Outside of its open-world gameplay and non-linear structure, Breath of the Wild‘s crafting systems are one of the game’s defining elements. Players can go anywhere and do just about anything in BotW, and every activity is worthwhile in some way. Whether fighting enemies or just exploring, players are sure to come across plenty of items to pick up. In addition to a long list of edible ingredients and recipes that Link can cook with, there are several non-edible items that Link can still put to good use through brewing elixirs. All elixir recipes in Breath of the Wild essentially boil down to combinations of Critter Parts and Monster Parts, with different combinations resulting in different buffs that aid Link on his journey.
While cooking will also produce some of these effects, the effects that elixirs produce are typically more potent and players can tweak them to last longer. The only downside is that they do not restore any of Link’s hearts. The sheer amount of items means it can be confusing regarding which parts are worth keeping or selling. It’s also worth knowing which parts have which effects when mixed into an elixir. Our guide on all elixir recipes in Breath of the Wild will cover both these aspects. With the right combination of both food items and elixirs, there are very few situations players won’t be prepared for in the vast and expansive version of Hyrule Breath of the Wild presents.
How Elixirs Work in Breath of the Wild
©The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay screenshot – Original
Essentially, Elixirs are Breath of the Wild‘s way of offering players buffs that don’t include restorative capabilities. If Link needs a boost to his fire resistance or cold tolerance but doesn’t need healing, an elixir is a player’s best bet. Similar to cooking, all players need to do to make an elixir is drop items into a cooking pot. Unlike with cooking, though, all elixirs only require a minimum of two ingredients. In the case of all elixir recipes in Breath of the Wild, they will each need one of the following:
- Any Monster Part
- At least one Critter Part
One important thing to know about elixirs is that Link can not combine their effects. In other words, if Link needs cold resistance, he cannot craft an elixir for cold resistance and then ingest another for increasing attack power. In that particular scenario, the attack power buff would cancel out the cold resistance. Since elixir effects do not stack, players can focus on one recipe at a time, choosing the best buff for the situation while saving their valuable food dishes for situations where both buffs and healing are necessary.
Each elixir will also have a set duration that players can manipulate in one of two ways. If players add more Critter Parts or higher quality Monster Parts (typically from stronger enemies), the resulting elixir will last longer. However, the strength of the buff will remain the same. Further, players will only ever need one Monster Part per elixir. Anything more is a waste.
Elixir Ingredients in Breath of the Wild – All Monster & Critter Parts
©The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay screenshot – Original
All across Hyrule are natural flora and fauna that Link can farm for both cooking and elixir crafting. As you might expect, creatures that provide certain elemental buffs are unique to those parts of Hyrule. For example, critters whose elixirs provide cold resistance are in the colder areas like Hebra Mountain, while those that provide fire resistance are near the Death Mountain region. Some Monster and Critter parts are incredibly hard to come by or farm, meaning players should save them for armor upgrades before using them in temporary elixirs.
Critters
| Critter | Types |
|---|---|
| Beetle | – Bladed Rhino Beetle – Energetic Rhino Beetle – Rugged Rhino Beetle |
| Butterfly | – Smotherwing Butterfly – Summerwing Butterfly – Thunderwing Butterfly – Winterwing Butterfly |
| Darner | – Cold Darner – Electric Darner – Warm Darner |
| Frog | – Hot-Footed Frog – Tireless Frog |
| Lizard | – Fireproof Lizard – Hearty Lizard – Hightail Lizard |
| Restless Cricket | – Restless Cricket (no variations) |
| Sunset Firefly | – Sunset Firefly (no variations) |
Monster Parts
Link will fight monsters of varying size, strength, and threat levels throughout Hyrule. Anytime he defeats one, they will drop an assortment of Monster Parts. Link should collect as many of these as he can, as they’re valuable components for elixirs. Further, Link can sell any unwanted Monster Parts to quickly fill his wallet with Rupees.
| Monster | Parts |
|---|---|
| Bokoblin (Any) | – Bokoblin Fang – Bokoblin Horn |
| Bokoblin (Black, Blue, Silver) | – Bokoblin Guts |
| ChuChu | – ChuChu Jelly – Yellow ChuChu Jelly (Electric ChuChu) – Red ChuChu Jelly (Fire ChuChu) – White ChuChu Jelly (Ice ChuChu) |
| Guardians (Any) | – Ancient Core (will not drop from Decayed Guardian) – Giant Ancient Core (Skywatcher, Turret, Stalker) – Ancient Gear – Ancient Screw – Ancient Shaft – Ancient Spring |
| Hinox (Any) | – Hinox Guts – Hinox Toenail – Hinox Tooth |
| Keese | – Keese Eyeball – Keese Wing – Electric Keese Wing (Electric Keese) – Fire Keese Wing (Fire Keese) – Ice Keese Wing (Ice Keese) |
| Lizalfos (Any) | – Lizalfos Horn – Lizalfos Talon – Lizalfos Tail (will not drop from Stalizalfos) |
| Electric Lizalfos | – Yellow Lizalfos Tail |
| Fire-Breath Lizalfos | – Red Lizalfos Tail |
| Ice-Breath Lizalfos | – Icy Lizalfos Tail |
| Lynel (Any) | – Lynel Guts – Lynel Hoof – Lynel Horn |
| Moblin (Any) | – Moblin Fang – Moblin Horn |
| Moblin (Black, Blue, Silver) | – Moblin Guts |
| Molduga (Any) | – Molduga Fin – Molduga Guts |
| Octorok (Any) | – Octo Balloon – Octorok Eyeball – Octorok Tentacle |
All Elixir Recipes in Breath of the Wild
While players can increase the duration of an elixir by increasing the number of Critter Parts, there are still only 11 elixirs that players can craft in Breath of the Wild. Note that players can swap which critter they use and that any Monster Part will suffice. Stronger Monster Parts result in better effects in the elixir (just like adding more Critter Parts increases its duration).
| Elixir Type | Effect | Recipe |
|---|---|---|
| Chilly | Gives Link resistance to heat | – 1 Monster Part – Winterwing Butterfly or Cold Darner (1-4) |
| Electro | Makes Link shock-resistant | – 1 Monster Part – Thunderwing Butterfly or Electric Darner (1-4) |
| Enduring | Grants Link extra Stamina | – 1 Monster Part – Tireless Frog (1-4) |
| Energizing | Improves Stamina recovery speed | – 1 Monster Part – Energetic Rhino Beetle or Restless Cricket (1-4) |
| Fireproof | Makes Link flameproof | – 1 Monster Part – Smotherwing Butterfly or Fireproof Lizard (1-4) |
| Hasty | Increases Link’s movement speed | – 1 Monster Part – Hot-Footed Frog or Hightail Lizard (1-4) |
| Hearty | Gives Link a temporary health boost | – 1 Monster Part – Hearty Lizard (1-4) |
| Mighty | Increases Link’s attack power | – 1 Monster Part – Bladed Rhino Beetle (1-4) |
| Sneaky | Makes Link harder to detect | – 1 Monster Part – Sunset Firefly (1-4) |
| Spicy | Gives Link cold resistance | – 1 Monster Part – Summerwing Butterfly or Warm Darner (1-4) |
| Tough | Increases Link’s defense | – 1 Monster Part – Rugged Rhino Beetle (1-4) |
Tips for Improving Elixirs
A general rule of thumb to keep in mind when making an elixir is that rarer parts make better elixirs. This goes for all elixir recipes in Breath of the Wild, with harder-to-find ingredients resulting in more potent concoctions for Link to ingest. The best way to figure out which combinations of Monster and Critter parts lead to the best elixirs is to experiment. Making an elixir using any of the recipes outlined above will result in a finished product that has a ranking of 1-3 (represented by anywhere between 1 and 3 sword icons). The higher the ranking, the better the elixir. While some Critters can produce the same effect in an elixir, the strength of that effect improves based on the rarity of the Critter and how hard they are to farm.
The same rule applies to Monster Parts, with the rarer parts producing better, stronger elixirs. However, this isn’t influenced by the monster that the part comes from but rather the part itself. Note in the list of Monster Parts above that Guts are typically harder to come by and only drop from certain versions of monsters. As such, using Guts as the one Monster Part in an elixir recipe will result in a better final product. Again, using more than one Monster Part in an elixir is a waste. Players will only ever need one Monster Part per elixir. Similarly, using more than 4 Critter Parts in an elixir is a waste. The maximum effect and duration of an elixir is reached by using 4 Critter Parts.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild gameplay screenshot.