You’re standing on the edge of a cliff in Hyrule, staring at a Guardian that definitely wants you dead, and your inventory is basically empty. It sucks. We’ve all been there. But then you remember that little plastic figure sitting on your shelf. You tap it to your controller, and suddenly, a metal chest falls from the sky like a gift from the gods. That’s the magic of The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild amiibo experience. Honestly, it’s one of the few times Nintendo actually made physical DLC feel like a cool hobby rather than a blatant cash grab.
Most people think these figures are just shelf filler. They aren't. While Tears of the Kingdom shifted the meta a bit, the original implementation in Breath of the Wild remains the gold standard for how these things should work. They aren't just about getting a better sword; they’re about changing how you actually play the game.
The Reality of Scarcity and Functionality
Let’s get one thing straight: finding these things at MSRP is a nightmare. It always has been. If you’re looking for the Guardian amiibo—the big one with the posable legs—you’re probably looking at a hefty price tag on the secondary market. But why? Is it just collectors being completionists? Partly. But the Guardian figure actually drops ancient materials and high-end weapons that are a total pain to farm otherwise. It saves you hours of grinding.
Nintendo didn't just dump a bunch of generic items into these chips. They tied specific, nostalgic rewards to the history of the franchise. If you want the Twilight Bow—the one that shoots light arrows in a perfectly straight line forever—you need the Zelda figure from the Twilight Princess series. It’s a rare drop, too. You might tap that figure every day for a week and get nothing but Royal Bows before the legendary one finally spawns. It creates this weird, daily ritual that feels sort of like opening a pack of trading cards.
How The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild Amiibo Change the Early Game
If you’re starting a new save file, these figures are basically a "skip the boring stuff" button.
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Take Epona. You can't just find Link’s iconic horse wandering around the fields of Hyrule. To get her with her maxed-out stats and "gentle" temperament, you have to scan the Link amiibo from the Super Smash Bros. series. The moment you step off the Great Plateau and hit the mainland, you scan that figure and boom—best horse in the game. It completely changes the pace of exploration. You aren't jogging across the map for twenty minutes; you’re galloping.
Then there’s Wolf Link. This is easily the most "cheating but not really" feature in the game. If you have the Wolf Link amiibo from the Twilight Princess HD remake, you can summon a literal wolf companion to hunt with you. He attacks enemies. He finds shrines. He’s a good boy. But here’s the catch most people forget: his health is tied to your save data from the Wii U version of Twilight Princess. If you didn't do the Cave of Shadows on the Wii U, your wolf only has three hearts. He dies in one hit from a Blue Bokoblin. It’s a weirdly specific requirement that rewards "legacy" players, which is a very Nintendo move.
The Gear That Actually Matters
Most of the armor you get from The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild amiibo is cosmetic, but it’s the good kind of cosmetic. We’re talking about the classic green tunics.
- The Hero’s Aspect (Wind Waker style)
- The Skyward Sword set
- The Ocarina of Time outfit
- The 8-bit "Hero" set
Sure, you can find the "Wild" set by completing all 120 shrines, but who has time for that when you just want to look like Link from 1998 right now? The stats are decent once you upgrade them at a Great Fairy, but the real draw is the "Master Sword Beam Up" set bonus. It makes the Master Sword feel like the legendary weapon it’s supposed to be.
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The Amiibo Cards "Controversy"
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. Or rather, the tiny plastic cards in the room. Because The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild amiibo are so expensive and often out of print, a massive gray market of NFC cards has popped up on sites like Etsy and Amazon.
Are they legal? It’s a gray area. They’re basically cloned data on a cheap card. But for a player who just wants the Fierce Deity Armor and doesn't want to spend $80 on a used Majoras Mask Link figure, they’re a lifesaver. Nintendo hasn't really cracked down on this because, frankly, they can't keep the official figures in stock anyway. If you care about the shelf aesthetic, buy the figures. If you just want the loot, the cards do the exact same thing for a fraction of the cost.
Beyond Just Loot: The Strategy of Scanning
Don't just scan your figures whenever. There’s a strategy to it.
If you scan them inside a town, the chests might fall on a roof or clip through a wall. Always find a flat, open space. Also, the drops scale with your progress. You aren't going to get a 50-damage sword five minutes after leaving the Shrine of Resurrection. The game checks how many Divine Beasts you’ve cleared. If you’re hunting for the "Biggoron’s Sword" or the "Sword of the Six Sages," wait until you’ve at least cleared two beasts. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your daily scan on mediocre gear.
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The physics engine also interacts with the drops in funny ways. I once scanned a Mipha amiibo on a slope, and the chest rolled down a mountain, fell into a river, and floated away before I could open it. Heartbreaking.
Why These Figures Still Hold Up in 2026
Even with the sequel out, people are still going back to Breath of the Wild. The way the amiibo integrate into the world feels more "pure" than the paraglider fabric focus in the newer games. In BotW, these figures provide food. Tons of it. If you have a full set of Zelda amiibo, you can basically stop foraging. You’ll have so much raw meat, herbs, and ancient parts that the survival aspect of the game becomes a lot more manageable.
It’s about player agency. If you want a hardcore survival experience, leave the plastic toys on the shelf. If you want a power fantasy where you’re the most geared-out hero in history, scan them all.
Making the Most of Your Collection
If you're sitting on a pile of these things, or thinking about hunting some down, here is how you actually get the most out of them without burning out.
- Save Scumming is Your Friend: Don't like what you got? Reload your save. You can scan the same amiibo again until the rare chest drop you actually want appears. It’s tedious but saves you a 24-hour wait.
- The "Champion" Utility: The four Champions (Urbosa, Mipha, Daruk, Revali) give you specific Divine Beast helms. These are incredible because they grant elemental resistance and let you see enemy HP bars without wearing the clunky Champion’s Tunic.
- Check the Bases: If you’re buying used, make sure the gold base is clean. If the NFC chip is damaged, it’s just a paperweight.
- Display vs. Utility: Keep the ones you use daily near your console. The Guardian and the Bokoblin (which gives great shields and clubs) are the most practical for mid-game combat.
Instead of just looking at these as toys, treat them as a modular expansion pack. They add layers to the world of Hyrule that aren't strictly necessary but are undeniably fun. Whether you're chasing the nostalgia of an N64 outfit or just need some extra arrows before taking on a Lynel, The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild amiibo remain the best peripheral investment for any Switch owner.
The best next step for any player is to identify which specific "Legacy" item you actually want—be it the Twilight Bow or the Fierce Deity Sword—and check the current availability of that specific figure. If the price is over $40, consider looking for the official Zelda 30th Anniversary re-releases that Nintendo occasionally drops in small batches during holiday seasons, as these are the exact same chips in updated packaging. Stop grinding for materials and start using the tools Nintendo gave you.