke that will eliminate any enemy if properly executed.

Torch Slugs are the only foes that will prompt a Ending Blow "Finish" without taking damage, however, they will emit a burst of flames that will fling Link off before he has a chance to make contact. Due to the control setup, this also makes a targeted Jump Attack impossible on a Torch Slug.

Shield Attack
The Shield Attack is the second Hidden Skill in Twilight Princess that is shown to Link by the Hero's Spirit. The skill lets Link bash the enemy with his shield, opening their defenses, or deflect certain enemy projectiles. This is also a trigger for the hidden skill, Helm Splitter.

Back Slice
The Back Slice is the third Hidden Skill taught to Link by the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess. This skill can be used by side jumping, then hitting the Action Button upon landing to roll around the targeted enemy. By pressing the Sword Button at the end of the sidewards roll, Link draws his sword and performs a stab into the enemy's back. This is seemingly one of the most useful Hidden Skills, as it can be used anytime and is one of the fastest ways to attack armored foes.

This technique can also be used when nothing is targeted, but Link will just roll sideways instead of in a semi-circular pattern. Side-jumping then side-rolling repeatedly is the fastest way to travel sideways, but running and rolling forward is still faster, unlike in Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask.

The Back Slice is nearly identical to the vertical-countering parry in The Wind Waker.

Helm Splitter
Helm Splitter is the fourth of the Hidden skills taught by the Hero's Spirit in Twilight Princess. The move is initiated by a Shield Attack to stun the enemy, then Link jumps in the air above the foe and slices the foe's head in a vertical flipping motion. This skill is most effective against enemies with helmets (hence the name), such as Darknuts.

Helm Splitter is nearly identical to the horizontal-countering parry in The Wind Waker.

Mortal Draw
The Mortal Draw is the fifth Hidden Skill taught by the Hero's Spirit in [Twilight Princess. It is perhaps one of the most useful and devastating of the hidden skills. When the A Button "Draw" prompt appears (while Link is close to an enemy with his sword sheathed), and the button is pressed, Link will draw his sword and perform a devastating blow to the enemy in front of him. This skill will defeat most enemies in a single hit, and is notably the most damaging sword technique in the entire series in terms of how much it amplifies Link's regular slash.

Jump Strike
The Jump Strike is the sixth Hidden Skill in Twilight Princess taught by the Hero's Spirit. This move is an upgraded build off of Link's already devastating Jump Attack. Instead of tapping the Action Button while locked on to an enemy, holding the button will charge the Jump Attack to the upgraded Jump Strike. When the A Button is released, Link will jump into the air, swing his sword left and right to knock any enemies in his path, and then slam his sword into the ground, creating a shock wave that will knock down all enemies in range.

Unfortunately, this attack is harder to pull off than most other Hidden Skills. It forces Link to remain in one place for a moment to charge before striking, allowing enemies to strike him prior to his strike. Even after Link leaps up and swings away in mid-air, many enemies will still be able to attack him mid-jump.

Great Spin
The Great Spin is the last Hidden Skill in Twilight Princess taught by the Hero's Spirit. This move is a upgraded build off of Link's Spin Attack. At full health, Link uses a wide-range Spin Attack with a powerful wave for extended radius.