The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, like any game in the beloved series, has plenty of boss battles to conquer. But unlike Link, Zelda doesn’t always have access to a sword in her solo adventure to fend off giant monsters.

When it comes to her first battle against Dark Link in the Stilted Suthorn Forest, she has only a handful of echoes to her name to defend herself. But with the right strategy, it isn’t too hard to emerge victorious and gain a couple of brand-new powers for your trouble.

Zelda hiding from Dark Link in the tall grass in Echoes of Wisdom

As the first major boss battle Zelda finds herself up against in Echoes of Wisdom,Dark Link is a bit of a pushover. But failing to avoid his mixture of basic and spin attacks can tear away at your limited hearts very quickly.

Do your best toremain above Link by hopping on the collection of rocks located on either side of the room, because unless he performs a jump attack, he shouldn’t be able to catch you. A litany of pots also surround the edges of the arena which will offer hearts if you need healing.

Zelda hiding from Dark Link as he fights a knight in Echoes of Wisdom.

Spinning using the ‘R’ button is an effective way to earn some distance between Zelda and Dark Link too, since without a summoned Echo to aggro damage, he’ll come straight for you.

As soon as the fight begins,run straight to the long grass on your left, so Link loses sight of you. Then head directly behind him andsummon Darknut. These will attack quickly after spawning if placed at the right angle and will deal guaranteed damage. Link is able to wipe them out immediately though, so don’t be afraid to strafe around him and spam echo summons until you need to retreat.

Some other handy echoes in this situation include the Sea Urchin, which can create a lethal path of obstacles for Link to navigate, and the Caromadillo which is great for getting his attention and giving Zelda some room to recover.

Link transforming into Dark Link in Echoes of Wisdom.

After taking a certain amount of damage,Link will enter his second phase and take on a dark purple hue. In this form, he is more prone to jump and spin attacks, while also having a faster movement speed and higher damage output. The trick now is to defeat him without delay.

Now,hide in the grass again and repeat your previous tactics until Link finally bites the dust. He will hunt you down if you’re alone, so make sure offensive echoes are constantly around to draw aggro from him and deal damage.

You’ll want to avoid summoning them directly in front of Linktoo, because he will deflect the majority of attacks with his shield before killing your echoes.

Once defeated, Link will dropa sword that can then be picked up to learn Zelda’s Swordfighter Form. Activate it and slice on through the gooey wall at the end of the room and continue into the rest of the dungeon.

Next up is the Seismic Talus, who is a little more troublesome to conquer.