The Legend Of Zelda: The 15 Easiest Ways To Obtain Ancient Cores In Breath Of The Wild

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Have you recently found yourself looking for more Ancient Cores while playing Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Well, you’ve come to the right place. These useful items are a must-get for endgame players as they are used for crafting powerful Ancient gear and making very desirable armor upgrades.

In this guide, you’re going to find the fastest and easiest ways of obtaining Ancient Cores, focusing on methods that don’t involve solving complicated puzzles. Sure, some of these foes can be tough, but the drops will be worth your effort and then some.

Updated on March 13, 2023 by Quinton O’Connor: Are you farming Ancient Cores for a flawless Breath of the Wild file in excitement for the sequel? Or maybe you’re playing for the first time. Either way, we’re here to help, with some improved tips and tricks.

Defeat Guardian Stalkers…

Defeating Guardian Stalkers is a great tactic for Ancient Core farming, as they have a chance of dropping them after being defeated. While you can’t be certain they’ll drop an Ancient Core, there are plenty of them, and they respawn when the Blood Moon rises.

To defeat them, just stock up on Guardian weapons and learn to parry their lasers. Getting good with the bow is also a good idea, as you can stun them when they get hit in their eye. If you want to incapacitate them even further and deal heavy damage at the same time, break their legs with that aforementioned Guardian gear.

…And Guardian Turrets…

Guardian Turrets are like Guardian Stalkers, only they can’t move and are found exclusively in Hyrule Castle. They can be a very hard encounter as they lash out a lot of damage and their laser can hit from far distances.

If you feel like engaging in BotW’s Ancient Core farming process from these enemies, then stock up on ancient weaponry as they deal the most damage to these enemies. A single Ancient Arrow can destroy them on the spot.

Just make sure to scout the field before engaging them, as they’re often near Guardian Stalkers and Skywatchers.

…And Definitely Guardian Scouts

While facing a Guardian Stalker feels like battling a titan, fighting a Guardian Scout is more of a duel. They use the same weapons as Link, they use a shield to defend themselves, and they have pretty devastating ranged attacks.

The only Guardian Scouts that drop BotW’s Ancient Cores are the Three and Four variants, which are equipped with three different weapons and are very hard to beat. They’re mostly found in shrines, and they all respawn with every Blood Moon.

Complete the Akh Va’quot Shrine

The Akh Va’quot Shrine has a puzzle that requires the careful use of turbines and windmills to open doors. It also houses one of Breath of the Wild ‘s Ancient Cores.

After entering the shrine, ignore the puzzle right in front of you and turn right instead. There, you have to shoot an orange switch in the distance that releases a gust of wind and opens the door containing a shrine with this Ancient Core.

Find The Hawa Koth Shrine’s Underwater Prize

The Hawa Koth Shrine involves a fair bit of clever play with electrical currents to get to the end of this puzzle. That being said, the Ancient Core in this shrine appears quite early.

This Ancient Core can be found in the bottom of a water body after going through the first room of this Shrine. You just need to fish the chest out with Magnesis in order to attain another one of BotW’s Ancient Cores.

Kaya Wan Shrine: Another Chest In The Water

Pretty much everyone who’s played Breath of the Wild knows that a ton of intriguing chests present in the game are hidden in water bodies all over the world. Some of these contain Ancient Cores.

The Kaya Wan Shrine involves the heavy use of Cryonis, and you need this rune to access a chest floating in the water, as well. This chest is present to the right of the platform where you need to fend off a Guardian Scout.

Avoid Traps In Maka Rah Shrine

The Maka Rah Shrine is a place full of traps, and Link needs to traverse this dangerous environment in order to get a valuable Spirit Orb. During his perilous trek through this Shrine, he can also obtain a valuable Ancient Core.

After stopping a Spiked Ball in your path through the use of Magnesis, you can smash through some blocks and reach a platform, with a chest on the ledge to the left. Using Magnesis on the said chest will allow you to receive another valuable Ancient Core.

Rin Oyaa Shrine: Turn Right After Reaching the Monk

You need to combine both the Stasis and Magnesis runes in order to reach the end of the Rin Oyaa Shrine. While it might seem rather tempting to simply head over to the monk and grab a Spirit Orb, those who want a little extra for their troubles can simply head in the opposite direction of the monk instead.

The reason for this is clear — there’s a chest on a platform that you can clearly see. You need to bring up the metal block used for the puzzle and use it as a makeshift platform.

Follow That Korok In Daag Chokah Shrine!

Venturing into the Daag Chokah shrine is a good way to find an Ancient Core, especially if you’re feeling like having a mini-adventure in a forest, or creeping out a Korok just for fun.

While the Daag Chokah Shrine doesn’t offer a test, Link does have to venture into the northern road from the Great Deku Tree, accept the quest ‘The Lost Pilgrimage,’ and then stalk a little Korok through the forest to find the shrine.

Just make sure to bring clothes and food that boost sneaking.

Test Your Might In Dah Kaso Shrine

The Dah Kaso Shrine is home to one of the easiest tests in the game with the only challenge a nearby Hinox that rests by the entrance to the shrine – and you don’t even need to fight him.

Head towards the southwestern part of Central Hyrule, look for the river with the Digdogg Suspension Bridge, and the shrine will be just below that bridge. To get to where to find the Ancient Core, just enter the shrine and defeat the Guardian Scout.

Step Into The Darkness Of Ketoh Wawai Shrine

The quest to find the Ketoh Wawai Shrine is perhaps one of the scariest parts of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This is because you need to venture into an obscured region, where the only way to see through the darkness will be with the use of fire items.

To start this quest, just head towards the Typhlo Ruins, which are located on the west side of the lake that circles the Lost Woods.

Make sure to bring torches and items that can burn wooden objects, as the Typhlo Ruins are shrouded in darkness.

Ishto Soh Shrine’s Got An Easy One

The Ishto Soh shrine is located in the Lake Region directly southwest of the Lake Tower. Of all the puzzle-oriented shrines that have Ancient Cores in them, this one is by far the easiest to beat.

Just put the laser box on top of the moving platform, this way its beam will hit the nearby crystal whenever the platform hovers in front of it. Next, go up the stairs and glide to the moving columns and claim the chest located on top of the only one that doesn’t move.

Watch Out For Guardian Skywatchers

Slaying Guardian Skywatchers is truly a test that’s only taken by the most skilled players. They can be considered the most deadly ancient enemies found in the game, as they stay far away from conventional weapons and evade parried lasers with ease.

The easiest way of defeating Guardian Skywatchers is by hitting their blue ‘eyes’ with arrows. Once you’ve destroyed all propellors, the Skywatcher will fall to the ground and can be attacked with ease. BotW Ancient Cores don’t come in many tougher ways than this, but if you’re already set on doing the deed, enjoy those valuable treasures, too!

A Rare Merchant Sometimes Stocks Them

Yes, there’s a merchant that sells Ancient Cores in BotW, but he’s such a rare encounter that many players don’t even interact with him once in their entire playthrough. He’s found traveling around the Necluda province and will sell parts once you talk to him.

The weird thing is that for some reason, he won’t sell you BotW’s Ancient Cores unless you talk to him while it’s raining. If you want to find Teli as quickly as possible, you can wait for him to show up at the entrance of Hateno Village at 5 am. Sometimes he’s also found inside The Great Ton Pu Inn.

Getting Lucky In The Overworld

While flipping over the shell of inactive broken Guardians isn’t exciting nor the most effective way of finding Ancient Cores, it’s pretty much the only way of finding them without getting blasted by lasers, making your way through mazes, or scouting for a rare merchant.

You just need to flip over broken Guardians by any means. They drop loot as soon as they fall over and very will rarely uncover an Ancient Core.