Players can once again explore Hyrule's vast and beautiful land in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, extending to the skies and depths below. Each layer of Hyrule is occupied with various enemies, from ferocious Lynels and Gleeoks to small Keese and ChuChus. For new players, learning the combat pattern of each enemy inTears of the Kingdom involves a lot of trial and error, with some being far easier than others.
Some enemies will genuinely test players' patience, whether thanks to unrelenting elemental attacks or monsters that pop up out of nowhere and distract Link while hunting or collecting items. Whatever the case, there are a handful of very annoying enemies in Tears of the Kingdom.
8 Elemental Like Likes
Like Likes have returned in a different capacity in Tears of the Kingdom. These worm-like enemies can still eat Link for a short period, but there is a much more precise way to kill them. All players need to do is wait for them to expose their eye and shoot it with an arrow. Then, the Like Like will go limp, allowing Link to bludgeon it with a weapon. But this process is a little more complicated (and vexing) when it comes to Elemental Like Likes.
Elemental Like Likes include Electric, Fire, Ice, and Gloom-infused. Each will throw balls of these elements at Link, whether actual rocks or balls of fire, electricity, or ice. Players will need to wait until they’re finished with their elemental attacks before launching in on them. As they’re often found in caves or enclosed spaces, it can be tough to dodge these attacks without getting hit – especially if there’s more than one.
7 Horriblin
New enemies are a welcome addition in Tears of the Kingdom, and Horriblins are no different. These creatures are found in caves and other dark places, and hang from the ceiling to attack their prey. They’re ranked like other monsters in Tears of the Kingdom, going from Red to a frightful Silver with higher health, defense, and attack.
Horriblins are relatively easy to defeat by getting in a headshot, which will stun them as they fall to the ground. But as they primarily hang on the ceiling and attack with spears and rocks, fighting more than one in such a confined space can become overwhelming and annoying. Their sounds can also become grating after time, especially if there are a few of them.
6 Evermean
Tears of the Kingdom has its fair share of strange enemies, with Evermeans being one of them. These sentient evil trees will stop at nothing to slam their trunk into Link, in what seems to be payback for all the trees cut down in Breath of the Wild. Evermeans aren’t challenging to defeat, requiring a sharp weapon or axe to cut down with two hits.
But if players are hunting in wooded areas and are trying to be sneaky, Evermeans can be incredibly irritating. As soon as they start moving, whatever players are hunting will immediately flee. On top of that, if Link is in a densely wooded area, there will be more than one Evermean to contend with.
5 Aerocuda
The Aerocuda joins the legions of flying enemies in Tears of the Kingdom, alongside the humble little Keese and the terrifying Gleeok. Aerocuda seemed equally menacing due to their size, especially when circling areas like the Ulri Mountain Skyview Tower. However, they are strangely easy to defeat. All players will need is a Keese or Aerocuda Eyeball to take them down, as when fused with an arrow, these items impart honing capabilities.
But the annoying thing about the Aerocuda is they can carry and drop smaller enemies like Bokoblins onto the battlefield, in addition to items like Bomb Barrels, Boulders, and Spike Balls. And when traversing the Sky Islands, they can be even more of a pain. While Link can perform an air shot to get rid of them, they often fly into Link as he’s gliding. This causes him to freefall for a few seconds, leading players off their desired path.
4 Elemental ChuChu
ChuChus are back and as annoying as ever, in the sense that they pop up randomly and regularly interrupt exploration and other inopportune moments like hunting. But, like their standard counterpart, Elemental ChuChus can also spring up when players least want them to.
There are three types: Electric, Fire, and Ice. Each has an attack that uses their corresponding element in a wide radius, and when Link defeats one, they’ll explode with said element once again. Thankfully, many of these elemental ChuChus appear in regions of Hyrule that require players to have explored a fair bit of the map, but it doesn’t make them any less frustrating.
3 Little Frox
At first glance, Little Frox are cute little creatures new to Hyrule’s ecosystem in the Depths. However, these monsters can be a menace if the area they inhabit isn’t lit up. They tend to keep their distance from Link and jump in at him for an attack, which is fine one-on-one, but Little Frox usually hang around in groups.
A spear is the best port of call in combat, but defeating them is still easier said than done. Most of the time, players will have weapons in their inventory that they’ve modified along the way rather than planning on having the right weapons for specific circumstances. As much as players would like to think they’re prepared, they’re probably not. The only good thing about Little Frox is that they leave Zonaite behind when killed.
2 Yiga Footsoldier
The Yiga Clan return from Breath of the Wild, and the Yiga Footsoldier are as common as ever. But in Tears of the Kingdom, they no longer fight with the Demon Carver or Vicious Sickle. Instead, Yiga Footsoldiers use a sharp Eightfold Blade to attack. Like their predecessors, Yiga Footsoldiers are incredibly agile and use this to their advantage.
They regularly charge and slice Link with these weapons or disappear into thin air and ground-slam him from above. Yiga Footsoldiers can be exasperating, particularly if there is more than one of them with an accompanying Yiga Blademaster. The best way to defend and attack these enemies is by getting in a quick headshot as they charge at Link.
1 Gloom-Infested Monsters
If the varying monsters above ground weren’t hard enough, they’re even worse underground. Not only can they still damage Link as relentlessly as ever, but they can also impart an unhealthy amount of Gloom. This can whittle down Link’s health exponentially on two fronts, in that the Gloom temporarily decreases his hearts by one while he still takes damage from their attacks.
It’s best to venture into the Depths to face these Gloom-infested monsters stocked up with Gloom-resistant, recovering meals, or wearing armor like the Depths Set or Midna’s Helmet.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.