Terrako Guide - Legends of Z

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After spending most of her childhood diving into the wonderful world of gaming, Kara is raring to share her passions and expertise through her writing. She studied journalism at university and has hosted radio shows, podcasts, and has written for a number of publications such as GamesRadar+. Additionally, she is a massive fan of titles like The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing - but won’t shy from an intense game of Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

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The Legend of Zelda is home to hundreds of loveable and incredibly unforgettable characters who join us on our adventures through Hyrule. Of course, everyone has a favorite character, from personalities as prominent as Daruk to sizes as small as Makar. But some of these characters still slip through the cracks, despite their importance to the game’s lore and history.

Among these underrated characters are some of the most loyal, who have spent years trying to protect our beloved Princess from all evils even if that means traveling through time to do so. Terrako has never retired from its position of protection, which is why it’s time we gave it the attention it deserves. Although Terrako only appears in one Zelda title, its role is still remarkably significant in the franchise.

Terrako’s Story And Significance

Terrako was sent to Hyrule as a protector of Princess Zelda, which is why it doesn’t pose the same threat as other Guardians. However, due to the chaos caused by Guardians, everyone is initially slightly skeptical of Terrako. To be honest, I’m not surprised. I’d be pretty iffy about a guardian lookalike if I had just spent the last years running from them. But as soon as it awakens in the fields of Hyrule and proves that it won’t cause any harm, everyone is keen to investigate how Terrako came about and what it has to offer.

Purah and Robbie, Hyrule’s famed genius’, are fascinated by Terrako. As it’s one of the earliest sources of Ancient Technology (which isn’t set out to kill us – that is), they are swift to investigate everything that makes Terrako unique. Through extracting elements of its technology Purah and Robbie find the core memory of Terrako, which shows Hyrule before the chaos of Ganon.

Although Terrako happily accompanies us on our journey, toward the end of Age of Calamity, we are introduced to Harbinger Ganon, a possessed form of a Terrako-like guardian which Astor brings to life to harm the inhabitants of Hyrule. However, as soon as Harbinger Ganon is defeated and Astor is consumed by calamity, Terrako faces a sad fate. Rather than remaining a loyal follower and assistant for Zelda and Link, Terrako gets swallowed by the calamity as well, which ends in it turning against Link and Zelda. But I’ll talk about this in more detail a bit later on.

Terrako’s Appearance

Rather than taking on the towering stance of a standard guardian, Terrako’s appearance is much smaller. He still has a lot of similar features to guardians, such as the piercing blue eye and spider-like mechanical legs. However, aside from its smaller size, there are many differences in Terrako’s appearance that separate it from a regular guardian.

Firstly, rather than taking on a grey body with copper and golden details, the main body of Terrako is white. It still has gold detailing around the base of its body and head, which gives it a royal feel, but these details never turn red when it is aggravated or in battle. The top of its head also hosts a small plate that acts as a communication device between Terrako and Zelda. In several cutscenes within Age of Calamity, when the Sheikah Slate is pointed toward Terrako, a loud signal will emit from the body.

However, when Ganon possesses Terrako, it adopts a more intimidating approach. Rather than staying in its egg-shaped body, the head extends slightly from the body. The eye goes red, and the whole body glows somewhat – a feature we are used to seeing in standard Guardians. Additionally, Terrako produces an ancient battle axe in one hand and an ancient short sword in the other. When fighting against Terrako, these are the weapons used, and the same can be said for when you unlock Terrako as a playable character.

Terrako’s Role in Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

As I’ve already briefly mentioned, Terrako is used as an assist for Link and Zelda in Age of Calamity. It follows you on your entire journey and provides a valuable insight into ancient technology through the skills of Purah and Robbie. Besides being a loyal follower, Terrako doesn’t play much of a role until the end section of the title. Of course, it has a lot of lore surrounding young Zelda and a life before Hyrule fell into chaos, but there isn’t much else to offer.

However, once Harbinger Ganon is defeated, and Terrako becomes possessed, Zelda and Link must face off with their beloved mechanical friend. I genuinely felt heartbroken when I watched this scene play out because even though it doesn’t utter a single word, Terrako becomes quite charming. At least enough to make fighting it incredibly difficult. Although the actual fight isn’t as challenging as others you’ll face in the game, the feeling of betraying a friend is a challenge in itself.

As this is one of the final scenes in Age of Calamity, you’d expect the game to end with some severe heartbreak. But luckily, as any Zelda game goes, there is a mass of content to indulge in post-credits. Defeating Terrako will unlock the ‘Terrako’s Return’ quest. Completing this quest will unlock Terrako as a playable character, alongside having it return to normal rather than evil. So if you miss this tiny guardian as much as I did, this is the quest for you.

‘Terrako’s Return’ revolves around collecting fifty Terrako Components throughout Hyrule. I mean, what’s a Zelda game without some sort of collection-based quest? Luckily, these components come in bulk every time an investigation or challenge is completed so that you won’t be searching far and wide for fifty individual pieces.

Where to Find Terrako Components

There are two ways to receive or find Terrako Components in Age of Calamity: by completing challenges or quests. These challenges are heavily based on combat and tend to be time-restricted. So you should expect to play through each scenario a few times before securing a win. But if you’re determined to unlock Terrako, completing every necessary task is worth it.

You don’t need to locate each of these challenges and quests yourself. As soon as you unlock the Terrako’s Return quest, a small Terrako icon will appear on your map. You can also use the Sheikah Slate to focus on completing these quests. If you had to singlehandedly walk around Hyrule trying to locate these challenges yourself, I probably would’ve given up a long time ago!

Here is a list of every challenge where Terrako Components are rewarded upon completion, followed by a summary of how to complete them:

Guardian Graveyard

Terrako Components: Three

Taking on the role of King Rhoam, you are tasked with defeating two Guardians in twelve minutes. Upon completion, you will receive three Terrako Components, three diamonds, and an ethereal stone.

Hunting Partners

Terrako Components: One

As this challenge only returns one Terrako component, it’s one of the more easy ones to complete. So it’s an excellent way to ease your way into the quest. Playing as Revali and Hetsu, you must defeat the Bokoblin before they reach an escape point toward the top of the map.

Invading Terrors

Terrako Components: Two

Playing as Mipha, this challenge requires you to defeat ten enemies within ten minutes. If they were all Bokoblins, this challenge would be pretty straightforward, but most of these enemies are some form of guardian. For a return of only two Terrako components, this was one of my least favorite challenges to take on.

The Master Kohga Chronicles!

Terrako Components: Three

In this challenge, you take on the role of Impa and Master Kohga. Much like The Royal Investigation, you are tasked with securing two outposts. But alongside doing this, you need to defend two Allied Strongholds inside Akkala Citadel. There’s an additional time limit of ten minutes, but the three Terrako Components as a reward make it worthwhile.

Rampaging Malice

Terrako Components: Five

Since this challenge takes place in Eldin, you play as Daruk. While evading magma bombs and various enemies, you must capture four outposts within eight minutes. Five Terrako Components are rewarded upon completion, but much like A Royal Investigation, I’d go into this quest with the mindset of having to attempt it several times.

Shadow of Ganon

Terrako Components: Three

Within ten minutes, you must defeat two Malice Guardians, two Electric Guardians, and three silver Moblins. While this may seem like an easy challenge, there are also several silver Lizfalos between the two Malice Guardians. In addition, once all enemies are defeated and the quest is complete, you’ll receive three Terrako Components.

A Royal Investigation

Terrako Components: Five

Playing as Zelda, secure three outposts within seven minutes. This challenge is arguably one of the hardest to complete due to the scale and power of the enemies you’re coming up against. Although the reward of five Terrako Components is relatively hefty, be prepared to attempt this challenge more than once.

Outside of these challenges, there are also several quests where you receive Terrako parts as a reward. But these quests rely much more heavily on other materials you’ll need to gather along the way rather than defeating enemies in a set period. As a result, I’d say that the following quests take much longer to complete, and I’ll admit; I questioned how badly I wanted Terrako as a playable character while completing them.

Here is a list of every quest which provides Terrako Components as a reward, followed by the materials you need to complete them:

A Secret in Song

Terrako Components: Two

To complete this quest, you need:

3x Ruby
3x Sapphire
3x Diamond
2x Stone Pebbit Trophy
1x Stone Lanus Trophy