How to Perform a Fatal Blow in Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD

Swordplay has always been a staple feature of the Legend of Zelda series, and no installment has as much depth to it as Skyward Sword HD. Simply walking up to an enemy and pressing a button or swinging wildly won’t guarantee defeat, as players will need to consider what direction they slash their sword in, making many basic encounters their own mini-puzzle. However, there are a few other techniques Link can learn throughout the course of the game, including the Fatal Blow.

Fatal Blow is one of the skills taught to Link by Eagus, the instructor of the Sparring Hall on Skyloft in Skyward Sword HD. When used, he jumps up in the air and stabs his sword into the enemy, dealing an immense amount of damage if it’s executed properly; in most cases, it will be enough to instantly kill the target! This makes the technique an excellent way to dispose of foes with high health and can be a great time saver should the player pull it off. There are even a few important bosses in the game that can only be defeated with this skill! Here’s how to set up and use a Fatal Blow using both the Switch’s motion controls and the button inputs.

Using Fatal Blows In Skyward Sword

While Link is taught the skill as soon as he acquires his basic training sword, he won’t have the opportunity to properly use it until landing in Faron Woods. Though the player can execute the maneuver against numerous enemies, the sparse enemies in Skyloft have very little HP and only require a single hit to defeat. However, the Bokoblins are another story. They take many hits to defeat and are the primary enemies Link will be using the Fatal Blow on. To put them into a position where the move can be used, they must first be downed and lying on the ground. Using a horizontal or vertical spin attack has a chance to knock enemies onto their backs, making it the primary technique players will be using if they want to use a Fatal Blow. Parrying a hit with a shield bash also has a chance to knock them down in certain circumstances.

After toppling the enemy in Skyward Sword HD, Link will be given the option to use a Fatal Blow. First, lock onto the enemy with the ZL button like one would normally do when engaging with an enemy. While the target is selected, input the correct input to use the attack. For those playing with motion controls, shake both controllers down vertically. Players making use of the new button controls will instead want to quickly press up, down, and up using the right control stick. Keep in mind that most downed enemies won’t remain stunned forever, so don’t waste any time before the opportunity to end the clash slips away.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD is available on Nintendo Switch