That piano music. You know the one. It starts with those frantic, high-pitched staccato notes, and suddenly a bright red laser dot is pinned right to Link’s chest. For most players, their first encounter with Zelda Breath of the Wild Guardians ended in a massive explosion and a "Game Over" screen. It’s a rite of passage.
These things are terrifying. They were designed by Nintendo’s team to be "stalkers"—ancient, mechanical nightmares that make the vast fields of Hyrule feel unsafe. Honestly, the first time you see a Stalker cresting a hill at the Central Hyrule plain, your instinct is to run. That’s the correct instinct. But eventually, you have to fight back. Whether you're hunting for Ancient Screws to upgrade your slate or just trying to reach Hyrule Castle, understanding how these Sheikah relics tick is the difference between progress and a very long walk back from your last save point.
What Are Zelda Breath of the Wild Guardians, Really?
Basically, they’re ancient defense 10,000-year-old drones gone rogue. During the Great Calamity, Ganon took control of these machines, turning them against the very kingdom they were built to protect. You’ll find them in a few different flavors. There are the Decayed Guardians—the ones stuck in the ground that can’t move but will still blast you. Then there are the Stalkers. These are the ones with legs that move way faster than they have any right to.
Don't forget the Skywatchers. They patrol the air around the Akkala Citadel and Hyrule Castle. They’re arguably the most annoying because their searchlights are hard to dodge and their flight patterns are erratic. Then there are the Sentries found on Death Mountain, which are basically smaller, specialized versions.
Inside Shrines, you'll meet Guardian Scouts. These range from "I can beat this with a soup ladle" to "Why is this robot spinning at me with three laser swords?"
The health pools vary wildly. A Decayed Guardian only has 500 HP. A full-blown Stalker has 1,500 HP. That might sound like a lot when you’re rocking a Traveler’s Sword that does 10 damage, but it gets manageable once you understand their weaknesses.
The Parrying Myth and Reality
People tell you to "just parry the laser."
Yeah, sure. Easier said than done when you're sweating.
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To parry a Zelda Breath of the Wild Guardians laser, you have to hit the A button at the exact moment the energy beam leaves the eye. If you’re at mid-range, you usually want to press the button right when you hear the "beep" and see the blue flash around the Guardian's eye. If you’re too far away, you have to wait for the beam to actually travel. If you’re too close? Good luck.
It takes exactly three successful parries to kill a Stalker or a Skywatcher. It only takes one to kill a Decayed Guardian.
The problem is the penalty for failure. Miss the timing by a millisecond, and your shield shatters. Unless you’re using the Hylian Shield—which has massive durability—most early-game shields are one-hit wonders against a laser.
Why Your Shield Choice Matters
If you aren't a parry god, you need the right gear. The Ancient Shield, which you can buy from Robbie at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, is a literal game-changer. It automatically reflects Guardian beams without you even having to press the parry button. It’s expensive, though. You need a giant ancient core and 1,000 rupees.
Normal wooden shields? They just burn. Metal shields? They conduct electricity if it’s raining, but they’ll still explode from a direct hit.
Dismemberment is Your Best Friend
You don't have to just stand there and take it.
If you’re facing a Stalker, the smartest thing you can do is take out its legs. Each leg has its own "health" bar (roughly 100 HP). If you use a high-damage weapon or an Ancient weapon, you can snap those legs right off.
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Cutting off a leg does two things:
- It stuns the Guardian for a few seconds.
- It gives you extra loot (Ancient Gears and Springs).
If you manage to cut off all six legs, the Stalker is stuck. It’s basically a Decayed Guardian at that point. It can still shoot you, but it can't chase you. This is the most efficient way to farm parts. Use a Triple-Speed food buff, run in circles, and hack away at the limbs. It’s satisfying. Sorta brutal, but satisfying.
The Secret Power of Ancient Arrows
If you’re tired of the dance, use Ancient Arrows.
These are the "delete" buttons of Breath of the Wild. If you hit a Zelda Breath of the Wild Guardians right in the eye with an Ancient Arrow, it dies instantly. One shot. Done.
If you hit it in the body, it does a massive chunk of damage (usually about one-third of its health), but it won't be a one-hit kill. Since Ancient Arrows are rare and expensive to craft, you really want to make sure your aim is true.
Pro tip: Use a multi-shot bow, like the Great Eagle Bow or a Lynel Bow. Even though it fires three or five arrows, it only consumes one Ancient Arrow from your inventory. This increases your chances of hitting that tiny glowing eye-target significantly.
Fighting Skywatchers Without Going Crazy
Skywatchers are the worst. Their propellers are their weak points. If you can hit those with Ancient Arrows or Bomb Arrows, you can knock them out of the sky.
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The problem is the sway. They bob up and down. Using a Golden Bow or a Phrenic Bow (the ones with the zoom-in effect) makes this much easier. Honestly, if you don't need to kill a Skywatcher, just sneak around it. Use the environment. Hide behind pillars. They aren't worth the headache unless you're specifically farming for parts or clearing a path to a terminal in the castle.
Advanced Tactics: Stasis+ and Mounting
Once you upgrade your Sheikah Slate at the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab, you get Stasis+. This lets you freeze enemies, including Guardians.
Freezing a Guardian for a few seconds gives you enough time to:
- Line up an eye shot.
- Close the distance to start hacking at legs.
- Reset your position if you're about to get blasted.
There’s also a weird trick where you can actually jump on top of a Guardian Stalker. If you manage to paraglide onto its head, it can't shoot you. It will spin around frantically trying to find you while you just stand there and whack it with a sword. It’s a bit glitchy, but it works.
Loot Farming: What to Keep
You need these parts for the Ancient Armor set. That set is arguably the best in the game because it provides "Ancient Proficiency," which boosts the damage of Ancient and Guardian weapons by 80%.
- Ancient Screws/Springs: Common. Use these for basic upgrades and selling for cash.
- Ancient Gears: Mid-tier. You’ll need a lot of these for the armor.
- Ancient Shafts: Used for arrows.
- Ancient Cores: Rare. Dropped by Stalkers and Skywatchers occasionally.
- Giant Ancient Cores: Extremely rare. These only drop from the big guys, and the drop rate is tiny. Never sell these. You need them for the level 4 armor upgrades.
Practical Steps for Your Next Encounter
Next time you hear that piano music, don't panic. Follow these steps.
- Assess the Terrain: Is there a tree or a rock nearby? Use it. Guardians can't shoot through solid objects.
- Equip the Right Tool: If you have an Ancient Arrow, use it. If not, get a high-durability shield ready.
- Go for the Eye: A regular arrow to the eye will stun a Guardian for a second, resetting its laser charge. This buys you time.
- Close the Gap: Run in, chop a leg, and keep moving. Stay behind it if possible.
- Check Your Inventory: If your shield breaks, don't forget you can use Daruk’s Protection if you’ve cleared Vah Rudania. It automatically parries for you.
Guardians are meant to be the ultimate predators of the Hyrulean wilds, but they are ultimately just machines. Once you learn their rhythm—the beep, the flash, the leg-twitch—they stop being monsters and start being your primary source of high-end crafting materials.
Stop running. Start parrying. Or, at the very least, start carry enough Ancient Arrows to turn them into scrap metal before they can even lock on. Hyrule is a lot quieter when the only thing you hear is the wind and not a targeting laser.