Breath of the Wild best weapons early

The best weapons in Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are hidden inside Hyrule Castle. Getting your hands on Royal Weapons can make boss fights a breeze. Here’s the best way to infiltrate the castle early.

It takes careful planning and a little preparation, but Link can enter the castle almost right away. For the purposes of this guide, we’re going to assume you’ve unlocked Magnesis, and are tough enough to visit the Zora’s Domain in the Lanayru Region — though that second part isn’t strictly required. Really, all you’ll need are Bombs and Magnesis to infiltrate the castle from the docks.

Get the step-by-step instructions below to get your hands on multiple Royal Claymore, and a secret location for the Royal Guard’s Sword, one of the rarest weapons in Hyrule.

Royal Weapons are some of the best ‘basic’ weapons available in Hyrule. These swords, bows, and more pack a huge punch — but you’ll only find them in Hyrule Castle.

• NOTE: Technically, there are stronger weapons and other ways to get Royal Swords, Bows, etc. Royal weapons can also be found as rewards in certain shrines. Royal weapons also have a (small) chance of dropping if you scan amiibo.

Here, we’re going to focus on a renewable way to get more Royal weapons. The world resets with each blood moon, and all weapons found in the environment eventually respawn too.

To get Royal Weapons fast, you’ll need to sneak into Hyrule Castle

Step-by-Step Guide

Getting inside Hyrule Castle is a difficult feat early in Link’s adventure, but it is possible.

Hyrule Castle, if you don’t already know, it the giant looming threat in the center of the map. Find it on the northern border of the Central Tower region, surrounding by menacing corruption spires.

• NOTE: Get the Zora Armor to make infiltrating the castle much, much easier. With the Zora Armor equipped, Link can swim up waterfalls.
• How to Get It: The Zora Armor is given to Link for visiting the Zora’s Domain — enter the Lanayru Tower region and a Zora (near any river) will ask for Link’s help. For meeting the king, you’ll get the Zora Armor.

1. First, Link needs to reach Hyrule Castle. Early in the game, that’s a challenge. First of all, stay out of the Central Region completely. The area is crawling with Guardian Sentries. Instead, go east to the Lanayru Region and travel north, along the Wetland Stable and up toward Eldin Canyon. You’ll want to reach the north side of Hyrule Castle.

2. Find a high hill (Rauru Hillside) and glide into the water. Bring stamina-refilling foods — cooked Stamella Shroom with raw meat will help Link reach the docks entrance on the north side of the castle.

3. Stay low and swim to avoid the immobile Guardian to the right. Through the cavern and inside the docks, stay on the right and glide across to the rock column. Climb up and onto the stairs.

4. The stairs lead to a secret library entrance. Use Magnesis to move the metal bookshelf and enter the library.

• NOTE: The Stealth Set will help a lot here! Use it to sneak by the Lizalfos, or just run!

5. Go left from the secret entrance and find the upper exit door. Climb the pillars to reach a room with a mound of dirt. Grab the [Great Frostblade] here.

6. Enter the next door to a long hallway. There’s a dangerous Lizalfos with bomb arrows here. Freeze him with that [Great Frostblade]! Hold down attack to spin attack and wipe this enemy out.

7. Run by the second Lizalfos to enter the Royal Armory. Use the same [Great Frostblade] tactic to destroy the Moblin wielding a Royal Claymore.

The Royal Armory is full of amazing weapons, let’s take an inventory of the spoils:

• 2x Royal Claymores (52 Atk)
• 1x Royal Guard’s Shield (70 Def)
• 1x Royal Guard’s Bow (50 Atk)
• 1x Royal Bow (38 Atk)
• 1x Royal Halberd (26 Atk)

There’s also plenty of Rusty Weapons you can restore by throwing them into Octoroks when they suck air. They’ll always spit out fresh weapons.

• NOTE One of the strongest one-handed weapons in Hyrule is the [Royal Guard’s Sword]. Find it upstairs from the armory. Turn left and destroy the cracked wall with a bomb to collect it.

These weapons are strong enough to deal with the toughest opponents in Hyrule. Mark 4 Guardian Scouts aren’t nearly as tough with a Royal Claymore in your inventory.

Breath of the Wild is a really fun game with a huge open world to explore. There's so much to do and so many enemies to take on that it can really suck the player in. It's easy to put a ton of time into the game, collecting all the armor and discovering all the secrets. One thing that irritates some players is the fact that the weapons break so quickly. Luckily, there are a ton of other weapons in the game that players can choose from.

Related: Things You Didn’t Know The Nintendo Switch Could Do

Some of these weapons are totally powerful and awesome, and players will definitely enjoy whacking enemies and bosses with the following weapons in Breath of the Wild, which are truly in a class of their own.

Updated June 3, 2022 by Ritwik Mitra:Breath of the Wild is one of the greatest open-world games ever made. The game prioritizes experimentation with its weapon durability mechanics, which forces players to switch strategies on the fly time and time again. However, there are times when players get weapons that are so good that replacing them feels like nothing short of a crime. Keeping this in mind, here are some of the best weapons that players can get their hand on in the game.

10/10 Savage Lynel Sword

The Lynels carry some of the best weapons in the entire game. This is especially true for certain high-level Lynels that carry the most powerful variants of the weapons this species wields in Breath of the Wild.

The Savage Lynel Sword makes a strong case for being the strongest single-handed sword in the entire game. It hits for a ton of damage and can easily decimate the strongest enemies around.

9/10 Royal Broadsword

The Royal set of weapons are the highest-level set of weapons that are wielded by both Silver and Gold variants of enemies in the open world. These weapons look pretty cool and are extremely powerful to boot.

The Royal Broadsword is one such two-handed weapon that can send enemies flying with ease. It might take a while before players get their hands on this weapon, but this wait is more than worth it!

8/10 Master Sword

Of all the weapons in Breath of the Wild, the Master Sword is by far the best. This weapon is a special one because it doesn't actually break, it just needs to be recharged after being used for a while. But this powerful weapon and its special properties don't come without some sacrifices.

Related: The Legend of Zelda: The Best & Worst Final Boss Fights

In order to get your hands on this iconic weapon, players must make their way through the Lost Woods. After getting through the Lost Woods, Link will find himself in the Korok Forest. There, the Great Deku Tree will talk to Link and, if you have enough hearts, you can take the Master Sword.

7/10 Savage Lynel Crusher

This two-handed weapon is really difficult to get your hands on, but it's definitely worth it. This weapon is one of the three Lynel weapons that are available in the game and is the most powerful of the three of them. The Savage Lynel Crusher is dropped by Silver Lynels and White-Maned Lynels, two of the most powerful Lynels in the game.

This weapon has some serious attack power and does quite a bit of damage. If it's paired with a set of armor like the Barbarian Set, then the damage boost makes it among the best weapons in the game. It's definitely worth facing off against that White-Maned Lynel to get!

6/10 Ancient Battle Axe++

The Ancient Battle Axe++ is the strongest of the Ancient Battle Axes that can be found in the game. All the weapons that were made by Guardian Scouts are pretty powerful, but the Ancient Battle Axe++ is by far one of the best.

This is the weapon that is used by the strongest Guardian Scouts. Anyone who has faced off against them in Major Test of Strength shrines in Breath of the Wild will know that Guardian Scouts are no joke. The Ancient Battle Axe++ has a base damage of 60 which can be increased through armor sets and dishes.

5/10 Elemental Weapons

The elemental weapons that are available in Breath of the Wild aren't incredibly common, but they definitely are really useful. These are among the best weapons in the game, not necessarily because they do a ton of damage, but because of the elemental bonuses they have.

Related: The Hardest Shrines In Breath Of The Wild

There are lightning, fire, and ice-based weapons in the game. If possible, it can be handy to have one of each in your inventory at all times. They instantly eliminate elemental enemies if used correctly. For instance, the fire-based weapons will immediately take out an Ice-Breath Lizalfos.

4/10 Royal Guard's Claymore

The Royal Guard's Claymore is a version of the Royal Claymore that can only be found at Hyrule Castle. Because of the number of Guardians that are roaming the grounds and are at the castle, ready to take out anyone that comes too close, it can be pretty dangerous to try to get this weapon.

Even though it has a lower durability than the Royal Claymore, the Royal Guard's Claymore that is dropped by enemies in Hyrule Castle is still a pretty great weapon. It has a base attack power of 72, higher than the 52 that the regular Royal Claymore has.

3/10 Demon Carver

For the most part, the Yiga Footsoldiers end up carrying bows that end up getting rather obsolete as the player ends up getting better quality bows over the course of their game's progression.

Related: Breath of the Wild 2: Changes We'd Like to See in the Sequel

However, after a while, these Footsoldiers will start carrying Demon Carvers instead, which are excellent one-handed weapons that can deal quite some damage indeed. Just make sure that Link doesn't end up on the receiving end of this weapon's blows one too many times.

2/10 Edge of Duality

The Edge of Duality is easily one of the best two-handed swords in the game, allowing for Link to use this Shiekah blade to great effect in battle and decimate most foes with the greatest of ease.

While finding this weapon can be a pain at times due to its inherent rarity, players who end up attaining this weapon should definitely treasure it and use the blade in only the direst combat situation around.

1/10 Savage Lynel Bow

Lynels have some of the best equipment in the entire game, with the Savage Lynel Bow being one such item that is a must-have for anyone who wants to stock up on the best bows in the game.

The Savage Lynel Bow hits like a truck, with the 5-shot variant easily serving as one of the most powerful ranged weapons in the entirety of Breath of the Wild.

How do you get good weapons in Breath of the Wild early?

What is the best sword for early game?

What is the best weapon for early game?

Is there an unbreakable weapon in Breath of the Wild?