You wake up in a dark cave, half-naked and shivering, with nothing but a glowing tablet and some old rags. It’s a bold start for a Zelda game. For decades, we knew exactly what Link looked like: the iconic pointed cap, the long green tunic, and those distinctive boots. But The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild flipped the script. It traded the legendary threads for the blue Champion’s Tunic, leaving a lot of long-time fans scratching their heads. Where was the green?
Honestly, Nintendo was pretty cheeky about it. They didn’t just give you the classic look. They made you bleed for it.
The breath of the wild green tunic—specifically the "Of the Wild" set—is basically the game's ultimate "I did everything" trophy. It isn't just sitting in a chest behind a cracked wall in Kakariko Village. You can't buy it from a shady merchant in the middle of the night. To get your hands on the Tunic of the Wild, the Trousers of the Wild, and the Cap of the Wild, you have to complete every single one of the 120 base-game Shrines.
That’s a lot of puzzles. A lot of climbing. A lot of "Aha!" moments followed by "Wait, where is that last one?" frustrations.
The Brutal Path to the Tunic of the Wild
Most players finish the game without ever seeing this outfit. They beat Calamity Ganon in their blue shirt or maybe some upgraded Knight’s armor, and they're perfectly happy. But for the completionists? The grind is real.
Once that 120th Shrine "Spirit Orb" hits your inventory, a new side quest triggers: A Gift from the Monks. You have to trek all the way to the Forgotten Temple in the Tanagar Canyon. It's a terrifying place if you're early in the game because it’s crawling with Decayed Guardians that have a very high accuracy rate. But once you reach the back, behind the massive Goddess Statue, three chests appear.
There it is. The green.
It’s a specific look, too. This version of the breath of the wild green tunic is a bit of a throwback to the original 1986 NES Link. It features shorter sleeves and shorts rather than the long trousers seen in Twilight Princess or Skyward Sword. It feels rugged. It feels like something a guy surviving in the woods would actually wear.
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Why bother with the stats?
Is it even good? Sorta.
When you first pull it out of the chest, the defense stats are underwhelming. Each piece starts at a base defense of 4. However, if you're willing to hunt down a ridiculous amount of materials for the Great Fairies, you can upgrade the set to a maximum defense of 28 per piece. That’s 84 total defense. To put that in perspective, that’s tied for the highest defense in the entire game along with the Soldier’s Armor and the Ancient Armor.
The real kicker is the set bonus. If you upgrade the whole set to at least level two, you unlock the "Master Sword Beam Up" ability. It makes the beams you fire from the Master Sword (when you have full health) do significantly more damage. It’s niche, sure, but it’s a cool nod to the old-school playstyle.
The Amiibo Shortcut (and why it feels different)
Let's be real for a second. A lot of the "green tunics" you see in screenshots aren't actually the Tunic of the Wild. Nintendo locked most of the classic outfits behind those little plastic statues.
If you have the right Amiibo, you can summon chests that drop:
- The Tunic of Time (Ocarina of Time)
- The Tunic of Twilight (Twilight Princess)
- The Tunic of Wind (The Wind Waker)
- The Tunic of the Sky (Skyward Sword)
- The Hero Set (8-Bit Link)
These are all technically a breath of the wild green tunic, but they function differently. They are easier to get if you have the money for the toys, but they are a nightmare to upgrade because they often require rare items like Star Fragments.
The "Of the Wild" set is the only one you can get through pure gameplay. No extra purchases required. Just 100+ hours of your life.
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The Philosophy of the Color Green
Why did Nintendo hide the signature look? Hidemaro Fujibayashi, the game’s director, has mentioned in various interviews that they wanted to break conventions. They felt that if Link started in green, he’d just be "the same Link." By making the blue Champion’s Tunic the default, the green becomes a reward rather than a birthright. It signifies that this version of Link has earned his legendary status.
When you finally put it on, it feels earned. You’ve climbed the highest peaks of Hebra. You’ve navigated the Lost Woods. You’ve survived the heat of Death Mountain.
Dyeing the Impossible
Here is a weird detail: you can actually dye the "Of the Wild" set. Most "Special" or "Legendary" armor in the game is dye-locked. You can't change the color of the Zora Armor or the Champion's Tunic. But for some reason, the developers let you take the breath of the wild green tunic to the Kochi Dye Shop in Hateno Village.
Want a crimson red classic tunic? You can do that. Want it pitch black? Go for it. It’s a strange level of customization for an item that is supposed to be the "true" look of the hero. Honestly, though, most people stick with the classic green. It just feels right.
What about the DLC?
If you have the Expansion Pass, you can also find Tingle’s Outfit. It’s green. It’s a tunic. But... let’s be honest. Nobody is wearing that for the prestige. You wear that to look ridiculous and get a night-speed boost. It doesn't count.
There's also the Island Lobster Shirt from The Wind Waker, which is blue but fits that "starting outfit" vibe. But when we talk about the breath of the wild green tunic, we’re talking about the legacy. We're talking about the 120 Shrines.
Upgrading the Beast
If you actually want to use the Tunic of the Wild for the end-game, prepare for a shopping list that looks like a biology textbook. You’ll need:
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- Acorns (Lots of them)
- Courser Bee Honey
- Energetic Rhino Beetles (These are a pain to find)
- Shards of Dragon Horns (Farosh, Naydra, and Dinraal)
The dragon parts are the hardest. You have to track the flight paths of the three elemental dragons and shoot them in the horn with an arrow. It’s time-consuming. It’s tedious. But it’s the only way to make the tunic viable for fighting Lynels or raiding Hyrule Castle.
Practical Next Steps for Your Journey
If you’re currently staring at a map with 80 Shrines done and feeling the burn, here is how you actually finish this.
First, stop wandering aimlessly. Use the Sheikah Sensor+. If you haven't upgraded your Slate at the Hateno Tech Lab, do it now. Set your sensor to search for Shrines. It will beep incessantly, which is annoying, but it's the only way to find the ones buried underground or hidden behind destructible rocks.
Second, check the "shrine quests." Many of the final 20ish shrines don't just appear on the sensor because they haven't "risen" from the ground yet. Talk to NPCs with the red exclamation marks over their heads. Specifically, look for Kass—the accordion-playing bird. His songs are literally blueprints for finding the most hidden areas in Hyrule.
Third, focus on the edges of the map. The creators loved hiding shrines in the deepest parts of the Gerudo Highlands and the coastal cliffs of Akkala. If there is a large blank spot on your map where no icons are, there is almost certainly a shrine there.
Once you get that final notification, warp to the Forgotten Temple. Don't fight the Guardians if you don't have to; just paraglide past them and drop down at the very end. Your breath of the wild green tunic is waiting in those three chests. Put it on, head to the Kochi Dye Shop if you’re feeling spicy, and go show Ganon what a traditional hero looks like.