Guardians are one of the toughest enemies players face in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and these ancient machines pose a significant threat throughout the entire game. Their powerful lasers can easily kill Link in just one or two hits, and they're able to lock onto their target from a distance that makes them difficult to approach. However, once players have the right equipment, toppling these technological terrors can yield some valuable Ancient Parts.
Ancient Parts not only sell for a fair price in Breath of the Wild but they can also be used to purchase the Ancient Armor Set and Ancient Weapons from the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. The Ancient Armor Set is one of the best armor sets in the game, offering incredible base defense as well as the Ancient Proficiency Set Bonus once it's upgraded. This set bonus boosts Link's attack power when using Ancient Weapons, allowing him to dish out some serious damage. Ancient Weapons are extremely effective against Guardians, Blights, and even Calamity Ganon himself, and combined with the Ancient Proficiency bonus; Link can become an unstoppable force against Hyrule's biggest, baddest enemies.
The Ancient Armor can be upgraded at any of Breath of the Wild's Fairy Fountains, but all four fountains will need to be unlocked before players can fully upgrade the set. The fully upgraded Ancient Armor offers 84 defense, but players will have to find dozens of Ancient Springs, Screws, Gears, Shafts, and Cores in order to max out the entire set. Fortunately, Guardian parts also sell well, so farming them is also an excellent way to make money from extra parts while grinding for the necessary upgrade materials.
Where To Get Guardian Parts In Zelda BOTW
Players can find Guardian parts on the decayed Guardians scattered throughout Breath of the Wild's ruined Hyrule, so Link can start collecting these materials early in the game before he's strong enough to fight them. The field near Fort Hateno is one of the best places to collect Guardian parts this way, though a few active Guardians in this area may surprise players if they're not careful. However, active Guardians drop a pile of parts when they're defeated, making fighting these fearsome foes the fastest way to farm Ancient Parts.
Zelda BOTW - Best Ways To Fight Guardians (Tips & Tricks)
There's more than one way to beat a Guardian in Breath of the Wild, but certain weapons and techniques will give Link a significant advantage when battling them. The Master Sword in BOTW is by far the best melee weapon to use against Guardians since it deals them twice as much damage, and it has high enough durability to take down multiple Guardians before running out of energy. However, any Ancient Weapon will also do bonus damage against Guardians. Players can purchase Ancient Weapons from the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, but the small Guardians that can be fought in Test of Strength Shrines will drop them for free. The Ancient Tech Lab also sells Ancient Arrows, which are powerful enough to kill a Guardian with one shot to the eye. These special arrows are the rarest and most powerful arrows in the game, but players will have to spend their Ancient Parts to buy them. Still, defeating a few Guardians will likely be enough to earn back the parts that were spent, and their efficiency makes them well worth the extra effort.
Breath of the Wild players can also defeat Guardians by parrying their lasers with a shield, but this method can be a bit tricky to master. The parry window for these powerful shots is extremely small, and getting the timing even slightly off can be disastrous. Players can also simply block a Guardian's attacks with their shield, but most shields in the game will break after just one shot. The Hylian Shield is an excellent choice for facing Guardians since its high durability allows it to block more shots than any other shield in the game. However, the Ancient Shield comes with the added bonus of automatically reflecting Guardian lasers without having to parry. Daruk's Protection will also reflect Guardian's attacks, but it only has three charges, so Link will have to use it wisely while farming for Guardian Parts. However, players will have to defeat Divine Beast Vah Rudania in BOTW to unlock this skill.
While every type of Guardian in Breath of the Wild will drop a cluster of parts when they're defeated, players can get more Guardian parts by attacking the legs of Guardian Stalkers. Each leg will drop an additional part, and the Guardian will be stunned temporarily every time it loses a limb. The Master Sword and Ancient Weapons can take out a leg in only one or two hits, but Link can also use Bomb Arrows to take out the legs from a distance. Additionally, players can use Shock Arrows to stun the Guardian momentarily, giving them a window to aim for the legs or attack the Guardian directly. Guardians can also be frozen with the Stasis+ Rune, but freezing a Guardian Stalker may cause it to disappear into the ground without dropping any parts if players don't damage it while it's frozen.
Best Guardian Farming Locations In Zelda BOTW
There are a ton of Guardians lurking in Breath of the Wild's Hyrule Castle and Hyrule Field, making this area the best location to farm Guardian parts. Additionally, this region has more Guardian Stalkers than anywhere else on the map, allowing players to collect parts more quickly by attacking their legs. Finally, to make farming in this area more efficient, players can set their Sheikah Slate to track Guardians or Guardian Stalkers once these enemies have been registered to the Hyrule Compendium.
Another great location to farm Guardian parts in Breath of the Wild is the Lomei Labyrinth, which can be seen from the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab. There are a few Guardian Stalkers and Guardian Skywatchers patrolling the area, but once Breath of the Wild players solve the labyrinth and reach the Shrine in the center, the farming location can be found deep below the labyrinth itself. There's a vent in the floor with a wind gust that players can ride to exit the area, but dropping down into the vent will take Link to a room with four stationary Guardians and two dormant Guardian Stalkers. All four stationary Guardians will immediately lock onto Link when he drops in, but the Guardian Stalkers won't wake up until Link gets close to them.
Like the Lomei Labyrinth, Breath of the Wild's Forgotten Temple has a ton of stationary Guardians that players can quickly farm for Ancient Parts. Entering the temple can be intimidating since all of the Guardians will lock onto Link at once, but players can avoid their lasers by hiding behind the room's ledges and other obstacles. By strategically staying out of sight, players will be able to easily take down the Guardians one at a time. Guardians will respawn every Blood Moon, so once players have finished farming for parts, they'll have to wait for another Blood Moon or pass the time at an inn or campfire. Hino at the Dueling Peaks Stable studies the Blood Moon, so players can speak with him to determine when the next Blood Moon will rise, along with all of the defeated Guardians.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available on Nintendo Switch.