Phantom


 * This page is about the enemy in Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. For other uses, see Phantom (disambiguation)

The Phantom is an enemy first appearing in Phantom Hourglass, and returning in its sequel, Spirit Tracks.

Characteristics
A Phantom is an extremely powerful enemy, able to knock out Link with only one swipe of its sword. They appear in many varieties, most with different abilities. These enemies are presented in a similar fashion in both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks. When a Phantom attacks Link, it forces him to automatically return to the door from which he entered the area, but it will only cost him one heart of his health. Phantoms are nearly indestructible, so naturally, Link must sneak around them rather than attack them head-on. With its strong armor, a Phantom can walk straight through spikes, fire, and even lava without damaging itself. Despite their durability, they can be briefly stunned by being hit in the back, and some weapons and methods are capable of defeating them.

In both of their appearances, Phantoms' locations can be viewed on Link's map, along with a cone indicating their line of sight. Phantoms follow preset paths, although if they detect Link they will shout threats at him and relentlessly track him down. The Phantom is able to track Link by sound or sight, although it cannot enter or see into "Safe Zones". As such, if Link escapes into one, the Phantom will give up on chasing him and return to its patrol.

Phantoms are sometimes aided by subordinate creatures called Phantom Eyes. These enemies fly through corridors, searching for intruders. If they spot Link, they will chase him, letting out a ringing sound to alert Phantoms. If one follows Link too long before he can reach a Safe Zone, it will entangle him and impede his movements to allow the Phantoms to catch him. Because they follow sound, Phantoms will go investigate loud noises, such as explosions set off by Bombs or the clanging of a Sword, but this can be used to Link's advantage if he needs to trick a Phantom into leaving its post.

Phantom Hourglass
In Phantom Hourglass, Phantoms patrol the Temple of the Ocean King. When one attacks, it steals 30 seconds worth of Sand of Hours from the Phantom Hourglass. However, after the abilities of the Spirit of Wisdom have been fully restored and equipped, the amount of time lost will be cut down to between five and ten seconds.

Phantoms in Phantom Hourglass are invincible to all weapons barring the Phantom Sword, which was created specifically for defeating them. However, there are two ways to defeat a Phantom without using the Phantom Sword: the first is to push a rolling boulder into the path of a Phantom and crush it, and the second is to continuously cause it to fall into a pit. Phantoms are also able to pick up Small Keys and Force Gems, thus requiring Link to stun or slay them to obtain the treasure.

After the Ghost Ship is cleared, Oshus reveals that Phantoms are emanations of Bellum, which created them from the Sand of Hours to protect itself as well as obtain more Life Force.

The Phantoms are also playable within Phantom Hourglass' multiplayer Battle Mode. Here, players will take turn playing as Link and the Phantoms in a game of competing to collect Force Gems.

Types of Phantoms
Throughout the Temple of the Ocean King, Link will encounter three types of Phantom, two of which have their own special abilities. Another type is seen only in the multiplayer mode.


 * Phantom: The least dangerous Phantom, which wears blue armor. It has all the abilities and weaknesses as described above.
 * Swift Phantom: A red-armored Phantom which can run faster than Link, as well as pick up dropped items. It first appears after the Ghost Ship dungeon is complete and replaces several normal Phantoms.
 * Gold Phantom: A gold-armored Phantom which initially moves slowly, but can teleport to follow Link if he is spotted by a Phantom or Phantom Eye. It wields an axe, unlike other Phantoms.
 * Phantom Trio: Three Phantoms that only appear in the multiplayer Battle Mode. They are basically a normal Phantom in gray armor, though they can pick up power-ups to activate obstacles on the field or empower themselves. However, they cannot pick up Force Gems. They can always see Link, with the exception of when he is in a safe zone.

Spirit Tracks
In Spirit Tracks, Phantoms return as guardians of the Tower of Spirits. While normally these Phantoms will not harm innocent people, they are corrupted by evil spirits due to the disappearance of the Spirit Tracks. Because of this, they attack Link, thinking he is an intruder. They behave and attack much like the Phantoms in Phantom Hourglass, although this time around they cannot be completely defeated. When a Phantom is somehow destroyed, such as if it sinks into sand, it will reappear in its original position.

Phantoms are an important element in Spirit Tracks because, due to having her spirit separated from her body, Princess Zelda can possess and control a Phantom, which is needed to climb higher into the Tower of Spirits. To take control of a Phantom, three Tears of Light in the area must be collected beforehand. Link is then required to strike the back of the Phantom with his sword, which stuns the Phantom and allows the princess to take control of it. After she does so, the eyes of the Phantom glow and its armor turns pink. Once the Lokomo Sword is acquired, the Tears of Light are not necessary to power the sword, as it already contains the power necessary to stun the Phantoms. Alternatively, Link can strike the back of a Phantom with an arrow from the Bow of Light to stun it enough to possess it.

When Princess Zelda possesses a Phantom, she can speak to them, through Link can obtain information about the area the Phantom spoken to patrols. It can provide insight into a Phantom's every-day life. Evidently, they treat their job like a normal person would treat any other, mentioning things from their day-to-day life like how "Bob quit last week," or how the "break room is a broom closet."

Phantom Zelda
While possessing a Phantom, Princess Zelda can offer offensive and defensive backup for Link, as well as help him solve many puzzles throughout the Tower of Spirits. After possessing a Phantom, Princess Zelda seems to instantly gain knowledge of its abilities. As a Phantom, Princess Zelda automatically follows behind Link. To independently control Phantom Zelda, the lower corner Phantom icon must be tapped. This will switch the camera to her, where, by pressing the pink circle below here, the player will be able to draw the path that Zelda should follow. Once done so, Zelda will not automatically follow Link until he taps the "Call" icon. Even as a Phantom, Zelda can enter safe zones. Link cannot leave the floor without Zelda accompanying him.

Zelda has a wide variety of functions as a Phantom, depending on Link's actions or what type of Phantom she is in control of, being able to use any abilities specific to that type. For instance, she is able to carry him upon her shield if he leaps onto her from a higher platform. She can also easily cross through fire, spiked floors, and walk through lava, while also carrying Link on her shield through such obstacles. With a Phantom's brute strength, Zelda can stop rolling boulders and move massive blocks. Moreover, Princess Zelda can carry certain objects. This includes carrying electrified Boss Keys to their keyhole as Link protects her from the Key Masters that will try to take back the key. If a Phantom spots Link, Zelda will block the Phantom's attack at the young hero, and she will urge Link to run away quickly as she tries to keep blocking the Phantom's attacks. Zelda is also capable of distracting Phantoms by speaking with them, allowing Link to sneak past them unnoticed.

Due to her great strength as a Phantom, Zelda is also vital to some of Link's battles, such as helping him in the fights against Geozard Chiefs, Byrne, and Malladus.

Despite donning a Phantom suit, Princess Zelda is deathly afraid of rats. As such, if a rat crosses her path, she will scream and be paralyzed with fear and will not be able to settle down or be controlled by Link until the young hero defeats it for her.

If Link attacks Zelda too many times while she is possessing a Phantom, Zelda will, in an act similar to a Cucco, attack Link back. Her attacks, however, do not cause Link to return to the beginning of the room, unlike the regular Phantoms.

Types of Phantoms
There are four types of Phantoms in Spirit Tracks. When Zelda possesses a Phantom, she will also inherit all of the abilities that the specific Phantom has.
 * Phantom: As the standard Phantom, this green-armored enemy has all the abilities as mentioned above, which Zelda can utilize.
 * Torch Phantom: A Phantom equipped with red armor and a flame engulfed sword. Its sword is great for illuminating dark rooms. This Phantom can light up torches, as well as stun ghosts that haunt the corridors in the upper dark rooms in the tower.
 * Warp Phantom: A blue-armored Phantom with the ability to warp anywhere across the room. Under Zelda's control, the Warp Phantom is limited to only warping to the locations of Phantom Eyes.
 * Wrecker Phantom: A black-armored Phantom with the power to transform into a boulder at will, stun other Phantoms by rolling into them, and break through cracked blocks and other obstacles. Because of the Phantom's new abilities, while under Zelda's control, it cannot distract other Phantoms by speaking with them because she will instead crash into them. Zelda cannot carry objects as a Wrecker Phantom, nor can she carry Link. Link may stand on her shield, so long as Zelda does not move, as upon movement, she takes on the boulder form and Link will drop.

Trivia

 * Phantoms bear striking resemblance to Darknuts from both The Wind Waker and The Minish Cap. Their swords also look extremely similar to a Darknut Sword from The Wind Waker.
 * The way the Phantoms can be avoided and how they patrol is similar to the Moblins patrolling the Sacred Forest Meadow in Ocarina of Time, as well as the Moblins patrolling the Forsaken Fortress (first time) in The Wind Waker.
 * In Spirit Tracks, Phantoms no longer have eyes on their backs, but they have green skulls instead.
 * The common Phantoms in Spirit Tracks look exactly like those seen and used in the Battle Mode of Phantom Hourglass, with the only change being the color of their armor.
 * If Link plays the Spirit Flute while near Phantom Zelda (any random notes will work), she will say: "That's a nice song."