The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is classified as a survival game for a reason. While it is somewhat accessible to a variety of playstyles, it provides a significant challenge for most players, and that is especially evidenced in one of Tears of the Kingdom‘s most difficult enemies: Lynels. While these brutal monsters can be avoided, players who wish to upgrade one of the best armor sets in the game are encouraged to seek them out, as they provide the necessary materials.

Upon their defeat, Lynels reward players with components necessary for upgrading the Barbarian armor set. This increases Link’s attack power, so they are a highly sought-after enemy. The chest piece for the armor set can be obtained as one of Misko’s Treasures, but the legs can be retrieved from Walnot Mountain Cave (3931, -2068, 0129) and the helmet from Robred Dropoff Cave (2487, -1467, 0013). Players will need components from each type of Lynel, and unless they haven’t updated the game since the duplication glitch was patched, they will be required to defeat several of them in order to fully upgrade the armor. Here’s how to defeat Lynels and where to find them in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

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How to Defeat Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom

There are three types of Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom: Red, Blue, and White. While subduing them is anything but a walk in the park, Red Lynels are the easiest of the three types to defeat. White Lynels, however, serve up the greatest challenge with their enhanced speed, strength, and abilities. Although players can approach combat differently with each type of Lynel, it’s not entirely necessary, as each one can be defeated using two unique strategies.

One strategy for taking down a Lynel in Tears of the Kingdom involves a primarily defensive approach that focuses on parrying a Lynel’s attacks. The Hylian Shield is perfect for Lynel encounters as it is the strongest shield in the game. Players should first give themselves some time during the battle to learn and time the Lynel’s move set. Once players feel they have the timing down, they hold their shield with ZL and press A as soon as an attack is about to hit them. If timed right, players will parry the attack and momentarily stun the Lynel in the process. Players can then either attack it right there or move behind it, mount it and attack it while mounted to prevent any damage to their weapons. Keeping this up will eventually take the beast down.

The best strategy to use when battling a Lynel involves Puffshrooms, which players can find near trees while exploring the Depths. While Puffshrooms can be used for a variety of purposes, they are most effective when used as a smoke bomb to hide Link and confuse his foes. To utilize Puffshrooms in battle with a Lynel, players simply toss a Puffshroom on the ground near them and wait for a question mark to appear above the Lynel’s head. While the Lynel is confused, players can fire an arrow into its head to stun it, then mount its back and begin attacking it. Once it throws player off, players can immediately toss a Puffshroom at the ground again and repeat the process until the monster is defeated.

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Where to Find Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom

Lynels are fairly rare in Tears of the Kingdom, but they do spawn in specific locations across the map and will respawn after every Blood Moon. While players won’t always be given the opportunity, the best way to approach each Lynel is to glide in from a Skyview Tower and attempt to start the battle on the players’ own terms. Here are the locations of some of Tears of the Kingdom‘s Red, Blue, and White Lynels, including their coordinates and specific directions to reach them.