- "The Sheikah of ancient Hyrule developed this as a weapon to combat Ganon. Its six legs give it extraordinary mobility compared to most current vehicles, and its powerful laser provides far greater offensive capability than conventional weaponry. Destroying the legs severely reduces its mobility."
- — Hyrule Compendium
Guardian Stalkers are enemies from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They are the most common variation of the Guardian enemy. They were originally created and programmed to protect Hyrule from Calamity Ganon, but were instead taken control of by the beast and used against Hyrule. These Guardians look like massive spiders infused with Sheikah technology, similar to their Sheikah Slates. They have a single eye, and are capable of firing a massive laser from this eye, capable of killing almost anything in a single hit.
Story[]
According to the story told by Impa and Kass, the Guardian Stalkers were created ten thousand years before the events of the Breath of the Wild and were used alongside the Divine Beasts to protect the Hero and to help him and the Goddess-Blood Princess of Hyrule to seal the beast. A century ago, King Rhoam and Princess Zelda with the aid of their Sheikah allies excavated the ancient Guardian Stalkers along with the Divine Beasts to combat the imminent return of Ganon, but he succeeded in taking control of them. Along with the other Guardians, the Stalkers turned on the population of Hyrule, slaughtering countless soldiers and civilians and destroying most of the cities and villages of central Hyrule. However, during the battles, the Guardians also suffered heavy losses, with the vast majority now just a collection of dead shells lying in the fields of Hyrule.
Locations[]
Stalkers can be found all over Hyrule, even as far as the Gerudo Mountains and Northwest Akkala. In these regions, stalkers are usually found near large groups of destroyed guardians. However, they are the most heavily concentrated in northern Hyrule Field, and Hyrule Castle Town. Stalkers also have been known to patrol the labyrinths.
Combat[]
Guardian Stalkers usually patrol around a certain area, watching for invaders. When a Guardian spots a living creature, it will begin crawling towards it, charging its laser, then firing. They repeat this process until the target has been eliminated. Like decayed guardians, Stalkers may either be initially active, or may be dormant and only awaken when Link has gotten very close. Most of these inactive stalkers are in castle town. Castle Town stalkers also will sometimes be missing legs, and may display unique traits and behavior, making them unpredictable.
Certain weapons are extremely effective against Guardians, known as the "Guardian" or "Ancient" weapons. Guardian Swords, Guardian Spears, and Ancient Battle Axes can cut off a stunned Guardian Stalker's legs, leaving it stationary. A Guardian can be stunned by being shot in the eye with any type of arrow; Ancient Arrows in particular can destroy Guardians in a single hit if they strike the eye. A shield can deflect a Guardian Stalker's laser back at it by correctly timing a Perfect Guard. Ancient Shields or Daruk's Protection will deflect the laser back with no timing needed, but if you want, you can try to parry the attack or it's useful if you can't go to Vah Rudania. As they are corrupted by Calamity Ganon, the true power of the Master Sword shines near them and the damage inflicted to them is raised to 60.
Development[]
.png){kind=link}
A Guardian Stalker attacking Link during the 2014 E3 Trailer
- According to Eiji Aonuma, the main director of Breath of the Wild, the Guardian Stalkers were based on the Octoroks from the original The Legend of Zelda. Since Link's sprite is roughly the same size as that of the Octoroks, Aonuma saw the Octoroks as massive compared to Link. They had originally planned to create a giant octopus enemy for Breath of the Wild, but decided that was too disgusting. They eventually settled on the Guardian Stalkers, which were actually the first technology designed for the game. This drastically changed the direction of the game, giving rise to other technology, such as the Sheikah Slate and the Divine Beasts.
- The Guardian Stalker was the first enemy designed for Breath of the Wild.