How to Defeat Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK)

There’s no denying that enemies in Tears of the Kingdom are a challenge, and while there’s an opportunity to dodge things like Hinox and Gleeok in the overworld, you might want to harvest their parts for elixirs and upgrades later down the line, but it’s a lot easier said than done. Each mini-boss scale enemy like Lynels and Gleeok, and even Hinox, have certain weaknesses you’ll want to pinpoint before rushing into battle with one. Unfortunately, if you’re reading this, Lynels have some of the hardest weaknesses to utilize, but there are a few techniques you can use to come out of a fight the victor. Here’s how to defeat Lynels in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

How Can You Defeat Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom?

Fighting Lynels can be incredibly intimidating in Tears of the Kingdom. Their speed and strength mean you’ll have to be fighting to the best of your ability at all times, but even then, the strongest armor and weapons aren’t too reliable if you rush in all guns blazing. I’ve been caught short many times when it comes to fighting any sort of Lynel, and it’s taken me a while to develop a technique that really works when it comes to facing off with one. 

That said, the most reliable technique I’ve found when it comes to fighting Lynels in Tears of the Kingdom is keeping my distance and using a bow to aim for the eyes, then rushing in when they fall and using the short stun break to land some hits before retreating back and repeating the process. However, once you’ve committed to this rushdown attack, it will be significantly harder to run away due to the speed of the enemies. 

Related: How to Defeat Stalnox in Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK)

To combat this, if you’re in an open grassland, fusing a Fire Fruit to an arrow or flint and wood and starting a fire to create an updraft will give you ample opportunity to glide upwards and use a slow-motion shot to once again hit the Lynel in the eyes. This makes the process a lot easier than relying on the speed of your own two feet, and you’ll be able to glide closer to the enemy to land those all-important hits. 

It’s essential to keep your distance where you can to avoid any melee attacks since these can instantly reduce your hearts to a handful, if not rid you of all of them instantly, but you’re not entirely safe when keeping your distance either. You’ll need to constantly be moving alongside keeping your distance to prevent any aerial attacks, but luckily these are pretty easy to see coming since the Lynel will point the bow to the sky before a handful of arrows come raining down, so you’ll be able to dodge accordingly. 

Related: Tears of the Kingdom – Best Weapons For Fighting Gleeoks In TOTK

While you may have a lot of faith in your ability when it comes to combat, with towering enemies like Lynels it’s always best to cook and consume some defense and attack buffing meals to give yourself the best chance at survival. We’ve got also got a guide for where to find a 5-shot bow should you need a little more oomph behind your ranged attack, too.