Great Fairy Guide — Unlocking All 4 & Maximizing Armor Upgrades

Great Fairies are the armor upgrade stations in TotK — each provides armor enhancement up to a specific tier based on how many you've unlocked. Unlike previous Zelda games, unlocking Great Fairies requires a side quest involving the Stable Trotters musical troupe. This guide covers every location, the unlock sequence, and what each tier costs.

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Why Great Fairies Matter

Armor upgrades are critical for late-game survival:

• Base armor provides minimal protection
• Each upgrade level significantly increases defense
• Set bonuses (requiring ★★ minimum) are often the most powerful part of armor sets
• Ancient Armor ★★ for Gloom resistance, Zora Armor ★★ for Swim Dash stamina, etc.

Tier limits:

• 1 Great Fairy unlocked: Can upgrade to ★ only
• 2 unlocked: Can upgrade to ★★
• 3 unlocked: Can upgrade to ★★★
• All 4 unlocked: Can upgrade to ★★★★ (maximum)

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The Stable Trotters Requirement

In TotK, Great Fairies are sleeping and won't wake unless they hear music. The Stable Trotters are performers you must escort to each Great Fairy's location using a horse-drawn carriage (or riding alongside them).

The unlock process:

1. Find the Stable Trotters band at a stable near the Great Fairy
2. The band needs a musician (one of 4 total) — find and recruit the missing musician first
3. Once the full band is assembled at the stable: talk to them → they'll ask for a ride to the Great Fairy
4. Provide the carriage (or guide them while they travel) → they play music at the Great Fairy → she wakes up

Carriage note: You need a horse-drawn carriage vehicle for the Stable Trotters to ride. Ultrahand a large flat platform to a horse-drawn cart, or use existing cart structures near stables.

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All 4 Great Fairy Locations

Great Fairy Cotera — Kakariko Village

Location: Hills northwest of Kakariko Village, below the cliff face

Nearest stable: Dueling Peaks Stable or directly from Kakariko Village

Unlock:

1. Find the Stable Trotters at Dueling Peaks Stable
2. One musician (Pyper, the flute player) is near Kakariko — find and recruit him
3. Return to the Stable Trotters → escort them to Cotera's flower bud northwest of Kakariko
4. Cotera wakes → first Great Fairy unlocked

Cotera is typically the first Great Fairy players encounter and the easiest to access.

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Great Fairy Mija — Akkala Region

Location: Northeast of South Akkala Stable, in a forested area near Akkala

Nearest stable: South Akkala Stable

Unlock:

1. Stable Trotters at South Akkala Stable need their drummer (Beetz) recruited
2. Beetz is southeast of the stable — he needs honey delivered to him first
3. After recruiting Beetz: Stable Trotters travel to Mija's location
4. Mija wakes → second Great Fairy unlocked

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Great Fairy Tera — Gerudo Region

Location: West of Gerudo Canyon Stable, before the full desert entry

Nearest stable: Gerudo Canyon Stable

Unlock:

1. Stable Trotters at Gerudo Canyon Stable need their horn player (Haite) recruited
2. Haite is near Kara Kara Bazaar in the desert
3. Recruit Haite → escort Stable Trotters to Tera's location
4. Tera wakes → third Great Fairy unlocked

Special: Tera's location is partially in the desert zone — bring heat resistance.

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Great Fairy Kaysa — Tabantha / Rito Region

Location: North of Tabantha Bridge Stable, near the Tabantha Snowfield approach

Nearest stable: Tabantha Bridge Stable (or Rito Village for the musician)

Unlock:

1. Stable Trotters need their accordion player (Mastro) — he's in Rito Village
2. Mastro won't leave until you help him with a Rito Village errand (brief side quest)
3. After Mastro joins: escort the Stable Trotters to Kaysa's location
4. Kaysa wakes → all 4 Great Fairies unlocked → full upgrade tier available

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Efficient Unlock Order

Recommended unlock sequence:

1. Cotera (Kakariko) — Easiest access, unlocks ★ upgrades for early armor
2. Kaysa (Tabantha) — Second, if you're pursuing Wind Temple first (Rito region)
3. Mija (Akkala) — Third during northeast exploration
4. Tera (Gerudo) — Last, tied to the desert questline

Why this order?

• Cotera first ensures you can start upgrading armor immediately
• Kaysa second gives you ★★ (set bonuses) before the hardest mid-game content
• Mija and Tera can be done in any order during their respective region exploration

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Upgrade Costs Overview

Costs scale significantly from ★ to ★★★★. Sample costs for mid-tier armor:

| Level | Typical Cost Per Piece | |-------|----------------------| | ★ | 3-5 common materials | | ★★ | 5-8 materials + 1 uncommon | | ★★★ | 4-6 materials + 1 rare (Star Fragment / horn) | | ★★★★ | 4-6 materials + 1 very rare (Diamond / Large shard) |

Most expensive sets to fully upgrade (★★★★ all pieces):

• Ancient Armor (requires Gloom Reeds + Large Gloom Shards — Depths farming required)
• Rubber Armor (requires Thunderwing Butterflies — sky farming)
• Radiant Armor (requires dragon materials)

Cheapest sets:

• Soldier's Armor (common Poes from Depths + basic monster parts)
• Snowquill Armor (Warm Feathers and Blue Nightshade — common drops)

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Quick Tips

• Cotera first, always — don't delay the first Great Fairy. Even ★ upgrades to armor you use early make a measurable difference in survivability.
• Stable Trotters carriage — the game isn't explicit about the carriage requirement. Build it simply: horse + rope + a platform board from Ultrahand. The Stable Trotters sit on the platform while you ride the horse forward.
• Upgrade priority: Prioritize armor you actually wear. ★★ is the critical threshold for set bonuses. Get all 3 pieces of your main combat set to ★★ before upgrading other sets.
• Rare materials before upgrading — check the ★★★ and ★★★★ costs before upgrading past ★★. If you don't have Star Fragments or dragon materials in stock, don't rush past ★★ until you do.
• All 4 for endgame — having all 4 Great Fairies isn't required until you're doing ★★★ and ★★★★ upgrades. But unlocking all 4 early gives you the flexibility to upgrade any armor to max.

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See also: Ancient Armor Guide | Star Fragment Guide | Dragon Farming Guide