Screenshot by PC Invasion
Fighting the Seized Construct without Mineru
General Strategies
When encountering the Seized Construct inside the Spirit Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the usual method of defeating it involves using Mineru’s construct. However, it is possible to defeat the boss using only Link’s standard moveset. The Spirit Temple arena, with its gloom-coated floor, makes it impractical to rely on Link alone. But if you skip the Spirit Temple quest and go straight to Ganondorf’s lair, you will face the Seized Construct without Mineru’s assistance. In this article, we will discuss strategies for overcoming this limitation and defeating the Seized Construct.
General Strategies
Whether you have Mineru’s construct or not, the key to defeating the Seized Construct is to hit it with melee attacks and knock it into the electric fence for significant damage. With Mineru, any melee attack has the potential to knock back the Seized Construct. However, without Mineru, Link can only send the boss back by landing the final hit of a combo or a charge attack. The most effective moves for this purpose are the charge attacks for one-handed weapons or the Eightfold Longblade. These moves deliver a single, powerful strike that can instantly knock the boss away while preserving weapon durability.
During the fight, the Seized Construct will approach you and attempt to strike with its fists. Instead of sidestepping this attack for a flurry rush, it is more efficient to parry the strike and retaliate with a charge attack as mentioned earlier. The timing for the parry may be slightly later than expected, so moving away from the attack before countering can be a viable alternative if parrying proves difficult.
Once you successfully damage the Seized Construct with the electric fence, you can immediately knock the boss into it again for additional damage. While this won’t cause as much damage as the initial impact, it can significantly speed up the fight if done in a timely manner.
Miscellaneous Moves
After taking damage, the Seized Construct will usually jump to the far end of the arena and perform various moves. One move that requires caution is when the boss attaches two cannons to its arms. The blast radius of each cannon shot is difficult to avoid on foot. However, the Recall ability can reverse the movement of the shots before they hit you, nullifying the threat completely. Cancelling Recall once the shot returns to the Seized Construct will cause it to explode and stun the boss, providing an opportunity to knock it into the fence once again.
Similar to other main bosses, depleting the Seized Construct’s health to the halfway mark will trigger the second phase. The boss will equip various Zonai devices and fly into the air before attempting to dive down towards you. However, this attack can be easily avoided by jogging out of the way. Dodging the attack successfully leaves the Seized Construct vulnerable for another trip to the electric fence.
Using Zonai Devices
If the boss hits the fence, it will drop any Zonai devices it was carrying during its last attack. However, most of these devices are primarily meant for Mineru’s use, so Link will find limited utility with them on his own.
An exception is the cannon, which can be a powerful tool against the Seized Construct. Operating a cannon with Ultrahand or attaching it to a weapon or shield may be less convenient for Link compared to using Mineru, but it is still effective in interrupting the boss’s attacks.
The Seized Construct’s Big Weakness
Using Bomb Flowers can make the cannon almost irrelevant in this fight. Bomb Flowers have the same properties as cannon shots, which means they can stun the Seized Construct immediately and allow for another electric fence attack. Attaching Bomb Flowers to arrows can turn the fight into a manageable task. This is particularly helpful when the boss starts flying up to attack during the second phase, as it can prolong the fight if not dealt with effectively.
If you attempt the final section of the game early without completing any of the temples beforehand, the Seized Construct will be the fifth fight in the gauntlet of bosses before reaching Ganondorf. In this case, it is important to have a good number of Bomb Flowers available to reduce the chances of being caught off guard. Stock up on Bomb Flowers in the Depths before tackling the final area early.
In my experience, the Seized Construct is one of the easiest main bosses in Tears of the Kingdom. Defeating it without Mineru doesn’t significantly change the difficulty. If you decide to attempt the early boss gauntlet, this fight can serve as a breather between the more challenging bosses.