Exploring the desert in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can lead to a ton of mishaps, especially due to the low visibility. You won't even expect an enemy to be nearby until it's too late.
The Molduga boss in particular is one of the hardest in the desert, requiring you to stay on higher ground to prevent an immediate defeat. If you're looking for a method to take down this enemy, this guide has you covered.
Updated by Christina Roffe on May 29, 2023: As we have proceeded further into the game, we have included a few more locations on where you can find the Molduga boss. We have also provided new methods to make your battle easier and faster against Molduga, including armor and food options to increase your defense and attack.
Where To Find Molduga
Molduga bosses can be found all throughout the Gerudo Desert, especially in the areas that are relatively barren without much civilization around. We will summarize the location of all four Moldugas that can be discovered in the area.
To start, you'll want to be in the Gerudo Desert area, which is in the southwestern region of the Hyrule map. Just west of Gerudo Town, there will be an area called Toruma Dunes. This is where you'll find the first Molduga, specifically at the coordinates -4777, -2809, 0027.
For the second Molduga, you'll be able to find this one west of North Gerudo Ruins. The ruins will be located directly north of Gerudo Town towards the top of Gerudo Desert. The coordinates for this Molduga are -4026, -2694, 0042.
For the next Molduga, you'll want to make your way towards the Southern Oasis, south of Gerudo Town. You'll find the boss northeast of the oasis, heading towards Palu Wasteland. The coordinates to find this Molduga are -3509, -3279, 0027.
The last Molduga in the desert will be near to the Siwakama Shrine, in the East Barrens area. You can find this location on the eastern side of the desert, just south of the East Gerudo Chasm. The coordinates for the location of the Molduga are -2324, -3367, 0023.
How To Defeat Molduga
When you find Molduga, you'll want to make sure to get yourself to higher ground immediately. If Molduga catches you when you're on the ground, it will eat you up and most likely defeat you in one hit if you don't have good armor equipped. There are a ton of rocks and platforms in the area that you can jump on top of, but you'll want to get to these without Molduga spotting you. You can crouch as you walk to them to prevent being noticed.
The best way you can protect yourself from Molduga's powerful attacks is by choosing the right armor and eating food that will boost your defense and attack. Some armor available that has the highest defense stats includes The Armor of the Wild, and The Zonaite Armor. If you can get your hands on these, it will greatly protect you and allow you to attack Molduga directly with your weapon.
As for food to eat, you'll want to cook any recipe that includes these ingredients to boost your defense:
- Fortified Pumpkin
- Armoranth
- Ironshroom
- Armored Carp
- Armored Porgy
- Ironshell Crab
If you're wanting to increase your attack as well, include these ingredients in your recipe:
- Mighty Thistle
- Razorshroom
- Mighty Bananas
- Mighty Carp
- Mighty Porgy
- Razorclaw Crab
Since you are up on a higher spot, Molduga won't attempt to eat you, meaning it will stay in the ground. Unfortunately, there is no way to damage Molduga when it's under the sand; instead, you'll need to lure it out. To do this, we recommend throwing items at it, like apples, which will trigger it to eat the item and jump out of the sand for a few seconds.
The second Molduga jumps out of the sand, this is when you will need to take your shot. The best method here is to use your bow, and infuse your arrows to make them stronger. We found that the strongest items to infuse your arrows with against Molduga was Gibdo Bones and Bomb Flowers. Anything that has an element attached to it will be useful as well, like Fire Fruits, Shock Like Stones, Electric Lizalfos Horns, and more. After you hit the boss, it will lie on the ground where you can keep shooting it with infused arrows. This will take a bit of time, but this is all you will need to do to take it down. If you have strong enough armor and are prepared with food to boost your defense and attack, you can actually jump down off the platform and hit Molduga with your weapon to finish it off faster. Then, once you defeat it, you'll be able to pick up materials including Molduga Jaw, Molduga Fin, Molduga Guts, among others.