Tektite

Quick Information Appearances: LoZ, AoL, ALttP (SNES/GBA), LA/DX, OoT, MM, OoS, OoA Order: Arachnid/Insect Habitat: Overworld, dungeons Attack Pattern: Tektites are one-eyed, four-legged bugs who jump around quickly. Water tektites skim across, or jump across, the water, usually in caves or dungeons. Appearance: LoZ Quick Facts: Orange and blue. Blue stronger, but orange ones jump around more. Can jump on top of anything. Appearance: AoL Quick Facts: Six-legged, spits fire, only vulnerable to the Fire spell. Appearance: ALttP Quick Facts: Red is stronger than blue. Found on Death Mountain. Water Tektites (?) found in dungeons, skim across water. Appearance: LA (DX) Quick Facts: Found on land and water. Appearance: OoT/MM Quick Facts: Red found on land, blue on water. Appearance: Oracle Quick Facts: Blue jumps better than orange.

Descriptions

General

Tektites are one-eyed, four-legged spidery creatures who jump around. They are a kind of bug or insect with a hard exoskeleton and strong legs. When found on land, most can jump long distances pretty quickly. When found on water, some skim across the water, while others jump.

LoZ

There are two kinds of Tektites in LoZ: red and blue. Red (which is actually orange-colored) is the weaker kind. It will jump around, pause for a short bit, and continue jumping. Blue Tektites are stronger, but they are more sluggish. After jumping around, they will pause for a second or two before jumping again. In LoZ, Tektites are notorious for jumping onto anything - rock, mountain, bush, whatever. This makes them difficult to reach and difficult to predict. It is not uncommon to encounter six or so of these things on the same screen, all quickly jumping all over the place in random fashion.

AoL

AoL has an enemy that is similar to a Tektite. Like a Tektite, it is a spidery jumping bug with one eye. It has a very high vertical jump. Unlike the Tektite, it breathes fire, and has six legs instead of four. It is also very tough, vulnerable only to the Fire spell. This might be a tougher kind of Tektite, or it might not be a Tektite at all. The official name of this creature is currently unknown.

ALttP

ALttP has two kinds of Tektites: red and blue. Both kinds are found on Death Mountain, and red is stronger than blue.. They usually just jump around randomly, not trying to attack anything. If you try to hit them, they'll jump backwards to avoid you. If they hit a wall while jumping they'll come bouncing back.

There is also a creature that looks like a water Tektite. However, it is smaller and more spidery. It also seems to have two redish eyes and a kind of tail. In the Japanese Nintendo/Shogakukan guides, this enemy is named "HŌBĀ," not "TEKUTAITO" (Tektite). So, although it is similar to a water Tektite, it might not really be one. It is more likely a precursor to the water Tektite.

LA/Oracle

LA and the Oracle games have regular Tektites and water Tektites. The regular Tektite might appear to only have two legs, but this is because the sprite is always seen from a front view. LA only has one kind of regular Tektite, since the game is in grayscale. The Oracle games use the same sprites, but make it into two kinds of Tektites: orange and blue. Blue is stronger than orange. This kind of Tektite is more aggressive than most. It can jump pretty far, and usually tries to jump toward its enemy, unlike previous Tektites which just jumped randomly.

LA and the Oracle games both have water Tektites. (The name "Water Tektite" comes from the NOA Link's Awakening guide.) Like the one in ALttP, this water Tektite skims gracefully across the water in dungeons. You can't hit it while you're swimming, so you either have to lure it into shallow water or wait for it to get close to shore.

OoT/MM

OoT has two kinds of Tektites: red and blue. Red Tektites are found only on land. Blue Tektites can jump just as well on water and on land. Unlike the water Tektites in ALttP and LA, OoT's blue Tektites actually jump on the surface of the water, instead of skimming. These Tektites also have a smaller, red eye. Their jumping power is weaker than in previous games, but it can be difficult to time one's attacks to hit them at just the right time. Unlike previous Tektites, this kind of Tektite stays perfectly still until you get near it. Then it slowly jumps toward you, unless you get too far out of its range. Unlike other Tektites, this Tektite makes noise when you injure or kill it. In OoT, a Tektite can be flipped on its back with the Megaton Hammer. This can be done in MM with the Goron Pound. Tektites skid amusingly out of control if you lure them onto ice. MM only has the blue Tektites. They can be found near the Mountain Village.

Relevant Quotes

LoZ manual

"These spidery things jump about all over the place. Red ones move about a lot and blue ones move only a little. Tektites have little fighting power."

Ocarina of Time

• "Red Tektite: Lock on to it as it jumps with Z Targeting!"
• "Blue Tektite: It's hard to beat on the water. Lure it onto the land!"

Majora's Mask

"Don't you know about the Blue Tektite? Use Z Targeting to follow it as it bounces!"

Translation Notes

The Japanese name for the Tektite is "TEKUTAITO." This is simply a rendering of the name "Tektite" in katakana.

The Tektite is given various other names in different translations of the games. These names seem to emphasize the Tektite's archnoid (spider-like) nature. Note how the LoZ manual calls Tektites "spidery things."

Miscellaneous Notes

In the *real* world, a tektite is a kind of rock. Tektites are formed when a meteorite hits the earth. Molten matter is ejected into outer space at supersonic speeds. As they cool, they aerodynamically form into teardrops, flattened spheres and dumbells with pits. Gravity then pulls them back to earth.

See also

• Gohma
• Skulltula
• Skullwalltula
• Deeler