- For a list of Gold Skulltula locations, see Ocarina of Time secrets.
- "We all look like this because of the spider's curse. If every Spider of the Curse in the entire world were destroyed, the curse would be broken."
- — Father of the Fabulously Rich Family
Gold Skulltulas, also known as Spiders of the Curse, are recurring enemies in the Legend of Zelda series. These spiders resemble Skullwalltulas and are of roughly the same size, but have a spiky, metallic carapace. Gold Skulltulas are connected to a vile curse that transforms the greedy into deformed Skulltulas. Link can undertake various side quests involving the killing of these enemies and subsequent recovery of their Gold Skulltula Tokens, which when gathered, weaken the curse. Similar to Skullwalltulas, Gold Skulltulas produce a telltale scratching sound, though the exact sound varies slightly — that of Gold Skulltulas is more metallic than that emitted by Skullwalltulas.
Gold Skulltulas can be found both clinging onto walls and hidden inside objects such as crates, pots and patches of Soft Soil, as well as in the canopies of trees. Nocturnal creatures, Gold Skulltulas appear only at night or in other dark, cavernous locations. Commonly, Gold Skulltulas are found out of the reach of Link's sword, requiring the use of ranged weapons such as the Fairy Bow or Fairy Slingshot. While Gold Skulltulas can be defeated with these items, the tokens they leave behind can only be acquired by means of ranged retrieval items such as the Hookshot or Boomerang. Gold Skulltulas are passive and do not aggressively attack Link, but will damage him if he touches one. Gold Skulltulas are one of very few enemies that cannot be Z-targeted, forcing Link to aim manually. Their tokens, however, can easily be Z-targeted. Golden Skulltulas are shown to be capable of surviving underwater as a few can be found underwater.
Appearances[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
Link is asked by the father of the Fabulously Rich Family inside the House of Skulltula in Kakariko Village to break the curse on the family by destroying the 100 Gold Skulltulas and collecting their tokens. Link breaks the curse on one family member at a time, upon amassing designated amounts of tokens. Once freed, each family member provides a reward.
Once Link has obtained all the Gold Skulltulas in an area, a Gold Skulltula icon appears next to the name of that area on the Map subscreen. There are often Gold Skulltula Tokens that Link can only retrieve after attaining an item found later in the game, forcing him to return to many spots later on if he wishes to collect all 100 tokens. A glitch exists which enables Link to obtain more than 100 Gold Skulltula Tokens (this glitch is fixed in the 3DS version).
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
Gold Skulltulas are encountered only within the Swamp Spider House and the Oceanside Spider House. Both of the houses contain 30 Skulltula Tokens, which, when gathered, result in a substantial reward for Link. Unlike in Ocarina of Time, Gold Skulltulas can crawl back and forth in a pattern, rather than remaining stationary.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Other appearances[]
Subseries warning: This article or section contains information on a subseries within the Legend of Zelda series and should be considered part of its own separate canon.
Hyrule Warriors/Legends[]
Gold Skulltulas appear in both Legend mode and Adventure mode. They appear on the field when certain conditions are met such as killing a certain number of enemies. Their general area is shown on the overview map marked by a spider web and the players must find where they are. Like their counterparts in Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, they make a telltale sound when the player gets near them. Some Gold Skulltulas are hidden and the use of sub-items is needed to reach them. Killing one gives the player an Illustration Piece. However, it will only appear for a certain period of time and will flee once this period has passed and the level has to either be replayed or in Legend Mode restarted from a previous checkpoint. Some of the Gold Skulltulas require a certain character be used in order for them to appear or in Legend Mode, a level must be played a certain difficulty. Beating Ganon in Legend Mode, causes a second Gold Skulltula to appear in each Story Scenario, however these Gold Skulltulas only appear under specific conditions and/or if a specific character or weapon is used.
Subseries warning: Subseries information ends here.