What a cute little fiend
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The Mucktorok boss is the “scourge of the Water Temple”
The Mucktorok will seem imposing at first, and take the form of a serpent: but what lies beneath is a little pushover.
To bring that little guy out of the formidable muck body it inhabits, you’ll need water.
Arrows work wonders and are the safest play for taking out the Mucktorok
Luckily, you have an infinite source of water using your Zora Champion ability, compliments of Sidon. Just walk over to him and press the A button to create a water shield around Link. Striking with a weapon will take your shield off: but it’ll also create a small projectile wave. This, or any other water-based ability (like linking Splash Fruit to your arrows) will do the trick.
The catch for this particular fight is a caveat that comes into play when managing the water shield ability. If you get hit, it’ll go away, so you need to make good use of it. One trick I used is to trigger the water shield when the Mucktorok uses a projectile: that way if I get hit it’ll take no damage, and if it misses, I can run around and get a good hit in.
The scariest ability that the Mucktorok has is its ranged power: which shoots waves at Link. When it reels back you can do the same, as more range will allow you to run perpendicular to the wave and completely avoid the damage. After it attacks with anything, that’s your chance to get the water shield up and running, then sprint up and knock it out.
Once the Mucktorok is out of its “shell,” it’ll run around wildly. You need to hit it to stun it: so you can whack it some more. Arrows are the best way to do this, and you only need one shot. After being dazed for a few moments it’ll get back into its serpent shell, and the fight will reset.
Phase two (which is reached at half health) isn’t much different beyond how the arena is structured.
You’ll have to deal with more puzzles on the ground when chasing down the Mucktorok, which can restrict your movement. Look for “paths” in the muck to move around so that you can get in a good hit with your water shield ability. Arrows are also even more key for this phase because you can hit the exposed Mucktorok easier at a distance; since it’ll be making use of the muck to slow you down. Be aggressive and keep using the water shield to block attacks that you have trouble with, and you’ll take it down.
You’ll get another Heart Container after the boss fight
Like most core bosses in the Zelda series, you’ll earn a Heart Container for finishing off the Mucktorok. Collect it after the fight, then interact with the podium to unlock the Zora Champion ability.
