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How to Beat Guardians in Zelda: BOTW

They're tough to beat, but these tips make it easier

By Sam Costello Sam Costello Writer Ithaca College Sam Costello has been writing about tech since 2000. His writing has appeared in publications such as CNN.com, PC World, InfoWord, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 25, 2021 Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Reviewed by Jessica Kormos Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Game Play Consoles & PCs Gaming Services Game Play & Streaming Mobile Gaming Guardians are some of the toughest enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. When you encounter them in a shrine or have the bad luck of coming across one (or more!) while out adventuring, you need to be prepared. With these tips and tricks, you will be. Read on to learn how to beat Guardians in Breath of the Wild.

How to Beat Guardians in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

There's no single way to beat Guardians in BOTW. You can use different combinations of weapons, attacks, and defenses depending on the Guardian you're fighting, where the fight is happening, and your personal playing style.

Use Guardian or Ancient Weapons

Works Against: All Guardians These great weapons aren't available until you get some Guardian or Ancient Weapons by beating a Guardian or buy some Ancient Weapons, but it's one of the best and most effective ways to beat Guardians. Guardian and Ancient Weapons are marked by their blue glow and a slight hum when they're equipped. Ancient Weapons that you buy do more damage than those you get from Guardians, but they're all much more effective and durable than normal weapons when fighting Guardians. You can buy some of the most powerful Ancient Weapons in BOTW at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab.

Wear Ancient Armor

Works Against: All Guardians When going up against Guardians, you don't just need a good offense; you also need a good defense. Make sure to buy and equip yourself with as many pieces of Ancient Armor as you can. You can get the Ancient Helm, Ancient Cuirass, and Ancient Greaves. Each item protects you from laser attacks. When you wear all three simultaneously and upgrade beyond two stars, they also convey an Ancient Proficiency that significantly increases your Ancient or Guardian weapons' power. You can substitute the Diamond Circlet for the Ancient Helm, if you have that instead.

Use a Shield to Reflect Their Attacks Back at Them

Works Against: All Guardians Mastering this attack's timing is tough, but when you get it right, it's one of the most incredible ways to beat a Guardian. Use your shield to reflect the Guardian's laser attack at it, which both does significant damage and stuns the Guardian, giving you a chance to run in and attack. Watch for the Guardian getting ready to fire its laser at you. Hold your shield in a defensive pose, and then, when the laser fires, time it and press A to reflect the laser at the Guardian. This maneuver will take a few tries to perfect, but once you get good at it, you'll want to use it all the time.

Shoot Them in the Eye

Works Against: All Guardians Guardians are challenging because they move fast, their movements can be harder to predict, and their weapons do so much damage. Because of that, any chance you get to slow a Guardian down helps. The simplest way to stun a Guardian is to shoot it in the eye with an arrow. You'll know you hit it when the Guardian is stunned, allowing you to charge in with a strong attack. Shock arrows can be particularly good to use, since they electrocute the Guardian and stun it longer.

Use Bomb Arrows

Works Against: All Guardians This weapon results in a brute-force attack, and it won't work in close quarters, so we don't always recommend it, but it can work in some cases. Bomb arrows do a ton of damage to high-health enemies, so they can be good for beating Guardians. Just make sure to equip a high-quality bow and fire from far enough away that you don't get caught in the blast.

Cut Off Their Legs or Propellers

Works Against: Stalkers and Skywatchers It's easier to fight a stationary opponent than a mobile one. So, if you're facing a Stalker or Skywatcher Guardian, stop it from moving. With Stalkers, attack their legs. A few shots to the leg from a powerful weapon, and you'll cut it off. Cut off enough legs, and it won't be able to move at all, making it much easier to kill.

The same principle applies to Skywatchers, but aim for the propellers (you may need to use bomb arrows for this). Once you knock out enough propellers, the Skywatcher will crash to the ground, and you'll beat that Guardian in no time.

Use Elemental Weapons

Works Against: Guardian Scouts One excellent way to stun the frenetic Scouts is using Elemental weapons. Any sword or arrow with ice can freeze a Guardian, and a shock weapon can stun them. Use those to slow the Guardian down and then switch to high-damage weapons and attack. Ice is effective because breaking the ice triples the amount of damage done by your attack.

Use Obstacles Against Spinning Blade Attacks

Works Against: Guardian Scouts Some Guardian Scouts carry big swords or axes. These weapons are particularly dangerous when the Guardians perform a Spinning Blade Attack. One of the best ways to avoid getting hit by these is to use obstacles to block and stun the Guardian. If there are pillars in the Shrine where you're fighting the Guardian, duck behind one at the last moment before the Guardian hits you, and you'll stun it. If the Shrine has water or metal objects, use Cryonis to create an ice block or Magnesis to raise the metal block and hide behind it. Then when the Guardian is stunned, attack!

Use Paragilder Against Spinning Laser Attacks

Works Against: Guardian Scouts Much like the Spinning Blade Attack, the Guardian Scouts' Spinning Laser Attack is hard to dodge and devastating. The trick here is that this attack creates wind in the Shrine. When this attack is happening, press X to jump and then X again to open your paraglider. As you rise on the wind, hold down ZR to draw your bow and slow downtime. Release ZR to shoot the Guardian with arrows.

When Guardians Respawn in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Like other enemies in Breath of the Wild, the Guardians you've beaten respawn during a Blood Moon. Expect a Blood Moon to bring back your vanquished foes after about seven days of in-game gameplay. So, after you've played around seven days in the game, you should see a Blood Moon bring back monsters and Guardians on the 8th or 9th night in the game.

Where to Find Guardians in Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild

Because most Guardians are such formidable enemies, you want to prepare when you may have to fight them. The best way to do that is to know where they are. You'll only run into Guardian Scouts in shrines (and not all shrines; some are puzzles that don't have Guardians. Though, some puzzle shrines have Guardians in them, too!). Guardians are in these locations: Guardian Name Health Points Common Locations Decayed Guardian 500 Great Plateau, Death Mountain Guardian Scout I 13 various Shrines Guardian Scout II 375 various Shrines Guardian Scout III 1,500 various Shrines Guardian Scout, IV 3,000 various Shrines Guardian Skywatcher 1,500 Hyrule Field, Akkala Highlands Guardian Stalker 1,500 Hyrule Field Guardian Turret 1,500 Hyrule Castle Sentry 1,000 Hyrule Field, Hyrule Castle Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Defeat a Lynel in Zelda: BOTW How to Make Elixirs in Zelda: BOTW How to Find and Use the Best Weapons in Zelda: BOTW The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Review: An Beautifully Designed RPG for the Switch How to Find and Use Climbing Gear in Zelda: BOTW How to Get Through the Lost Woods in Zelda: BOTW How to Get and Use Armor in Zelda: BOTW How to Unlock All Captured Memories in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Get the Master Sword in Zelda: Breath of the Wild Link’s Awakening Review: A Refreshing Throwback in the Zelda Franchise How to Free the Divine Beasts in Zelda: BOTW The Ultimate Guide to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Recipes How to Cook in Zelda: Breath of the Wild How to Find, Tame, and Care for Horses and Mounts in Zelda: Breath of the Wild Immortals Fenyx Rising Review: A Greek Hero In An Open World The 9 Best Nintendo Switch Games, Tested by Lifewire Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies