Use this guide to find the legendary “sword that seals the darkness” and gain a powerful weapon that won’t break.
Where to Find the Master Sword
The Master Sword is located in the center of The Lost Woods and is protected by the Great Deku Tree—an old ally of Link’s.
To obtain the Master Sword, you’ll need to successfully navigate The Lost Woods’ maze-like paths and possess 13 full Heart Containers. Attempting to draw the sword from its pedestal will slowly drain Link’s life force, so at least 13 full Heart Containers are required to survive the trial successfully.
Temporary hearts gained from food and other power-ups won’t count. This means you’ll need to earn Heart Containers from defeating Divine Beasts and/or trading in Spirit Orbs you obtain from completing the many Shrines scattered around Hyrule.
The good news is even if you don’t have 13 Heart Containers, you can still reach the Master Sword and fast travel to it later when you’ve collected enough.
How to Get the Master Sword
Fast travel to the Woodland Tower. If you haven’t found the Woodland Tower yet, it’s located northeast of Hyrule Castle. Glide down to the large forest (Lost Woods) to the north. Enter the Lost Woods by following the path northeast of the Woodland Tower until the area starts getting foggy and you arrive at a large ruined arch. Go through the arch and turn right at the lit lantern. Note which way the wind is blowing the embers from the lantern flame. Keep following the line of lit lanterns, and you’ll soon arrive at two lanterns. Deviating from the direction pointed by the lanterns will result in you being transported back to the last checkpoint. When in doubt, follow the wind, and you should stay on the right path. Using the fire from the two lanterns, light a torch and note the wind direction. Follow it. If you can’t find a torch, use a wooden item in your inventory or cut down a small tree to grab a branch. Keep following whichever direction the embers from your torch are flowing. The wind will periodically change directions, so it’s a good idea to stop periodically and check to see if it has moved. If you end up going in the wrong direction, you’ll be teleported back to the two lit lanterns. Eventually, you’ll end up at a clearing, and the path will narrow between two cliff faces. Keep following the path until you reach the end of the trench and go through the archway. This is the entrance to the Korok Forest. Go to the center of the grove to find the Master Sword sitting on its pedestal.
Wielding the Master Sword
The Master Sword has a base strength of 30 damage, but this damage will double when the sword’s holy power is awakened. This will occur when you are inside a dungeon, near Guardians or Malice (the sword will glow a light blue aura to indicate it’s in this state). The Master Sword can’t be thrown but instead has an energy wave attack which you can trigger by holding down the R button when Link has full health.
Unlike other weapons in the game, the Master Sword cannot break. However, it will run out of energy after prolonged use. When this happens, the sword will need to recharge and be unusable for 10 minutes.
To power the Master Sword up to its full potential, you’ll need to complete all three levels of the Trial of the Sword DLC, which is part of Breath of the Wild’s first expansion pack. Doing so will power the weapon up to 60 damage permanently and prevent it from running out of energy.
