Zelda: Breath of the Wild guide – how to get the Hylian Shield

Kit Link out with an old classic.

If you want even more Breath of the Wild help, we have a full guide hub with plenty of other detailed pages.

Zelda: Breath of the Wild guide – how to get the Master Sword

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a weird addition to the Zelda narrative for a lot of different reasons, but one of the primary reasons it’s a bit of a strange one is because so much of the iconic Zelda imagery is suspiciously absent.

I mean, seriously – Link’s classic, iconic green tunic is unlocked optionally via amiibo or is available as a late-game unlock. Even the Master Sword, the iconic blade that in the series lore dates back to the very creation of Hyrule, is entirely optional – you can storm Ganon’s lair without it.

Add another Zelda icon to that list – the Hylian Shield. This bad boy debuted in Ocarina of Time, though was based off a shield design from A Link to the Past. It’s appeared in some form or another in most Zelda games since, and is considered a piece of the most iconic Link gear. But in Breath of the Wild it’s very rare. Here’s how to find it…

Where to find the Hylian Shield

One of the coolest things about Breath of the Wild is that it’s a very open, free-form game. As noted earlier you can head into Hyrule Castle (which here doubles as Ganon’s lair) at any time from the moment you escape the Great Plateau in the game’s opening – and the Hylian Shield can be found within.

The shield is found within an area of Hyrule Castle known as the Lockup – it’s in the basement on the West side of the castle. You’re best off approaching from the rear of the castle – so to begin with loop around the castle (the Woodland tower is pretty close) to the rear side.

If you look at the castle, five bridges extend out from the land across the moat towards the castle. Most of these bridges are broken, but they would’ve formed a sort of star shape before Ganon struck. You need to stand at the back of the castle near the top of the star shape, or the single bridge in the middle of the top of the castle.

Once near this bridge, you need to head to the right of it when facing the castle – this will take you West on the map of Hyrule. Look out for an area you can glide to on the castle grounds – a ramp that is low and close to the moat. You might be able to make out some blue-glowing luminous stones in the distance. Jump and glide over there.

This is where the lockup is. Head up the ramp, run past the guardian and head into the lockup.

Inside Hyrule Castle’s Lockup & beating the Stalnox

Once you get into Hyrule Castle you should be on alert – this is a very late-game area, after all. Our aim is to get in, get the gear, and get out. Through the door you’ll encounter a locked metal gate; lift it either with Cryonis on the puddle or with Magnesis and walk through.

In this area there are enemies in cells, and you can let them out with the switches in the middle of the room. The cells contain some good high-end stuff, so if you want to head inside and take the enemies out do so, but be careful.

At the end of the lockup (which is a long corridor) you’ll find a side room on the right. There’s some bones in here… walk in the room and the gate will slam behind you and you’ll have a battle against a Stalnox.

This guy actually isn’t that hard – all you need to do is aim for his eye with a single arrow. Hit him there, then when he falls over go in hard with melee weapons. When he stands up, repeat the process. At the end of the fight his eye will fall out – smash the eye to pieces to finish it.

If you have the upgraded version of the Stasis Rune that can freeze enemeis in place, use that to make hitting the Stalnox eye even easier. This fight is doable – it’s downright easy with better gear, but even if you’re weaker you can do it if you’re careful.

Once the Stalnox is dead, the Hylian Shield will drop. It’s a good shield – it has the highest durability and parry ability in the game. It’s also a one-time deal – you can’t get it in this method again, and this is the only place in the game it appears naturally.

Alternative methods to the Hylian Shield

If you lose your Hylian Shield, a character in Tarrey Town will sell you another version of the shield – but it will only be available to you if you’ve already picked up the shield from Hyrule Castle or via an amiibo.

Speaking of amiibo, yes – as detailed in our guide to the game’s amiibo, the official Breath of the Wild Zelda amiibo drops chests containing shields when she’s scanned – and there is a chance that she can drop a Hylian Shield. As with the Hyrule castle shield, she’ll only drop this once, and unlike the one above it’s not a guaranteed drop, but you can keep scanning Zelda once a day and crossing fingers.

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