Whether you’re scouring the land for loot or just sightseeing in the rich fantasy world of Teyvat, exploration is part of what makes Genshin Impact great. In your travels, you’ll eventually come across the ruins of an ancient amphitheater. They’re protected by a machine sentinel called the Ruin Guard. Though it looks intimidating, the Ruin Guard isn’t so hard to beat if you have the right strategy. Here’s how.
The best way to defeat a Ruin Guard is by hitting its fiery core. That’s its weak spot.
Hit it once and the machine will stagger for a few seconds. When it’s in that state, you need to hit it again to disable it for a longer period. That is your chance to do more damage.
Use your archer character to hit the Ruin Guard’s core. Once it starts to stagger, switch to your elemental attacks.
Ruin Guards and other machine enemies have a high resistance to physical attacks, so elemental attacks are your best bet.
If you’re having trouble hitting its core with your archer, use elemental reactions like Hydro and Cryo to freeze the Ruin Guard. If you use characters that can achieve a continuous freeze, then you can disable it and safely deal damage.
You can also disable the Ruin Guard by hitting its weak spot with a sword. However, this is quite tricky because you need to first get a feel for the machine’s attacks so you can perfectly time yours.
Of course, you need to have a good understanding of your character’s moves as well. The environment could also help, so make use of your surroundings.
Ruin Guard Attacks
Homing Missiles
The machine will crouch and stabilize itself by planting its arms in the ground before launching six missiles.
These are homing missiles, so they’ll track your position. You can take cover behind walls or other objects. Alternatively, you can create some distance between you and the Ruin Guard, then dodge just before impact.
When the Ruin Guard is getting ready to launch missiles, its weak spot is fixed in the same position for a short period. This is a great time to hit it with a charged shot.
Stomp
When you are close to the Ruin Guard, he will try to stomp you with this standard attack.
Clap
When you are in front of the Ruin Guard at close range, it will crouch and spread its arms to do a clap attack. You can easily dodge this move if you know the warning signs.
Punch and Jump Combo
The Ruin Guard initiates a combo attack that starts with it bumping its fists together. It will execute two punches before jumping towards your position to land a strong third attack.
To avoid all three attacks, watch out for the animation that kicks off the sequence. Also, take note of the red circle that forms on the ground when the Ruin Guard jumps. That indicates where it will land.
Spin
This move is perhaps the Ruin Guard’s most damaging and frustrating attack. However, the spin starts slowly, giving you some time to move away and avoid getting hit.
If you’re a good shot and have ice in your veins, you can actually hit the Ruin Guard’s weak spot as it spins.
