BotW Ancient Materials: Guardian Drops, Best Farming Spots

Ancient Screws, Springs, Gears and Shafts, plus Ancient Cores and Giant Ancient Cores, only come from Guardians. This page lists every Guardian type with its drop table from the game data, puts all 145 overworld Guardians on a map, and names the spots where you can collect the most in one trip.

What are the ancient materials worth?

Material	Sells for	Main use
Ancient Screw	12	Ancient Arrows, Ancient Bladesaw
Ancient Spring	15	Ancient Arrow ×5, Ancient Short Sword, Ancient Shield, Ancient Bow
Ancient Gear	30	Ancient Spear, Ancient Shield, Ancient Bow, Ancient armor
Ancient Shaft	40	Every Ancient Arrow bundle, ancient weapons
Ancient Core	80	Ancient weapons (2) and armor pieces (3)
Giant Ancient Core	200	Ancient Shield and Ancient Bow (1 each)

Sell prices are from each item’s parameter file. They sell cheaply for how hard they are to get, so most players keep them for Cherry (below) and for Great Fairy upgrades of the Ancient set.

Which Guardians drop ancient materials?

Guardian	HP	Where	On the map
Guardian Stalker	1,500	Hyrule Field, Castle Town, Akkala; walks and chases you	46
Decayed Guardian	500	Half-buried in the ground; fires its laser but cannot move	53
Guardian Skywatcher	1,500	Flies over Hyrule Castle, Akkala Citadel, Lomei Labyrinth Island	27
Guardian Turret	1,500	Inside Hyrule Castle only	19
Guardian Scout I–IV	13 to 3,000	Inside shrines (Test of Strength), Divine Beasts	—

HP values are from the game’s parameter files. The counts are the game’s own placements; records at the same spot are counted once. Four unblemished (orange) Guardians at Upland Zorana that the data marks separately are left out.

What does each Guardian drop?

Every kill rolls the drop table several times. Each roll gives one item, with these chances:

Guardian	Rolls	Screw	Spring	Gear	Shaft	Core	Giant Core
Guardian Stalker	10–12	35%	26%	21%	15%	2.5%	0.5%
Guardian Skywatcher	8–12	24%	15%	35%	23%	2.5%	0.5%
Guardian Turret	5–8	15%	12.5%	50%	20%	2%	0.5%
Decayed Guardian	4–6	40%	25%	20%	15%	—	—

On average a Stalker leaves about 11 parts and one Ancient Core every three to four kills. A Giant Ancient Core is rare from any of them: roughly one in 18 Stalkers.

Guardian Scouts have two tables: one roll from the first, then more from the second.

Scout	First roll	Then
Guardian Scout I	Screw 60%, Spring 40%	0–1 roll: Screw 60%, Spring 40%
Guardian Scout II	Screw 40%, Spring 30%, Gear 20%, Shaft 10%	1 roll of the same
Guardian Scout III	Gear 40%, Shaft 40%, Core 20%	3–4 rolls: Screw 30%, Spring 30%, Gear 20%, Shaft 20%
Guardian Scout IV	Core 50%, Shaft 30%, Gear 20%	4–5 rolls: Gear 30%, Shaft 30%, Screw 20%, Spring 20%

Scouts III and IV stand in the Modest and Major Test of Strength shrines. Armed Scouts also leave the weapons they hold, such as Guardian Swords and Spears.

Where are the best places to farm ancient materials?

Spot	Region	Guardians there	Why go
Hyrule Castle	Central	19 Turrets, 10 Skywatchers, 10 Decayed	The only Turrets; the densest cluster in the game
Castle Town ruins	Central	13 Stalkers, 7 Decayed, 1 Skywatcher	Many Stalkers close together
Akkala Citadel Ruins and Ordorac Quarry	Akkala	6 Skywatchers, 1 Decayed	Skywatchers on short patrol loops
Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	3 Stalkers, 4 Decayed, 2 Skywatchers	Nine Guardians on one small island
Torin Wetland	Akkala	2 Stalkers, 1 Decayed	Two roaming Stalkers west of Tarrey Town, near the Akkala lab
Forgotten Temple and Rowan Plain	Woodland	11 Decayed	Easy parts, no Cores
Eastern Abbey	Great Plateau	4 Decayed	Early screws and springs

The counts come from the map data below. For Giant Ancient Cores, good spots are Hyrule Field, Hyrule Castle and the two Torin Wetland Stalkers; Skywatchers patrol Hyrule Castle, Lomei Labyrinth Island and Akkala Citadel.

Where are all the Guardians?

All regions AkkalaCentralDueling PeaksEldinLakeLanayruWastelandHebraGreat PlateauHatenoWoodlandGerudoTabantha All kinds Guardian Stalker (46)Decayed Guardian (53)Guardian Skywatcher (27)Guardian Turret (19) Hide defeated

• Guardian Stalker (46)
• Decayed Guardian (53)
• Guardian Skywatcher (27)
• Guardian Turret (19)

Drag to move and zoom in to tell the points apart; on a computer, click the map first and the mouse wheel zooms it. Ticks are saved in this browser only; no account is needed.

Coordinates are X, Y in the same frame as the site’s shrine pages; the landmark is the nearest named place on the map.

All 145 Guardians in a table

#	Monster	Nearest landmark	Region	X, Y
1	Guardian Stalker	Torin Wetland	Akkala	3625, 1603
2	Guardian Stalker	Torin Wetland	Akkala	3681, 1512
3	Guardian Stalker	Bottomless Swamp	Central	0394, -0680
4	Guardian Stalker	Castle Town Prison	Central	-0703, 0802
5	Guardian Stalker	Castle Town Watchtower	Central	0070, 0277
6	Guardian Stalker	Castle Town Watchtower	Central	0168, 0371
7	Guardian Stalker	Central Square	Central	-0358, 0470
8	Guardian Stalker	Central Square	Central	-0220, 0432
9	Guardian Stalker	East Castle Town	Central	-0102, 0416
10	Guardian Stalker	Helmhead Bridge	Central	0430, 1092
11	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0361, 0323
12	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0254, 0334
13	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0255, 0193
14	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Cathedral	Central	0054, 0579
15	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Forest Park	Central	0188, 0852
16	Guardian Stalker	Hyrule Garrison Ruins	Central	-0575, -0550
17	Guardian Stalker	Mabe Prairie	Central	0072, 0104
18	Guardian Stalker	Mabe Village Ruins	Central	-0175, -0152
19	Guardian Stalker	Mount Gustaf	Central	-0723, 0216
20	Guardian Stalker	Passeri Greenbelt	Central	-0839, -0070
21	Guardian Stalker	Sacred Ground Ruins	Central	-0115, 0100
22	Guardian Stalker	West Castle Town	Central	-0475, 0279
23	Guardian Stalker	West Castle Town	Central	-0515, 0478
24	Guardian Stalker	Windvane Meadow	Central	-0254, -0562
25	Guardian Stalker	Windvane Meadow	Central	-0784, -0631
26	Guardian Stalker	Jia Highlands	Dueling Peaks	1540, -2408
27	Guardian Stalker	Mable Ridge	Dueling Peaks	1274, -1377
28	Guardian Stalker	Sahasra Slope	Dueling Peaks	1406, -1205
29	Guardian Stalker	Sahasra Slope	Dueling Peaks	1277, -1185
30	Guardian Stalker	Gero Pond	Eldin	2396, 1633
31	Guardian Stalker	Medingo Pool	Eldin	2287, 1775
32	Guardian Stalker	Komo Shoreline	Lake	0568, -3948
33	Guardian Stalker	Bannan Island	Lanayru	1856, -0406
34	Guardian Stalker	Mabe Prairie	Lanayru	0266, 0182
35	Guardian Stalker	Ranch Ruins	Lanayru	0120, -0272
36	Guardian Stalker	Ranch Ruins	Lanayru	0394, -0244
37	Guardian Stalker	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4589, 3619
38	Guardian Stalker	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4720, 3665
39	Guardian Stalker	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4655, 3678
40	Guardian Stalker	North Akkala Beach	Akkala	4664, 2830
41	Guardian Stalker	North Akkala Beach	Akkala	4698, 2996
42	Guardian Stalker	Champion's Gate	Wasteland	-2334, -2987
43	Guardian Stalker	South Lomei Labyrinth	Wasteland	-1890, -3779
44	Guardian Stalker	Stalry Plateau	Wasteland	-1579, -2708
45	Guardian Stalker	Yarna Valley	Wasteland	-1847, -3003
46	Guardian Stalker	Biron Snowshelf	Hebra	-3668, 3157
47	Decayed Guardian	Akkala Citadel Ruins	Akkala	3243, 1519
48	Decayed Guardian	Bloodleaf Lake	Akkala	4461, 3035
49	Decayed Guardian	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4605, 3645
50	Decayed Guardian	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4654, 3621
51	Decayed Guardian	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4715, 3630
52	Decayed Guardian	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4559, 3632
53	Decayed Guardian	Torin Wetland	Akkala	3697, 1706
54	Decayed Guardian	Ancient Tree Stump	Central	-0882, -0284
55	Decayed Guardian	Ancient Tree Stump	Central	-0857, -0404
56	Decayed Guardian	Castle Town Watchtower	Central	0171, 0476
57	Decayed Guardian	East Castle Town	Central	-0027, 0244
58	Decayed Guardian	East Castle Town	Central	-0098, 0348
59	Decayed Guardian	Guards' Chamber	Central	-0274, 0887
60	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Castle	Central	-0201, 0685
61	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Castle Moat	Central	-0004, 1096
62	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0434, 0218
63	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0310, 0272
64	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Castle Town Ruins	Central	-0160, 0242
65	Decayed Guardian	Hyrule Garrison Ruins	Central	-0714, -0423
66	Decayed Guardian	King's Study	Central	-0215, 1136
67	Decayed Guardian	King's Study	Central	-0106, 1155
68	Decayed Guardian	Lockup	Central	-0358, 1125
69	Decayed Guardian	Observation Room	Central	-0187, 0722
70	Decayed Guardian	Observation Room	Central	-0167, 0754
71	Decayed Guardian	Observation Room	Central	-0292, 0727
72	Decayed Guardian	Princess Zelda's Room	Central	-0320, 1039
73	Decayed Guardian	Quarry Ruins	Central	-0629, 0254
74	Decayed Guardian	West Castle Town	Central	-0417, 0415
75	Decayed Guardian	Ash Swamp	Dueling Peaks	1926, -1800
76	Decayed Guardian	Eastern Abbey	Great Plateau	-0526, -1890
77	Decayed Guardian	Eastern Abbey	Great Plateau	-0500, -1995
78	Decayed Guardian	Eastern Abbey	Great Plateau	-0446, -2030
79	Decayed Guardian	Eastern Abbey	Great Plateau	-0458, -1950
80	Decayed Guardian	Temple of Time	Great Plateau	-0777, -1990
81	Decayed Guardian	Fort Hateno	Hateno	2287, -1757
82	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Hebra	-1408, 2336
83	Decayed Guardian	Tobio's Hollow	Lake	1192, -2667
84	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Woodland	-1328, 2348
85	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Woodland	-1256, 2416
86	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Woodland	-1352, 2305
87	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Woodland	-1297, 2448
88	Decayed Guardian	Forgotten Temple	Woodland	-1241, 2537
89	Decayed Guardian	Military Training Camp	Woodland	0834, 1611
90	Decayed Guardian	Rowan Plain	Woodland	-1187, 2491
91	Decayed Guardian	Rowan Plain	Woodland	-1160, 2620
92	Decayed Guardian	Rowan Plain	Woodland	-1188, 2572
93	Decayed Guardian	Rowan Plain	Woodland	-1116, 2584
94	Decayed Guardian	Rowan Plain	Woodland	-1166, 2539
95	Decayed Guardian	East Gerudo Mesa	Wasteland	-1494, -3000
96	Decayed Guardian	South Lomei Labyrinth	Wasteland	-1976, -3697
97	Decayed Guardian	Vatorsa Snowfield	Gerudo	-3611, -1035
98	Decayed Guardian	Mount Drena	Hebra	-1092, 3338
99	Decayed Guardian	Daval Peak	Wasteland	-1437, -3716
100	Guardian Skywatcher	Akkala Bridge Ruins	Akkala	3210, 1502
101	Guardian Skywatcher	Akkala Citadel Ruins	Akkala	3379, 1555
102	Guardian Skywatcher	Akkala Citadel Ruins	Akkala	3372, 1432
103	Guardian Skywatcher	Akkala Citadel Ruins	Akkala	3333, 1602
104	Guardian Skywatcher	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4633, 3657
105	Guardian Skywatcher	Lomei Labyrinth Island	Akkala	4678, 3658
106	Guardian Skywatcher	Ordorac Quarry	Akkala	3590, 2497
107	Guardian Skywatcher	Ordorac Quarry	Akkala	3637, 2570
108	Guardian Skywatcher	Ordorac Quarry	Akkala	3694, 2511
109	Guardian Skywatcher	Castle Town Prison	Central	-0734, 0869
110	Guardian Skywatcher	East Passage	Central	-0040, 0960
111	Guardian Skywatcher	First Gatehouse	Central	-0388, 0723
112	Guardian Skywatcher	Hyrule Castle	Central	-0254, 0652
113	Guardian Skywatcher	Hyrule Castle Moat	Central	-0015, 0741
114	Guardian Skywatcher	Hyrule Castle Moat	Central	0195, 1164
115	Guardian Skywatcher	Hyrule Castle Moat	Central	-0186, 1375
116	Guardian Skywatcher	Lockup	Central	-0456, 1088
117	Guardian Skywatcher	Moat Bridge	Central	-0703, 0649
118	Guardian Skywatcher	Princess Zelda's Room	Central	-0254, 0957
119	Guardian Skywatcher	Princess Zelda's Study	Central	-0362, 1011
120	Guardian Skywatcher	Quarry Ruins	Central	-0836, 0440
121	Guardian Skywatcher	Quarry Ruins	Central	-0634, 0414
122	Guardian Skywatcher	Ankel Island	Lanayru	4624, 0954
123	Guardian Skywatcher	Tingel Island	Lanayru	4641, 1258
124	Guardian Skywatcher	Tingel Island	Lanayru	4649, 1402
125	Guardian Skywatcher	Piper Ridge	Tabantha	-3555, 0624
126	Guardian Skywatcher	Piper Ridge	Tabantha	-3442, 0546
127	Guardian Turret	Dining Hall	Central	-0040, 0818
128	Guardian Turret	Docks	Central	-0251, 1205
129	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0092, 0936
130	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0092, 1009
131	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0032, 0909
132	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0210, 0968
133	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0056, 1047
134	Guardian Turret	East Passage	Central	-0154, 0993
135	Guardian Turret	First Gatehouse	Central	-0382, 0825
136	Guardian Turret	Guards' Chamber	Central	-0357, 0862
137	Guardian Turret	Guards' Chamber	Central	-0312, 0911
138	Guardian Turret	Hyrule Castle Moat	Central	0020, 0877
139	Guardian Turret	Library	Central	-0150, 1034
140	Guardian Turret	Princess Zelda's Room	Central	-0318, 0969
141	Guardian Turret	Sanctum	Central	-0340, 1091
142	Guardian Turret	Second Gatehouse	Central	-0146, 0851
143	Guardian Turret	Second Gatehouse	Central	-0188, 0866
144	Guardian Turret	West Passage	Central	-0454, 0859
145	Guardian Turret	West Passage	Central	-0472, 0945

How do you take down a Guardian quickly?

1. Shoot the eye with an Ancient Arrow. One Ancient Arrow in the eye destroys a Guardian outright, so a stack of them turns a hard fight into a single shot.
2. Reflect the laser. Raise your shield and time a Perfect Guard just as the laser fires; the beam goes back at the Guardian. A Stalker takes two to three reflections.
3. Hit with the Master Sword. Its attack goes up from 30 to 60 against Guardians.
4. Break the legs of a Stalker. Freeze it with Stasis+ and cut the legs; with fewer legs it can barely chase you.

For the whole castle run, see the Hyrule Castle walkthrough.

What can you make with ancient materials?

Cherry, the ancient oven at the Akkala Ancient Tech Lab, trades ancient materials plus rupees for ancient gear. She starts working after the side quest Robbie’s Research: Purah at the Hateno lab sends you to Robbie, and you carry the blue flame from the furnace on Tumlea Heights to the lab’s furnace.

Item	Rupees	Materials
Ancient Arrow	90	2 Screws, 1 Shaft, 1 Arrow
Ancient Arrow ×3	250	6 Screws, 3 Shafts, 3 Arrows
Ancient Arrow ×5	400	5 Springs, 5 Shafts, 5 Arrows
Ancient Short Sword	1,000	15 Springs, 5 Shafts, 2 Cores
Ancient Bladesaw	1,000	15 Screws, 5 Shafts, 2 Cores
Ancient Spear	1,000	15 Gears, 5 Shafts, 2 Cores
Ancient Shield	1,000	10 Gears, 15 Springs, 1 Giant Core
Ancient Bow	1,000	10 Gears, 15 Springs, 1 Giant Core
Ancient Helm	2,000	20 Gears, 5 Shafts, 3 Cores
Ancient Cuirass	2,000	20 Gears, 5 Screws, 3 Cores
Ancient Greaves	2,000	20 Gears, 5 Springs, 3 Cores

Costs are the game’s shop and recipe data. Shafts are the bottleneck for arrows, Gears for armor.

See also

More for Guardian hunters: the Ancient set, armor upgrade materials and all weapons.