While plenty of other Musou games have bigger rosters, Age of Calamity is still full of interesting characters with unique playstyles. There are classic characters like Link, Zelda, and Impa, but Age of Calamity’s roster is also filled with other characters that the Breath of the Wild world has to offer.
Every character has a different move set and playstyle, and they also have different means of traversal, can use their Sheikah slates differently, and have unique weapons.
The developers did a great job of making every aspect of each character feel special to them specifically. But not all are created equal. Some characters are just downright better/more fun to play due to their design.
So who is the bottom of the barrel, and who ends up as the chosen hero? Here is our list of each Age of Calamity character ranked.
(Credit to Gamepedia for the images)
Character spoilers ahead if you haven’t beaten the game yet
18. Master Koga
The famous leader of the Yiga Clan, known for being unbearably lazy, is undoubtedly the worst character to play as in Age of Calamity.
Due to his laziness, Master Koga has a “stress meter.” This meter fills whenever he uses one of his strong attacks (performed during any combo). If his stress meter fills completely, he’ll throw a tantrum, leaving him vulnerable.
You can press ZR to release your stress, but it really slows down the flow of your combos. It’s honestly hard to describe how annoying all of this is. Anytime I played as Master Koga, I really wish they added his underling, Soga, instead. At least Soga seemed like a cool, not lazy ninja.
17. Hestu
When you think of cool characters from Breath of the Wild you’d want to play as, I don’t think Hestu topped anyone’s list. Koroks aren’t really one of the races from Hyrule that would seem fit to fight in a war, and it shows.
Hestu is big and clunky, and his gimmick is to summon more tiny Koroks to help him fight. It’s like a less fun version of Impa’s moveset. Where other character’s combos feel fluent and fun to pull off, Hestu just feels stagnant and bad.
To top it all off, his weapon of choice is maracas, and the best variation of that weapon that he gets is in the shape of poop. Yeah… very typical since that’s what Korok seeds are made of.
16. Riju
Age of Calamity is often about fighting single bosses, which can be really hard to do as Riju. This is due to her weapon being her sand seal, Patricia, and her fighting style is her attached to it, kind of like someone riding a wakeboard attached to a boat.
It’s tough to control and difficult to target one enemy at a time, which presents many problems. I spent more time trying to get her to go where I wanted her to go than I did actually fighting the enemies I needed her to.
It’s a cool idea in theory, but it just wasn’t executed well. She has quite a useful moveset, too; it’s just such a shame it was a hassle to control her in any fight.
15. Calamity Ganon
For the final character that you obtain, Calamity Ganon can be kind of a let-down. He’s an incredibly imposing character on the battlefield, but he can be very awkward to fight as.
He has some incredibly long attack animations, that can often get interrupted by enemies and you can’t cancel out of them by dodging. His gimmick is that some of his moves drop malice on the battlefield which you can absorb and eventually turn into a stronger form.
The issue is that this stronger form only lasts for a couple of seconds and can seem very lackluster. I really thought the big baddie of this game would pack more of a punch.
14. Great Fairies
Everything about the Great Fairies is just… awkward. They’re so big that they can’t dodge anything, and they move so freaking slowly. Other heavy-hitting characters like Daruk are much faster and more flexible when it comes to movement.
Age of Calamity is filled with characters of all sizes, but maybe having four great fairies in one wasn’t the best pick when it came to choosing who to bring from Breath of the Wild.
13. Monk Maz Koisha
Maz Koisha is one of the few optional characters that’s actually pretty cool. Unlike other characters, his towering nature isn’t really an issue, and he has a pretty awesome moveset.
He is still kind of clunky due to his size, and he is still rather slow, plus when he turns giant, he just wracks up damage.
He can still be a devastating force, though, and it was really cool that the monks of Hyrule got a playable character in this game.
12. Mipha
From here on out, every character on this list is really fun to play in one way or another and have very few downsides. Mipha is no exception. She has a great moveset, can easily take down bosses, and she’s just plain fun to control.
Her attack speed is incredible, and her whirlpool gimmick lets her get right in enemies’ faces if she is ever at a distance.
Her brother Sidon is definitely stronger, but Mipha is still a really great character all-around in Age of Calamity.
11. Teba
Teba has some of the same issues as Riju, but nowhere near as bad. A few of his strong moves can be hard to control, especially if you’re locked on to a stronger enemy. But he’s still a great fighter.
Much like Revali, Teba has great movement and can easily get around the battlefield. His fighting style is much more range-based compared to other characters, and his ZR attack is amazing.
If you charge it long enough, it rains bombs across the battlefield for a decent while. It’s fantastic for clearing out huge crowds in mere seconds.
10. Urbosa
It’s not hard to see why Urbosa is so many players’ favorite character; she’s an absolute beast on the battlefield. Her lighting attacks decimate enemies and destroy enemy weak points.
Her lightning gauge charges as she uses attacks, so it fills up rather quickly. You’ll seldom need to actually hold the charge button, the only time maybe before going into a boss fight.
There’s really not much more to say –she’s a great character.
9. Daruk
Gorons have always been the slow, clunky type that inhabits the mountains of Hyrule, and Daruk is no different. But while he may be a bit slow, he’s an absolute beast on the battlefield.
His protection ability lets him easily block damage, and it’s a fast way to get around any battlefield, knocking out anyone in the way. His magma explosion skill isn’t always the greatest, but it can provide useful crowd control.
His attacks have great reach, and he does massive amounts of damage. Not everyone likes slow, powerful characters, but Daruk is just pure fun in Age of Calamity.
8. Sidon
Sidon has all the benefits that Mipha has, except he’s stronger. His ZR moves give him an extra attack at the end of his combos. His movement may be a bit slower, but his strength definitely makes up for it.
He also has one of the coolest uses of bombs in the game, as he hits them with his trident like a baseball bat. You’ll have to use precise timing if you want to aim correctly, and it’s so enjoyable.
He also rides around on a shark made up of water, and if that’s not awesome, I don’t know what is.
7. Terrako
After doing some end-game content, you’ll unlock this cute little baby guardian. Despite being small, he can pack quite a punch and has excellent range, thanks to his laser ability.
One of his strong attacks even lets him summon small orbs that allow him to fire additional lasers. So you’ll do massive damage to big bosses and be able to clear out hordes of enemies.
His special attack also fires a huge laser that you can control for a few seconds, making Terrako a go-to for timed missions where you have to take out hundreds of enemies.
6. Zelda
Zelda is the only character other than Link that utilizes more than one weapon type. About 3/4 of the way through the game, Zelda awakens her powers, letting her use the bow of light.
Her first form/weapon is the Sheikah Slate, which lets her use her bombs, magnesis, cryonis, and stasis in regular combat. Her combos are hard to pull off and it can be confusing how they actually work. It just doesn’t feel very fluid.
Her bow of light mode is much better though, as it does a ton of AOE damage. Her special gauge also fills incredibly fast, so she’ll be blasting through any and every map.
5. Yunobo
Having all the boons of Daruk, Yunobo also fixes the issues Daruk has as well. Whereas Daruk’s magma ability isn’t the most useful, Yunobo’s ability powers up all of his attacks and even gives him better range.
His gimmick is that he eats rock roast to make his combos do more damage and give them a somewhat explosive effect. His spinning arm swing move is excellent against bosses.
He’s definitely still a typical slow Goron though.
4. King Rhoam
The King of Hyrule is a great character for multiple reasons. This is the first instance we’re able to play as him in any capacity, and he has two different forms you can play as in Age of Calamity.
Unlike Link and Zelda, King Rhoam only uses one weapon type despite having two forms. By pressing the ZR button, the king of Hyrule changes to his hooded old man disguise and uses a giant double-edged axe.
His regular form is slow while his disguised form is much faster. Regardless, each form is powerful, and both have great reach, making him an absolute monster on the field of battle.
You’re also able to switch his disguise at the end of your combos, making the change fluid and not awkward.
3. Revali
While Revali is arrogant and way too full of himself, his battle prowess is quite impressive. He’s able to take to the skies to snipe enemies from afar just like Teba, but his combos are much better.
His movement speed and means of traversal are the best in the game, as being in the sky means he can easily pass over enemies and danger. None of his combos will ever get interrupted unless you’re facing a giant boss like a Hinox.
He’s great at staying out of enemy range while fighting and picking off enemies. He’s really not the strongest, but he makes up for it in so many other ways.
2. Impa
Since she was revealed as a playable character, Impa has been somewhat of a fan favorite. Even better for her fans is that she’s easily one of the best characters in the entire game.
Her ability is that she can imprint enemies with signs and then absorb those signs, making energy copies of herself and tripling her damage output. Having three clones also allows her special meter to be filled incredibly fast.
She’s agile, you can constantly dole out damage with her special or basic attacks, and she’s just overall an awesome character. She was the go-to when I needed to get somewhere and kill something fast.
1. Link
Main characters aren’t always the most fun to play as, but Link certainly is in this case. He utilizes three different types of weapons: sword and shield, spears, and two-handed weapons. This gives him a ton of diversity.
Not only are there multiple ways to play as him, but his moveset also has such fluidity that all of his combos work incredibly well into each other. I always found that Link was the best at wiping out hordes of enemies and killing bosses.
He’s also able to shield-surf when he runs, which is super cool. And his ZR attack allows him to use his bow, which is great for interrupting enemy attacks and stunning them.
Things get even better when he obtains the Master Sword, as it adds a ton of range to his attacks, allowing you to keep away from a safe distance while still doing damage. He is excellent in every way, making him the best character in Age of Calamity.
Check out our review of Age of Calamity and see why the characters aren’t the only great aspect of the game!
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