Uploaded April 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
These are the loot tables: github.com/MrCheeze/botw-tools/blob/master/all_drops.txt - that stuff determines what enemies drop under certain circumstances.
If you SEARCH a dead Guardian, you have these drops:
RuinGuardian - x1
* 52.0% - Ancient Screw
* 25.0% - Ancient Spring
* 15.0% - Ancient Gear
* 8.0% - Ancient Shaft
Translation: You get ONE item and it will never be a core.
If you FLIP a dead Guardian, you'll have these drops:
----- FldObj_RuinGuardian_A_Dynamic -----
Normal - x2-4
* 22.0% - Ancient Gear
* 35.0% - Ancient Screw
* 26.0% - Ancient Spring
* 15.0% - Ancient Shaft
* 2.0% - Ancient Core
Translation: You get 2-4 items and each of them has a 2% chance to be a normal-sized Ancient Core. It's random and rare, but it does happen - even if you haven't left the Great Plateau yet.
Please note that you can not flip over ALL dead Guardians in the game. Most are stuck in the ground and won't move, and you can't flip the ones that still shoot laser beams - but if you find a "dead" one sitting on the ground, you can flip it over with either Cryonis (if there is water beneath it) or by pushing something heavy against it using Magnesis (like a treasure chest or a Boulder Breaker). You can also topple them by stasis-launching something heavy against them, but it can be tricky to hit the correct spot for that.
Some dead Guardians in Akkala are also sitting in shallow holes that only fill with water during rain and thunderstorms. If you don't have a convenient Boulder Breaker on you ATM, just wait for rainfall and use Cryonis then. (...and since we're talking about Akkala, waiting for the "next rainfall" never takes long)
PS: savescumming works, so if you're super adamant about obtaining a core this way, just save in front of the Guardian, topple it over, and if it didn't drop a core, reload and try again. It will work eventually.
These are the loot tables: github.com/MrCheeze/botw-tools/blob/master/all_drops.txt - that stuff determines what enemies drop under certain circumstances.
If you SEARCH a dead Guardian, you have these drops:
RuinGuardian - x1
* 52.0% - Ancient Screw
* 25.0% - Ancient Spring
* 15.0% - Ancient Gear
* 8.0% - Ancient Shaft
Translation: You get ONE item and it will never be a core.
If you FLIP a dead Guardian, you'll have these drops:
----- FldObj_RuinGuardian_A_Dynamic -----
Normal - x2-4
* 22.0% - Ancient Gear
* 35.0% - Ancient Screw
* 26.0% - Ancient Spring
* 15.0% - Ancient Shaft
* 2.0% - Ancient Core
Translation: You get 2-4 items and each of them has a 2% chance to be a normal-sized Ancient Core. It's random and rare, but it does happen - even if you haven't left the Great Plateau yet.
Please note that you can not flip over ALL dead Guardians in the game. Most are stuck in the ground and won't move, and you can't flip the ones that still shoot laser beams - but if you find a "dead" one sitting on the ground, you can flip it over with either Cryonis (if there is water beneath it) or by pushing something heavy against it using Magnesis (like a treasure chest or a Boulder Breaker). You can also topple them by stasis-launching something heavy against them, but it can be tricky to hit the correct spot for that.
Some dead Guardians in Akkala are also sitting in shallow holes that only fill with water during rain and thunderstorms. If you don't have a convenient Boulder Breaker on you ATM, just wait for rainfall and use Cryonis then. (...and since we're talking about Akkala, waiting for the "next rainfall" never takes long)
PS: savescumming works, so if you're super adamant about obtaining a core this way, just save in front of the Guardian, topple it over, and if it didn't drop a core, reload and try again. It will work eventually.










