Though it might be debatable to call it a true species, what is undeniable is that the Beamos is one of the most iconic enemy types from The Legend of Zelda. These stationary foes are seemingly self-aware and have a long history of preventing would-be heroes from freely traversing dungeon pathways.
A Link to the Past
The Beamos first appeared as sentries in A Link to the Past‘s Desert Palace, and then appeared in multiple dungeons after. They were tall statues strategically positioned in various locations, and their eye, which could rotate around their “body” a full 360 degrees, could fire a fast and powerful laser beam at any intruder it spotted.
These enemies were indestructible, with nothing in Link’s arsenal, including the Bombs and the Medallions, being able to damage them. His only option was to evade their gaze to avoid being fired upon.
Link’s Awakening
Though their design was markedly different than the one from A Link to the Past, the Beamos of Link’s Awakening still acted in a similar fashion and served the same role. These Beamos were more like small stationary spheres that rotate on the ground, rather than being tall statues that towered over objects and people. Despite this diminished stature, the Beamos could still quickly lock onto targets and blast them with powerful beam attacks.
Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask
To the joy of many players, the Beamos of Ocarina of Time and Majora’s Mask differed from the previous versions by actually offering a way for Link to destroy them. The Mirror Shield can be used to reflect their attacks back at them, but the most reliable method is to use Bombs and Bombchus can be used to instantly neutralize the machines.
Aside from the destruction method though, the Beamos returned to a design akin to their first one and behaved in a similar way. When they spotted Link, they would fire a long, continual beam of energy that trailed along on the ground before making contact with its target.
Oracle of Ages and Seasons
The Beamos of the Oracle duology, as was the trend for most enemies in those games, were reused assets from Link’s Awakening. Their visual designs and actions remained the same, and they retained their indestructibility.
The Wind Waker
The second noteworthy redesign of the Beamos appeared in The Wind Waker. These Beamos replaced the typical eye with a magic, glowing crystal. They also came in two versions, with one Beamos type shooting single blasts and another type that could produce a continual beam that was meant to block Link’s progress.
The Beamos could again be destroyed with Bombs, but a new option for Link was to shatter their crystals by shooting them with an arrow. Due to the reliability of L-Targeting, using the Bow and Arrow was a much easier and safer option to destroy a Beamos.
Four Swords Adventures
Four Swords Adventures brought back the original design and sprite of the Beamos from A Link to the Past, and they also behaved the same way. The most notable difference, however, was that the Beamos shared the same weakness to arrows that the one from The Wind Waker did. Any of the Links could destroy a Beamos by taking aim and hitting it in the eye with an arrow.
Twilight Princess
Though they had a new physical appearance, the Beamos in Twilight Princess served the exact same purpose as the ones from Ocarina of Time and had the same weakness to arrows as the ones from The Wind Waker did.
The Beamos were large and rectangular in shape, with a circular crystal positioned on its top frontal section to act as an eye of sorts. Instead of the head or eye rotating, the base of the machine rested on a set of gears that let the entire body rotate.
Because of their size, the Beamos were often used as pathway obstacles and left Link with no choice but to defeat them to progress in whatever dungeon he found them in.
They also had a larger version that only appeared in the Temple of Time dungeon. These Beamos could be defeated with arrows, the same as the regular ones, but they could also be destroyed by the large statue that Link escorted from the top to the bottom of the dungeon.
Phantom Hourglass
The Beamos in Phantom Hourglass were like a blend between the original version and the one from The Wind Waker. Link could damage them with various items, such as the Bombs and his Hammer, but doing so would only stun them. After one was hit, its eye would shut down for a moment, but it would reopen eventually and start working again. The player needed to be careful to remember that any nearby defeated Beamos would soon reactivate and attack them if they were close.
Skyward Sword
Skyward Sword‘s Beamos were the most complex version of the enemy. Much more robotic in nature, the Beamos stood higher than any other version, and they could not be destroyed with Bombs or Arrows. Link’s only option from a distance was to use his shield to reflect their beams back at them, though this could only be done with a shield that didn’t conduct electricity, and the reflected beam would only temporarily stun the Beamos.
To actually defeat them, the player needed to get close to the Beamos and slash at weak points with the sword. These Beamos had a construction similar to totem poles, and some of the sections could be destroyed with the sword, which would cause the upper portions to drop and shorten the Beamos’ overall height. Once the breakable weak points were all gone, Link could reach and stab the Beamos’ eye, which would defeat it.
A Link Between Worlds
Many enemies in A Link Between Worlds were updated versions of enemies originally from A Link to the Past, and the Beamos were no exception. They again were indestructible, leaving the player with no other option but to avoid them.
The best option for avoiding the Beamos was to move around them by merging with a nearby wall. Doing so would let the player bypass them completely. Another option is to use the Sand Rod to raise a pillar of sand to block their attacks, but that option was limited to areas where the floor was made of sand.
Tri Force Heroes
The Beamos’s latest appearance came in Tri Force Heroes. These Beamos had a different design than most others, as they were similar to the ones from Link’s Awakening, but they sat atop a tall pillar to keep them out of range of the Links.
The only way the player(s) could defeat a Beamos was by using the totem mechanic to put one of the Links at the same height as the Beamos. Once they were, the player needed to shoot the Beamos in its eye multiple times, which would cause it to fall off the pillar and roll on the ground for a moment before exploding.
The Beamos have remained a truly stubborn and frustrating enemy for many Zelda fans, and though they have in recent years been supplanted by the Guardian enemies from Breath of the Wild, they are still the clear inspiration for those new enemies. Even without actually appearing in recent and potentially future games, their influence has had a lasting impact.
