Molduga are among the rarest boss enemies in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The giant sand-dwelling monsters only appear in the Gerudo Desert and move through the water beneath the surface almost like fish. In the entire base game there is only four Molduga, who live in fixed places in the desert and reappear after a blood moon. You need your Molduga fins and Molduga hearts for various purposes Armor improvements, a Molduga heart will be for one Side Quest in Gerudo Town requires and after the first victory over Ganon you can get for all four defeated copies Kilton the Molduga Order receive.
Owners of the expansion pass also encounter a significantly stronger subspecies with the Molduking in “The Champions’ Ballad”. However, it is not one of the four normal Molduga and is not required for Kilton’s Order.
How many Molduga are there in Breath of the Wild?
Live exactly in the basic game four Molduga, all in the Gerudo Desert. Unlike Hinoxes or Stone Talus, they do not appear in any other region Hyrule’s on. Each of the four opponents has a fixed habitat and must be defeated at least once for Kilton’s later Molduga Order.
| # | Location | Orientation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exile of the Dragons North | Southwest of Gerudo Town near several rocky islands |
| 2 | South Oasis | South of the sand seal race |
| 3 | Torma Dunes | West of Gerudo Town at Tho Kayu Shrine |
| 4 | Desert Castle Ruins | Southwest of the South Oasis |
Molduga 1 – Exile of the Dragons North
You can find the first Molduga in the Exile of the Dragons North in the southwestern area of the Gerudo Desert. The area lies west or southwest of Gerudo Town and north of the large Gerudo giant fossil. Several rocky plateaus rise out of the sand and offer you excellent, safe positions for combat.
If possible, approach with a sand seal and jump onto one of the rocks before the Molduga registers your movements. You can then throw a long-range bomb into the sand from above and lure the enemy out of cover in a controlled manner.
Molduga 2 – South Oasis
The second Molduga swims around the South Oasis. This small palm oasis is located south of the Sand Seal Run and southeast of the Desert Castle Ruins. The raised rock in the center of the oasis is also an excellent starting point for the fight, as the Molduga Link cannot reach it directly.
The south oasis is also practical because you can find a cooking area and various plants there. If you are traveling in the desert for a long time, you can easily combine the fight with our regional 100% route through Breath of the Wild.
Molduga 3 – Torma Dunes at Tho Kayu Shrine
Another Molduga lives in the Torma Dunes west of Gerudo Town. The area lies in a deeper depression and can be identified by several stone platforms with torches. Right there you can unlock the Tho Kayu Shrine at the same time: Light the four torches around the center of the dunes.
The Molduga makes the shrine task significantly more dangerous. It’s best to kill the boss first and then take your time to deal with the torches. The rocks around the area again serve as safe positions for your long-range bombs.
Molduga 4 – Desert Castle Ruins
The fourth and final normal Molduga lives in the Desert Castle Ruins. The remains lie southwest of the South Oasis and east of the Dragon Exile. Between the old stone pillars and the large rock in the center you have several raised areas where you are safe from the monster swimming underground.
Since you have to defeat each of these four individual specimens once for Kilton’s Molduga Order, you should remember the location or kill the enemy directly during your complete exploration of the Gerudo Desert.
Defeat
Molduga – the simplest strategy
Molduga are mainly oriented towards noises and vibrations in the sand. It is precisely this property that makes the fight much easier than its enormous size might initially suggest. First, find a rock, ruin or other elevated platform where the Molduga cannot reach you. Then throw a round or square long-range bomb onto the sand.
The Molduga notices the vibration and moves towards the bomb. A question mark over her position indicates she has registered the bait. Shortly afterwards, the monster jumps out of the sand and tries to devour the bomb. Wait a moment and will detonate the remote bomb while the Molduga is in the air or the bomb is in its mouth. The explosion knocks the boss to the ground and stuns him for several seconds.
Deal maximum damage while stunned
Immediately jump from your safe position and attack the motionless Molduga with your strongest melee weapon. Two-handed swords and charged spin attacks are particularly effective. If you have already freed Vah Naboris, Urbosa’s Fury is ideal: a fully charged attack deals large area damage and can shorten the fight significantly.
Don’t stay next to the boss for too long, though. As soon as the Molduga stands up again or rolls on its stomach, you withdraw. Shortly afterwards she gives a powerful all-round blow with her tail and then disappears back into the sand. Climb onto a safe platform again and repeat the process with the next remote bomb.
Alternative with bomb arrows
Bomb Darts also work great. As soon as the Molduga jumps out of the sand, an explosion can knock it to the ground. However, remote bombs are free and are therefore usually the more efficient solution. Although ancient arrows cause high damage, they do not automatically eliminate a Molduga with a single hit.
Normal arrows are particularly useful if the monster is already stunned on the ground and you want to cause additional damage from a safe distance.
Molduga fight with sand seal
You can also fight Molduga while traveling with a Sand Seal. The animals are faster than Molduga and allow Link to stay out of their direct range. However, this variant is much more turbulent than fighting from a safe rock and is particularly suitable if you already have experience with desert monsters.
For the easiest possible 100% pass, we recommend the long-range bomb strategy from an elevated position.
Molduga fins and Molduga hearts
After victory, the Molduga explodes, leaving behind several Molduga Fins and Molduga Hearts, as well as one or more Treasure Chests with weapons. You shouldn’t sell the materials too quickly, as Molduga hearts in particular are one of the rarer monster parts in the game and are needed for several armor upgrades.
| Material | Main Use |
|---|---|
| Molduga fin | Improvement of sand boots |
| Molduga Heart | sand boots, light set, medicine and Side Quest |
The sand boots require Molduga fins for their first two improvement levels, while Molduga hearts are needed for the higher levels. The light set also requires Molduga hearts if it is improved later. You can find out what total quantities you need in our guide to the Great Fairies and all the armor upgrades.
Side Quest “The Molduga Heart”
In Gerudo Town you meet Malena, whose husband is seriously ill. She believes that a Molduga Heart is indispensable for the medicine she needs, but she doesn’t dare take on one of the huge monsters herself. This begins the Side Quest “The Molduga Heart”.
Defeat any of the four Molduga, collect at least one Molduga Heart and return it to Malena. As a thank you, you will receive a gold Rupee worth 300 Rupees. If you complete all four Molduga for the future order anyway, you can easily complete this task on the side.
Molduga Photograph – Hyrule Compendium
During your first fight, don’t forget to take the Molduga with the Camera Rune. It has its own entry in the Hyrule Compendium. The ideal time is immediately before the actual fight, while you are standing safely on a rock and the monster is swimming through the sand or jumping out of the ground.
To get a complete score, you should also take a photo of the Molduking later if you have “The Champions’ Ballad” installed.
Molduga Order received at Kilton
After you have defeated the Calamity Ganon at least once and then loaded the save game marked with a star, Kilton expands his monster research. Ask him about the big monsters and he will tell you how many Molduga have already been defeated.
Do you have all four individual Molduga from the base game Done at least once, Kilton will give it to you Molduga Order. Specimens that are revived after a blood moon do not need to be fought again – the game permanently remembers which individual bosses Link has already defeated.
| Kilton Order | Required opponents |
|---|---|
| Hinox Order | 40 Hinoxes and Stalnoxes |
| Stone Talus Order | 40 Stone Talus, Igneo Talus and Frost Taluss |
| Molduga Order | 4 Molduga |
The medals have no playful effect and do not change the official card percentage. For our 100% walkthrough for Breath of the Wild they are still part of the fully completed game.
Molduking – exclusive boss from DLC 2
Owners of the expansion pass will encounter a special variant in “The Champions’ Ballad”: the Molduking. She lives in East Gerudo in the southeastern area of Gerudo Desert and appears during the main objective “EX: The Ballad of Urbosa”. The prerequisite for this section is, among other things, that all four Titans have been freed and the trial on the Great Plateau has been completed.
Kass’s song describes the boss as the “grim ruler of the sand”. After their victory, the Keive Tala Shrine rises from the ground and you can continue one of the three trials of Urbosa’s Ballad.
Defeat Molduking
The basic combat works the same as with a normal Molduga. Stand on one of the rocks sticking out of the sand, throw a remote bomb as bait and wait for the Molduking to jump out of the sand. Detonate the bomb and attack the boss while he is stunned.
However, the Molduking is more resilient and recovers more quickly. Particularly effective are electric attacks, to which this particular variant is sensitive. Urbosa’s Fury not only fits the test perfectly thematically, but also causes enormous damage. After a blood moon, the Molduking appears again and can therefore be fought again later or photographed for the Hyrule Handbook.
Does Molduking count for Kilton’s Molduga Order?
No. Only the four normal Molduga from the base game count for Kilton’s Molduga Order. The Molduking was only added in DLC 2 and does not increase Kilton’s counter. You therefore only have to defeat them for “The Champions’ Ballad”, the Keive Tala Shrine and, if necessary, a complete DLC save.
All Molduga – Collectibles
| Target | status for full game |
|---|---|
| Molduga in the Dragon North Exile | Defeat |
| Molduga at the South Oasis | Defeat |
| Molduga in the Torma Dunes | Defeat |
| Molduga at the Wüstenburg ruins | Defeat |
| Molduga photograph | Hyrule Compendium |
| Complete “The Molduga Heart” | Give 1 Molduga Heart to Malena |
| Molduga Order | After picking up Ganon at Kilton |
| Molduking | Defeat |
| Photograph Molduking | DLC Hyrule Compendium |
Molduga for 100% done
If you have defeated the Molduga in the Dragon Exile North, at the South Oasis, in the Torma Dunes and at the Desert Castle Ruins at least once, the entire Molduga population of the base game is finished. Their materials will help you expand the armor collection, a Molduga heart completes a Gerudo side quest and after defeating Ganon, the Molduga Order awaits at Kilton.
If you also own DLC 2 “The Champions’ Ballad”, you will also defeat the Molduking in East Gerudo. This means that all representatives of this boss type in Breath of the Wild have been dealt with at least once.