The iconic Master Sword returns to Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and even though Link loses the legendy sword's 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 detailed below, but fair warning that it's a moving location, so it can be very hard to track down unless you get lucky.

There are three methods that make it far easier to find, so as well as explaining how to get the Master Sword, we've gone over the best way to get it too, and also explain everything we know about how the legendary weapon works in TOTK, and why it's so useful.

How to get the Master SwordHow to find the Light DragonThe Master Sword explainedTo see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings 10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting The Legend of Zelda Tears of the KingdomWatch on YouTube

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 can be found lodged in the head of the Light Dragon. 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 - more on that below.

Image credit: Nintendo

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 it's 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.

Image credit: Nintendo

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.

Image credit: Nintendo

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.

Image credit: Nintendo

How to find the Light Dragon in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

There are a few ways to find the Light Dragon in Tears of the Kingdom, but some are easier than others. 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.

Option 1: Start the Recovering the Hero's Sword quest

The best way to find the Light Dragon in Tears of the Kingdom is to start the Recovering the Hero's Sword quest as this will pin the location of the Light Dragon to your map.

To start the Recovering the Hero's Sword quest, you first need to find a way into the Lost Woods. 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 where the Master Sword was in Breath of the Wild.

Image credit: Nintendo

At the Deku tree you'll be confronted with Gloom Hands and a Phantom Ganon, 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.

Once you've cleansed the Deku tree, the Light Dragon's location will then be pinned to your map so that you can then easily always find it.

Option 2: Complete The Dragon's Tears quest

A less combat-heavy way to get access to the Light Dragon is to complete The Dragon's Tears quest instead. Completing this lengthy quest will spawn the Light Dragon above you once you've found the final Dragon Tear. It'll only appear for a while though, so make sure you've already got two stamina bars ready.

To get access to the Dragon's Tears quest, you'll have first needed to complete the Impa and the Geoglyphs quest. But as this route can take a lot of time, if you want the Master Sword early, we would still recommend focusing on the Recovering the Hero's Sword quest instead.

Image credit: Nintendo

Option 3: Keep watch from the Sky Islands

The final way of tracking down the Light Dragon is actually one you'll be able to do from early in the game. Once you've reached the Sky Islands, you'll be able to keep watch-out for it flying below, and with the right timing, you can jump onto its back. Do remember though that while you can do this early in the game, you'll still need two bars of stamina.

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Master Sword explained

Once you've managed to finally get hold of the Master Sword, there are going to be a number of things to be aware of.

Image credit: NintendoThe Master Sword is the only weapon in Tears of the Kingdom that doesn't break. No matter how much it is used, you'll never have any durability issues with it.The Master Sword does run out of energy, so 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. Image credit: NintendoThe Master Sword will only have a base damage number after you've fused a material to it, with this number reflecting the specific material you've chosen to Fuse. This means, the better the Fuse material, the stronger the Master Sword will be. One of the best materials you can use Fuse with it is, of course, a Diamond, but it's worth experimenting with different materials to see what works for you.To see this content please enable targeting cookies.Manage cookie settings

Hope you have fun using the Master Sword in Tears of the Kingdom!