You've spent forty minutes climbing a sheer cliff in the rain. Your stamina is blinking red. You finally reach the peak, expecting a majestic view, but instead, you just find another Korok seed. It’s frustrating. But then you remember that little plastic figure sitting on your desk. You tap it to your controller, and suddenly, a metal chest falls from the sky with a heavy thud. This is the magic of amiibo drops breath of the wild players have been obsessed with since 2017. It isn't just about getting extra stuff; it's about breaking the game's economy in the most satisfying way possible.
Honestly, the sheer variety of items you can get is staggering. Most people think it’s just some fish and maybe a rusty broadsword. They're wrong. Depending on which figure you scan, you could be looking at exclusive armor sets from Twilight Princess, the iconic Hero’s Shield from The Wind Waker, or even a literal horse that teleports into existence.
The stuff you actually want from amiibo drops breath of the wild
Let’s talk about Epona. If you scan the Link (Super Smash Bros.) or the Link (Twilight Princess) amiibo for the first time, Epona just appears. No taming required. She has maxed-out stats and she’s arguably the best horse in the game until you start messing with the Giant Horse or the Royal White Stallion. But there’s a catch. If you scan her on the Great Plateau before you have the Paraglider, she’s stuck there forever unless you’re some kind of glitch-wizard. Don't do that. Wait until you're near a stable.
Beyond the horse, the big draw is the armor. Each "Link" amiibo usually corresponds to a specific game in the franchise's history. Scanning the 8-Bit Link gives you pieces of the "Hero" set, which looks like the classic NES sprite. The Ocarina of Time Link gives you the "Time" set. These aren't just cosmetic. When you upgrade the full set to level two at a Great Fairy Fountain, you get a "Master Sword Beam Up" set bonus. It makes your sword beams actually do decent damage.
Exclusive weapons and the elusive Twilight Bow
If you’re hunting for the rarest amiibo drops breath of the wild offers, you’re looking for the Twilight Bow. This comes from the Zelda (Super Smash Bros.) figure. It’s legendary. Why? Because it doesn’t use arrows. It fires literal light. The range is infinite—the arrow travels in a perfectly straight line until it hits something or the game's engine gives up.
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But the drop rate is abysmal. We’re talking roughly a 2% chance once you’ve cleared at least one Divine Beast. You will spend a lot of time "savescumming" for this one. That’s just the reality of it. You save your game, scan the amiibo, and if you don't like what's in the chest, you reload the save and try again. It's tedious, but for a bow that shoots light? Worth it.
How the game decides what to give you
The game uses a tiered system. It's not just random chaos.
When you first start a new save file, the loot is mediocre. This is the "Basic" tier. You’ll get some traveler’s swords, maybe some fruit, or a few arrows. Once you reach the first checkpoint (usually leaving the Great Plateau), you enter the "Intermediate" tier. Here, you start seeing elemental arrows and decent shields. The real "Great" tier loot—the stuff everyone actually wants—only unlocks after you defeat your first Divine Beast.
Why the Wolf Link amiibo is a total game changer
The Wolf Link amiibo is different. It doesn't drop a chest. Instead, it summons a literal wolf companion to hunt with you. It’s incredible to watch him take down a goat or distract a Guardian while you’re lining up an ancient arrow shot.
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The problem? By default, he only has three hearts. He dies if a Bokoblin sneezes on him. To get him to the maximum twenty hearts, you originally had to play through the Cave of Shadows in Twilight Princess HD on the Wii U. That’s a massive barrier to entry for most people. Luckily, if you buy those third-party NFC cards people sell on Etsy or Amazon, they usually come pre-loaded with the twenty-heart data. Is it cheating? Maybe. Is it better than having a dead wolf? Absolutely.
Common misconceptions about amiibo loot
A lot of players think you can only scan an amiibo once per day. Technically, that's true. The game records the ID of the figure and locks it until the clock hits midnight. However, you can just go into your Nintendo Switch system settings and move the date forward by one day. Boom. Infinite scans.
Another weird myth is that where you are on the map affects the drop rate. People swear that scanning near the Master Sword pedestal gives you better luck. It doesn't. The RNG (random number generation) is baked into the game's code regardless of your coordinates. What does matter is your progression. If you haven't beaten a Divine Beast, you aren't getting that Biggoron's Sword. Period.
Breaking down the best drops by figure
If you're looking to curate a collection, here is what you should prioritize based on actual utility:
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- Guardian (Breath of the Wild series): This is arguably the best "utility" scan. It drops ancient parts like shafts, springs, and even the rare Ancient Core. Since you need these to buy Ancient Armor and weapons at the Akkala Tech Lab, this amiibo saves you hours of farming ruined Guardians.
- Toon Zelda (Wind Waker series): She drops the Hero’s Shield. It’s a nostalgic piece of gear, but it also has a high durability stat.
- Sheik (Super Smash Bros.): You get Sheik’s Mask. It provides a stealth buff, which is great if you haven't bought the Stealth Set in Kakariko Village yet. Plus, it looks cool.
- Mipha / Revali / Daruk / Urbosa: These drop the "Divine" helms. They are unique because they allow you to see an enemy’s health bar (like the Champion’s Tunic) while still wearing a helmet.
The controversy of locked content
There’s always been a debate about whether these amiibo drops breath of the wild uses are "fair." Some critics argue that putting the best horse and the coolest legacy armor behind a physical paywall is predatory. It’s a valid point. If you want every single item, you’re looking at spending hundreds of dollars on plastic figures that are often out of stock and sold by scalpers for triple the price.
This led to the rise of NFC cards. These are tiny, credit-card-sized pieces of plastic with the amiibo data written on them. They cost about twenty bucks for a full set of twenty-four. Nintendo isn't a fan, but for the average player who just wants the Fierce Deity armor without paying $80 for a used Majora’s Mask amiibo, they are the standard solution.
Maximizing your daily haul
If you want to be efficient, don't just scan your amiibo in the middle of a field. Scan them near a cooking pot. Many of the drops are raw ingredients—meat, fish, herbs—and you can immediately turn them into high-value meals to sell for rupees.
Scan the Ganondorf amiibo for a chance at the Sword of the Six Sages. Scan the Zelda figures for precious gems like Star Fragments. Star Fragments are the bottleneck for almost every high-level armor upgrade in the game. Getting one from a chest is like winning the lottery because otherwise, you have to spend your nights chasing falling stars across the map like a crazy person.
Essential steps for better drops
To get the most out of your amiibo collection, follow these specific steps to ensure you aren't wasting your daily scans:
- Clear at least one Divine Beast first. This unlocks the highest tier of loot across almost all figures.
- Save your game before scanning. This is the "Golden Rule." If you get a pile of salt instead of a piece of armor, just reload.
- Check your inventory space. If your shield or weapon slots are full, the chest will stay open but you won't be able to take the item. If you accidentally close it or it despawns, you've lost that day's scan.
- Use the "System Clock" trick. If you are farming for a specific set, change the date in your Switch settings to bypass the 24-hour lockout.
- Look for the "Big Hits." Listen for the sound of the chest opening. The "rare" items have a slightly different audio cue or a more ornate chest design in some cases.
The world of Hyrule is massive and often punishing. These drops don't just provide gear; they provide a sense of progression and a link back to the wider Zelda universe. Whether you're hunting for the Sword of the Six Sages or just need some extra arrows before taking on a Lynel, knowing how to manipulate the amiibo system gives you a distinct advantage that the game itself never explicitly explains.