Finding All Stone Talus Locations BOTW: The Best Way to Farm Gems and Get That Medal

You’re wandering through a peaceful meadow in Hyrule, maybe picking some Hyacinth or chasing a restless cricket, when the ground suddenly decides it has had enough of your presence. The music shifts. That iconic, thumping percussion kicks in. A pile of rocks assembles itself into a massive golem. You’ve just stumbled onto a Stone Talus.

Honestly, these guys are the best. Once you get over the initial "oh no" moment of a giant rock trying to flatten you, you realize they are basically walking ATMs. If you’re looking to find all stone talus locations BOTW offers, you’re likely after one of two things: a mountain of Sapphires and Diamonds, or that shiny Medal of Honor from Kilton.

There are 40 of these behemoths scattered across the map. They aren't just all the same "grey rock" either. We're talking elemental variations, rare ore hoarders, and those annoying Luminous ones that glow in the dark but drop slightly less valuable loot. If you want to hunt them all down, you've got to cover every corner of the map, from the freezing peaks of Hebra to the literal lava lakes of Eldin.

The Basic Stone Talus: Where it All Starts

Most players meet their first one on the Great Plateau. It's tucked away in the Forest of Spirits. It's sort of a rite of passage. You think you're safe because you just got your paraglider, and then a boulder the size of a Hylian house tries to punch you.

There are 11 "standard" Stone Taluses. They are mostly found in the lower-elevation, greener areas of the map.

You'll find them at:

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• Great Plateau: North side of the plateau in the forest.
• Deya Lake: In the ruins northeast of Lake Hylia.
• North Dueling Peaks: Known as "Stone Talus (Senior)," northwest of the mountain.
• Dueling Peaks South: Known as "Stone Talus (Junior)," south of the mountain peak.
• West Nabi Lake: Between Batrea Lake and South Nabi Lake.
• North Mable Ridge: West of Lake Siela.
• Martha’s Landing: East of the landing in the Faron region.
• Lake Floria: Northeast from the Lakeside Stable.
• Gama Cove: East of Lurelin Village.
• Ovli Plain: South of Nirvata Lake in the Hateno region.
• Cliffs of Quince: South of the cliffs, near Hateno.

These basic versions mostly drop Amber, Opal, and the occasional Ruby. They aren't the biggest moneymakers, but they are great for upgrading early-game armor sets like the Hylian set or the Soldier's gear.

Luminous Stone Talus Locations

These guys are unmistakable at night. They glow with a soft blue light. They also happen to be one of the best sources for Luminous Stones, which you’ll need if you want to trade with Ledo in Zora's Domain or upgrade your Radiant Armor.

There are 12 of these in total. They're a bit tougher than the basic ones but use the same physics.

Check these spots:

• Mapla Point: Over in the Hateno region.
• Lake Hylia North: East of the Great Plateau.
• Lake Kolomo: North of the garrison ruins.
• Champion’s Gate North: In the Wasteland region.
• South Koukot Plateau: Between the plateau and Gerudo Canyon.
• Mount Nabooru: South side of the mountain.
• South Taafei Hill: West of the Gerudo Canyon Stable.
• East Mount Granajh: North of the Ishto Soh Shrine.
• Upland Lindor: South of Hebra Tower in the canyon.
• Southern Tal Tal Peak: East of the East Reservoir Lake.
• Crenel Hills: North of the hills in Central Hyrule.
• Rutimala Hill: North of Karusa Valley.

Basically, if you see a glowing rock pile while you're paragliding at midnight, drop down and smash it.

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The Rare Stone Talus: Your Ticket to Riches

If you want the good stuff—Diamonds, Sapphires, and Topaz—you need to hunt the Rare Stone Talus. There are 7 of these, and they are significantly beefier. They usually have their ore deposit on their shoulder rather than their back, which makes them a bit more of a pain to hit if you aren't using a spear or a well-timed arrow.

You can find them here:

• Hyrule Castle West: Northeast of the Noya Neha Shrine.
• West Vatorsa Snowfield: Northwest of the Yiga Clan Hideout.
• Illumeni Plateau: In the Ridgeland region.
• Kolami Bridge South: Northeast of the Tabantha Tower.
• Gisa Crater: Northwest of Tabantha Tower.
• Tabanatha Hills: South of the Hebra Plunge.
• Hyrule Castle Underground: This one is actually inside the castle grounds, near the East entrance.

These are the ones people farm after every Blood Moon. A single run of these seven can easily net you enough gems to buy every house and piece of clothing in the game.

Fire and Ice: The Elemental Variations

Now, things get tricky. You can't just climb onto an Igneo Talus or a Frost Talus without preparation.

The Igneo Talus (5 total) lives in the Eldin region. They are literally made of lava. If you touch them, you catch fire. It's a bad time. You have to hit them with an Ice Arrow first to cool them down. Once they turn grey, you have about ten seconds to climb up and whack the ore.

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• Darunia Lake: Southwest of the Shora Hah Shrine.
• Lake Darman: Northwest of Death Mountain.
• Gorko Lake: Southwest of the mountain.
• Darb Pond: South of the main volcano.
• Goronbi Lake North: Near the Southern Mines.

The Frost Talus (5 total) is the opposite. They're in the Hebra and Gerudo Highlands. Touch them and you freeze solid. Use a Fire Arrow to melt their exterior before you climb.

• West Sapphia's Table: North of the Gerudo Tower.
• Laparoh Mesa: East of the Kuh Takkar Shrine.
• West Rospro Pass: Near the Flight Range.
• Coldsnap Hollow: In the Hebra region.
• Pikida Stonegrove: Southeast of the Stonegrove.

The Best Strategy to Take Them Down

Look, you can use arrows, but that’s a waste of resources. The most efficient way is the "Goron Style."

Equip an Iron Sledgehammer or a Boulder Breaker. These weapons deal massive bonus damage to ore deposits. When the Talus falls down after you hit its "weak spot" with an arrow (or blow up its arms with a bomb), climb onto its head. Hold the "Y" button to do a charged spinning attack.

You’ll see its health bar vanish. Usually, a single stamina wheel is enough to kill a standard Talus in one spin. For the Rare and Elemental ones, you might need two rounds.

A Few Pro Tips:

1. The Hammer is King: Always keep a sledgehammer in your inventory specifically for Taluses. It's not for Bokoblins; it's for the rocks.
2. Urbosa’s Fury: If you’re feeling lazy, one hit of Urbosa’s Fury will usually knock a Talus flat and do about half its health in damage.
3. Don't Get Thrown: When the Talus starts to "shiver," it’s about to buck you off. Jump off early to avoid the damage and the long walk back.
4. The Medal: Once you kill all 40, go talk to Kilton at the Fang and Bone. He’ll give you the Medal of Honor: Talus. It doesn't actually "do" anything except sit in your key items, but the bragging rights are real.

Hunting down all stone talus locations BOTW offers is one of those side quests that feels genuinely rewarding because of the loot. Plus, there’s something very satisfying about taking a 20-ton rock monster and turning it into a pile of shiny pebbles.

To get started on your hunt, make sure you have at least two Iron Sledgehammers (you can find one easily at Link's house in Hateno or at the Southern Mine) and a stack of 20 Ice/Fire arrows for the elemental versions. Head to the Great Plateau first to warm up on the basic Talus, then work your way clockwise around the map through Necluda and Faron to maximize your gem intake early on.