The Master Sword is one of the most iconic weapons in video game history, and it makes its triumphant return in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s a powerful sword with many benefits that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of. However, the game doesn’t tell you how to acquire it, and even if you know where to find it, there are a few steps you need to take before getting your hands on it.
This particular weapon works differently than any of the others in the game and can even be upgraded to become unbreakable. All of that and more is covered in this guide. Here’s how to get the Master Sword in Breath of the Wild.
Recommended reading:
- How to get the Hylian Shield in Breath of the Wild
- The best recipes you can cook in BOTW
- The best armor in BOTW and where to find it
Where can you find the Master Sword?
The Master Sword is located by the Great Deku Tree in Korok Forest, in the northern portion of Hyrule. To get there, you need to traverse through the thick of the Lost Woods. However, you can’t just run through like you might expect. Instead, there is a specific path you must follow to reach Korok Forest. If you stray from the path, you’ll be teleported back to the beginning, but we’ll show you how to get through it.
Start by heading to the eastern section of the Lost Woods, where you’ll see a path that leads to Korok Forest. You can spawn in at the Woodland Tower since it’s the closest shrine. At the beginning, you’ll see various flames, so use one to light your torch. The puzzle is simple: Follow the direction of the flame on your torch. You’ll notice the wind will blow it in a certain direction, and what you need to do is follow it. We recommend running 20 feet or so, stopping, evaluating the direction of the flame, and adjusting if needed.
Make sure you don’t put your torch away, or the flame will burn out. Keep following the path by checking the direction of the flame, and you’ll eventually reach Korok Forest. Once you arrive, you’ll unlock a teleportation point, so you won’t have to run through the forest again. Simply warp here if need be.
What do you need to get the Master Sword?
When you arrive at Korok Forest, you’ll see the Master Sword in all its glory. It’s in the ground in front of the Great Deku Tree, and all you have to do is pull it up. But, as you might expect, you can’t just walk up and pull it out without meeting the requirements first. In order to pull out the sword, Link must have 13 permanent heart containers (consuming a powerful recipe to gain temporary hearts won’t count). This basically equates to completing 40 shrines (or all the Divine Beasts and around 24 shrines, or some combination of that), so come back when you’ve got 13 hearts total.
Once you do, walk over to the Master Sword and press A to pull it out, and eventually (after a dramatic sequence), Link will yank it out of the ground. Hooray! You’ve got the Master Sword now!
Can the Master Sword break?
The main reason to get your hands on the Master Sword is that it doesn’t permanently break — unlike most of the weapons in-game. Instead, it utilizes a simple recharge mechanic. It also has a base damage output of 30, which increases to 60 when you’re in close proximity to Guardians (and other enemies like Ganon). You can upgrade the Master Sword’s base damage to 40, 50, or 60 by completing the Trial of the Sword as part of The Master Trials DLC, which we’ll outline below.
If you upgrade it to damage 60, the weapon becomes unbreakable, but you’ll still need to recharge it after a while. By default, the weapon might not have the absolute best damage output in the game, but considering it doesn’t permanently break, it’s well worth your time to acquire. Plus, it looks cool.
How do you recharge the Master Sword?
The weapon’s only downside is that it must recharge after it wears down. If you hit something with the sword — whether it be an enemy or an object in your surroundings — the weapon will deteriorate. After enough damage, it will completely “break,” but not permanently.
You don’t need to do anything to get it to recharge after it wears down. Simply wait 10 in-game minutes to get it to recharge. You can check the Master Sword in your inventory to see how much time is left before it’s available to use again. Keep in mind that the weapon will only recharge once it “breaks.” Some players questioned whether you can recharge it while it’s still usable, but this is not possible. Wait for it to run out of juice, and then it will begin recharging. After it recharges, it will be as good as new — no need to buy anything or use items to get it to work again.
How do you upgrade the Master Sword?
Upgrading the Master Sword is one of the hardest tasks in the game. To upgrade the weapon, you need to complete multiple stages of the Trial of the Sword challenge, which consists of round-based battles against waves of enemies. The Trial of the Sword challenge is only available if you have The Master Trials DLC (which can be purchased with the game’s Season Pass).
The reason this challenge is so difficult is that Link starts off with nothing — no healing items, armor, weapons, or equipment. As you complete each wave, you can pick up items and carry them to the next rounds, so you’ll want to use your gear carefully and sparingly. In total, there are 23 floors, with three checkpoints throughout the entire challenge.
There are no save points between rounds, though if you make it to certain floors, you can start from there instead of at the beginning of the entire challenge. The trials come in three sets: Beginner, Middle, and Final. Here are the rewards for each set of trials:
- Beginner (floors one to 12): Master Sword damage 40
- Middle (floors 13 to 16): Master Sword damage 50
- Final (floors 17 to 23): Master Sword damage 60
To start the Trial of Sword challenge, speak with the Great Deku Tree in Korok Forest (after you’ve purchased the DLC). The tree will inform you that you can upgrade the sword by completing round-based trials, which is much more difficult than it sounds.
The earlier floors aren’t too terribly difficult, so you should use them to gather as many supplies as you can. Do your best to take out each wave without getting hit so you can preserve your healing items for the harder floors later on. It’s also recommended that you pick up every weapon dropped by your enemies since you’ll need all the supplies you can get for the later stages. It’s best to bait enemies out to face them one-on-one instead of multiple foes at once.
Periodically, you’ll encounter a safe level, featuring lots of cooking supplies for you to stock up on healing items. Use these levels to take a breather and make sure you grab everything you can so you’re well-equipped. Remember, if you die, you restart at the beginning of the last checkpoint (either one, 13, or 17, depending on how far you’ve made it).
Once you complete the 23rd floor, you’re rewarded with a max level Master Sword, capped out at 60 damage, along with a fancy new beam attack. This challenge is absolutely tough, but it’s worth your time since the benefits are so great.
