Dead Hand
Dead Hand is an enemy in Ocarina of Time on the Nintendo 64 with 14 or 20 health.
Navi's advice
Watch out for its infinite hands! Aim for its head!
| Kind | Mini-boss |
|---|---|
| Health | 14, 20 |
| Places | Shadow Temple, Well of Three Features |
| English | Dead Hand |
| Français | Poignant |
| Deutsch | Großer Hirnsauger |
| 日本語 | デドハンド |
Damage
How many points of health each attack takes off Dead Hand. 0 means the attack does no damage, though it may still stun or knock it back.
| Attack | Damage |
|---|---|
 Deku Nut | 0 |
 Deku Stick | 2 |
 Fairy Slingshot | 0 |
 Bombs | 0 |
 Boomerang | 0 |
 Fairy Bow | 0 |
 Megaton Hammer | 0 |
 Hookshot | 0 |
 Kokiri Sword | 2 |
| Master Sword | 2 |
 Giant's Knife | 4 |
 Fire Arrow | 0 |
 Ice Arrow | 0 |
 Light Arrow | 0 |
 Din's Fire | 0 |
 Mirror Shield | 0 |
| Kokiri Sword (spin attack) | 2 |
| Giant's Knife (spin attack) | 4 |
| Master Sword (spin attack) | 2 |
| Kokiri Sword (jump attack) | 4 |
| Giant's Knife (jump attack) | 8 |
| Master Sword (jump attack) | 4 |
| Megaton Hammer (jump attack) | 4 |
Damage to Link
Health Link loses when an attack of Dead Hand hits him, one line per attack strength, 16 points to a heart. Once a Great Fairy strengthens Link's defensive power, the damage is halved, rounded up.
| Damage | Hearts | Double Defense | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | ½ | ¼ | Plain hit |
| 4 | ¼ | ⅛ | Plain hit |
Drops
When Dead Hand is defeated, the game picks one of 16 slots at random, so each slot is a 1 in 16 chance. Some slots hold nothing.
| Item | Count | Chance |
|---|---|---|
 Magic Jar (small) | 1 | 11 in 16 |
| Magic Jar (large) | 1 | 5 in 16 |
Young Link gets Deku Seeds where adult Link gets arrows, and the other way round, and an adult's Deku Stick turns into a green Rupee. Bombs, arrows, seeds, and magic only drop once Link has the bomb bag, the bow, the slingshot, or magic, and a recovery heart at full health turns into a green Rupee.
In the official guides
Long arms grab Link (no damage) while the body creeps closer. Wait where the hands cannot reach, then hit its head when it bends down; let a hand grab Link to lure it out again.
無数にはえる手に気をつけて頭をねらって！ゼルダの伝説 時のオカリナ 完全攻略ガイドブック (NTT出版, 1999), p. 179, Translated by 101Leafy
Let one of its hands grab Link, then hit its head when it comes close.
To defeat the Dead Hand that guarded it, Link let one of the disembodied arms grab him.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Official Nintendo Player's Guide (Nintendo of America, 1998), p. 86
Let one of its hands grab Link, then hit its head. Three hits make it retreat. It guards the Lens of Truth.
Letting one of the hands capture you brings the Dead Hand out of the ground, where it's vulnerable.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Prima's Official Strategy Guide (Prima Publishing, 1998), p. 90
Fighting its tentacles is not enough, since they regrow within moments; Link attacks the head with strong sword blows and stuns the tentacles for a short time with the Boomerang.
Um ihn zu besiegen, reicht es nicht aus, seine Tentakel zu bekämpfen, da diese sich nach wenigen Augenblicken wieder regenerieren.Der offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo of Europe, 1998), p. 75, Translated by 101Leafy
Link fights a dangerous Dead Hand in the Shadow Temple before he can take the Hover Boots.
Nachdem sich Link mit Hilfe des Auges der Wahrheit nach kurzem Kampf mit einem gefährlichen Hirnsauger bei (4) die Gleitstiefel geholt hatDer offizielle Nintendo Spieleberater: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Nintendo of Europe, 1998), p. 76, Translated by 101Leafy