Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom has a bunch of overworld bosses that exist to get in your way, surprise you, and in general, drop some swanky loot. Some of these mighty foes sleep in the woods, others fly through the air, whilst the focus of this guide likes to bury its head (and body) in the ground.
Of course, we are talking about the humble Talus – a mighty stone golem capable of one-shotting Link from the word go. A beast so mighty that coming in unprepared will probably result in your weapon breaking and your path to victory becoming a distant memory. In this guide, we are going to break down these behemoths and walk you through how to defeat them.
Note: We have a separate guide on Battle Talus. Be sure to check that out.
More Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom content:
Cooking Guide | Secret Mount Guide | Surviving Cold Weather | Elixir Guide | Heat Resistance | Flame Guard
What Are Stone Talus
Stone Talus are stone behemoths that emerge from the earth at the most inopportune times. These things are functionally immune to direct attacks and deal massive amounts of damage. In the early game, you will not survive a direct hit from these guys. Talus come in many varieties, but the way you take them out is the same (more on that later).
How To Find Stone Talus In Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Stone Talus are some of the harder bosses to spot at a glance because they don’t wander the world like many other bosses. Stone Talus can be spotted if you have a keen eye for suspicious environments.
Stone Taus are large, so they tend to exist in areas that have a lot of room to manoeuvre – think natural arena. Not only that, but Stone Talus tend to be spotted based on a specific rock formation (see above). If you spot an ore vein just chilling in an open space that is your cue to investigate and prepare.
They can also be found in caves, but again, are always hidden. If a cave has a suspicious stone and a large arena-sized room, be ready for a fight.
How To Avoid Stone Talus’ Attacks
Stone Talus doesn’t have many attacks, but those hit like a tonne of bricks. You want to avoid these like the plague or have some hefty armour if you want to come out alive.
- Punch – The Stone Talus will wind up for a mighty punch. Upon completion, the arm used to punch Link will detach and fire off in a straight line. This is the Talus’ primary attack. To avoid it, circle the Talus as the attack has poor tracking. Once out of arms, the Talus will reattach them.
- Head Slam – If the Stone Talus has no arms, it will try and slam its head into you. This has a much shorter range than its Punch attack. You want to bait this attack by running in close and then retreating once it starts its wind up. You can use this attack to climb the Stone Talus.
- Shake – The final attack is the Shake. This attack will only come out if you have climbed atop the Stone Talus. You can’t really avoid this attack, so just be prepared to be flung off. You can use your Glider to soften your fall.
How To Defeat Stone Talus In Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
Now we know how to avoid Stone Talus’s attacks, we can work on killing it. The Stone Talus has one weakness – the protruding ore vein on its back. This is the only way to hurt a Talus. You can shoot this weak spot with arrows (and bombs…), but the best way to take them out is to attack it in melee.
Note: For this, you are ideally going to want to have blunt weapons. We are talking about things like Hammers. You can make these easily by attaching Moblin Horns and Stones to sticks etc.
To defeat the Talus in melee you need to get onto its back. You can do this by circling around to its back and then jumping up and climbing up. You can also dodge his Punch attack, bait his Head Slam, and then climb up that way. Elevated positions like hills and watchtowers are also a great idea. Fans and updrafts can also get you onto a Talus.
Once up there, take your best blunt weapon and go to town on the ore vein. We found 2H hammers worked best – especially when using Charge Attacks. If your weapon is strong enough, you can defeat a Talus before it shakes you off. If not, you will need to climb the beast again and repeat.
Rewards For Defeating Stone Talus
With the Talus dead, you are rewarded with a bunch of ore. Depending on how valuable the vein was when you fought the Talus will determine how valuable the loot is. On top of that, you will also get a Fuse object – the Talus Heart. This is a powerful attack modifier that can be used to create various hammers. Talus Hearts are some of the best fusibles in the early/mid-game.
That’s all we have for Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom for now. Be sure to check out our other content for more tips, tricks, guides, and lists.
