Daily Debate: What is Your Favorite Construct in the Zelda Series?
Posted on June 09 2024 by Leslie Jacobson
“Mom, what’s your favorite construct in Zelda?” asked my 8 year-old the other day. This actually got me thinking because while constructs feature prominently in Tears of the Kingdom, there are others in the Zelda series as well.
The word “construct” can describe anything built or made. According to Merriam-Webster, when “construct” is used as a noun it refers to something created in the mind, such as a social construct or a theoretical idea. Within the fantasy genre, a powerful magic user or someone with great technological knowledge creates a construct to fulfill a certain purpose. These automatons, or robots, operate independently but often have one particular role for which they are designed. For the hero of the story, constructs can be obstacles or helpers on their journey.
Most recently, Tears of the Kingdom had several different constructs with specific purposes. There are Steward, Forge, Mining, Maker, Culinary, and Ranger Constructs that all have the same build but different functions. Soldier, Captain, and Flux Constructs protect the Zonai from enemies, and unfortunately, they see Link as an enemy. Then of course there’s Mineru’s Construct that even joins Link on his adventures. With the emphasis on building and creating in Tears of the Kingdom, it’s no surprise that constructs would be a prominent feature.
However, there are way more constructs within the Zelda series. For example, Armos statues, a recurring enemy throughout the series, could be considered constructs. They are a sort of “living armor” that protect temples and dungeons. The Wind Waker had Gohdan, the robot-like boss of the Tower of the Gods. Skyward Sword has many examples of constructs, such as the Ancient Robots in the Lanayru region. There’s even the specific robots like Skipper and Scrapper. A couple of enemy constructs from Skyward Sword include Scervo, the robot-pirate aboard the Sandship, and Koloktos, the boss of the Ancient Cistern, whose title description is “Ancient Automaton.”
The constructs in Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity pose some interesting conundrums. Terrako, the plucky Guardian of Time from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is certainly self-operating. However, both Terrako and the Guardians from Breath of the Wild are built with Sheikah technology rather than magic, so some may say they are not “true” constructs. The Divine Beasts are tricky to categorize as well. While they certainly run on Sheikah technology, they need a pilot in order to operate. They are seen operating on their own in some cutscenes, though. Since they lack total autonomy, some may say they are not constructs at all.
In any case, the Zelda series has many examples of constructs or near-constructs to choose a favorite. For myself, I have to go with the Steward Construct from Tears of the Kingdom, although Koloktos from Skyward Sword is a close second. A few early trailers for Tears of the Kingdom made it seem as though Steward Constructs were enemies, so to find out they were kind and even charming was a great discovery.
So, what is your favorite construct in the Zelda series? Is it one of the newer ones from Tears of the Kingdom, or do you prefer a classic-style automaton? Which constructs or construct-like enemies did I forget? Let us know in the comments!
Featured Image: Created by art director Heather Beard
Leslie is a mom, a cosplayer, an educator, and a fervent fan of The Legend of Zelda series. She lives in an area of the United States that reminds her of the Akkala region in the fall and Hebra the other 11 months of the year. She owns The Legend of Zelda t-shirts older than most of her students.
