Guardian

:This page is about the recurring in . See Guardian (Disambiguation) for similar terms.
 are recurring in Breath of the Wild.
==Characteristics==
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 are ancient machines created by the , originally created to aid in the battle against . Most are under the control of during the events of and are scattered across Hyrule, attacking those who approach. that are not possessed by 's Malice, such as those that reside within , in the Trial of the Sword, at Upland Zorana, and in the Final Trial, glow orange and blue instead of the pink that corrupted display. Despite not being possessed by any evil force, they will still attack , as they were tasked by the Monks to fight him as part of the trials that he must undergo.
While are formidable opponents, they have multiple weaknesses. A 's eye and bottom engine are its weak spots; shooting it with an causes extra damage and stuns the for a brief period of time. While sufficiently strong weapons can deal a fair amount of damage to a , it is especially weak to Ancient equipment, which deals much more damage to it. The , which doubles its attack power near malice, including corrupted Guardians, is another effective weapon against it.
====Guardian Stalker====
A is an agile , sporting 6 legs, high health, high resistance, and a laser beam attack that deals up to 15 Hearts of damage. If a target is too close to it, the will attempt to distance itself in order to fire its laser; otherwise it will relentlessly pursue the target until it loses track of the them. When defeated, it may drop any combination of , , , , and . can sever the legs of a , temporarily stunning it.
====Decayed Guardian====
A is a that has lost its legs. It is found buried in the ground, unable to move due to its aforementioned lack of legs. Most appear inactive until approaches one, where it will activate and aim its laser at him in preparation to fire. are found in numerous locations, including and the , sometimes in large groups, as seen in Lomei Labyrinth Island.
====Guardian Scout====
A is a smaller variant of the that can be found within Ancient Shrines and . It comes in four different variants, ranging from I to IV. Depending on the variant, it can be equipped with different weapons, increasing in damage the higher the variant. The stronger variants found within the "Test of Strength" shrines can also use their laser to repeatedly burn the floor surrounding them, sending back if struck. Additionally, when near destruction, they will charge a stronger laser attack that cannot be interrupted.
====Guardian Turret====
A is a stationary that fire powerful lasers at . Upon spotting , a 's head will begin to elevate and it will charge its laser in preparation to shoot. Several guard the entrance to the Sanctum of , where resides.
====Guardian Skywatcher====
A is a flying type of . It scans its environment with a red searchlight and will begin charging its laser upon locating a target. Many patrol around and the .
====Sentry====
A Sentry is a type of flying , similar to a . In the "" , Vah Rudania dispatches Sentries as and approach Death Mountain to hinder them as they attempt to disable Vah Rudania. Sentries use red searchlights along the path up Death Mountain which, should or be spotted, will cause Vah Rudania to furiously unleash Magma Bombs at them.
==Other Appearances==
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 are automatons created by the ancient civilization to combat the original . 10,000 years later at the onset of the second , the are are infested with 's causing them to attack the forces of the .
A named was activated by as young child. After being confiscated away for many years by 's father, , travels back in time to aid after the fall of during the second . has the ability to bring and send others through time and remotely activate other ancient technology.
Hostile Guardians present are additionally infested with from the future, creating new forms such as , , and .
In the first DLC pack, Pulse of the Ancients, a battle worn Guardian can be unlocked as a playable Warrior, an older but more powerful model that had not been infected by Malice.
== Tears of the Kingdom ==
The only Guardian in the game is seen in Hateno Village used as the roof of the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab; it is clearly no longer functional.
==Trivia==
*Guardian Stalkers were based on the from , which to people on the development team seemed huge in comparison to , leading to the cephalopod-like design of the Guardians and the technological theme of the game.
*When Link is targeted by Guardians, the map on the HUD and on the Sheikah slate will show a red dot indicating their location.https://www.reddit.com/r/Breath_of_the_Wild/comments/af7qwd/til_that_when_a_guardian_starts_targeting_you/
==Nomenclature==
==Gallery==
File:BotW Eastern Abbey Guardian.png|A attacking in 
File:BotW Temple of Time Guardians.png|Inactive inside the in 
File:BotW Destroyed Guardian.png|A destroyed 
File:BotW Zelda Defending Link.png| defending from a 
File:BotW Guardian Turret Concept Artwork.jpg|Concept art of the 
File:BotW E3 2016 Guardian Statue.png|A statue from the E3 2016 booth
File:E3 2016 Link Fighting Guardian.png|Statues of and a fighting from the E3 2016 booth
File:BotW Guardian Firing.png|A in early development in 2014 trailer
File:BotW Attacking a Guardian.png|Attacking the in the 2014 trailer
File:BotW Series Guardian amiibo.png|The amiibo
File:HWAoC Guardian Stalker Model.png|A , as seen in 
File:HWAoC Guardian Icon.png|A icon from 
de:Wächter
de-niwa:Wächter
es:Guardián (Breath of the Wild)
fr:Gardien (Breath of the Wild)