How to get the Master Sword - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Unlock the Master Sword in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and wield the weapon that seals the darkness.

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Unlocking the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom is no easy feat. The legendary weapon broke at the start of the game and then promptly disappeared. Reclaiming it will take a bit of work, though it’s well worth the effort in order to wield the weapon that seals the darkness. The good news is that you can get the Master Sword fairly early, provided you don’t mind dumping your Light of Blessings into Stamina.

How to get the Master Sword

There are only two requirements to unlock the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom: Have two stamina wheels (gold ones don't count) and know where to find the Light Dragon. Getting an additional stamina wheel requires five Stamina Vessels, which means 20 Light of Blessings will be needed. It can also help to have the paraglider.

Additionally, there are two quests that will point you to the location of the dragon (more on them below). These aren't necessary, but make it far easier to find and get on the dragon:

  • Recovering the Hero's Sword: marks the dragon on the map
  • The Dragon's Tears: causes the dragon to go to a specific location
Link tries to pull the Master Sword out of the head of the Light Dragon
The Light Dragon is the one you saw at the start of the game. Track it down and land on it to find the Master Sword.
Source: Shacknews

As for finding the Light Dragon, you’ve likely already seen it flying around the sky. This dragon is quite long and spends most of its time soaring high above the realm of Hyrule. One way to find it is to use Skyview Towers to launch Link into the air. Keep doing this until you spot it and then quick travel to wherever it is. The goal is to land on the Light Dragon.

To land on the Light Dragon, drop from above using one of the floating islands, a Skyview Tower launch pad, or create a Zonai machine to fly you up. Once on the dragon, approach its head to find the Master Sword embedded in its skull. Interact with it and prepare to pull it out. If you’ve got enough stamina, Link will successfully remove the mighty blade.

Finding the Light Dragon

If you’re having trouble finding the Light Dragon, there is a quest called Recovering the Hero’s Sword given by the Deku Tree that will mark the dragon on your map. There's also The Dragon's Tears which brings the dragon to a specific location.

The map of Minshi Woods with the chasm circled
Reach the Deku Tree by going to the place circled. Enter the Depths via the Minshi Woods Chasm and head northwest until you're below the Great Hyrule Forest.
Source: Shacknews

To reach the Deku Tree, use the Eldin Canyon Skyview Tower and travel north-northwest to the chasm that leads to the Depths. From within the Depths, head northwest until you reach the Rikonasum Lightroot (0406, 2134, -0592). Look for the stone platform right near it. Use Ascend on the platform to reach the surface. Enter the Deku Tree, clear the corruption, and then receive the quest.

Additionally, completing Impa and the Geoglyphs will unlock another Main Quest called The Dragon’s Tears quest. This will also lead you to the Light Dragon while learning more about the history of Hyrule through various Memories.


Unlocking the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will require dedication in the form of upgrading your stamina wheel. Remember that you can swap Heart Containers for Stamina Vessels (and vice versa) if you’ve done the Who Goes There? Side Quest. Though you’ve unlocked the Master Sword, there’s still plenty left to do. Find out what to do next over on our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Strategy Guide.

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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