Talus Guide — All Types, Locations & Gem Drops

Talus are massive rock creatures scattered across Hyrule's surface and sky. Each Talus has a glowing ore deposit on its body — the weak point. Defeating Talus drops gems and ores, making them the best gem-farming targets in the game. This guide covers all four types, strategies, and locations.

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How Talus Fights Work

All Talus share the same basic mechanic:

1. Approach the Talus — it rises from the ground when you get close
2. Identify the ore deposit — a dark rock cluster glowing faintly, usually on its back or top
3. Climb onto the Talus or shoot the deposit with arrows to deal damage
4. Stagger: Enough hits to the deposit staggers the Talus, dropping it prone temporarily
5. Melee the deposit while prone for maximum damage
6. Repeat until defeated

Best weapon: Two-handed with high Fuse attack. The deposit is a specific hitbox — charged attack directly to it deals 2–3× damage vs. hitting Talus body.

Fastest kill: Flurry Rush triggered by jumping + ZL + A (perfect dodge during Talus arm swipe) + burst melee on deposit. One flurry rush during stagger is often enough for Stone/Frost Talus.

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Type 1 — Stone Talus (Standard)

Appearance: Gray rock mass with ore deposit on back Element: None — no elemental resistance Drops: Amber, Flint, Opal, Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz (random gem pool) Danger Level: ★★★

Weakness: Any attack on the ore deposit. Two-handed charged swing deals the most per hit.

Locations (sample):

• Dueling Peaks (south Necluda) — 2 Stone Talus
• Akkala Highlands — 3 Stone Talus across the region
• Hyrule Ridge — 2 Stone Talus near cliffs
• West Necluda near Kakariko — 1 Stone Talus
• Lanayru Road area — 1 Stone Talus

Stone Talus appear throughout most of Hyrule's 10 regions. Total: approximately 40 Stone Talus across the game.

Strategy:

1. Crouch sneak close before it rises
2. Shoot deposit with arrow (immediate stagger on first hit if close)
3. Climb the front face while staggered
4. Melee deposit from above
5. Jump off before it shakes you off

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Type 2 — Igneo Talus (Fire)

Appearance: Dark rock glowing with internal fire; lava-orange ore deposit Element: Fire — touching its body without Flamebreaker deals fire damage Drops: Ruby, Opal, Smotherwing Butterfly, Crimson Moth, fire-element ores Danger Level: ★★★★

Weakness: Ice arrows or Frost Fruit cool the body temporarily, removing the burn-on-touch hazard. The deposit is exposed at all times — target with ice then climb.

Locations:

• Death Mountain / Eldin — 3 Igneo Talus (dense cluster)
• North Eldin Sky Archipelago — 1 Igneo Talus Titan (elite)
• Akkala volcanic edge — 1 Igneo Talus

Strategy:

1. Wear Flamebreaker Armor (Level 2 recommended for Death Mountain area)
2. Shoot Ice Arrows at Igneo Talus body to cool it → now climbable without fire damage
3. Climb to deposit → melee burst
4. The cooling wears off in ~10 seconds — shoot ice again as needed
5. Alternatively: stay at range and arrow-spam the deposit for full-range kills (slower but safe)

Igneo Talus Titan (Elite variant on North Eldin sky island):

• 3× HP of standard Igneo Talus
• Multiple deposits or repositioning deposit
• Drops 3× gem rewards + Ruby clusters

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Type 3 — Frost Talus (Ice)

Appearance: Ice-encased rock with frozen ore deposit Element: Ice — contact freezes Link temporarily without cold resistance Drops: Sapphire, White Chuchu Jelly, Star Fragment (rare), ice-element ores Danger Level: ★★★★

Weakness: Fire attacks melt the ice layer; the deposit is then accessible. Fire Arrows or Fire Fruit thrown at the body melts ice and stuns briefly.

Locations:

• Hebra Mountains — 3 Frost Talus
• Snowfield/Tabantha — 2 Frost Talus
• Lanayru Mountain cold zones — 1 Frost Talus

Strategy:

1. Bring cold resistance (Snowquill Armor, cold-resist meals) for approach
2. Shoot Fire Arrows at the Talus body to melt ice → deposit exposed + stagger
3. Climb body and melee deposit during stagger window
4. Frost Talus refreezes within 15 seconds — apply fire again
5. Alternatively: stay at range and shoot the deposit through the ice (ice doesn't block hits to deposit)

Sapphire farm note: Frost Talus in Hebra are the most reliable Sapphire source. Sapphires sell for 150R each and are required for cold-resistance armor upgrades.

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Type 4 — Marbled Talus (Unique — TotK New)

Appearance: Rock embedded with distinctive white/gray marbling; unique black ore deposits Element: None Drops: Zonai Charges (Large), Crystallized Charges, rare ores Danger Level: ★★★★

Key difference: Marbled Talus cannot be damaged by standard attacks to its body. The ore deposit must be broken by Yunobo's rolling charge ability (granted after completing the Fire Temple).

Location: Primarily Eldin region caves and sky islands; some appear in Akkala.

Strategy:

1. Yunobo MUST be active — his charge is the only way to break Marbled Rock Roast deposits
2. Aim Yunobo's charge directly at the black marbled deposit
3. Each Yunobo charge hit damages the deposit significantly
4. When staggered, melee the deposit for follow-up
5. Repeat until defeated

Without Yunobo: Marbled Talus are invincible to all other damage types. If you encounter one before the Fire Temple, ignore and return later.

Drops note: Marbled Talus consistently drop Crystallized Charges, making them the most battery-upgrade-relevant Talus type.

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Blood Moon Talus Farming

All Talus respawn on Blood Moon. For gem farming, establish a regional circuit:

Eldin Talus Circuit (best Ruby + Opal + Crystallized Charge income):

1. Eldin Mountains — Igneo Talus × 2
2. Death Mountain — Igneo Talus × 1
3. Eldin Sky — Igneo Talus Titan (if accessible)
4. Akkala volcanic edge — Igneo Talus × 1

Hebra Circuit (best Sapphire income):

1. Hebra Mountains — Frost Talus × 3
2. Snowfield — Frost Talus × 2

Per circuit yield: 5–8 gems averaging 100–200R each = 500–1,600R per full Talus circuit.

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Talus Titan (Elite Variants)

Igneo Talus Titan (North Eldin Sky Island):

• 3× HP of standard Igneo Talus
• Drops 3 Rubies + additional ores
• Strategy same as Igneo Talus but longer fight

Frost Talus Titan (Specific Hebra mountain):

• 3× HP of standard Frost Talus
• Drops 3 Sapphires + rare chance at Star Fragment

Talus Titan fights reward patience — same strategy, just extended.

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Tips

• Magnetic Ultrahand shortcut: Use Ultrahand to lift rocks near Talus fights — hitting Talus with a large rock deals good damage to the body, useful for chipping HP before climbing
• Yunobo is bonus: For Stone and Ice/Fire Talus, Yunobo's charge can also hit ore deposits — use him as free bonus damage
• Horseback approach: Riding past a Talus at speed lets you quickly test if it's a higher-tier variant worth fighting
• Jump attack from above: Jump off a cliff onto Talus and perform a plunging attack on the deposit — deals significant burst damage on landing

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See also: Lynel Guide | Rupees Guide | Sage Abilities Guide