Link

Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH

Link swings his sword downward and then horizontally. Press the button again for the second attack, which is a stronger launcher.

DOWN SMASH

Link sweeps with his sword in front of and then behind him. The first hit launches more vertically while the second hit launches more horizontally.

UP SMASH

A three-hit attack string using Link’s sword. The last hit does the most damage and launches your opponent vertically.

Basic Attacks

Standing Attack

A three-hit attack string using Link’s sword. Decent range and a true combo at lower percentages.

Forward Tilt

A downward sword swing similar to Link’s Side Smash.

Up Tilt

Link swings his sword in an arc over his body and can hit opponents behind him. Knocks opponents away vertically.

Down Tilt

Link swings his sword toward your opponent’s feet.

Dash Attack

A leaping downward sword strike. This is almost as strong as a Smash attack, with the tip of the sword actually being even more powerful!

Edge Attack

Link returns to the stage and stabs his sword at your opponent’s feet.

Air Attacks

Neutral Air Attack

A jump kick attack that stays out a long time and has decent range.

Up Air Attack

Link thrusts his sword upward. This attack stays out fairly long and sends your opponent spiraling into the air.

Down Air Attack

Link uses his sword as a pogo stick, stabbing opponents below him. At lower percentages, this can combo for two hits and has good knockback.

Forward Air Attack

This spinning sword attack hits twice for good damage.

Back Air Attack

A spinning double back-kick attack.

Special Attacks

Hero’s Bow (Neutral Special)

Link fires an arrow at an opponent. The longer you charge it, the farther it will fly and the stronger it will be. At full charge, the arrow will fly straight.

Gale Boomerang (Side Special)

Link chucks his boomerang at the enemy. It deals some damage while moving forward and can pull opponents toward you when it returns.

Spin Attack (Up Special)

When used in the air, this is a jumping spinning sword attack used mainly for recovery. On the ground, though, Link spins in place with a sword attack.

Bomb (Down Special)

Link pulls out a bomb to throw that explodes on impact or when its fuse expires. You can throw it up, down, or sideways. Its explosion when hitting an enemy won’t hurt Link, but if it explodes only on Link then Link takes damage.

Final Smash

Triforce Slash

Link sends out a beam of light across the stage directly in front of him. The first opponent it makes contact with is stunned, and Link dashes in to unleash an incredible sword combo that ends with a giant swing. This last hit has more horizontal range than any of the previous hits and catches anyone who stays too close. This Final Smash has great range and can reach across the Final Destination form.

Strategy

Link has above-average weight and decent range on all of his attacks, thanks to his sword. He also has a variety of projectiles he can use to attack characters from afar. This means he can easily switch between playing a ranged game or an up-close game. Along with his sword, he also carries his Hylian Shield, which blocks projectiles as long as you are not attacking. Link reacts when blocking a projectile, but this only works when projectiles make contact with his shield, so he can still be hit with projectiles from behind. His weaknesses are his overall speed and his horizontal recovery.

Link’s projectile game can be hard for an opponent to get around. His Hero’s Bow fires quickly, and if you charge it up first, it fires extremely far. His Bomb attack deals decent damage, and as long as you successfully hit your opponent, Link will not take damage from it. This allows you to use Bomb for close combat as well. If you throw a bomb vertically, you can pull out a second bomb, too! And while holding a bomb, you have a bit of time before it explodes, so use this time to send out your Gale Boomerang or use the Hero’s Bow. The Gale Boomerang deals damage on the way out, and on its way back it pulls opponents in, giving you opportunities for free attacks. Note that when Gale Boomerang pulls opponents in during its return, it does so for no damage. Not catching the boomerang can be useful to push opponents off or farther from the edge—even more so because you can also aim this diagonally! Mixing up this assortment of projectiles will cause havoc for any opponent, especially for those who do not have projectiles or projectile counters.

For grounded attacks, Link’s Dash attack, Side Tilt, and Down Tilt are all relatively strong attacks. His Up Smash attack hits multiple times, the last hit launching opponents upward. His Down Tilt attack actually has a bit of a meteor effect, but it’s hard to make this hit consistently. For Link’s aerial attacks, his Neutral Air stays out for awhile and has decent range. Both his Up Air and Down Air attacks are also active for a long time, with the Down Air having a meteor effect as well. To KO opponents, though, Down Air and Forward Air are your best bets. Don’t forget you can also use Link’s grapple in the air as an attack—it doesn’t do a ton of damage, but it is effective for longer range aerial battles. When edge-guarding, use all of the projectiles at your disposable. Bombs thrown downward at recovering enemies are particularly useful. As mentioned previously, you can throw Gale Boomerange toward the stage, then not catch it, so it pushes recovering enemies away from the stage. For enemies with worse horizontal recovery, keep them out with charged-up arrows from the Hero’s Bow.

Recovery

Link’s Spin Attack is his main tool for vertical recovery; it has great range and protects you from nearby opponents. Where Link is lacking, though, is in his horizontal recovery. His main option for this is to use his grapple/throw. You can use this to grab onto the edge, but you have to time it correctly and be facing the right way. Press the Throw button again to pull yourself up or hit Up to return to the edge. Note that Link’s Spin Attack leaves him in a fall state. If you are holding onto a bomb that explodes while you’re in fall state, you can use Spin Attack again! And if opponents are waiting for you, it might help to throw out a Gale Boomerang before attempting your recovery.