The Legend of Zelda series is known for many things. The thrill of adventure, the series' beautiful soundtracks, the iconic soft-spoken protagonist, and so on. One aspect of the series that leaves a monstrous impression on players is the series' collection of boss battles. From the very beginning of the series, boss fights have both thrilled and frustrated players throughout their journeys and are frequently seen as the true reward at the end of the dungeon.
RELATED: 10 Coolest Things In The New Tears Of The Kingdom Trailer
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has its fair share of boss battles. Though the quality of these bosses, both in design and in the fights themselves, have lent this masterful game to some of its biggest criticisms. Many of these bosses have been labeled as too forgettable compared to the iconic fights from earlier games in the series, both well-praised games and highly criticized ones. Despite this, each of Breath of Wild's bosses brings with them a variety of difficulties and gimmicks that will test players regardless of how far they've progressed.
Updated on April 29, 2023 by Kennedy King: The fifth anniversary of Breath of the Wild's release passed in March 2023, and the game is still one of the best-selling titles to debut on the Nintendo Switch platform. With dazzling visuals, fluid combat, and unforgettable enemies, fans continue to revisit the game — many of whom appreciate its lineup of quality boss battles even more in hindsight.
8 Dark Beast Ganon
Dungeon: Hyrule Field
Quite possibly one of the most disappointing aspects of Breath of the Wild was its final boss fight against Dark Beast Ganon. After defeating Calamity Ganon, Ganon's remaining malice manifested itself in the form of a large boar-like boss. Despite its cool looks, this boss is much simpler to defeat than it seems.
Dark Beast Ganon has very few attacks, and the attacks it has are easily telegraphed. Players must ride along with their horse, and later rising wind created from the boss, to shoot Light Arrows with the Bow of Light into the boss's weak points. In a game where normal enemies can easily kill Link if the player isn't careful, it's a shame the final boss is the easiest boss the game has to offer.
7 Master Kohga
Dungeon: Yiga Hideout
Master Kohga is a refreshing change of pace compared to the Blight Ganons. This boss has three stages. First, he'll raise up a boulder above his head that the player needs to shoot with an arrow. The boulder will land on him, dealing good damage and leaving him vulnerable.
RELATED: 15 Unofficial Video Game Couples Fans Love
In the second phase, Master Kohga will float in the center of the area and summon two rotating boulders. Shoot him again with one of the boulders above his head, again dealing good damage and leaving him vulnerable. In the final stage, he'll use his Magnesis to control a spiked boulder. The player simply needs to use Magnesis themselves and send the boulder back. It's a very simple and comical fight.
6 Fireblight Ganon
Dungeon: Divine Beast Vah Rudania
Fireblight Ganon is one of the most straightforward bosses in Breath of the Wild. In the first phase, the player can either dodge attacks to get an opening or utilize Ice Arrows. Fireblight Ganon moves around slowly, and isn't aggressive, so players can fight patiently.
In the boss fight's second phase, Fireblight Ganon creates a massive orb around them to suck in its surroundings and unleash a powerful attack. This can be easily handled by sending up a bomb. Once the bomb explodes, the boss fight continues as it did before. If the player is equipped well enough at this stage of the game, this boss shouldn't be a stressful one to defeat.
5 Waterblight Ganon
Dungeon: Divine Beast Vah Ruta
Waterblight Ganon is more annoying than difficult. The first phase of the fight is simple enough: dodge its attacks and counter for good damage. The second phase is where things get a bit annoying. The boss will raise the water level along with four platforms for the player to stand on. The boss will launch ice attacks at the player.
To defeat it, the player will need to use their Cryonis or Statis ability to freeze the boss, who will otherwise teleport to the four corners of the room. Then the player must hit the boss in the eye with an arrow to stun it and leave it in a vulnerable state. The player will need to make their way to the boss, likely by freezing water to create a path. The boss is rather straightforward, it just takes juggling many items and abilities, which can be bothersome.
4 Calamity Ganon
Dungeon: Hyrule Castle
Calamity Ganon is a weird boss to judge its difficulty as it's something the player can adjust depending on how they progress through the game. As the player progresses, they can activate and control the Divine Beasts. Each Divine Beast, and Blight Ganon they overcome will make Calamity Ganon weaker in terms of life.
Since most players will do this, they'll encounter a Calamity Ganon with little life and a powerful Link, which should make the boss a relative breeze. If the player elects to forgo the Divine Beasts, they will face a Calamity Ganon with full health and an underdeveloped Link. Should they do so, they'll meet an immense challenge that easily makes this the most difficult boss in Breath of the Wild.
3 Windblight Ganon
Dungeon: Divine Beast Vah Medoh
Windblight Ganon can be a frustrating boss to go up against, as it'll spend a lot of its time in the air either firing a beam or unleashing a tornado. The player can paraglide up using a wind current or fire off arrows.
In the second phase, Windblight Ganon will send out drones that enhance its beam attack. The boss will also send out multiple tornados. The name of the game is running and gunning. The boss will move around in the air, and the player will have to find any and all openings to hit it out of the air.
2 Thunderblight Ganon
Dungeon: Divine Beast Vah Naboris
Thunderblight Ganon is extremely fast. This boss isn't one to be approached patiently. On top of that, the boss carries with it a shield, making it difficult to hit. The shield can be destroyed after a few successive hits, but the boss will quickly regain it. Thunderblight Ganon also has a shock move that will cause Link to drop the weapons and shields he's carrying to add an extra layer of frustration. The key to defeating the boss is to use well-timed dodges to unleash a flurry of counterattacks.
RELATED: 10 Best Game Over Sequences, Ranked
This can definitely be difficult for players who haven't come close to mastering the combat system. In the second phase, Thunderblight Ganon will have an electrified weapon and shield. It will drop a series of pillars that attract lightning strikes. The player must use their Magnesis to guide one of those pillars toward the boss, allowing it to shock itself. This boss can be incredibly frustrating for first-time players, especially those who saved its respective Divine Beast for later in the game.
1 Monk Maz Koshia
Dungeon: Final Trial
The most difficult boss in Breath of the Wild is Monk Maz Koshia from the "Champion's Ballad" expansion. This boss is met at the end of Link's Divine Beast and is meant to be Link's final trial before he can control a Divine Beast of his own. The first phase of this fight is similar to Thunderblight Ganon. However, in the second phase of the fight, the boss will create clones that the player has to discern the real Monk Maz Koshia.
This can be done by using bananas to distract the boss, but they'll only fall for it once. In the final phase of the fight, the boss grows to a much larger size. Once enough damage has been done, the boss with charge a beam similar to Guardians. Monk Maz Koshia presents a difficult fight with many gimmicks at its disposal, but ultimately, it's a rewarding final trial and makes obtaining Link's Divine Beast well worth it.
NEXT: 10 Abilities Link Should Have In Tears Of The Kingdom
