Your very first Zelda Tears of the Kingdom bow is handed to you by the Ranger Construct during the tutorial stages on the Great Sky Islands. You'll unlock stronger versions of the bow to add to your cache of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapons, allowing you to attach projectiles to your arrows and increase the damage dealt with each one.
Being such a useful tool, whether in combat or to go hunting for food, the basic bow is given to you early on in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. You'll need to have made your way the first Shrine on the Sky Islands though, as well as collected a Light of Blessing with which to unlock fast travel in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom further down the line. We have a separate guide to show you how to do that, as well as some other handy Zelda Tears of the Kingdom tips to give you a leg-up on Link's quest even in these early stages, but for now let's get you kitted out with your first bow.
How to get a bow in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
You'll get your Zelda Tears of the Kingdom bow and some arrows from the Ranger Construct. This helpful Construct can be spotted shortly after completing the first of the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Sky Island shrines. We've marked the location on the map below:
Zelda Tears of the Kigndom bow: Ranger Construct location
After leaving Ukouh Shrine, head all the way down the broken staircase until you reach a pond at the foot of it on your left. Swim across the lake and climb up the short mossy cliff in front of you, composed of smaller flat-topped rocks, until you're at the summit. You should now see a long beam of wood that connects your location to the other side of a large chasm. Check out our guide on how to use beams in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom if you're stuck on how to get from one side to the other.
Once you're safely transported, you'll meet a Maker Construct who is chopping some wood. It will teach you how to use an axe to cut down trees to get wood or large logs, which can be used with your Ultrahand ability to cross over the broken bridge near the waterfall.
Try connecting four logs together, two side-by-side and then stuck to another pair from the chopped end at the bottom, to build a makeshift bridge. Your Zelda Tears of the Kingdom abilities are the answer to most puzzles in this game, after all.
After crossing, veer left and cross over another bridge to the other side of another pond. Here is where you'll find the Ranger Construct, who will give you a bow and some arrows to try your hand at hunting the animals nearby.
Be sure to crouch so you don't scare them away! Their meat gives you plenty of health when cooked with other foraged ingredients, and it can even be used to make powerful warming meals that can help you deal with the cold in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom once you reach Gutanbac Shrine.
The best bows in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Your first one is weak, but the best Zelda Tears of the Kingdom bows can be found down on the Surface map or even in the dark and spooky Depths.
Here are some of the strongest bows we've come across in the game so far, including how and where you might find them. Bear in mind that some will be linked to defeating certain monster types, while others might not be picked up until you're able to gain access to remote areas of the Zelda Tears of the Kingdom map that won't be easy to get to early on:
- Gerudo Bow (Lvl 25, Gerudo Town)
- Dragonbone Boko Bow (Lvl 24, dropped by Armored Bokoblins)
- Lynel Bow (Lvl 10, dropped by Lynels)
- Knight's Bow (Lvl 26, looted from chests)
- Mighty Construct Bow (Lvl 24, dropped by Constructs)
Remember, things don't last forever in this game. Bows are also affected by that pesky Zelda Tears of the Kingdom weapon degradation system, so you'll was to loot as many as you can on your travels and swap them out for stronger bows whenever possible.
© GamesRadar+. Not to be reproduced without permission
