Moldorm (Boss)

The Moldorm is a boss that first appeared in A Link to the Past. It is a much larger version of the common Moldorm (also known as Mini-Moldorms).

A Link to the Past
Moldorms made their first appearance as a boss in A Link to the Past. It first appears at the very top of the Tower of Hera and is an infamous due to the fact that Link may have to face it many times before he can finally defeat it. The battlefield is unique in the game in that it has no boundaries, meaning that the boss can send Link to lower floors if he is unluckily pushed from the edge by the foe. The Moldorm will actively charge at Link, and has a springy, bouncy body similar to a Hardhat Beetle or a Bumper. Striking it with his sword or getting hit will send Link flying. Any damage Link has caused during the battle will be rendered meaningless; the Moldorm will have recovered to full health by the time Link returns.

To harm the monster, he must strike its vulnerable tail; the very tip has a twirling red weak point that causes a lot of damage to the monster when struck. The monster requires just six hits with Link's Fighter's Sword to destroy, but its erratic movement makes this extremely difficult. Not only that, but when the monster is close to defeat, it will speed up dramatically, making avoiding and striking the monster more a matter of luck than judgement. While falling from the battle will not harm Link, taking hits from the monster will. The floor below contains a large number of jars that hold Hearts, so Link can continue his attempt to destroy Moldorm over and over until he finally succeeds and obtains the Pendant of Wisdom.

The Moldorm makes a reappearance in Ganon's Tower, only the battlefield is shaped differently, making it harder to defeat; the floor below contains spikes that Link might fall on to as well. However, if Link has the Golden Sword, he can kill this Moldorm in just two hits.

Link's Awakening
This boss takes a similar shape and behavior in Link's Awakening. In this game it is the first of the Nightmares Link must face in his quest to wake the Wind Fish, and resides in the Tail Cave with many Mini-Moldorms. Unlike its previous appearance, it has large mandibles and is able to speak, albeit between loud buzzing. As one of the Nightmares, its desire is to destroy the outsider, Link. Like its previous appearance, it tries to drive Link off the platform the battle takes place upon. The arena is much smaller than before, and Link has no easy way to heal himself if he takes damage; not only that, but with only three Heart Containers, Link will be defeated in only three hits. The Moldorm will take less hits than before, but will charge wildly around after being hit with the sword, before slowing down again (unless it's the final hit, where he will continue to move extremely fast until defeated). The best method to defeat the monster is to use the Whirling Blade Technique. Only two strikes from this move will defeat the monster.

The Moldorm also appears again as a shadowy form taken by The Shadow Nightmares, found inside the Wind Fish's Egg.

Big Moldorm
In Four Swords Adventures the monster is now known as the Big Moldorm and appears in the Pyramid, barring the way to the Trident. It has a more patterned and armored appearance to how Moldorms appeared in other games. While behaving much like its previous incarnations, this version of the creature brings a twist to the confrontation: its tail changes color when struck to one of the respective colors of the four Links, and only the Link carrying the color of Moldorm's tail in his tunic would be able to injure it. Not only this, but as the battle progresses, the Moldorm will split into two, much like the regular Moldorms of The Legend of Zelda. The four Links will have to work together to defeat the two Big Moldorms.

Puppet Ganon
Puppet Ganon in The Wind Waker takes on a form extremely similar to that of a Moldorm during the final phase of the battle. Moving erratically around the room, Link can only harm it by striking the tip of its tail with Light Arrows.

A Link to the Past comic
In the A Link to the Past comic, the Moldorm Link fights in the Tower of Hera appears as a giant spider as opposed to the centipede-like monster fought in the game. When the monster's illusion appears in Ganon's Tower, it is still called a Moldorm.

The Moldorm first appears in Chapter 4, where it ambushes the young hero from above. Link strikes it in one of its eyes with his blade, and upon being told that the Pendant of Wisdom is inside the beast's eye, Link reaches for it and takes it, restoring his cursed arm. Now with all the Pendants of Virtue in his hand, the monster tumbles defeated to the bottom of the tower and breaks Link's fall as it hits the ground.

A Link to the Past manga
The Moldorm briefly appears in the A Link to the Past manga as well, this time in a much more accurate depiction. Link is shown fighting off the giant centipede as he runs up the Tower of Hera. He manages to slice through one of its pincers and continue his dash up the winding stairway to the Pendant of Wisdom, hanging from the hand of an elegant statue at the very top. Upon collecting the final Pendant, he is mysteriously warped to the Lost Woods.