Enemies

The colour of an enemy’s Weak-Point Gauge shows its element, such as a fire-covered or ice-covered gauge, and the element usually appears in its name: Fire-Breath Lizalfos, Ice Moblin, Electric Boss Bokoblin. Sludge and armour do not change a name, but depleting the Weak-Point Gauge removes the covering. Once you find a boss’s weaknesses they show under its name while you hold R to use a skill.

Fire enemies are weak to ice and water, ice enemies to fire, sludge-covered enemies to water, sand-covered enemies to wind, armoured and stone enemies to shield-breaking moves, and gloom enemies, Shades and Stal enemies to light. Electric enemies have no elemental weakness. The Zonai devices give any warrior an element: Flame Emitter for fire, Hydrant for water, Frost Emitter for ice, Fan for wind and Shock Emitter for lightning. Light attacks come from Zelda and Rauru.

Powerful enemies telegraph strong attacks with a red flash and a short slowdown. Counter a rush with a Rush skill, a shield attack with a Shield skill, a leap or flying attack with an Air skill and anything fired at you with a Projectile skill. A good counter staggers the enemy and opens its Weak-Point Gauge for a Weak-Point Smash.

This table lists each family, its main variants and what they are weak to. “None” means no elemental weakness.

Shades are monsters made of gloom and the first enemies you fight, in To the Great Plateau. They are weak to light and drop Poe when beaten, which you spend at Tusk & Talon (see Camps and Shops). Larger Shades guard outposts, and a bigger kind can summon smaller ones, so group them before using wide attacks. In Purging the Shadows you must defeat five Gloom Spawn at the same time at the final outpost, so keep your Unique Skills ready for that moment.

Bokoblins come in plain, Blue, Black and Silver versions, each stronger than the last, and none is weak to one particular element. Stalkoblins, the skeleton versions, are weak to light. Boss Bokoblins lead groups of them: the first appears in Striking North and opens a gate when defeated, and later ones appear as Fire, Ice, Electric and Silver bosses. A fire or ice Boss Bokoblin follows the elemental rule above. Boss Bokoblins drop Guts, Horns, Fangs and Trophies, and the Aside Quest to defeat five of them pays Zonaite Steel (Spear). A stealth strike on a Boss Bokoblin that has not noticed you sets up a Weak-Point Smash.

Moblins hit hard and throw bombs. Plain, Blue, Black and Silver Moblins have no elemental weakness; Fire Moblins fall to ice and water, Ice Moblins to fire, Electric Moblins have none, and Stalmoblins are weak to light. Silver Moblins that throw bombs, such as the ones in Fire and Sand, can be countered by returning the bombs with a Fan or a deflecting skill. Sludge-covered Moblins should be washed with water before you attack their weak point.

Lizalfos are quick, jumpy fighters that you can beat with anything. Fire-Breath Lizalfos are weak to ice and water, Ice-Breath Lizalfos to fire and shield-breakers, Electric, Blue, Black and Silver Lizalfos have no elemental weakness, and Stalizalfos are weak to light. They often arrive in hordes, so wide attacks and Special Attacks clear them fast.

Chuchus and Keese come as plain, Fire, Ice and Electric versions. Fire ones are weak to ice and water, Ice ones to fire and shield-breakers, and the plain and Electric ones have no elemental weakness. Their danger is the status effect: fire burns you, ice freezes you and electricity shocks you. A Bonus Exchange bonus can negate burning, freezing, shock and sludge.

The Water, Forest, Rock, Snow and Treasure Octoroks have no elemental weakness. Octoroks spit rocks from range, so close the gap or dodge as the rock comes in; they are easy to miss in a crowd, as in Lanayru Defiled.

Aerocudas are flying enemies that are weak to air attacks, so use an Air skill to pull them out of the sky. Fire Aerocudas add weaknesses to ice and water, Ice Aerocudas to fire and shield-breakers, and Electric Aerocudas have none besides air. A Fire and an Electric Aerocuda block the path in Under Cover of Mist.

Gibdos, found in the Gerudo desert in Terror of the Sands, are weak to every element, so use elemental attacks; plain physical hits do little to them. Ardi’s lightning moves destroy their hives in one hit, and Moth Gibdos can be knocked into a hive if you interrupt their attacks. Gibdos drop Gibdo Guts and Bones.

Stone Pebblits, Little Frox and Horriblins (plain, Blue, Black and Silver) have no elemental weakness. Evermean is weak to fire. A Sludge Like is weak to water: Qia’s water-imbued strong attacks and Torrential Wave defeat the one in Lanayru Defiled, which leaves a chest holding the Hydrant.

Soldier Constructs I to IV and Captain Constructs I to IV are the Zonai’s ancient guardians, and have no elemental weakness. Captain Construct I uses charge attacks, so keep a counter ready; the first ones appear in Where Ancient Wisdom Sleeps. Captain Construct III stands guard in the north-west of The Demon King, Ensnared.

Flux Constructs I, II and III are bigger, blocky Constructs. They have no elemental weakness; the first is the boss of Where Ancient Wisdom Sleeps and is covered in the Boss Guide. In Purging the Shadows Mineru can take control of a Flux Construct II at the marked area and capture the outpost from inside to open the gates.

Lynels are the strongest mounted foes: Lynel, Blue-Maned, White-Maned, Silver, Fire, Ice, Electric and Vicious. Only the Fire (ice and water) and Ice (fire and shield-breakers) versions have a weakness. Avoid the roar and keep attacking once its explosion has gone off. They drop Lynel Guts, Hooves, Saber Horns and Mace Horns, plus a Trophy, and many Aside Quests ask you to defeat one or two as a particular warrior; the rewards run from Tireless Frogs and Silent Shrooms to Pure Zonaite Steel. See the Boss Guide for the story fights and Aside Quests for the rest.

Hinox are one-eyed giants whose eye is their weak point. In Striking North you can stagger the first with Zelda’s Bow of Light, pressing X to aim and X again to fire. Plain and Blue Hinox have no elemental weakness, Fire Hinox are weak to ice and water, Stalnox are weak to light, and a sludge-covered Hinox is weak to water. A Black Hinox is the boss of Ambush in the Depths. Drops are Hinox Guts, Horns, Teeth and Toenails. Defeating a Hinox as Zelda, Raphica, Calamo, Quino, Cadlan, Pastos, Braton or Ronza completes an Aside Quest.

Stone Taluses are weak to shield-breaking moves: use them or Time Bombs on all your characters to empty the fortified gauge, then smash. The Luminous and Rare versions share the weakness. The Igneo Talus (volcanic regions such as Crisis on Death Mountain) is weak to ice, water and shield-breakers, and the Frost Talus is weak to fire and shield-breakers. Defeating one as Zelda, Typhan, Pastos or Vence completes an Aside Quest.

The Frox is fought in Where Ancient Wisdom Sleeps. Throw a Time Bomb into its mouth as it inhales to stagger it and expose its weak point, then counter its Dangerous Attack to climb its back and hit the ore deposits.

Molduga move through desert sand. You meet one in Raging Sands, where it is called the Gerudo Canyon Sentinel and the objective is “Defeat the Molduga”, and another in Terror of the Sands, where its title is “Menace of the Gerudo Desert”. They mostly stay above ground, but if one burrows just before a Dangerous Attack, use an anti-air Unique Skill while it is airborne. Defeated Moldugas leave a Molduga Trophy.

Gerudo Soldiers, Gerudo Captains, Hylian Soldiers, Hylian Captains and Goron Soldiers appear on the story’s battlefields. The Gerudo Assassin in Growing Suspicion should be blocked rather than dodged, which fills its gauge faster. Gerudo Captains work in pairs; see the Boss Guide for the fights.

Vicious enemies are much stronger post-game versions of ordinary monsters: Vicious Bokoblin, Boss Bokoblin, Captain Construct I, Chuchu, Flux Construct I, Frox, Hinox, Lizalfos, Lynel, Moblin, Shade, Sludge Like and Stone Talus. Vicious Stone Talus is weak to shield-breakers and Vicious Sludge Like to water; the rest have no elemental weakness. Each one carries the rank “Merciless Tyrant” over its health bar. They headline the Vicious Battles, which unlock after A Clash of Constructs and pay rare materials plus Pure Zonaite Steel (Pristine).