The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild is considered by many to be one of the best open-world games of all time, and perhaps the best Zelda game to ever grace the franchise. The game truly took advantage of the Switch's upgraded hardware to deliver one of the best gaming experiences in recent memory, wowing fans and critics with the sheer fidelity and panache that was on full display throughout one's playthrough.
The Legend Of Zelda formula was majorly altered by Breath Of The Wild, with one of the significant changes being the increase in difficulty. Breath Of The Wild is a brutal game — especially during the first few hours, when the player is incredibly fragile — and the best enemy to exemplify this increase in difficulty would be the Lynel. A staple of the Zelda series ever since the very first game, Lynels can bring a world of hurt upon the player, forcing them to adapt on the fly against one of the toughest foes in Hyrule. Here are ten facts about this beast that even the most hardcore of Zelda fans have no idea about.
10 Lynels Are Powerful Enough To Wield Two-Handed Weapons In One Hand
In order to sell the fact that these creatures are as powerful as can be, Nintendo added a rather nifty little detail that most people wouldn't even notice.
Lynels are so incredibly strong that the spears and clubs that usually need to be two-handed end up being wielded comfortably enough in one hand... which is certainly bad news for Link.
9 They Have The Ability To Teleport As Well
A rare ability of Lynels that most people have absolutely no clue about is the fact that these creatures can teleport as well!
This only happens when a Lynel is stuck on the terrain, is too far away from its patrolling route, or needs to reach Link in a rather obtuse location. It's one of the rarest things ever for a Lynel to teleport, which is what makes this occurrence all the more special.
8 Their Fireballs Can Be Deflected
The Lynel's fireballs can be easily dodged by just running in a particular direction... but if the player wishes, then they can definitely channel their daredevil side as well.
By nailing the timing of their perfect blocks, a player can just deflect all the fireballs thrown their way and create a rather convenient updraft that they can use to land on the Lynel's back for some extra damage.
7 Mounting And Hitting A Lynel Doesn't Degrade Link's Weapon
One interesting thing to note is that hitting a Lynel with a weapon while mounting them doesn't lead to the degradation of said weapon's durability.
This means that a player who wants to conserve their best weapons for later can quickly switch over to their most powerful weapon and land some really powerful hits, before switching back to a more disposable weapon.
6 Perfectly Dodging Their Charging Bodyslam Is As Easy As Can Be
One of the moves that a Lynel can pull of is a charged bodyslam, where they sheath all their weapons and just run full force towards the player.
The Flurry Rush timing on this move is ridiculously massive, meaning that jumping to the side at pretty much any time when the Lynel is even remotely close while doing this move will allow Link to unleash a pretty damaging Flurry Rush combo with the greatest of ease.
5 Their Weapon Attacks Are More Suited To A Perfect Block
However, don't make the same mistake when a Lynel is charging at your with their weapons drawn. While perfectly dodging their attack is possible, the timing is way tighter.
Instead, it's better to just wait for the Lynel's weapon to come arcing down, before initiating a perfect block. Doing so will stun the Lynel, giving Link an attacking opportunity.
4 Their AOE Slams Can Actually Be Parried With The Right Timing
Speaking of perfect blocks, one can choose to do the same with the dangerous AOE slam that Lynels pull off at times.
While this might be extremely hard to pull off, it definitely looks way cooler than a Link who's running away as fast as possible with his tail tucked between his legs.
3 Dealing With Their Arrows Is Significantly Harder Than Fighting Them Head-On
The idea of having a ranged contest with a Lynel might sound like an interesting endeavor... but the fact of the matter is that doing so can prove to be way more detrimental in both the short and long run. A Lynel's arrows are almost always special and hit for massive damage, while they themselves need to be hit with a ton of arrows before any significant dent is made in their health bar — that is, unless Link has an incredibly powerful bow.
Thus, it's recommended that players engage with them in melee combat as opposed to partaking in ranged shenanigans. Although, that being said...
2 Shooting An Arrow At Their Head Stuns Them And Deals Double Damage
If a player has a steady aim with their bow, then fighting a Lynel can become way easier... as long as the player is able to land a chain of headshots.
Doing so consistently can prove to be a major challenge, so combining this strategy along with melee attacks can prove to be quite effective as well.
1 There Are 22 Lynels In The Game's Normal Mode
For as imposing as a Lynel might seem, one thing that players can be thankful for is the fact that the game only has 22 of these creatures — 23 if the player is playing in Master Mode, with a rather cruelly-placed Lynel on the Great Plateau.
There are also two Lynels present in the Master Sword trials, which can prove to be especially annoying to fight due to the equipment restrictions set on the player.