Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Characters Guide
Our Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity - Characters Guide is the best source of information for the characters of the game, giving comprehensive details on the background and combat mechanics of the heroes, including the non-major characters, villains, and enemies. We have separate guides for the story of the game and the bosses and minibosses.
As a player in a Warriors game, you will be expected to control multiple characters in your gameplay. So, unlike BOTW, you will not be limited to just playing as Link.
We grouped the major characters below between Playable and Non-Playable. We anticipate that if ever a DLC happens in the future, the list of Non-Playable characters might get reduced, as we expect most of the current NPCs to become playable as well in the future.
Note that each of the characters has its own dedicated guide, in case you want to see their combos, upgrade paths, and quests.
Playable Characters
Silent Knight. A skilled swordsman serving the royal family of Hyrule. Born to a line of imperial guards, he is renowned for his fighting skills and courage.
Link
As a game about the world of Hyrule, we expect the Age of Calamity to have Link as the major character. He is also the first character you can control in this Warriors game. Later on, additional heroes will become unlocked.
As a hero, Link is extremely versatile when it comes to weapons and movements. He is easily the fastest to master among the heroes when it comes to offense and defense.
You have the option of playing Link with these kinds of weapons:
- Sword and Shield
- Spear
- Two-Handed Weapon
Note that even though Link does not have a shield for options 2 and 3, he can still Guard. This is true as well for the rest of the characters below. All of them can Guard and block attacks, even without a shield.
Royal Advisor, Loyal Friend. The adviser to Hyrule's royal family and a revered member of the Sheikah tribe. She is dedicated to her work and known for being steadfast and diligent. She can be distractible at times.
Impa
If Link is the most versatile and easiest to play among the characters, Impa can easily become the most overpowered once you master her.
A fully realized Impa has one of the fastest clear times when it comes to fighting hordes of monsters, minibosses, and even the late-game bosses.
Her mechanics need some familiarization though, but she is truly rewarding if you spend time learning her.
Burgeoning Scholar, Princess. The princess of Hyrule, in whose veins flows the blood of the goddess. She is devoted to researching ancient technology and awakening her sacred power.
Zelda
One of the common requests by fans of BOTW is to play as Zelda. And with the Age of Calamity, this has become a reality. Not only can you play as Zelda, but you have two options of playing her character.
- Scholar Zelda
- Awakened Zelda
In the early part of the game, you will be able to unlock the Scholar Zelda, one that uses the Sheikah Slate for all of her attacks. This is the first technical character you will unlock in the game. It will not be obvious right away how to play her moves, unlike the case of Link or Impa.
Later in the game, you will be able to unlock the Awakened Zelda, one that uses Bows for all of her attacks. This version is easily the most elegant warrior in the game, with minimal moves for her actions, and yet producing powerful attacks.
Zora Wellspring. The princess of the Zora, who possesses an incredible healing power. She was childhood friends with Link. Now, she is entrusted with piloting Divine Beast Vah Ruta.
Mipha
Mipha uses spears for her weapons. Though she shares a similar weapon type with Link, her movesets are very different. Her weapon moveset resembles that of a staff. Instead of thrust attacks, she mostly uses it for 180 and 360-degree swipe attacks.
Goron Stalwart. A Goron warrior who possesses the power to deflect attacks. He cares deeply for his fellow Gorons. Now, he is entrusted with piloting Divine Beast Vah Rudania.
Daruk
Daruk is the most defensive character you will be able to unlock in the game. True to his Champion abilities, Daruk has the strongest guard among all the heroes. In fact, he is the only hero that can withstand a bombardment of simultaneous attacks from all kinds of Guardians, Moblins, Hinoxes, and various monsters and bosses. His unbreakable guard is vulnerable to only one type of attack, and that one comes from the Lynels.
Daruk, while guarding, is damaged only by a Lynel's power blast AOE. You will normally not guard against that attack though, as it is unguardable by any other character. Aside from that, Daruk is invulnerable to all kinds of attacks from every enemy in the game, including the major bosses at the late game.
Rito Warrior. A gifted archer who has mastered an aerial move previously thought impossible. While boastful, he has the skills to back up his claims. Now, he is entrusted with piloting Divine Beast Vah Medoh.
Revali
Revali is another technical hero that is considered among the best characters for doing fast clears of Challenges and Quests. True to his in-game character, his moveset provides players with a means to achieve exceptional results.
Gerudo Tempest. The chief of the Gerudo who possesses the power to command lightning itself. She was close friends with the late queen of Hyrule. Now, she is entrusted with piloting Divine Beast Vah Naboris.
Urbosa
Urbosa stands for elegance and power. Similar to Link, she is straightforward to use, and yet provides you the means to experience being overpowered with her AOE lightning attacks.
It is no coincidence that among all the Divine Beasts, Urbosa's Vah Naboris is also the easiest to use for being overpowered, due to her powerful AOE attacks.
Spirited Musician. The musician of Korok Forest who loves to dance. He favors a set of maracas filled with Korok Seeds. Some believe his dancing possesses mystical power.
Hestu
Hestu as a warrior is not for the faint of heart. He is neither overpowered nor easy to use. He is an interesting hero with his dance attacks though.
Winning Smile. The Zora prince from the future and younger brother to Champion Mipha. He is unwaveringly positive with a strong sense of duty. He fights for Hyrule and to save his sister.
Sidon
Sidon has his fanbase who will sing praises for his might and grace in combat. Similar to Mipha, he uses spears but dual-wields them. His movesets are mostly thrust attacks though, very similar to spear-wielding Link.
His most interesting feature though is his unique move, which is very fit for his character.
Diamond in the Rough. A descendant of Champion Daruk, from the future. While he is a bit of a coward, he is brave when it counts. He fights for Hyrule and to save those he cares about.
Yunobo
During combat, Yunobo does not use any weapons. He punches enemies barehanded, and the only time he uses his weapon is during his unique attack, in which he eats this weapon to gain a special elemental shield.
Yunobo does not have Daruk's invulnerable guard though, or any semblance of it. He is still a fun hero to use for his quirky moveset and powerful projectiles.
Rito Warrior. A Rito warrior from the future who idolizes Champion Revali. He is peerless in the art of flying and devoted to training. He can also be quick to anger.
Teba
Teba, like Revali, is another technical hero, considered to be among the best in having fast clear time in decimating minions and bosses alike. It will take some time to master him though, but it's an effort truly rewarded.
Child of Lightning. A descendant of Champion Urbosa, from the future. She assumed the mantle of Gerudo chief when she was only a child. She fights fearlessly to protect her people.
Riju
Riju is unique for using a pet for doing combat. She is also unique in combining strong offense and fast distance traversal, being able to cover a large part of the map and damaging enemies while riding her pet Patricia.
Top Banana of the Yiga Clan. The Chief of the Yiga Clan and a uniting force for his unwavering followers. He leaves all tasks, save napping, to his underlings. He works with the Hyrulean army to get revenge for his fallen friends.
Master Kohga
Master Kohga is another technical hero, like Teba and Rivali. However, he also shares a lot of similarities with Hestu, as his strength is hidden in a layer of buffoonery.
Some fans profess that Master Kohga is one of the strongest warriors in the whole game, but we have to be cautious as they could just be hidden members of the clan.
Defier of Prophecy. The king of Hyrule and father to Zelda. He leads the Hyrulean army. He is intent on stopping the Calamity and restoring peace to the world.
King Rhoam
King Rhoam wields a two-handed weapon, similar to option 3 for Link. Unexpectedly, he is one of the stronger warriors in the game, while having a straightforward moveset like Link.
Great Fairies
Larger-Than-Life Fountain Dwellers. Four sisters called Tera, Kaysa, Mija, and Cotera. They are residents of secret fountains hidden across Hyrule. They have temporarily gathered in a single bud to aid Link.
Monk Maz Koshia
Conduit of the Goddess. A powerful Sheikah monk from 10,000 years past. He is one of the few who received a revelation from the Goddess Hylia. He has awaited the chosen hero's arrival within the shrine of trials.
Guardian of Time. A tiny Guardian who has traveled from the future to save Zelda. It was broken in the fight against Calamity but has now been repaired and reactivated thanks to the efforts of Link and the others.
Terrako
One of our favorite technical heroes. There is both simplicity and elegance in using Terrako in fighting the forces of Ganon. When properly mastered, Terrako can dish out devastating flashy attacks, like a full-grown Guardian.
Hatred and Malice Incarnate. A new incarnation of Ganon, born after absorbing Astor's power. He was revived to bring Hyrule to ruin and has now been sealed away by Link, Zelda, and the others.
Calamity Ganon
Similar to Yunobo, Calamity Ganon does not use any weapon when doing combat with his attacks. They both use their bare fists in punching enemies. However, unlike Yunobo, there is brutality in Calamity Ganon, especially when he unleashes his special attack.
Non-Playable Characters
Though most of the characters below are in the NPCs group, we expect them to become playable characters if ever the Age of Calamity gets a DLC.
Eccentric Genius. A Sheikah researcher and Hyrule's foremost authority on ancient relics. She is Impa's older sister and Robbie's colleague. She is both brilliant and opinionated, and she tends to get carried away with her research.
Purah
Most fans have wondered how Purah looked like when she was not yet transformed into a child in BOTW. Finally, in the Age of Calamity, our wish has been fulfilled. And true to her BOTW version, she has all the endearing quirks and personality.
Genius Eccentric. A Sheikah researcher and colleague to Purah who also investigates ancient relics. He is Hyrule's foremost authority on Guardians. While rebellious, he is largely unwilling to stand up to Purah.
Robbie
Unlike Purah, Robbie has grown old in BOTW. So it is a breath of fresh air to see the younger version of this rockstar genius. He didn't have as much screen time as Purah though, but it's still good to see him before the BOTW events.
Right Hand of the Inverted Eye. The leading figure and devoted soldier of the Yiga Clan. He tends to the pressing organizational duties of his clan in Master Kohga's stead.
Sooga
The unexpected MVP of the Yiga clan, Sooga has gained a good following among Zelda fans. He plays a good villain and constitutes the better combat in the game.
Prophet of Doom. A seer from a certain small village in Hyrule who plotted to revive Calamity Ganon. He was defeated and subsequently absorbed by the Calamity.
Astor
Many consider Astor as the mandatory generic evil mastermind, who does evil for evil's sake, without any deeper underlying motivations for his character journey or actions.
Regardless, we need a villain that can drive the conflict with the heroes, a face that can personify the will of Ganon, as he is too impersonal to deal with.
Catalyst of the Calamity. A dark Guardian, created when a sliver of Ganon's Malice attached itself to the deactivated Terrako of this world. It knows the future and controls Guardians and monsters.
Harbinger Ganon
You will rarely see Harbinger Ganon in his egg form, but he provides one of the best boss fights in the game, even better than that of Astor's.
Now that we have seen the heroes and the villains, it's time to see the bosses in our Bosses Guide.
