How to defeat Molduga in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Few enemies are as menacing as the Molduga in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You might recall the encounter from Breath of the Wild — while it shares some similarities, the approach can vary significantly with the new tools at your disposal.

As you’re tackling “The Missing Owner” side quest or just exploring the Gerudo desert, you’re bound to stumble upon this miniboss. If you’re wondering how to defeat Molduga in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, our guide explains the step-by-step strategy, as well as a few different methods to try out depending on what you have in your inventory.

Molduga location in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Found around the Gerudo Desert in the southwestern corner of Hyrule, there are four Moldugas to fight. Unlike Breath of the Wild, there isn’t a “king” variation to hunt down. That said, you can get a Molduga Monster Medal for defeating them all.

For this, talk to Gralens in Lookout Landing’s underground base, and ask him about “big monsters” — when given the option, pick “Molduga,” and start the “Wanted: Molduga” quest. Once that’s tackled, you’ll receive 100 rupees. After fighting the remaining three Moldugas, talk to him again to receive the medal.

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Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin/Polygon | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Below you’ll find all four Molduga locations in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

• Toruma Dunes Molduga: Around the coordinates (-4769, -2829, 0029), north of Miryotanog Shrine.
• East Barrens Molduga: Around the coordinates (-2375, -3285, 0021), close to Siwakama Shrine.
• Palu Westland South Molduga: Around the coordinates (-3323, -3325, 0016), southeast of Gerudo Town, and northeast of the Southern Oasis.
• Gerudo Desert Molduga: Around the coordinates (-3989, -2640, 0040), northwest of Gerudo Town — you can use the Soryotanog Shrine fast travel point to glide your way there.

How to defeat Molduga in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Molduga is a sneaky miniboss in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The creature spends most of the time underneath sand, cruising around until something — or someone — gets its attention. Then, it’ll quickly move toward its target and attempt to eat it.

As terrifying as it sounds, that’s also the key strategy of the encounter. In order to beat Molduga, you need to have bait. This will result in the enemy coming out of the sand, which is what you want so you can attack it once it’s exposed.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Here’s how to defeat Molduga in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom:

• If you can, find a vantage point — avoid being on the sand, as the Molduga will quickly start chasing you.
• From there, you can throw items such as food or arrows, which will act as bait. I used hydromelons, for example. The Molduga will eat whatever you’ve thrown — keep an eye for a question mark above its head, which signalizes that the object caught its attention.
• Once the Molduga is on the spot where you threw the item, it will jump into the air, giving you a window to attack with an explosive — bomb flowers, which you can find inside caves, are your best bet here.
• Alternatively, you can use Zonai’s time bombs. This act as both bait and explosive, thus being the best of both worlds. You’re most likely to find them in Zonai Dispensers — the one in North Necluda Sky Archipelago, close to Sahasra Slope Skyview Tower at the coordinates (1788, -1104, 0918), has them.
• After the explosion, Molduga will be shot off into the air and then fall to the ground. As it remains momentarily stunned, this is your chance to just smack it with everything at your disposal. Melee weapons are more than fine, but be creative — the ability you obtained after completing the Lightning Temple is fairly useful here as well.
• If you’re using food as bait, Molduga will emerge from the sand and then fall to the ground, where it’ll stay for a few seconds, giving you another chance to attack.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

Depending on how much damage you’re able to inflict on Molduga, you’re likely to repeat the process a few times. Options such as the Fierce Deity Armor, Barbarian Armor, and Phantom Armor sets will do wonders here thanks to the increased attack bonus.

After you’re done with it, make sure to loot everything — there’ll be a few chests as well as some really hefty monster parts. Between them is the Molduga jaw, which has 32 fuse attack power, making it a great option to combine with some of the best weapons in the game.