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One of the biggest enemies you’ll fight in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Moldugas. These creatures live in the desert and love to sneak up on Link underground. While they can be intimidating at first, once you know what to look for, where to look, and how to defeat them, you’ll be adding them to your collection of beaten enemies in no time.
Key Details Up Front
Found in the Gerudo Desert in Breath of the Wild, Moldugas are some of the toughest enemies you’ll find. However, if you know what you’re doing, it won’t take long to formulate a plan on how to defeat them.
These sand dwellers like to attack Link from underground, then flip him high into the air, causing significant damage. Fight the battle on your terms and you’ll have no trouble taking care of Moldugas.
Molduga Description
Moldugas are large sand creatures that reside in the Gerudo Desert. They are known for their ability to create shockwaves that can knock over Link and deal a good amount of damage to him, as well as their tough hides which make them immune to most weapons.
Locations
Moldugas inhabit the vast deserts in the southwestern section of Hyrule. The closest warp point to access the desert is the Gerudo Desert Gateway located in the Gerudo Highlands region. Fast travel to the gateway, then follow the dirt path south into the desert.
As you enter the desert immediately look for a dune in front of some palm trees on your left. Moldugas are found there – you are guaranteed to see one as you approach the area, so don’t worry about searching too long or missing one.
Toruma Dunes
is also a good spot for Moldugas. Follow the road west from the Akkala Citadel Ruins, then south through Toruma Dunes. You are sure to run into one there along with a few rare ingredients – they are known for dropping Ancient Gears which are required in order to unlock some shrines in Gerudo Desert.
Southern Oasis
Moldugas can also be found in the southernmost part of the map, near the ruins that house the Owa Daim Shrine. There is a bend in the road to get down there; you will pass through the small desert lake and onto dry land before seeing them on your left. This is an especially good location if you are looking to acquire Monster Parts, which can be sold for a good price.
North Dragon’s Exile
You can also find Moldugas around North Dragon’s Exile, where one can be found in the water along the eastern cliff face. They are quite abundant here so you likely won’t have to look hard for them either. Monster Parts are also a good find here, so if you’re looking for both then this is one of the best locations.
Arbiter’s Grounds
Moldugas can be found in Arbiter’s Grounds as well, though you likely won’t encounter them until later in the game. Moldugas are attracted to Water, so the Ancient Tree Water Talisman is required to lure them out.
You will find two of them sleeping beneath a massive archway – use your weapon to wake them up. After you’ve defeated both, get the treasure chest that appears, then get back to fighting them until one drops a Giant Ancient Core. This is required for several side quests so you will likely visit this area at some point anyway.
Molduga Bait
Moldugas are commonly found near bodies of water, so it is recommended that you carry some bait with you. The best bait for Moldugas is Hyrule Bass, which can be caught in the pond just south of the Riverside Stable. This gives you easy access to bait whenever you need it since the stable is close to several Molduga spawn points.
You can also drop other types of bait and use the “call” command to lure them out, but this is considered more trouble than it’s worth as you need to return to that spot later on if you want the bait back. Just carry an ample supply of Hyrule Bass instead for easy access.
Weapons
Moldugas are vulnerable to ancient weapons – ancient arrows and ancient spears work best. If you don’t have those on hand, any time of arrow will do as well as bombs and melee weapons such as the spear or one-handed weapons.
Moldugas are heavily armored creatures that have carapaces covering most of their bodies – this means that you will do significantly less damage to them with normal weapons (i.e. swords). Try to attack any area other than their face in order to do the most damage – you should aim for an area between their two pincers or feet.
Battle Guide
Upon sighting a Molduga, the creature will awaken. Ensure you are not next to it when this happens! Move away from the area before approaching closer for an attack. You can also use your bow to shoot its eye – this will put it back to sleep and give you some time to plan your move. Note that you cannot use the bow to attack while the creature is awake.
Molduga are much larger than any enemy you have faced before, so it can be difficult to aim properly when attacking with melee weapons. Keep in mind that the Molduga will attempt to crush you if you linger too long next to it! Equip a strong two-handed weapon, then run up to it and slash away. Stay behind it to avoid being crushed, then back away once you have inflicted a good amount of damage.
Molduga’s weak spot is its eye – use an ancient arrow or ancient spear to do maximum damage when attacking their eyes – normal arrows will do considerably less damage so try to avoid using those.
Behavior
Moldugas behave like standard enemies in that they will attempt to track and attack Link if he comes into range of them, with various ways of attacking him depending on their location.
While some will simply approach Link and attempt to bite him, some will instead choose to leap up before crashing down on top of Link. It is also possible for more than one Molduga to inhabit the same location though it’s rare. If this is the case, they will generally fight it out with each other until one of them is defeated.
Regardless of how they attack, Moldugas are still susceptible to Link’s weapons and can be defeated with enough patience or using more unconventional methods of fighting.
Molduga Weaknesses
Unfortunately for those venturing into the desert in search of Molduga, there is no guaranteed strategy to defeating them. While the majority of Moldugas can be felled with simple arrows or by utilizing elemental weapons like Ice Arrows, Fire Arrows, or Shock Arrows, some may require more time and effort.
It’s also worth noting that certain areas where multiple Moldugas may spawn will contain particularly difficult Moldugas that are more aggressive and dangerous than their standard counterparts. They will also generally be larger in size, allowing them to deal out more damage and move faster than the average Molduga.
Molduga Strengths
Moldugas are one of the toughest enemies in the game due to their ability to not only easily withstand most weapons, but also deal out a large amount of damage in return. The best strategy for Link is usually to run away from them if spotted until he can find a safer location where he can either attempt to defeat them or sneak past them undetected.
If Link must face a Molduga in combat, it’s best to shoot arrows at its eyes to deal the most damage possible. This will also cause them to flinch and not attack for a short time, giving Link some breathing room to possibly escape or attack with another method.
It should be noted that Moldugas can also be defeated by utilizing the Remote Bomb rune. However, this may prove even more difficult than defeating them with standard weapons provided the Molduga in question is able to not only survive one of these powerful attacks, but still continue charging at Link despite taking damage.
Molduga Drops
Once they’ve been defeated, upon receiving enough damage or running away from the battle, Moldugas will leave behind treasure chests. These chests may contain rupees, rare treasures, and even Molduga Fin Wings which can be traded in for an additional 20 Gold Rupees at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab.
King Molduga
Part of the Breath of the Wild DLC pack is fighting King Molduga. This boss is well above the average Molduga in size and can take much more damage. It has a few new attacks as well, such as a shock wave it can do after you pull off its fin and throw it at Link.
To beat him, shoot an arrow at his eye when he is breathing fire. Once he’s down, shoot two or three arrows at him. It’ll get up and start digging around which won’t be able to attack you until it digs itself out of the ground after five seconds. Link can also jump onto his back while he’s moving in order to throw down his fin, but this will hurt Link when doing so.
After taking enough damage, King Molduga will put his head in the ground and start spinning around, trying to ram Link. He can’t be hurt while doing this attack so just run away until he stops. There are also poison bubbles all over the place which will damage Link if they touch him.
Link will need a lot of healing items for this fight, but it is doable.
King Molduga Drops
Once King Molduga has been defeated, Link can grab the Giant Ancient Core from the treasure chest that appears in front of him. This core is one of three needed to upgrade the Ancient Saddle at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab for his motorcycle-like Ancient Motorcycle.
Related Quests
There is one side quest in Breath of the Wild that requires Link to find a Molduga Fin.
Medicinal Molduga
This is one of the side quests Link needs to complete to receive the Thunder Helm. Link begins this quest by speaking to Melana, who is in the barracks of Gerudo Town. Malena explains to Link that she is trying to make a medicinal ointment out of Molduga Fins. However, she knows it will be very dangerous and asks Link for his help in collecting the ingredients.
Link can find these ingredients by defeating any Moldugas he comes across and then taking their Molduga Fins to Malena at the barracks. Link is rewarded with a Gold Rupee for his trouble.
FAQs
If you’re interested in learning more about Moldugas and their role in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, these frequently asked questions may help.
Question: What are Moldugas?
Answer: Moldugas are sand-dwelling carnivores that resemble giant worms with large mouths and eyes, as well as a pair of small spiky arms on the sides of their heads. They are found exclusively in Breath of the Wild’s Gerudo Desert region, usually burrowing underground or beneath quicksand until someone walks by.
Question: What do Moldugas Eat?
Question: What are Moldugas?
Answer: Moldugas are sand-dwelling carnivores that resemble giant worms with large mouths and eyes, as well as a pair of small spiky arms on the sides of their heads. They are found exclusively in Breath of the Wild’s Gerudo Desert region, usually burrowing underground or beneath quicksand until someone walks by.
Question: Do Moldugas Have any Natural Predators?
Answer: They are one of the few enemies in Breath of the Wild that are impervious to almost all weapons barring certain elemental or ancient variants. This may suggest that Moldugas have no natural predators, but since their only known predator is Link, this cannot be confirmed.
Question: Are There Different Types of Moldugas?
Answer: Yes, there are. Within the large Gerudo Desert region, multiple areas contain their own unique species of Molduga that is stronger and more vicious than the average Molduga. These variants will also be larger in size and deal out more damage when attacking Link.
Question: Do all Moldugas Have Eyes?
Answer: Yes, all Moldugas have two eyes that are their main weak points. Link should target these as often as possible in order to deal the most damage and not take as much in return from a Molduga.
Large and in Charge
Moldugas can be formidable foes, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be beaten. Be sure to take as much caution as possible when traversing through areas inhabited by Moldugas, as they have a strong tendency to appear out of nowhere and attack Link without warning.
With a little bit of knowledge and some strategy, Link should have no problem taking out these vicious worms in the Gerudo Desert region.
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