No matter which Zelda games you’ve played, you’re sure to agree that there’s nothing more satisfying than getting a new weapon after taking down a particularly tricky boss or solving a confusing puzzle.
The Legend of Zelda is a vast franchise, and there are a number of incredible abilities and weapons that you can get your hands on in the different games.
If you’re looking for a Zelda game with a strong power fantasy and variety of cool weapons, this is the list for you. Here are the 12 strongest weapons in The Legend of Zelda.
Strongest Zelda Weapons of All Time
This list does not include spells, abilities, or other defensive items. I’ve focused exclusively on physical weapons, including swords, rods, bows, and specific arrow types.
To pick out the strongest weapons for this list, I looked at:
- How powerful the weapon was in contrast to other weapons in the game
- The base damage of the weapon
- Any other abilities the weapon had, like poison or burns
This list includes weapons from all sorts of Zelda games, including older titles and some much newer ones, like Tears of the Kingdom.
I’ve avoided any mentions of largely unrelated franchises, although you can find weapons like the Great Fairy’s Sword and Biggoron’s Sword in games like Soulcalibur II, for example.
Great Fairy’s Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000) and Hyrule Warriors (2014)
In Majora’s Mask, you get the Great Fairy’s Sword by returning Stray Fairies to the Fairy’s Fountain in Ikana Temple. The Great Fairy of Kindness gives Link the Great Fairy’s Sword as a thank you for helping out the Fairies.
While you can’t use the Great Fairy’s Sword alongside a shield (as it is a two-handed sword) it is incredibly powerful. In fact, it’s the strongest sword in Majora’s Mask, alongside the Fierce Deity Sword.
It’s four times as powerful as the Kokiri Sword and Link can even use it under the influence of a Blue Bubble jinx.
The Great Fairy’s Sword shows up in Hyrule Warriors, too, and it’s just as powerful.
Biggoron’s Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
If you asked a diehard Zelda fan to name the most powerful weapon in the game, chances are that Biggoron’s Sword would be one of their top picks.
You get Biggoron’s Sword by completing the Trading Quest in Ocarina of Time. It’s essentially an updated version of the Giant’s Knife and it is a two-handed weapon.
Biggoron’s Sword functions the same in both Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. You need to unlock it in the game by using passwords in a Linked Game and completing a set task. In Seasons, you speak to Biggoron, and in Ages, you speak to the Goron Elder.
In both Oracle games, Biggoron’s Sword can one-shot Armos. It’s 150% stronger than the Wooden Sword and 67% stronger than the Noble Sword.
Unlocking Biggoron’s Sword in Breath of the Wild requires you to have the 30th Anniversary Link Amiibo and the Amiibo Rune, in order to finish the Hero of Time set.
In a similar fashion to Ocarina of Time, Biggoron’s Sword is technically stronger than the Master Sword in terms of pure damage and durability. It doesn’t regenerate in the same way that the Master Sword does, but it has the highest damage in the game.
Master Sword
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991), The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (2001), The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages (2001), The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2002), The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2002), The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006), The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011), The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
As you can see from the massive block of text above, the Master Sword is one of the most iconic weapons in the Zelda franchise.
The abilities of the Master Sword vary depending on which game you’re playing.
You come across it by progressing with the main storyline, for the most part. There are sometimes limitations on this, like in Breath of the Wild where you need the ‘correct strength’ to get it, which is 13 hearts.
The general abilities of the Master Sword include sealing away evil, breaking down magic barriers, and absorbing other powers.
For example, in Skyward Sword, the Master Sword can use Skyward Strikes in a very similar fashion to the Goddess Sword. This is seen in many other games that come after Skyward Sword in the timeline.
The Master Sword also tends to have the ability to regenerate and restore itself when damaged, which you can see in Breath of the Wild. The scabbard also always seems to magically reappear on Link’s back, too.
In some games, the Master Sword can emit a powerful beam to take down enemies, or even protect the user from harmful curses and attacks.
Some fans theorize that the differences in abilities are to do with the differences in the bearer, in reference to the different paths of the Zelda timeline.
Magical Rod
The Legend of Zelda (1986), The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Magical Rods, also known as Magic Rods, are a common weapon type in the original Zelda game, Link’s Awakening, and Tears of the Kingdom. This is technically a group of weapons instead of one particular weapon, but they’re incredibly punchy and worth including anyway.
Magical Rods are projectile-based magic weapons that shoot out magical energy.
In the original Zelda, Magical Rods can fire out beams to attack enemies. If you track down the Book of Magic item, you can upgrade your Magical Rod and cause it to leave a trail of magic behind, which is helpful for lighting up rooms.
One of the things that makes the Magical Rod so powerful in this game is the fact that it has unlimited charges. While it might not have as high of a base attack stat as, say, the Savage Lynel Sword, it is incredibly efficient.
In Link’s Awakening, Magical Rods can shoot fireballs, light torches, and kill some immune enemies like Mutts.
The Magical Rod is one of the most powerful items in the game, doing close to double the damage of other powerhouses like the Koholint Sword.
Light Arrows
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998), The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000), The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2002), The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006), The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009), and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Moving away from typical handheld weapons for a moment, the Light Arrows are some of the most powerful pieces of weaponry in the Zelda universe.
You can get Light Arrows through a variety of means, depending on the game that you’re playing.
You can get them by completing puzzles (The Wind Waker), exploring temples (Majora’s Mask and the Ocarina of Time), or by defeating powerful mobs (Spirit Tracks and Breath of the Wild).
In some cases, it’s not even Link who wields these weapons. In Twilight Princess, Zelda is the one who uses the Light Arrows.
Light Arrows are imbued with holy light that can pierce evil and take down malicious foes. They’re ridiculously strong, which is why they’re often found later on in the game, and can even one-shot enemies in some games, like The Wind Waker.
Savage Lynel Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020)
The Savage Lynel Sword shows up in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity, and it’s very powerful in both games.
It’s particularly powerful in Breath of the Wild, and you can get one by killing roaming Lynel mobs. It’s hard to come across these mobs until quite late in the game, although there is the chance of running into one near Hyrule Castle.
The Savage Lynel Sword is one of the strongest single-handed swords in BotW, which makes it especially powerful if you pair it with a good shield.
Fierce Deity Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000),The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
This sword gives Link almost god-like powers. It’s immensely strong and plays a pivotal role in Majora’s Mask in particular.
In Majora’s Mask, the Fierce Deity Sword is summoned by the Fierce Deity Mask. This weapon is just as strong as the Great Fairy’s Sword, and it has magical powers, too. Attacking with the Fierce Deity Sword can do both physical damage and magical damage in one hit.
The Fierce Deity Sword also appears in Breath of the Wild as an Amiibo unlockable. To get it, you need to have the Majora’s Mask Link Amiibo and the Amiibo Rune.
The second requirement is to have battled at least one of the Divine Beasts.
Once you’ve done this, you will have a chance of finding the Fierce Deity Mask in a treasure chest, which will allow you to summon the Fierce Deity Sword. It’s incredibly powerful, and can conduct electricity, attract lightning, and resist heat.
Edge of Duality
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) and Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020)
As with the Savage Lynel Sword, the Edge of Duality shows up in both Breath of the Wild and Age of Calamity. The Edge of Duality is actually a set of double-handed Sheikah weapons, and they’re ideal for taking down tricky bosses.
In Breath of the Wild, it’s possible to come across the Edge of Duality in either Hyrule Castle or the Gerudo Highlands.
You can also come across one in a treasure chest if you’ve used the Amiibo Rune and the Super Smash Bros. Sheik Amiibo together.
This unique weapon attracts lightning, conducts electricity, and resists heat.
The Four Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2002), The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past & Four Swords (2002), The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords (2004), and The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004)
As the name might suggest, The Four Sword is an intrinsic part of the Four Sword series in the Zelda franchise. It’s one of the most unique items on this list.
Created by the Minish, this sword is incredibly magical and has the ability to split the bearer into 4 copies of themselves.
It’s tied to the Vaati and the Four Sword Sanctuary, which plays into its introduction in every game listed above.
Royal Guard’s Claymore
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
The Royal Guard’s Claymore is one of the strongest weapons in the entire Zelda franchise, and it can outrank even the Master Sword in terms of pure strength.
It can be found in Breath of the Wild, Age of Calamity, and Tears of the Kingdom.
While this weapon does have low durability, it has a very high base attack stat. It can be found in Hyrule Castle when playing Breath of the Wild.
Savage Lynel Bow
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
I’ve already mentioned one Savage Lynel weapon in this article, but I couldn’t leave the Savage Lynel Bow out. It’s powerful and punchy, and one of the best bows in the game.
The Savage Lynel Bow offers a good balance between attack power and durability. It can even pierce through strong armor.
When playing Breath of the Wild, you can find a Savage Lynel Bow in Hebra Mountains and the Hyrule Field.
Zora Sword
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017), Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (2020), and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Zora Swords are powerful, one-handed swords that are durable and imbued with mystical powers. They were originally created by the Zora, who are known as the protectors of water in the Zelda universe.
As a result, Zora Swords have water-related powers.
This is particularly prevalent in Tears of the Kingdom. While the initial stats for Zora Swords in TotK aren’t overly impressive, they double whenever Link gets wet. This is incredibly powerful, and you can add to this by Fusing other strengthening items to your sword.
The Zora Swords are also very powerful in Age of Calamity and Breath of the Wild.
In Breath of the Wild, Zora Swords are resistant to heat and fire, and they can conduct lightning and electricity. They’re very durable, have decently high attack stats, and they are completely resistant to rust, too.
What to Do Next
Now that you know which weapons are canonically the strongest in the Zelda franchise, why not take a look at the best dungeons and the most powerful bosses? One of the best things about being a Zelda fan is that the franchise is so expansive that it’s hard to lose interest.
If you like the look of the Breath of the Wild weapons, make sure to check out Tears of the Kingdom if you get a chance. It’s not quite the same as BotW, but it shares a decent amount of similarities.
There’s even a great Collector’s Edition that you can pick up if you’re a hardcore fan.