You cannot get Master Sword in Zelda BOTW if you don’t have the right number of hearts for it. As per the series’ lore, this is a Sword that seals the darkness. Thus in order to wield such a powerful sword, Link also needs to be strong and worthy of it. And you can increase that strength by having more Heart Containers. So in this guide check out the number of Hearts you need to get Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
How Many Hearts you need to Get the Master Sword in Zelda BOTW
You need a total of 13 Hearts, that is 13 full Heart Containers in Zelda BOTW to get the Master Sword. And sadly Temporary Hearts don’t count. So you will need to go around completing Shrines in order to get the Spirit Orbs. You can then convert 4 of these Spirit Orbs into 1 Heart Container. Of course, you can always tame the Divine Beasts. Each Divine Beast gives you 1 heart container. So after completing them you should have 8 Heart Containers:
- 3 Hearts Containers you get at the start
- 4 Spirit Orbs you get from the first 4 Shrines that are mandatory for getting the Runes. Exchange these 4 Orbs to get 1 Heart Container.
- 4 Heart Containers you get from the 4 Divine Beasts.
So all you need now is 5 more Hearts Containers. You can get this by doing any 20 Shrines you come across or of your choice.
In case, you did some shrines but exchanged them for Stamina Vessels then you can get them exchanged for Heart Containers. Simply interact with the Horned Statue at Hateno Village for it. Then use 100 Rupees to make the exchange. Do remember you will first need to complete the statue’s side quest before you can do this.
How to Get the Master Sword in Zelda BOTW
Once you have enough heart containers, go to the Lost Woods. Carry a torch with you, it will be needed. After getting to the Lost Woods make your way toward Lit Torches in the woods. Also, have your own in your hand. Eventually, you should be able to make your way to the Center of the Lost Woods where you can find the Master Swords and the Great Deku Tree.
If you have all 13 Hearts as instructed above, walk up to it and pull out the Sword. Master Sword will drain your life force to test if you are worthy. With these many hearts, you will pull out the Master Sword with ease.
How to Get it Without 13 Hearts
There is a glitch where you can wait at a campfire next to the Master Sword till morning to get it early. Thanks to Twitter user オカメいんこさん for this glitch. Here is how you can perform it.
Carry a Wood Bundle and a Flame Weapon to the location of the Master Sword. Make sure you also have at least one weapon slot free. Otherwise, the glitch will work but you won’t get the sword. Don’t worry though you can redo it to get the sword after dropping a weapon.
- Place the wood bundle on the top left side of the Master Sword. Align it using the shadow.
- Next, make the camera look at the sky. Zoom in from below, Link should disappear.
- Wait at the campfire until morning.
- Now, spam A button on your controller.
When the game loads now, you will get the Master Sword.
That covers this guide on how many hearts you need to get the Master Sword in Zelda BOTW. Since you like playing this game you should also find these guides useful on how to get the Paraglider, get the Gerudo outfit, start a Fire, and the Best Horses in the game.
