Summary
With over twenty unique enemies,Tears of the Kingdomis not short of interesting and challenging battles. Its expansive world sees enemies vary in form depending on climate, and with theintroduction of the depths, many common monsters have the added advantage of gloom damage. The game teaches players a broad range of mechanics to employ when battling enemies, such as dodging, flurry rushing, and allowing gameplay to slow down when Link is shooting an arrow from midair. SomeZeldafans felt thatTears of the Kingdom’spredecessorBreath of the Wildlacked enemy range, but its sequel has fixed that issue by keeping familiar faces and introducing brand-new monsters for Link to defeat.
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Although many players are thrilled with the updates to enemies, there are certain monsters that some gamers findfrustrating or repetitive.Tears of the Kingdomhas a certain amount of foes who are essentially around to provide monster parts for cooking, fusing with weapons, and armor upgrades, so after a while, the hundreds of Bokoblins and Moblins can begin to seem annoying. However, the game provides more than enough enemies who are a bit rarer and far more fun to battle.
10Hinox
Hinox are instantly recognizable to anybody who playedBreath of the Wild.These snoring giants will attack Link if they wake up from their slumber. Hinox vary in difficulty depending on their color, and players can even take their chanceswith the rarerStalnox, which are undead and only roam around in the night (or all the time in the depths).
The best way to defeat a Hinox is to shoot an arrow in its eye and run closer to attack, once it falls to the floor. Stocking up on dazzle fruit and throwing them constantly will keep the Hinox blind, allowing players to quickly dispatch it.
9Gibdos
Gibdos are a new addition toTears of the Kingdomfor recent players, but longtimeZeldafans will most likely recognize these creepy foes fromOcarina of Time, even though they’ve been around as early as the very first game in the franchise.
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Gibdos are an interesting enemy because they cannot be defeated just by hitting them. These rambling, zombie-like creatures need to be hit with some form of fire or lightning damage before they become vulnerable to physical attacks, making them more challenging to fight. Additionally, Gibdos are heavily featured in a popular sequence in the game, where players have to protect Gerudo Town from hordes of walking and flying Gibdos, with the help of the Gerudo and Riju.
8Gloom Spawn
Gloom Spawn are a dangerous new addition toTears of the Kingdom.These spooky hands spawn from puddles of gloom found throughout Hyrule, meaning it’s very difficult for players to predict when they will be ambushed by them. They will grab Link if he gets too close, and players will have to frantically wiggle the joystick to escape.
Thebest way to defeatGloom Hands is to get to high ground since they cannot climb up vertical surfaces. Despite their difficulty, Gloom Spawn are a fun enemy to fight since they test Link’s ranged abilities and ask players to strategize well, since individual Gloom Hands will respawn if all five of them aren’t defeated quickly enough.
7Lynels
Lynels are a frightening enemy that most players will recognize fromBreath of the Wild.These angry creatures race at Link quickly and mercilessly, but can also be evenmore dangerousfrom a distance since they can shoot a volley of arrows at him.
Despite how intimidating they can be, the best way to defeat a Lynel is up close, using the fighting mechanics the game teaches players. Jumping out of the way of a Lynel charge will allow players to flurry-rush it. Using a strong weapon will make short work of the Lynel and finish it off with minimal damage sustained.
6Molduga
Molduga are another returning enemy and can be found exclusively in the desert areas of Hyrule. Luckily there are few Molduga around, but players will have to defeat at least one to complete the side quest “WANTED: Molduga.”
The main quality of a Molduga is its alarming ability to tunnel through the sand and launch up from underneath Link, meaning players can often end up in a fight with one without even realizing it. Players will want to use bombs to lure a Molduga to the surface while standing on solid ground. Once the Molduga is out of the sand, hitting it with another bomb should cause it to flop onto the ground where it can be damaged at close range.
5Gleeok
Tears of the Kingdom’siteration of Gleeoks are truly terrifying, with four different kinds found scattered around Hyrule. Frost, Thunder, and Flame Gleeoks can be found above ground, while the infamous King Gleeok can be found in the Gleeok Den in the depths.
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Gleeoks provide a fun fight pattern, and as long as players are equipped with plenty of arrows and elemental Keese eyes they won’t have a tough time defeating them. Gleeoks need to be hit with enough damage to knock them to the ground, so they can be hit in melee. After a while, the Gleeok will fly up high in the air and Link will need to hitch a ride up before aiming more arrows at them to once again knock them to the ground.
4Queen Gibdo
Most players will encounter a Queen Gibdo for the first time at The Lightning Temple. One of the most challenging aspects of this boss battle is the hordes of Gibdos that come with it, meaning Link will have to have some serious crowd control skills.
Players can defeat Gibdos the usual way, and aim lightning strikes at the hives when they’re lit up purple to explode them, all while dodging tornado and charging attacks from the boss. Queen Gibdo also needs to be hit with elemental damage, most effectively Riju’s lightning strike, then hit again to knock it to the floor. Once on the ground, Link can deal damage with a weapon.
3Phantom Ganon
Phantom Ganon is a typically unexpected, difficult enemy to fight, and it will often appear after players defeat Gloom Spawn. Phantom Ganon is quick and can launch at players to deal gloom damage.
Like Lynels, the best way for players to defeat Phantom Ganon is to use the fighting mechanics; blindly trying to hit it won’t work. Link will need to defend with his shield, parry, and dodge to flurry rush, and deal damage. Phantom Ganon brings with it pools of gloom that will hurt Link if he stands in them, so having lots ofgloom-healing disheshandy is a must.
2Master Kohga
Players will have to fight Master Kohga four separate times in the game. Each time he will have a different Zonai construct that allows him to move around quickly and attack Link. This gives variety to the fights and challenges players to think outside the box to defeat him.
Players who want to beat Master Kohga quickly are better off launching arrows with eyeballs attached to them, knocking Kohga off his vehicle and allowing players to get some melee attacks in.
1Seized Construct
Players will only have the opportunity to fight the Seized Construct once, at the Spirit Temple, one of themore difficult dungeons. Although players can battle constructs throughout the game, this boss is unlike any other fight.
The Seized Construct is the only boss that must be fought with Mineru’s Construct. The fight requires Link to block attacks and use those openings to strike using weapons attached to the left and right arms. The construct will then be knocked back into the fence, which will damage it substantially. This battle is a throwback to classicZeldamechanics and asks players to be creative and attentive to the fight to pick up on patterns.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomis available to play on Nintendo Switch.
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