Every The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild player out there probably knows how frustrating it can be to run into a Guardian, especially during the earlier parts of the game.
While these mechanical foes seem to be more vicious than eight-legged freaks, they don't have to be, despite having many appendages as well.
On that note, here are some of the easiest ways to defeat Guardians and get Ancient equipment.
Shield Parry: The Best Method To Beat Guardians
Without good armor, Guardians can take you down with just one laser, but you don't really need all that as long as you have a good shield with you.
Put simply, what you're going to do here is to parry the laser and deflect it right back at the enemy, dealing a huge amount of damage — one hit for broken down Guardians and three hits for the ones in good condition, aka the ones that are still moving.
Step 1: Lock on a Guardian and raise your shield.
Step 2: Wait for the Guardian to prepare firing its laser and observe the energy that starts collecting around its eye.
Step 3: Press the A button at the right moment as the Guardian shoots its laser. It's also recommended to keep a good distance — not too close, not too far — between you and the Guardian so you can parry the laser properly.
Note: Parrying lasers won't reduce your shield's durability, but if you do this too late, your shield will probably break. Of course, if you do this too early, then you're going to bear the full brunt of the Guardian's laser.
This method is a high-reward, high-risk type of deal, though, as it's a bit tricky to get the timing down. Needless to say, if parrying Guardians' laser becomes second nature to you, then they will no longer be a problem at all.
Ancient Arrows To Defeat Guardians In One Shot
Sort of like a payback to the Guardians for killing you in one hit, you can shoot them in the eye with Ancient Arrows, taking them down in just one hit. See, payback?
The thing is, Ancient Arrows aren't exactly cheap. At the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, they'll hold you back by 90 rupees apiece, 250 rupees for a bundle of three, or 400 rupees for a batch of five. Fortunately, there are plenty of methods to make quick money, including gambling and playing the snow bowling minigame.
Another way to get Ancient Arrows is to finish the side quest Robbie's Research at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, and if you do this, you'll get three.
However, keep in mind that you're going to need more than one shot if you don't accurately hit Guardians in the eye. To make things easier, take advantage of the slowdown when you aim while midair by jumping off from an elevated area.
Master Sword To Beat Down Grounded Guardians
Other than the Ancient weapons, the Master Sword is one of the best weapons to deal significant damage to Guardians.
Aside from never breaking and just losing energy, it can do 60 damage to those infected by Ganon's corruption, which include Guardians. It's pretty easy to get to boot.
It's also worth mentioning that green tunic armor sets — Hero, Hero of Time, Hero of the Wind, Hero of Twilight, and Hero of the Wild — have a bonus that improves the Master Sword's beam attack.
Now that you can make quick work of any Guardian located all over Hyrule, you can now get the Ancient loot you need to purchase, well, Ancient equipment.
Don't forget to check out our other Breath of the Wild guides, including how to increase your inventory, how to get Dark Link, and how to get Epona, the Hylian Shield, and Wolf Link.
Breath of the Wild rolled out on March 3 with the Nintendo Switch, and it's available at the eShop for $59.99.
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