Giant Ancient Cores are rare materials in Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In order to upgrade high-quality armor so you can take on tougher bosses like Ganon, you need these giant ancient cores. Zelda BOTW giant ancient cores are found all over the Hyrule map, but certain locations and enemies are more likely to provide Giant Ancient Cores.
Due to its usefulness and importance in Zelda BOTW, finding Giant Ancient Cores is made a not-so-easy task. That is why we have crafted this resourceful guide to help you locate these worthy materials.
How to farm Giant Ancient Cores in Zelda BOTW
As giant ancient cores are rare material, even more than regular ancient cores, there aren’t a lot of ways you can get them in Zelda BOTW. There are mainly two ways to farm giant ancient cores. First by defeating powerful enemies, and second by visiting different Shrines in certain regions in the game.
Farming giant ancient cores from Guardians
Not every enemy drops Giant Ancient Cores when it is killed. Like the rarity of this material, the creatures holding it are also rare to find and tough to take down. The most common creatures are Guardians, including Guardian Stalkers, Skywatchers, and Turrets. However, Decayed Guardians do not provide any of these materials.
Since the drop rate is very low, the ideal way to farm Giant Ancient Cores from enemies is to save your game before defeating a guardian and if the enemy doesn’t drop the cores, simply reload the save and try again. Keep repeating this method till you get a Giant Ancient Core as a drop.
For this farming method, we would recommend going after Guardian Stalkers as they are the easiest to kill and is the fastest method to get Giant Ancient Cores. Look around Hyrule Castle and Torin Wasteland to easily find some Guardians so you can kill them and farm Giant Ancient Cores in Breath of the Wild.
With the Master Sword in hand, you can deal bonus damage to Guardians which should help in quickly farming for Giant Ancient Cores.
Unfortunately, there is no other fast way to farm giant ancient cores in Breath of the Wild apart from the fixed drop areas like chests within shrines.
Reward from shrines
The easier and more common way to get Giant Ancient Cores in Zelda BOTW is by visiting the following shrines and completing the tasks in them. Completing the Shrine Trials in each of the shrine will reward players with a Giant ancient core.
Shora Hah Shrine: The location of this shrine is in the Eldin Region of Hyrule. The specific trial for this one is the Blue Flame.
Mirro Shaz Shrine: An easy-to-complete shrine that finds its home in the Woodland region. The specific trial for the Mirro Shaz shrine is Tempered Power.
Kah Okeo Shrine: Its dwelling place is Rayne Highlands. This one is a long and tough shrine to complete. Completing the Kah Okeo shrine requires pursuing the Wind Guide trial.
Dah Hesho Shrine: A shrine that you can locate in the Akkala region, east of Tarrey Town. A Minor Test of Strength trial needs to be completed in Dah Hesho shrine.
Kuhn Sidajj Shrine: The Woodland region gives home to this shrine, which can be accessed through Korok Forest. There is only a chest containing a Giant Ancient Core n this shrine, without any trial.
Maag Halan Shrine: This shrine is a part of the Woodland region. You have already proved your worth by finding the shrine, so there is no trial in this one.
Ritaag Zumo Shrine: A part of the Akkala region, east of Akkala Highlands. Similar to the above two shrines, this one also contains only a chest and no trial.
What are giant ancient cores used for in Breath of the Wild
Giant Ancient Cores in BOTW can be used at Ancient Tech Labs as they are necessary for upgrading armor parts like:
Ancient Helm: Requires two giant ancient cores for the 4th upgrade.
Ancient Cuirass: Requires two giant ancient cores for the 4th upgrade.
Ancient Greaves: Requires two giant ancient cores for the 4th upgrade.
Moreover, you can also sell these cores at the Ancient Tech Lab to obtain rare weapons like Ancient Shield and Ancient Bow. You will lose x2 Giant Ancient Cores and a chunk of your rupee and ancient gear collection when buying these weapons.
Lastly, Kilton buys this resourceful material in exchange for 100 Mon. However, it is highly recommended not to do this trade, as these rare material are a lot more valuable than what Kilton offers.
