Lynels are Hyrule’s most powerful enemies, stronger even than some of Breath of the Wild’s main bosses. Other sub-bosses like the Molduga pose challenges of their own, but the Lynel is unquestionably their king. Still, some high-tier weapons require Lynel drops to be upgraded to the highest level, while the Lynels themselves drop some of the best equipment in the game. Check out our guide to farming Lynels in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild below.
There are four types of Lynels:
Lynel : (HP 2000) Drops Lynel Horn, Lynel Hoof, and Lynel Guts
Blue-Maned Lynel : (HP 3000) Drops Lynel Horn, Lynel Hoof, Lynel Guts
White-Maned Lynel : (HP 4000) Drop Lynel Horn, Lynel Hoof, Lynel Guts
Silver Lynel : (HP 6000): Drops Lynel Horn, Lynel Hoof, Lynel Guts, Amber, Opal, Topaz, Ruby, Sapphire, Diamond
The most common attacks a Lynel uses are melee-based, like sideways-sweeps, overhead blows, spinning attacks, as well as bull-rushes, where a Lynel will charge Link to knock him off his feet. All of these attacks can be perfect-guarded and most of them can be perfect-dodged. The exact timing for successful counters depends on the weapon the Lynel is holding, so you'll need a lot of practice.
Try making a manual save before fighting a low-rank Lynel and practice perfect-guards until you are comfortable with them. Reload and repeat till your timing is perfect. This might sound extra, but you’ll improve fast and this exercise will really help you in other encounters against different types of Lynels.
At long distances or when Link is at an elevated position, Lynels fire elemental arrows at you. Lynels are quite accurate and can switch between shooting straight at you precisely or use curved trick shots. They have unlimited ammo as well. A long-range duel won’t work out well for you, so avoid them.
The Blue-Maned, White-Maned and Silver Lynel can throw large, fast fireballs your way. If you want to dodge, sprint perpendicularly and you should be okay. But if you’re close, sprint diagonally to the Lynel’s side, just sideways enough that you avoid the first fireball, but not so far out that you move away from your enemy. Once in range of the Lynel, use a charged attack with a two-handed sword while the Lynel throws its remaining fireballs. Stay on the move as you spin and circle around behind the Lynel to stay out of reach.
High-rank Lynels emit large soundwaves with their roars and follow up by slamming their weapons on the ground, casing a fiery explosion with a huge blast radius. Sprint away to escape the area of effect or block it with your shield. This attack has a long charge-up time, so use this chance to land a few blows while the Lynel is preparing it. You can also use this time to shoot an arrow at its face, stunning it.
If you’re confident with your defense, try using counters against Lynels. Perform perfect-guards against all physical attacks and follow up with standard combos. The strongest Lynel varieties may take a while to go down using this method, depending how strong your weapons are, but it works consistently as long as you have proper timing and a lot of practice. If you’re caught off-guard but an assault is incoming, cast Stasis+ to freeze your opponent in time for a second or two.
The best strategy for expert players is pinpoint-accurate marksmanship. Hit a Lynel’s face with an arrow to stun it, which can be hard since the hit box is small and the Lynel is fast and agile. But it’s not as bad as you might think. Equip a multiple-shot bow, pre-align the camera towards the Lynel’s face and shoot from the hip rather than aiming directly. The gyroscope-based motion controls will let you make last-second adjustments before your arrow flies.
Utilize face shots when the Lynel is preparing its slow fire explosions attacks or after perfect-guarding a melee attack. With every successful face shot, you can follow up with a few blows, then mount it (hit A when close to its butt) for some bonus strikes that won’t reduce your weapon's durability. Once dislodged, draw the paraglider and shoot another arrow in the face with the help of the slow-motion effect.
If a Lynel is really beating your butt, use Urbosa’s Fury (the power from completing Vah Naboris ). Unleash the final hit of a charged attack (after triggering a perfect-guard or something) and this will make lightning hit the area, which stuns your opponent and causes major damage. This lets you deal a few more blows and mount the Lynel. Try to save the full three charges of this special power for the Lynel encounters to make your life a lot easier.
Some locations have multiple Lynels in a small zone, like Hyrule Castle, where you can take down two or three in a row and fill your inventory with their powerful shields, bows and weapons. Once you perfect the techniques above, farm Lynels for these late-game combat items and make sure you’re never caught out without a backup.
Have you mastered farming Lynels for high-end gear and drops? Do you have any tips and tricks for beating Hyrule’s most formidable foes? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below. And don’t forget to check out the rest of our guides:
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Beginner’s Guides:
Beginner’s Guide: Everything You Need To Know To Survive In Hyrule
Beginner Item Guide: Here's The Stuff You Shouldn't Sell
How To Start A Fire In 'Breath Of The Wild': Tips And Tricks For Keeping Link Warm
Recipe And Cooking Guide: Here's All The Ingredient Effects, Ranks And Tips You Need
Blood Moon Explained: Cooking Bonus, Enemy Respawns And More
Battle Guide: Tips On How To Take Down Your Enemies
Horse Guide: How To Tame And Ride Horses And Other Animals
Camera Guide: Tips To Use The Camera Like A Pro
Dungeon & Side Quest Guides:
Ruta Walkthrough: Solutions For All Five Terminals And Boss Hints, Too
Vah Medoh Walkthrough: How To Solve All Terminal Puzzles And Beat Windblight Ganon Boss
Divine Beast Vah Naboris Dungeon Walkthrough: How To Solve All Five Terminal Puzzles
Thunderblight Ganon Boss Battle: Tips And Strategy To Defeat Vah Naboris Dungeon
Ceremonial Trident: How To Complete 'Ceremonial Song' Sidequest And Unlock Dagah Keek Shrine
Song of Storms 'Breath of the Wild' Walkthrough: Shrine Locations And Solutions For Kass' Sidequest
Hylian Homeowner Sidequest: Tips To Buy The House In Hateno Village
Weapons & Armor Guides:
Master Sword: Where To Find Link’s Greatest Weapon
Great Fairy Locations: Armor Upgrades And Where To Find Them
Armor Guide: Where To Find New Outfits, Clothes And Upgrades
Climbing Gear: How To Find The Armor, Bandana And Boots To Improve Climbing
Weapon Numbers Explained: Attack Power, Not Durability Listed In Inventory
Elemental Weapon Tips: Why Fire, Ice & Lightning Are Must-Haves For Your Arsenal
Collectible Guides:
Memory Map: All Locations For Link's Lost Memories
Korok Seed Locations: Where To Find Hestu And How To Solve Puzzles For All 900
Luminous Stone: What They're For, When You Need Them And Why You Shouldn't Sell Them
Gemstones Guide: What To Keep, When To Sell And What These Materials Are For
Star Fragments: How To Find And Use This Rare Item
Heart Containers Guide: How And Where To Upgrade Your Health And Stamina
Easter Eggs And Secrets: 18 Things You'd Probably Miss If We Didn't Tell You
'Breath Of The Wild' Easter Egg: A Hidden Message Is Revealed From Game's Fantasy Sheikah Language
Glitches & Tricks Guides:
Unlimited Stamina Glitch: Find Out How To Run Fast Without Tiring [VIDEO]
Rupee Trick: Get 700 Rupees Every 3 Minutes, Shares Redditor
Rupee Farming: How To Gamble, Cook And Gather Your Way To Riches
'Breath Of The Wild' Wall Glitch: How To Explore A World Hidden Underneath Hyrule [VIDEO]
Enemy Guides:
Ending Guide: How To Beat The Final Boss (No Spoilers)
Molduga Guide: How To Find And Defeat This Tremor Worm Before It Kills You
Guardians: How To Defeat And Farm Material To Get Killer Armor And Weapons
‘Breath Of The Wild’ Dragons: Locations And Their Purpose In The Game
Molduga Guide: How To Find And Defeat This Tremor Worm Before It Kills You
Stone Talus Guide: How To Beat This Enemy Sub-Boss And All Its Variants
