Website and research by 101Leafy.
A Link to the Past SNES › Boss Fights › Arrghus in Swamp Palace

Arrghus in Swamp Palace

For The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the Super Nintendo (SNES).

Arrghus

Where it is

From the official guides

Arrghus has small fry like little cream puffs clinging all around its body. They both guard it and attack, so you can't rush in. The only way here is to pull the puffs off one at a time with the Hookshot and grind them down. Once they are all beaten, Arrghus starts thrashing around the room, so hit it with the spin attack.

ファミコン通信編集部責任編集 ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォースのすべてがわかる本 (アスキー, 1992), p. 47, translated by 101Leafy

It is surrounded by lots of rocks, but underneath it is just a puny jellyfish boss. Use the Hookshot or the like to pull the rocks off one by one. Until they are all gone, the body will not budge. The Spin Attack works better than arrows.

任天堂公式ガイドブック ゼルダの伝説 神々のトライフォース 上巻 (小学館, 1992), p. 133, translated by 101Leafy

How the fight goes

  1. Arrghus Puff: 13 of them, 8 hit points each. Arrghus himself has 32.
  2. The puffs circle Arrghus in two rings: 8 at 20 pixels and 5 at 12 pixels, the inner ring turning the other way. A full turn takes 512 frames, and the rings sway inward by up to 6 pixels.
  3. Arrghus drifts toward Link for 48 to 111 frames, then slows to a stop over 48 frames.
  4. At every 4th stop the rings spin 8 times as fast. After 80 frames they widen by 64 pixels, one pixel a frame, then close again at the same pace. He then rests 112 frames before he drifts again.
  5. No weapon hurts a puff in the ring. The Hook Shot flies out at 4 pixels a frame for up to 32 frames, turns back when it hits a puff, and pulls the puff along with it. While on the hook, a puff cannot be cut with a sword.
  6. Once the Hook Shot is gone, the puff floats back to its place at a quarter pixel a frame. Until it is back in the ring it can be hurt, and for its first 32 frames touching it does not hurt Link.
  7. A free puff is hurt by the Master Sword (4 per hit), the Tempered Sword (8), the Golden Sword (16), Bombs (4), and the Fire Rod or the Ice Rod (8). One hit from the Silver Arrows beats it.
  8. When no puff is left, Arrghus jumps 224 pixels up, waits 64 frames, and comes down on the spot where Link stood when he reached the top.
  9. After landing he waits 32 frames, then bounces around the room at 2 pixels a frame, turning back at the walls. Only now can he be hurt, and each hit sends him into another jump.
  10. Arrghus has 32 hit points. He is hurt by the Master Sword (4 per hit), the Tempered Sword (8), the Golden Sword (16), arrows (4), and the Fire Rod or the Ice Rod (8). One hit from the Silver Arrows beats him.
  11. Touching Arrghus or a puff takes 2 hearts from Link in the Green Mail, 1 in the Blue Mail, and half a heart in the Red Mail.

101Leafy researched the game for how the fight runs and what hurts the boss at each step.

Boss room

Swamp Palace B1Boss

After the fight

Link, because of you, I can escape from the clutches of the evil monsters. Thank you! …The Triforce will grant the wishes of whoever touches it, as long as that person lives… That is why it was hidden in the Golden Land. Only a select few knew of its location, but at some point that knowledge was lost… The person who rediscovered the Golden Land was Ganondorf the evil thief. Luckily, he couldn't figure out how to return to the Light World… …Well, remember that you have magical powers, which only The Hero can make the most of! There are some other magical warping points like the one you saw on Death Mountain. By using them you can go between the two worlds and find the evils hidden in the Dark World. You are the only one who can destroy Ganondorf, the thief-no, Ganon, the evil King Of Darkness!

Said by: Crystal Maidens

The whole scene: Crystal Maidens

What Link wins

Arrghus

Hit points32
Damage to Link, Green Mail2 hearts
Damage to Link, Blue Mail1 heart
Damage to Link, Red Mail½ heart

Weapons

BoomerangNo effect
Fighter's SwordNo effect
Master Sword8 hits
Tempered Sword4 hits
Golden Sword2 hits
Golden Sword spin attack2 hits
Arrows8 hits
Hook ShotNo effect
BombsNo effect
Silver ArrowsDefeats it in one hit
Magic PowderNo effect
Fire Rod4 hits
Ice Rod4 hits
Bombos MedallionNo effect
Ether MedallionNo effect
Quake MedallionNo effect

Drops

It drops nothing.

Arrghus Puff

Hit points8
Damage to Link, Green Mail2 hearts
Damage to Link, Blue Mail1 heart
Damage to Link, Red Mail½ heart

Weapons

BoomerangNo effect
Fighter's SwordNo effect
Master Sword2 hits
Tempered Sword1 hit
Golden Sword1 hit
Golden Sword spin attack1 hit
ArrowsNo effect
Hook ShotNo effect
Bombs2 hits
Silver ArrowsDefeats it in one hit
Magic PowderNo effect
Fire Rod1 hit
Ice Rod1 hit
Bombos MedallionNo effect
Ether MedallionNo effect
Quake MedallionNo effect

Drops

It drops nothing.