To get the Hylian Shield in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, players need to head to where it's located on the North side of Hyrule Castle Moat, behind an optional boss fight and a simple puzzle on the castle docks. The Hylian Shield is the best shield in all of Tears of the Kingdom, with unrivalled durability, and not only that, it's the classic Zelda shield with the blue and gold Triforce on it. If you want to get the best protection money can buy, here's how to get the Hylian Shield in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
Hylian Shield location in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
The Hylian Shield in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom is found in the docks of Hyrule Castle, on the map indicated above. This is not in the floating section of the castle, but the moat to the North side, in the gap in the wall. The process is as follows:
- Use a boat, glider or Zonai device to approach the Hyrule Castle moat from the North.
- Head to the opening on the map indicated above to enter the watery cave with a ring of green plants floating in the opening.
- There'll be some Docks inside. Going up the stairs triggers an optional boss fight with the Gloom Hands, then Phantom Ganon.
- You don't have to kill these bosses, so either kill or avoid them.
- Make your way up the stairs to the huge unlit brazier at the top overlooking the water, shown below.
- Ignite the Brazier with any fire weapon or material.
- A chest will appear on the pedestal behind you with the Hylian Shield inside.
This puzzle only works once - you won't be able to get another Hylian Shield by coming back and reigniting the thing again. At this point you'll be better equipped to fight the bosses, if you were scooting around them, or you can just fast travel out of there.
Can the Hylian Shield break?
Yes, the Hylian Shield, though it has the best durability in the game by the standards of shields, is not indestructible and will break after being hit too many times… or if you keep using it for some Zelda Tears of the Kingdom shield surfing extreme sports. Still, this will take a long time, and you don't have any better options - there are no indestructible shields in Tears of the Kingdom at time of writing that we know of.
How to get more Hylian Shields
Yes, there is a way to replace the Hylian Shield if it breaks. You can either use any of the functioning Zelda Tears of the Kingdom duplication glitches, which we did to fill our inventory with the things, or you can use the legitimate method. Once you've found the Hylian Shield, you can buy another one from Cece in Hateno Village, but you'll need to have played the whole Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Team Cece or Team Reede election questline through to the end first.
After that point, Cece will work in her clothes and armor shop, and will sell armor - and if you've found the Hylian Shield and broken it, she'll sell you another one… for an eye-watering 3000 Rupees. Quality has its price, but if you're not sure how to make that kind of money, our guide to farming Rupees in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom will help you get there.
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