You’re wandering through a quiet meadow in Hyrule, the music swells with a sudden, frantic piano riff, and the ground literally stands up to punch you. If you’ve played The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for more than twenty minutes, you know that feeling. The Stone Talus isn't just a boss; it's a mobile ore deposit that happens to have a very short temper.
Finding stone talus locations botw fans obsess over isn't just about completionism. It’s about the money. These rocky giants are basically walking ATMs. When they crumble, they vomit out Amber, Opal, Luminous Stones, and if you’re lucky, Diamonds. But with 40 of these behemoths scattered across a map that feels roughly the size of a small European country, just "stumbling into them" is a terrible strategy for getting rich.
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Why You Actually Need a Talus Hunting Route
Let’s be real. Nobody hunts a Talus for the "thrill of the fight" after the tenth time. You do it because you need to upgrade the Amber Earrings or you're trying to fund that expensive Ancient Armor set from the Akkala Tech Lab.
Most players make the mistake of only hitting the easy ones. You know, the one in the Great Plateau that scares every newbie, or the one right next to Dueling Peaks. But the real loot? That’s tucked away in the corners of the map people usually fast-travel over. There are actually several varieties: the standard Stone Talus, the Luminous variety, the Rare ones (the holy grail of gem farming), and the elemental Frost and Igneo versions.
Each type has a different loot table. If you're looking for Diamonds, you shouldn't be wasting your weapon durability on a standard Talus in the Central Hyrule fields. You need to head North or into the mountains.
The Rare Stone Talus Locations You’ve Been Skipping
If you want the big bucks, you want the Rare Stone Talus. These guys have a significantly higher chance of dropping Rubies, Sapphires, and Diamonds. They look slightly darker, more like obsidian, and they are significantly tankier.
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One of the most overlooked spots is in the Gerudo Highlands. Specifically, check the Gisa Crater. It’s a literal hole in the ground west of Tabantha Frontier. Most people fly right over it. Down in that pit, a Rare Talus is just waiting. It’s a great fight because the crater walls give you plenty of height to glide down from and aim for that weak point—the "ore deposit" on its back.
Another high-value target sits on Kolami Bridge in the Tabantha region. If you warp to the Shae Loya Shrine and head south, you'll find it tucked away.
Then there's the one in Hyrule Castle. Yeah, most people are too busy dodging Guardians and trying not to die to Ganon to bother with mining, but the Rare Talus in the West Passage of the castle is legendary for drops. It’s a tight space, though. Be careful. One wrong move and you’re bouncing off the walls like a pinball.
Elemental Variations: Heat and Ice
You can't just run up to a Frost Talus or an Igneo Talus with a standard iron sledgehammer and expect things to go well. You’ll either freeze solid or catch fire. Common sense, right?
The Igneo Talus thrives in Eldin. You’ll find a cluster of them around the Goro Cove and Lake Darman. Pro tip: hit them with an Ice Arrow first. It cools their body down, allowing you to actually climb on them without turning into a baked potato. Once they’re "put out," you have about ten to fifteen seconds to wail on that black rock on their head before they reignite.
For the Frost Talus, head to the Hebra Mountains or the cold peaks of the Gerudo Highlands. The one at Coldsnap Hollow is a classic. Use a Fire Arrow to thaw them out. Honestly, if you have the Great Flameblade or any fire-elemental weapon equipped, just standing near them helps.
The Weird Ones: Stone Talus (Luminous)
Luminous Stones are cool for the first few hours of the game, then they kind of become a nuisance in your inventory. Until you realize you can trade ten of them for a Diamond in Zora's Domain.
If you're looking for Luminous stone talus locations botw maps often highlight the area around Upland Zorana. There’s one sitting right on a plateau overlooking the path to the city. Another is found in the Southern Dueling Peaks area. They glow at night, obviously, which makes them the easiest bosses to spot from a distance if you’re paragliding after dark.
Mastering the "Back Ore" Problem
We need to talk about the Talus spawns where the ore deposit isn't on the top. It's on the small of their "back." These are the worst.
When the weak point is on the very top, you just climb up and spin-to-win with a heavy weapon. Easy. But when it’s on the back? You can't stay on top of them. You have to use arrows or very specific positioning with a spear.
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A great example of this frustrating layout is the Stone Talus in North Hyrule Plain, just southeast of the Monya Toma Shrine. To beat these efficiently, use Urbosa’s Fury. It ignores positioning and just wrecks their day. If you haven't cleared the Divine Beast Vah Naboris yet, use a Stasis+ upgrade to freeze them, run behind, and use a Drillshaft. The Drillshaft does massive bonus damage to all Talus types. It’s basically a cheat code.
The Full Checklist: Mapping Your Route
If you're serious about farming, you should hit these spots every Blood Moon:
- The Plateau Starter: Just east of Hopper Pond. Good for a quick Amber fix.
- West Vilia Peak: Located in the Gerudo Highlands. It's a Rare variety. Don't miss it.
- Lake Hylia: There’s one on a small island in the lake. It's a Luminous Talus. Great view, decent loot.
- Deltas of Lanayru: Check the islands in the marshes. There are a couple of standard ones here that are very easy to reach from the towers.
- Tarm Point: Way out on the eastern coast. It’s a bit of a trek, but the solitude is nice, and the loot is consistent.
The "Stone Talus (Senior)"—which is just a fancy way of saying the ones with higher HP found in late-game areas—tend to cluster around the edges of the map. The center of Hyrule is mostly for beginners. If you want the gems that sell for 500 Rupees, you have to go where the weather is bad.
Strategy: The Sledgehammer vs. The Bow
I see a lot of people trying to snipe a Stone Talus from a distance. Don't. It’s a waste of arrows.
The most "human" way to handle this is the Iron Sledgehammer. You can find one at almost every stable or near Hateno Village. It deals 4x damage to the ore deposit. If you have a Boulder Breaker (the Goron Champion weapon), you’re basically a god. You can kill a Rare Talus in one "cycle" if you have enough stamina to keep spinning.
Another tip? Use the environment. If there's a cliff nearby, don't climb the Talus. Let it come to you, jump off the cliff, and use the slow-motion bow aim to pepper the weak point with Bomb Arrows. It knocks them flat on their face, giving you a massive window to run up and finish the job.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Gems
Once you've cleared out these stone talus locations botw has to offer, don't just sell your gems to the first merchant you see at a stable.
- Find Ramella in Goron City. After you beat the Divine Beast Vah Rudania, she will buy specific gems in bulk (usually 10 at a time) for a much higher price than any other shopkeeper.
- Save your Diamonds. You need them to repair the Champion weapons like the Great Eagle Bow or the Scimitar of the Seven.
- Upgrade your armor. The Soldier’s Set and the various jewelry pieces from Gerudo Town require massive amounts of Flint and Amber.
Stop treating the Stone Talus like an obstacle. Treat it like a resource. Mark your map with the "ore" icon every time you find one, and by the time the next Blood Moon rolls around, you'll be the richest Hylian in the kingdom.