Monsters in The Legend of Zelda franchise are some of the more recognizable enemies in video games, even when they sometimes get a complete makeover between titles. Simple annoyances like the Octoroks, Bokoblins and the infamous flock of chickens have made their way into nearly every title in the series, but one that made a triumphant return in Breath of the Wild was the terrifying Lynel
These massive beasts with the legs of a horse, body of a man, and head of a lion are made right out of a Hylian's worst nightmare and are capable of tearing any unprepared hero limb from limb if they are unprepared. Luckily, there are a few easy things players can do to make sure Link survives his journey to defeat Ganon while picking up some decent weapons and shields along the way.
10 Do Some Shrines And Divine Beasts First
It may seem obvious, but increasing Link's health and stamina will help immensely when it comes to fighting one of the toughest enemies in the game. While a seasoned player may be able to take down a Lynel with only the initial three hearts, it's incredibly unwise to attempt this if you are new to hunting them. It's also worth beating both the Vah Ruta and Vah Rudania first, as both of the abilities Link is granted by beating the boss will help in making sure he stays alive long enough to beat a Lynel. At the very least, Mipha's Grace, the reward from Vah Ruta, should be enough, as bringing Link back from death can make all the difference.
9 Equip Decent Armor
The Soldier's Armor or standard Hylian Armor are both good choices and are easy to upgrade at a fairy fountain, as the materials needed are easy to find. If players have a Young Link Amiibo, they can obtain the full Fierce Deity Armor from the chests spawned. Each piece of this set grants an attack bonus in the same way as the Barbarian Armor, but is much easier to obtain early. The Phantom Armor set is even better early on, as it has a higher defense rating than the Fierce Deity set, and is one of the side missions granted from the Master Trials DLC pack.
8 Practice Perfect Dodge And Block
One of the first shrines Link is tasked with completing is the one atop a hill in Kakariko Village that teaches him the ins and outs of combat, particularly dodging and blocking. These skills aren't just for show, they will mean the difference between success and failure against the harder enemies if players don't bother learning how to properly execute them.
Once the shrine is completed, it is worth going out into the wilderness and practicing these skills in combat for real. Start with red Bokoblins, as they do the least amount of damage and are unlikely to kill Link in one hit, and progress up to harder enemies until it feels like second nature to backflip or shield bash, and a Lynel should be much easier to handle.
7 Mask Your Presence
It may be unknown to some players, but there is a special vendor in Breath of the Wild who deals exclusively in monster parts, in exchange for some very unique items. Players will have to complete a simple picture quest before he is available, but once he is unlocked, Kilton will sell Link a collection of monster masks in exchange for monster parts. One of these is the Lynel Mask, which will temporarily stop them from attacking Link on sight if he is wearing it. If the Master Trials DLC is installed, players can also find Majora's Mask, which acts as a collection of all of Kilton's monster masks in one.
6 Find A Few Choice Weapons
As even the weakest Lynel has 2000 HP, getting some good weapons for the fight will be necessary if players want to defeat it before all of their weapons break. Around Goron City and Death Mountain, there are some blunt weapons lying around that deal decent damage, and the enemies who inhabit the area all wield decently damaging weapons as well. It's worth practicing with these weapons to make sure players know the timing between swings, so they can decide in the heat of battle whether it's worth throwing one more swing of whether backflipping out of there is the better option.
5 Try To Land A Sneak Attack
One of the more useful additions to Breath of the Wild was the ability to sneak attack enemies who aren't aware of Link's presence. This move only works once though, so it needs to be done flawlessly to count on a Lynel. There are some simple potions and foods that can be cooked up by the player to improve Link's ability to sneak, but the most simple way to be an assassin is to wear the Sheika Armor set, which can be found in Kakariko Village. If all pieces are upgraded twice, it also grants a significant movement speed increase at night, making it worth attempting to kill a Lynel in the evening rather than in the middle of the day.
4 Get In Close
Once a Lynel has spotted Link, it may be tempting to hang back from the monster as it's imposing size can't possibly by a threat from far away, right? Nope, this is how Link dies very quickly. Most Lynels will equip bows and elemental arrows along with their melee weapons, and if Link is too far away when the battle begins, they won't necessarily run towards him and instigate battle.
Most of the time, they will hang back and shoot off some deadly lightning or frost arrows which can deal some serious damage, even killing Link outright in one blow if he doesn't have the armor of hearts to resist the damage. Once a Lynel is aware of Link, run towards it with his weapon drawn and whack it a few times so it isn't tempted to keep using the bow.
3 Perfect Block Their Charge Attack
The wide swings a Lynel will take at Link are fairly easy to backflip over and get a Flurry Rush attack, and makes for dealing some good damage very fast. At times, though, the Lynel will put its weapon away and get some distance between itself and Link, before turning and charging with horrifying speed. When it does this, there are a few options to make sure Link doesn't turn into roadkill. Running away and sidestepping can work most of the time but can sometimes fail if the timing is off. The best way to deal with this charge is to meet it head-on with a well-timed shield bash. This will not only stop the Lynel dead in its tracks, but also stun it for a few seconds, giving Link some crucial time to deal some damage.
2 Aim For The Face
Another welcome addition to Zelda is the inclusion of weak points on an enemy. While games like The Ocarina of Time did have this with a few enemies like the Dodongo, Breath of the Wild takes it a step further and gives one to nearly every enemy. For a Lynel, it's main weak spot is in the face, and hitting one with an arrow at the right time will stun it for a few seconds, similarly to Hinox and Stallnox, though for less time. Whenever a Lynel looks like it might be winding up for a big attack, it might be worth whipping out Link's bow and shooting a few well-placed arrows in its ugly face.
1 Don't Forget About Runes
In the heat of battle, it can be easy to forget that the Sheika Slate runes are useful in battle as well as for solving puzzles. In particular, the Stasis upgrade, appropriately named Stasis+, can hold a Lynel still long enough to get off that clean shot to the face with an arrow, or give Link enough time to run away from an impending attack should he need to make a little distance between himself and the Lynel.