You're standing on a grassy knoll in the Akkala Highlands. The wind is whistling. Suddenly, the music shifts. That frantic, rhythmic cello kicks in, and you see it—a hulking mass of muscle, lion mane, and horse hooves. It hasn't seen you yet, but its bow is already out. If you've played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for more than ten hours, you know exactly what that feeling of impending doom is like. Finding breath of the wild lynel locations isn't just about seeking out a fight; it’s about a rite of passage.
Lynels are arguably tougher than Calamity Ganon. Honestly, they're definitely tougher. They don't just hit hard; they read your inputs and punish your panic. But if you want those sweet Savage Lynel Crushers or the x5 multishot bows, you have to go hunting.
The game doesn't mark them on your map. It’s a "figure it out yourself" kind of world. Most players stumble onto the Ploymus Mountain Lynel during the Zora questline and get absolutely wrecked, assuming that’s the only one. It isn't. Not by a long shot. There are 22 of these beasts scattered across Hyrule, plus a few extras if you’re playing on Master Mode or have the DLC.
The Northern Border: The Great Lynel Gauntlet
If you want to farm parts quickly, head north. The northern edge of the map, specifically the stretch between the Tabantha Tundra and the Akkala Sea, is basically a neighborhood for high-ranking Lynels.
Start at the Hebra North Summit. Directly behind the mountain, in that freezing, desolate strip of land that marks the edge of the world, you’ll find three Lynels spaced out almost in a perfect line. This is the "North Tabantha Snowfield" run. These guys are almost always Silver or White-Maned depending on how many enemies you’ve scaled up in your playthrough. It’s brutal. The snow makes movement sluggish unless you've got the Snow Boots on, and the visibility is garbage.
Further east, you hit the Deplian Badlands. This is the area north of Death Mountain. It’s eerie and flat, decorated with giant whale bones. There are three more Lynels here. Because the terrain is so level, they will see you from a mile away. You can’t really sneak up on them. It’s a straight-up duel.
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I remember my first time up there. I thought I could outrun a crusher Lynel on a horse. Bad move. They are faster than anything with four legs should be, and their teleportation mechanic is basically a "cheat code" the AI uses when you try to cheese the geometry.
The Central Hyrule Outcasts
You don't always have to go to the literal edge of the map. Some breath of the wild lynel locations are tucked into pockets of the inner kingdom that you’ve probably glided right over.
- Coliseum Ruins: This is the most famous one. Just south of the Great Plateau. As the world levels up, the Lynel here eventually becomes Silver and carries elemental weapons. It’s a theatrical fight, framed by the crumbling tiers of the arena.
- Lanayru Promenade: Follow the river east from the Great Spring. In the ruins of the gate, a Lynel sits waiting. This one is tricky because the canyon walls limit your escape routes.
- Hyrule Castle: There are two in the Gatehouses. These are unique because they are locked encounters. You enter the room, the doors slam shut, and you have to win to leave. Interestingly, these specific Lynels don't usually drop their weapons or bows unless you save and reload during the fight—a weird quirk of the game's coding that frustrates a lot of gear hunters.
The Coliseum Lynel is a great benchmark for your progress. Early game, he’s a terrifying specter you peek at from the top floor. Late game, he’s your five-minute warm-up before you go dragon farming.
The Faron and Southern Wilds
The southern half of the map is a bit more sparse, but the Lynels here are positioned in ways that make the fights feel more "environmental."
Down in the Oseira Plains, which is just south of the Lake Tower and near the Mounted Archery Camp, you’ll find two of the strongest Lynels in the game. They usually carry Crushers. If you’re looking to max out your Barbarian Armor, you’ll be spending a lot of time here. The open fields allow for horse-mounted combat, which is risky but incredibly satisfying if you can pull off the timing.
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Then there is the Lodrum Headland. This is on the eastern coast, near the Lanayru Great Spring. It’s a lonely spot. Most people miss it because there isn't much reason to go out there unless you’re a completionist. But it’s a beautiful spot for a fight, overlooking the sea.
Why Ploymus Mountain is Different
We have to talk about the Red-Maned Lynel at Ploymus Mountain. This is the "tutorial" Lynel. Even when every other Lynel in your world has turned Silver or Gold (in Master Mode), this one stays Red.
Nintendo did this on purpose.
They needed a consistent source for basic Lynel parts for armor upgrades, and they needed to make sure players doing the Vah Ruta quest later in the game weren't met with a Silver Lynel that one-shots them with a shock arrow. It’s a static encounter. It’s the only place where the breath of the wild lynel locations don't scale with your hidden "XP" counter.
Master Mode and the Great Plateau
If you’re playing on Master Mode, the game trolls you immediately. There is a White-Maned Lynel on the Great Plateau right at the start. It’s positioned near the Temple of Time, just chilling in the woods.
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You aren't supposed to fight it. You can, but you shouldn't. Your boko bat will break before you take off 10% of its health. It serves as a reminder that in this mode, you are not the apex predator. Not yet.
Mastering the Hunt: Actionable Insights
Knowing where they are is only half the battle. To actually farm these locations effectively, you need a system.
- The Mounting Strategy: When a Lynel charges, or after you headshot them with an arrow, they take a knee. Run to their side and press A to mount. While you are on their back, your weapon does not lose durability. Use your highest-damage weapon here, even if it’s about to break. It’s free damage.
- Stasis+ is Your Best Friend: Don't just use it to freeze them. Use it to interrupt their big fire-breathing attacks or their massive AOE blast. It gives you those two seconds of breathing room to line up a headshot.
- Weapon Scaling: The weapons dropped by Lynels scale based on how many "points" you've earned by killing enemies. If you want the 100+ damage Savage Lynel Crushers, you need to keep clearing out the Silver ones after every Blood Moon.
- The "Cook" Method: Five "Enduring" ingredients (like Endura Carrots) give you a full stamina bar plus extra. If you get caught in a long fight and run out of stamina while aiming your bow in mid-air, these meals are literal lifesavers.
Once you have a map of these spots memorized, the game changes. You stop being the person running away from the scary music and start being the person the music is playing for. Go to the Hebra North Summit first—it's the best testing ground for a hunter who thinks they're ready.
Next Steps for the Hunter:
Mark the Deplian Badlands and the Oseira Plains on your map with the skull icon. These are your high-value targets. Every time a Blood Moon occurs, teleport to the Shae Loya Shrine and start your circuit. Collect the guts, the hooves, and the horns; you’ll need dozens of them to fully upgrade the Barbarian and Soldier armor sets. For the most efficient farming route, start from the top-left of the map and work your way clockwise along the northern border before hitting the southern plains.