The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild glitch lets you get the Master Sword early using just a campfire

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Saving Hyrule has never been so easy

Breath of the Wild
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild community has discovered a glitch that allows players to acquire the Master Sword right at the start of the game.

In the video below, YouTuber Limcube explains the exploit, first discovered by speedrunner Bot_W. They note that this isn't the only glitch that allows players to access the Master Sword early, but it's far more simple than previous discoveries, so should be easily achievable for the average player.

To pull off the glitch, all you'll need to do is head to the sword shrine in the Korok Forest with the materials to make a campfire - that's one piece of wood, and something to light it. You'll have to start the fire quite close to the sword itself, but once you've done so, simply position Link between the campfire and the sword, look up at the cherry blossoms above your head, and wait at the fire until morning using the appropriate button prompt. During the loading screen, mash the A button as fast as possible, and when you load back in, you should acquire the Master Sword.

Exactly how the trick works isn't clear, but Limcube notes that it's so simple that it's baffling it's not been discovered until now. It's also significantly easier to pull off either the official method - which requires Link to have 13 heart containers - or previous speedrunning techniques. As Limcube points out, that means you could acquire the sword almost immediately after leaving the Great Plateau, if you so desired.

Four years on, the Breath of the Wild community is still learning about the game. Just last week, a player finally opened a chest previously thought impossible, while others are learning tricks that help them sneak past enemies using those giant barrels.

Nintendo has announced that The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently set to launch in 2022. While we don't know much more about the game than that, if its predecessor is anything to go by, we should still be figuring out new details in 2026. 

Not every title on our list of the best Switch games matches Breath of the Wild's longevity, but they're all still excellent.

Ali Jones
Ali Jones
Managing Editor, News

I'm GamesRadar's Managing Editor for news, shaping the news strategy across the team. I started my journalistic career while getting my degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick, where I also worked as Games Editor on the student newspaper, The Boar. Since then, I've run the news sections at PCGamesN and Kotaku UK, and also regularly contributed to PC Gamer. As you might be able to tell, PC is my platform of choice, so you can regularly find me playing League of Legends or Steam's latest indie hit.