How to Get the Master Sword

The Master Sword is the most powerful weapon in Tears of the Kingdom — but obtaining it requires completing a substantial portion of the main story and enduring a 10-minute wait on the back of a dragon.

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Prerequisites

Before you can claim the Master Sword, you must:

1. Progress the Dragon's Tears main quest — this quest involves finding all 12 Dragon's Tears geoglyphs scattered across Hyrule. Each geoglyph contains a Tear that reveals a memory.
2. Find the 12th memory (Final Memory) — this is unlocked automatically once you find all 11 geoglyphs and memories. The final memory reveals Zelda's location.
3. Complete at least the Dragon's Tears questline — technically you can attempt the Master Sword before completing all four temples, but having full hearts is strongly recommended.

Recommended preparation:

• At least 10–13 hearts (the Master Sword requires 8 hearts of stamina to pull but you cannot drop while on the dragon — more hearts = more survival buffer)
• Stamina Vessels: at least 1 full extra wheel
• Full battery for Zonai devices is optional but useful for aerial navigation

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Step 1 — Complete the Dragon's Tears Quest

The Dragon's Tears quest begins at Forgotten Temple in the northwest of Hyrule (Eldin region, far north near Rito territory). You will find a large mural on the wall with a map of Hyrule.

Geoglyph locations overview: Geoglyphs are enormous carvings visible from the sky (use Skyview Towers to spot them). Each contains a glowing "Tear" at its center. Land on it to activate the memory.

| Geoglyph | Region | |----------|--------| | Dragon's Tears 1–2 | Akkala / Lanayru area | | Dragon's Tears 3–4 | Eldin / Great Hyrule Forest | | Dragon's Tears 5–6 | Central Hyrule / Necluda | | Dragon's Tears 7–8 | Gerudo / Faron | | Dragon's Tears 9–11 | Various — use the Forgotten Temple mural as reference | | Dragon's Tears 12 | Final — triggers after finding all 11 |

Tip: The Purah Pad's map shows locations of Tears you've collected. Use Skyview Towers to survey large areas — geoglyphs are only visible from altitude.

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Step 2 — Find the Light Dragon

After completing the Dragon's Tears questline, you learn that Zelda transformed herself into the Light Dragon — a massive golden dragon that soars high above Hyrule.

The Light Dragon orbits the entire map at very high altitude — above the clouds, above most sky islands. You cannot reach it from normal sky islands without additional lift.

How to locate the Light Dragon:

• Open your map and look at the sky layer — the Light Dragon appears as a large golden marker
• It moves slowly in a counter-clockwise circuit of the entire map
• It takes approximately 20 real-time minutes to complete one circuit

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Step 3 — Reaching the Light Dragon

The Light Dragon flies at approximately 3,600–4,000 meters elevation — above the reach of standard Skyview Towers.

Method 1 — Skyview Tower + Paraglider (easiest) Launch from a Skyview Tower near the dragon's flight path. You will not reach it directly — but you can get close enough to use Recall on a falling rock or Zonai device to reach the altitude.

Method 2 — Sky Island stacking Find a tall sky island (the Dragon's Head sky islands in the Eldin sky region reach high altitude). From there, use a hot air balloon or rocket Zonai device to gain extra altitude, then glide to the dragon.

Method 3 — Dragon's back updrafts Once close to the dragon, it emits warm updrafts on its back. Dive into the updraft to gain altitude, then deploy Paraglider to stay aloft.

Most reliable method: Use a Skyview Tower on the dragon's current circuit path, launch, then deploy Zonai fan platforms or rockets to close the remaining altitude gap. The dragon moves slowly enough that you have time to intercept.

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Step 4 — Landing on the Light Dragon

When you reach the Light Dragon, land on its back (not its head — you want the flat ridge along its spine).

• The dragon's back has updraft zones — use these to reposition if you're sliding off
• The surface is uneven but stable enough to stand on
• Do not fall off the front edge — the dragon's mouth area has no safe footing

Once on the back, locate the Master Sword lodged in the crown of the dragon's head. Walk toward the head along the spine ridge.

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Step 5 — Pulling the Master Sword

Stand on the dragon's head, directly in front of the glowing blue hilt of the Master Sword.

The extraction:

• Press A to interact
• A cutscene plays — Link grips the sword
• The extraction drains your entire stamina bar and then begins draining hearts
• You must survive the drain. If you run out of hearts, you fall off the dragon and die

Stamina management:

• You do not need to eat food mid-extraction (the cutscene handles it)
• More hearts = bigger buffer against the heart drain
• With 10+ hearts you will survive comfortably
• With fewer than 7 hearts the extraction is possible but extremely risky

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Master Sword Stats

| Stat | Value | |------|-------| | Base Attack | 30 | | Durability | Unlimited (recharges after 10 minutes when depleted) | | Charged Beam | Yes — fires a beam of light when at full health | | Fuse-able | Yes — attach materials for bonus damage |

The Master Sword is the only unbreakable weapon in the game. When its energy is depleted, it enters a 10-minute recharge cooldown before being usable again. It does not break permanently.

Best Fuse combos:

• Master Sword + Silver Lynel Saber Horn — highest single-weapon DPS in the game
• Master Sword + Dragon Fang — bonus elemental damage
• Master Sword + Royal Guard's Claymore — not recommended (you lose the unbreakable advantage)

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Tips

Don't rush the Master Sword. The game is completable without it. By the time you have 12+ hearts and have found all 11 geoglyphs, you're already mid-to-late game. Save the Master Sword run for your final dungeon push.

The Light Dragon also has Dragon Parts. While on the dragon's back, you can collect:

• Zelda's Golden Scale (from the body)
• Zelda's Golden Claw (from the claws near the feet)
• Zelda's Golden Fang (from near the head)

These are the rarest Dragon Parts in the game and are used for the highest-tier armor upgrades. Collecting them while you're already up there is highly efficient.

Track the dragon visually. If you fall off, the dragon is visible from below as a golden light in the clouds. You can attempt the climb again immediately — just find another tall launch point.

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See also: Dragon Parts Farming Guide | Best Armor Sets | NPC Directory