How to get the Master Sword in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Is Link really Link without the Master Sword? Link’s iconic weapon makes a triumphant return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and while figuring out where to find the Master Sword isn’t as straightforward as you may hope, it is a task you can start on fairly early on.

There are a large number of strong weapons to find early on in Tears of the Kingdom, yet none are more trustworthy than the Master Sword; tracking down its location is key. This page explains the step-by-step process to find the Master Sword location, and what you’ll need to add it to your collection.

My only request is that, if you must Fuse items with the Master Sword, you do so responsibly. The thing has a reputation to uphold, after all.

Where to find the Master Sword

The Master Sword is located on the head of the Light Dragon, which flies in a circle around Hyrule. If you see a dragon in the sky and want to check if it’s the Light Dragon, look for white and yellow coloring and a blue aura radiating from the Master Sword in its head. You can also activate the in-game camera and zoom in, and you should see “Light Dragon” pop up on the screen.

But if you don’t want to rely on happenstance, check out our step-by-step guide on how to find the Light Dragon, which will lead you to the Master Sword.

How to get the Master Sword and how much stamina you need

Once you’ve found the Light Dragon and mounted it, you’ll see the Master Sword is on its head. You are going to need two green stamina wheels in order to pull out the Master Sword. If you don’t have enough stamina, the Light Dragon will shake you off. Again, yellow stamina wheels don’t count here — so it might be worth respecing your health into stamina.

Walk toward the Master Sword and once you’re close, go ahead and press the button prompt to start a sequence to retrieve the weapon.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The sequence itself is fairly simple, as you just need to hold down the button while Link attempts to grab the Master Sword. If you have at least two full green stamina wheels, complete the sequence to add the Master Sword to your inventory. There’ll be an important story cutscene, and afterward, the weapon will be yours.

Does the Master Sword break in Tears of the Kingdom?

Tears of the Kingdom starts with the mummified Ganondorf breaking the Master Sword, but when Link pulls the formerly decayed Master Sword from the Light Dragon it’s been repaired.

While the repaired Master Sword doesn’t have infinite weapon durability in Tears of the Kingdom, the Master Sword doesn’t break, either. You will have to give the Master Sword time to recharge after periods of extended use. When you see a prompt saying that the Master Sword has run out of energy, you’ll have to wait 10 real-life minutes for it to recharge in order to wield it again.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you open your inventory and highlight the Master Sword, you’ll see the timer in the description. It will remain paused while you’re looking on this screen, mind you, as it only counts when you’re actively moving Link.

Once the countdown has finished, there’ll be a prompt on the screen saying that “the Master Sword’s power has been restored.”

How much damage does the Master Sword do?

The Master Sword, unlike most weapons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, does not display its base damage.

Over at Reddit, the community has been trying to pinpoint the exact values since the game’s launch. The estimate is that the Master Sword does 30 damage. At times the sword will glow, which happens when fighting against gloom-afflicted enemies, or the Demon King himself if you’re that far into the game yet. When it does, the base damage is doubled. Supposedly, the increase should be from 30 to 60 damage.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

For a one-handed sword, 30 base damage is quite decent. It takes three hits to take down a Blue Bokoblin, for example, and around seven for a Black Bokoblin. All the while, a Blue Boss Bokoblin took around a dozen quick swings. But you’ll be getting the most out of the weapon by charging attacks whenever you have the chance.

It’s worth noting that you can fuse items with the Master Sword, which increases both its attack power and durability. You can use the sword until you get the low-energy prompt, for example, and then Fuse a material to extend it. Or just go ahead and do a combination from the get-go once its energy is repleted.

Fusing works somewhat differently with this sword. The runes on it will turn green after a combination, and whatever you Fused it with remains hidden from sight until you actually attack with it. Once the weapon’s energy is depleted, only the Fused item will break.