The iconic Master Sword returns to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and even though Link loses its corrupted form at the start of the game, you can get it back in all its glory very early on, if you know where to look.
We’ve got the Master Sword location in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom detailed below, but fair warning that its a moving location, so can be very hard to track down unless you get lucky.
There are three methods that make it far easier to find, however, so as well as explaining how to get the Master Sword, we’ve went over the best way to get the Master Sword below, and also explain everything we know about how the Master Sword works in TOTK, and why its so useful.
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If you would like to learn more about Link’s adventure, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.
How to get the Master Sword in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
The Master Sword is lodged in the head of the Light Dragon in Tears of the Kingdom. Dragons never stay in one place, however, and the Light Dragon in particular has a huge area it circles compared to others of its kind, so you can never be certain where the Master Sword is at any one time unless you have another way to track it (see the next section below for information on how to track it).
We’ve only seen the Light Dragon near the Great Sky Island ourselves, but it has apparently also been spotted in the four corners of Hyrule as well, near the centre of the Akkala, Necluda, Gerudo, and Hebra regions.
When searching for the Light Dragon, look out for a yellow and blue glow coming from a dragon’s head, as this is the Master Sword, and the colour can help you determine whether its the correct dragon. If you’re close enough, a surer way to know if its the Light Dragon is to use the camera Link gets from the Camera Work in the Depths quest. The name of the dragon will appear above the creature this way.
When you’re certain you’ve found the Light Dragon, we recommend launching Link from the nearest Skyview tower to reach it and the Master Sword on its head. The ability obtained from the Wind Temple is useful for helping Link glide quicker if you’re struggling to reach the dragon. If there’s not a convenient Skyview Tower around, then look out for falling rocks that you can use Recall on to get up to the sky.
Although you can go and find the Master Sword on the Light Dragon as soon as you know its location, be warned that you also need two full stamina bars to take the Master Sword from the Light Dragon’s head. Anything that temporarily boosts stamina doesn’t count, so this means you’ll have to take on some Shrines.
Alternatively, you can go to the Emergency Shelter at Looking Landing and interact with the dark statue to exchange Link’s heart containers for more stamina. You get 100 Rupees for trading in a heart, and it costs 120 Rupees to turn that heart into part of a stamina bar, so it really only costs 20 Rupees each time.
If you’re struggling to pin down the Light Dragon, then there are two ways you can get its location to appear on your map, which can make the search for the Master Sword a lot easier…
Best way to get the Master Sword in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
The best way to get the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom is to either start the Recovering the Hero’s Sword quest or complete The Dragon’s Tears quest. Of the two, Recovering the Hero’s Sword is shorter, so we recommend prioritising it if you want the Master Sword quickly.
To start the Recovering the Hero’s Sword quest, you first need to find a way into the Lost Woods first. We’ve got a full explanation on our dedicated page on how to get through the Lost Woods, but in general, you have to explore the chasm below the Great Hyrule Forest, then use Ascend when you reach the centre of the area, which leads to the Deku Tree and where the Master Sword was in Breath of the Wild.
To get the Recovering the Hero’s Sword quest you need to kill Gloom Hands and a Phantom Ganon inside the Deku Tree, so make sure you bring bombs, meals with gloom recovering effects, and a strong weapon or two with you. It’s also important to kill Phantom Ganon right after defeating the Gloom Hands, as the hands will come back if you leave the area during the Ganon fight.
A less combat-heavy way to get the Master Sword’s location pinned to your map is to complete The Dragon’s Tears quest instead. To do this, you need to complete the Impa and the Geoglyphs quest, then find the rest of the geoglyphs scattered across Hyrule. This can take a lot of time though, which is why we recommend completing the Deku Tree quest first if you really want to get your hands on the Master Sword as early as you can.
Whatever method you pick, remember that you need two full stamina bars to pull the Master Sword from the Light Dragon when you find it.
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Master Sword explained
The Master Sword is a unique weapon to wield in Tears of the Kingdom, as it doesn’t break, no matter how much you use it. It does, however, run out of energy. This means you can’t rely on it during every fight.
Around ten minutes after running out of energy, the Master Sword will fully charge again, so even with its energy limitations, don’t be afraid to use it regularly during Link’s travels.
With the introduction of the Fuse ability in TOTK, you can also attach materials to the Master Sword to make it stronger or more ridiculous looking. We’re excited to try out the surely mighty soup ladle and Master Sword combo in particular.
The sword itself must not want to look too uncool, however, as it retains its classic look when not in use. Once you swing the blade though, your Fused creation will glow green over the sword’s body, teaching enemies to fear soup ladles as well as legendary swords.
Hope you have fun using the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom!
