The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s Lynels can be disarmed, leaving them defenseless

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild features centaur-inspired enemies called Lynels who are known for their formidable strength and combat prowess. Outside of bosses, they’re the strongest class of enemy in the game, inspiring fear, awe, and maybe even hatred from the many players who have come across them on their adventures through Hyrule. However, one player has reported a method for disarming these fearsome foes and leaving them defenseless.

The Lynel is a reoccurring enemy in the Zelda series. They’ve always been strong foes but didn’t make their debut in a 3D game until The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. There are a variety of types, and they reside across various locations in Hyrule. Each one has methods for close- and long-range combat and boasts fierce strength and defenses. There are likely more than a few players who would rather forget their first encounter with a Lynel in the game.

However, Twitter user @zelda_watchan has reported a way to disarm these Lynel and leave them helpless.

When looking at @zelda_watchan’s video, we can see a Lynel standing almost like a puppet and not threatening the player. It isn’t completely still, though, as its sharp gaze still stays firmly locked onto Link. Despite this, when Link attacks, the Lynel just sways like a scarecrow. The fearsome beast stands there docile like it’s in a trance.

@zelda_watchan explains that this phenomenon occurs if you bring the Lynel to Gerudo Town and trigger the event where Link gets thrown out of town while the Lynel is in view. Gerudo Town is unique in that Link can only enter if he’s dressed as a woman and will be thrown out if he isn’t, as men are forbidden from entering. This event seems to do something in the game that causes weapons to disappear.

@zelda_watchan had previously observed this happening with members of the Yiga Clan and got similar results when trying it with a Lynel. The difference is that in Yiga Clan’s case, enemies remained hostile and attacked Link with their bare hands.

There was also a story a while ago showing that some Lynels won’t attack if you keep your distance and don’t draw a weapon (Reddit). I (the original author of this article) have some embarrassing memories of getting caught in bad situations and desperately trying to hide my weapon. Remembering those makes the prospect of taking weapons from a Lynel so that Link can do as he pleases even more interesting.

Since this behavior is likely outside of what the developers intended, trying it for yourself is at your own risk. But what would you do if you had the chance to go up against a defenseless Lynel?

Written by. Nick Mosier based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-10-03 14:22 JST)