You’re standing on the edge of the Great Plateau. You’ve got nothing but a raggedy shirt, some flimsy tree branches, and a profound sense of "how on earth am I going to survive this?" Then you remember that plastic figurine sitting on your shelf. You tap it to the controller. A treasure chest falls from the sky with a heavy thud. This is the magic of using zelda amiibo for breath of the wild, but honestly, most players are using them all wrong. They think it's just about getting a quick stash of arrows or a few pieces of raw meat. It’s way deeper than that.
Link’s adventure in Hyrule is famously lonely. It's just you and the wind. But those little NFC-chipped statues change the DNA of the game. They aren't just DLC you can touch; they’re keys to a version of Hyrule that feels more connected to the thirty years of history that came before it. If you’re just scanning them once and moving on, you’re missing out on the best gear in the game, some of which fundamentally changes how you approach combat and exploration.
Let's be real: some of these figures are worth way more than others. While scanning a generic Bokoblin might give you some decent shields, scanning the right Zelda-themed amiibo can land you Epona or the Twilight Bow. It's about efficiency. It's about style. And yeah, it's a little bit about flexing with that classic green tunic that Nintendo "forgot" to give you at the start of the game.
The Wolf Link Problem and Why It Changes Everything
Most people assume amiibo are just loot boxes. Tap, grab, go. But the Wolf Link amiibo—the one that came with Twilight Princess HD—is a total anomaly. It doesn't give you a chest. It gives you a bodyguard.
Having a spectral wolf running alongside you in Breath of the Wild makes the game feel like a buddy-cop movie. He hunts for you. He distracts Guardians. He’s a total beast. However, there is a massive catch that people always complain about: if you haven't played the Cave of Shadows in the Wii U version of Twilight Princess, your wolf only has three hearts. He's basically a glass cannon. He’ll charge a Silver Lynel and get deleted in two seconds.
You need those twenty hearts. To get them legitimately, you have to complete a specific dungeon on an entirely different console, save the data to the figure, and then bring it to the Switch. It’s a lot of work. But if you manage it, the game’s difficulty curve flattens out in the most satisfying way. Having a 20-heart companion makes the early-game slog through the rainy cliffs of Lanayru much more manageable.
Getting the Gear: Zelda Amiibo for Breath of the Wild Loot Tables
If you’re hunting for the "iconic" Link look, you’re looking at a serious scanning commitment. The drop rates are a bit of a nightmare.
Take the Ocarina of Time Link amiibo. You want that Hero of Time set? You’re going to be save-scrumming for a while. You save the game, scan the figure, and if you don't get the Tunic, you reload. It’s tedious, but the 8-bit Link, Toon Link, and Skyward Sword Link all offer these legacy outfits that have decent defense stats once the Great Fairies get their hands on them.
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Then there is the Sheik amiibo. This one is a sleeper hit. It drops Sheik’s Mask, which looks incredible when paired with the Stealth Set you buy in Kakariko Village. It doesn't just look cool; it adds to your stealth bonus. If you’re into the "ninja" playstyle, this is basically essential.
But the real "holy grail" of zelda amiibo for breath of the wild is the Twilight Bow.
This thing is broken. In a good way. It drops from the Twilight Princess Zelda figure. Unlike every other bow in the game, it doesn't use arrows. It fires light beams in a perfectly straight line. Forever. You can snipe a Hinox from a different zip code. The drop rate is notoriously low—rumored to be around 2% once you’ve cleared at least one Divine Beast—but once you have it, the game’s physics feel like a playground.
The Items That Actually Matter
- Epona: Scanned from the Link (Super Smash Bros) or Twilight Princess Link. She has maxed-out stats and can’t die as easily as random horses you find in the wild. Plus, she comes with the name already set.
- The Biggoron’s Sword: This comes from the Ocarina of Time Link. It’s a two-handed beast with massive durability.
- The Sea-Breeze Shield: From the Wind Waker Zelda. It’s beautiful, it’s sturdy, and it fits the aesthetic if you’re rocking the lobster shirt from the DLC.
Why Some Collectors Are Frustrated
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: availability. Finding a "Majora’s Mask Link" at MSRP is like trying to find a Korok seed without a map. It’s nearly impossible. This has led to a massive secondary market of NFC cards. These are basically tiny pieces of cardboard with the amiibo data cloned onto them.
Purists hate them. Nintendo probably isn't a fan either. But for the average player who just wants to use the Fierce Deity Armor without spending $100 on eBay, they’ve become the "unofficial" standard. It’s a weird situation where the physical toy has become a barrier to the digital content.
If you’re a collector, the figures are gorgeous. The detail on the Breath of the Wild Guardian amiibo—with its poseable tentacles—is legitimately impressive. It’s the biggest amiibo ever made for a reason. But if you just want the gameplay perks, the physical scarcity of these things is a genuine hurdle.
The Guardian amiibo is particularly useful because it drops ancient parts. Ancient Cores are the bane of every player’s existence when trying to upgrade the Ancient Armor set. Scanning that big spider-bot daily is the most reliable way to farm them without having to parry-kill every Guardian in the Hyrule Castle moat.
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Mastering the Daily Scan
There is a rhythm to using these things. You can only scan each amiibo once every 24 hours. However, a little "pro tip" for the impatient: you can manually change the system clock on your Nintendo Switch. Close the game, move the clock forward a day, and boom—you’re back in business.
It feels like cheating. Maybe it is. But when you’ve scanned the Wind Waker Link for the 15th time and still haven't seen the "Hero of Winds" trousers, you start to lose your patience.
You also need to be aware of "progression locks." You won't get the best stuff right after leaving the Shrine of Resurrection. Most of the high-tier weapons and armor pieces only enter the loot pool after you’ve defeated your first Divine Beast. If you're scanning your zelda amiibo for breath of the wild and only getting Ironshrooms and Knight’s Broadswords, just keep playing the main story. The "good stuff" is waiting behind a story wall.
The Aesthetic Value of Legacy Content
The real reason people love these amiibo isn't for the raw stats. Let’s be honest: the Ancient Armor or the Barbarian Set are statistically better than almost any amiibo gear. The draw is nostalgia.
There is something deeply moving about seeing a modern, high-definition Link standing on a mountain in the exact outfit he wore in 1986. Or wearing the Skyward Sword armor while gliding through the clouds. It bridges the gap between the old-school linear Zelda and the "go anywhere" freedom of Breath of the Wild.
The Fierce Deity set (from the Majora’s Mask Link) is the fan favorite for a reason. It looks intimidating. It gives you an attack boost that rivals the Barbarian armor. It turns Link into a god of war. When you’re wearing that mask and wielding the massive Helix sword, the game stops being a survival sim and starts being a power fantasy.
Actionable Steps for Your Hyrule Journey
To get the most out of your amiibo collection, you need a strategy. Don't just scan them randomly whenever you remember.
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First, designate a "scanning spot." Pick a flat area near a stable, like the Dueling Peaks Stable. This ensures that any barrels or crates that spawn don't roll down a cliff side (it happens more than you'd think).
Second, focus on the Guardian and Zelda figures first. The ancient parts and rare bows are much more "game-changing" than another set of green tunics. If you're short on time, prioritize the figures that provide utility.
Third, remember the save-load trick. If you are hunting for a specific piece of armor to complete a set, save your game before you scan. If the chest doesn't contain what you want, reload that save and try again. It can take five minutes or fifty, but it's the only way to guarantee you get the legendary loot without waiting weeks.
Finally, don't forget the non-Zelda amiibo. You can scan any amiibo—Mario, Kirby, an Animal Crossing card—to get random materials like meat, herbs, and fruit. It’s not flashy, but it saves a lot of time on cooking prep.
Start by checking your current game progress; if you haven't cleared a Divine Beast yet, save your "serious" farming for later. Once you’ve hit that milestone, use the system clock trick to finish your armor sets and get those legacy weapons into your inventory. Hyrule is a big place, and there's no reason to explore it without the best gear history has to offer.
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