Hyrule is depicted as a desolate and prosperous place in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, with humans trying to live a peaceful life surrounded by the black shroud of Calamity Ganon and his minions. Thankfully, Link is on hand to protect its citizens from some of the most powerful enemies terrorizing the once-tranquil land.
Aside from the frightening presence of Calamity Ganon and the Blight Ganons plaguing Hyrule Castle and the Divine Beasts, there are a fair few enemies within The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that have a strange aura about them. Whether from their appearance or their actions in combat, players are often left astounded at what they stumble across during their adventures.
8 Wizzrobe
Wizzrobes have gone through many designs throughout the Zelda games, but none are more creepy than in Breath of the Wild. These undead wizards attack Link with a mischievous grin and childish laughter, brandishing powerful elemental weapons that can do a lot of damage via the stronger variants of the enemy.
There’s no getting around these foes in Breath of the Wild, as players will have to face a Wizzrobe during a side quest to impress a weapon enthusiast. But once players get the hang of their movements and look past the strangeness of these enemies, there’s humor to be found in their demise as they fall with spectacular ragdoll fashion when hit by an arrow.
7 Stalnox
The skeletal remains of a Hinox, the Stalnox only come out at night and provide a bizarre fight for Link to contend with. Instead of using upended trees and powerful attacks to thwart Link’s advances, the Stalnox removes bones from its body, like its ribs and arms to throw at Link.
While it may seem as though the Stalnox are just another one of Calamity Ganon’s reanimated monstrosities that follow Link during the night, there’s a particular Stalnox in the depths of Hyrule Castle that serves an important purpose. Royal Guards who have slain this Stalnox are branded a Knight and gifted with the coveted Hylian Shield. A hundred years after becoming a Knight, this battle is the only way Link can retrieve his famous shield.
6 Molduking
There’s only one Molduking in Breath of the Wild, making it one of the rarest enemies in the game. Introduced in The Champions’ Ballad DLC, Link faces off with the Molduking as part of the "EX Champion Urbosa’s Song" in the Divine Beast Tamer’s Trial.
According to in-game lore, the Molduking gained immense power by laying dormant for centuries, during which time the iron in the sand formed as armor on its skin. It’s unclear how this particular Molduga found itself in this situation, and whether others of its kind go through a similar rite of passage. But seeing as Molduga will once again appear in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, there’s potential that players may meet another Molduking during their travels.
5 Bokoblin
Bokoblins are one of the most common enemies in The Legend of Zelda, but they are weird little things – especially in Breath of the Wild. Despite being used as Ganon’s minions, they aren’t that clever when facing off with Link. Instead, Bokoblins are often careless, swinging their weapons around while screaming.
Most surprisingly, they manage to tame horses in Breath of the Wild. It’s hard enough for Link to tame one, let alone a Bokoblin. It’s hard to imagine one of these enemies attempting the same feat - though they probably use a bit of violence and intimidation to get their steed.
4 Lynel
Lynels have been around since the first game in the franchise, but it wasn’t until their appearance in Breath of the Wild that they became legendary foes. Lynels are arguably the toughest enemy to beat in Breath of the Wild, and it takes some serious studying of their movements and attacks to best them in battle.
There are several variants of Lynels, with five different colors distinguishing their strength. While there’s no explanation of how Lynels get these colors, the Golden Lynel introduced in Master Mode is said to have been a Silver Lynel that was struck by lightning, which, in turn, increased its overall attack and defense.
3 Talus
Much of what Link stumbles across in Hyrule is not what it seems, including massive piles of boulders. They very quickly form into the Talus, a Golem-like creature that has an immense amount of power. How these creatures came to be is unknown, but their sentience can cause much trouble for Link.
The only way for Link to defeat these sub-bosses in Breath of the Wild is to hit a small deposit of ore on its back. While players can smash off the arms of a Talus with a two-handed weapon, the creature can mysteriously regenerate these pieces of stone as the fight progresses.
2 Lizalfos
Lizalfos have been a common foe in The Legend of Zelda since being introduced in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Here, and in the subsequent games, the monsters have taken on the form of a sentient lizard. But in Breath of the Wild, Lizalfos have evolved into chameleon-like creatures. This jump is never explained, but it is most likely due to the Lizalfos slowly adapting to the environment around them, lending to the different elemental types found throughout Hyrule.
Out of the three common enemies that players will come across adventuring across Hyrule, the Lizalfos seem to be the most intelligent of the bunch. While they can be pretty easy to outsmart in battle, they very nearly took over the Zora Domain through their cunning combat tactics, weaponry, and armor.
1 Guardian Stalker
Created by the Sheikah to fight against Calamity Ganon, the Guardians went rogue after being taken over by the spread of Malice, a substance that enables Calamity Ganon to take control of ancient technology and monsters. Out of all the machines made, the Guardian Stalker is by far the one most feared by players courtesy of that intense piano music once Link becomes a target.
It is alarming why the Shiekah thought it would be a good idea to put that many legs on the Guardian. Sure, it makes sense in that it can cover a lot of ground, but it lends to becoming a huge problem in the event of it being taken over by an evil force, which is what inevitably happens.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now on Nintendo Switch.