Tears of the Kingdom enemies tier list: Complete Ranking (TOTK)

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Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has no shortage of epic and imposing enemies for Link to fight. From the coliseums in the Depths to the tallest sky island, Hyrule is stuffed with fun combat encounters.

But which creatures and face-offs are the absolute best? It’s all, of course, somewhat subjective based on the player. However, in this complete TOTK enemies tier list, we’re going to do our best to sort all the adversaries objectively. Legendary clashes, cool visual designs, and neat interactions with systems like Fuse will push enemies further up the list.

Warning: Major spoilers for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom follow.

S Tier: The Most Epic Showdowns in Hyrule

Demon King Ganondorf, Flux Construct, Gleeoks, Colgera, Phantom Ganon, Demon Dragon, Bokoblin

The top category in this tier list is made up almost entirely of memorable boss fights with great visuals and mechanics. However, there’s one exception. The classic Bokoblin is a staple of Hyrule with a weirdly charming design that does a solid job of introducing the game’s basic fighting mechanics. Meanwhile, bosses like the Flux Constructs and the Gleeoks look cool and give players tons of interesting ways to defeat them using the new Ultrahand and Ascend powers.

Boss Spotlight: Ganondorf and the Demon Dragon

Tears of the Kingdom nails the epic showdown with Ganondorf from start to finish. Whether you’re facing off against his phantom visage in the throne room or his final draconic transformation at the end of the game, you’re in for an epic fight that gets the blood pumping. The Demon King’s flurry rush abilities made for the perfect foil to Link’s own combos. When you see the boss’s health bar break the normal limit and reach for the far right side of your screen, you know you’re up against an evil like no other.

A Tier: Flurry Rush at the Ready

Boss Bokoblin, Gibdos, Captain Constructs, Lynels, Master Kohga, Frox, Moldugas, Marbled Gohma, Mucktorok, Gloom Spawn

Some of the best fights in Tears of the Kingdom are the ones that seem challenging at first but then get progressively easier once you discover that there’s not just one way to defeat the monster, but many. Lynels, Captain Constructs, Gloom Hands, and the Marbled Gohma boss fight are all great examples of this. There are also plenty of fun ways to experiment with Fuse when taking down Boss Bokoblins, Molduga, and Frox. Mucktorok, the Water Temple boss, also belongs in this tier because of the epic low-gravity arena in which you face him.

Boss Spotlight: Master Kohga

The leader of the Yiga Clan and his horde of misappropriated Zonai devices is a more than worthy showdown for Link. In fact, Tears of the Kingdom improves upon the encounter with this enemy from Breath of the Wild in almost every way. Instead of a single fight that’s solvable with a few arrows, you now have to track Kohga through the Depths. Every time you find him, he gets progressively stronger and busts out a new set of moves.

B Tier: Worth Wasting Bomb Arrows On

Keese, Evermean, Moblins, Horriblins, Zonai soldier construct, Yiga blade master, Hinox, Stalnox, Moragia, Queen Gibdo

The middle section of this tier list includes all the monsters that have cool designs but offer more simplified fights. Horriblins look terrifying, but once you learn how to drop them over water, they become trivial. Moblins, Hinox, and Stalnox, are also rather intimidating and fun to fight but don’t bring as much tension as the monsters in the A and S tiers. Evermeans give you a good jump scare the first time you find them, but after that, you know what to expect. I’ve also put Keese in this tier simply for the quality of their fuse drops.

Boss Spotlight: Queen Gibdo

The final boss of the Lightning Temple is a challenging fight for aspiring heroes of Hyrule. The queen looks like a suitably terrifying foe, and during the first phase of the fight, there are plenty of fun options for taking her down. However, it’s the second phase of the fight that knocks this boss down from the higher tiers. Using Riju’s lightning power is the easiest way to take out the purple nests in the chamber’s four corners. However, the power takes a long time to recharge, and I found myself running away from attacks and kiting mobs while waiting for it to come back.

C Tier: Master Sword Fodder

Like Like, Aerocuda, Lizalfos, Wizzrobes, Battle Talus, Yiga Foot soldier, Seized Construct

Enemies in this tier are decent enough mobs to fight occasionally but not otherwise particularly noteworthy. Like Likes and Wizzrobes require only a few arrows to take down. Aerocudas, while at least offering viable fuse drops, have only basic move patterns. Yiga footsoldiers have a cool design, but you usually get rid of them quickly before they do anything interesting. As for Lizalfos, those guys are just plain pesky.

Boss Spotlight: Seized Construct

The final boss of the secret fifth sage temple in the Depths was something I admittedly found a bit disappointing. In this fight, Link has to use the spirit sage’s power to step into a boxing ring-like arena and defeat the construct. While this might sound cool in principle, the mechanics instead felt clunky. Additionally, there wasn’t anything particularly visually interesting in the boss fight compared to Colgera, for example. Perhaps I was also expecting something a bit darker in theme, considering how the game set up this fight’s mysterious location in the Depths.

D Tier: Blobs, Globs, and Rocks

Chuchu, Rock Octorock, Pebblits, Stone Talus, Sludge Like, Little Frox

Not every enemy in Tears in the Kingdom is an automatic home run. Some are just blobs of goo that get in your way when you’re trying to make it to your next quest objective. This category is made up of unfortunate, uninteresting creatures that don’t offer much in terms of either battle prowess or drops. Just knock them on the head a few times with a stick, and you’ll be on your way without a second thought.

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