Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: How to get Link’s Champion's Leathers, the starting outfit

When Link starts his adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, he’s clothed in a manner that will be familiar to players of the previous game - in his Champion’s Tunic, but with an additional shoulder guard. That doesn’t last long, however.

After the events of the opening, Link’s life is changed forever, and when he wakes up, his clothes, equipment, and powers are gone. That includes the Champion Tunic - and getting it back isn’t simple. 

Luckily for you, we know exactly how to get the new and improved version, the Champion’s Leathers - and we’re going to explain.

How to get the Champion’s Leathers Tunic in Tears of the Kingdom

If you want a more classic look, and what your Tears of the Kingdom Link to more closely resemble how he looked back in BOTW, you’ll want to get your hands on the Champion’s Leathers, a new and improved version of the Champion’s Tunic from that game.

If you want the original BOTW outfit sans upgrades, the Champion's Tunic is in the game too, as a separate armor unlock. Classic green-clad Link getups are also available as loot throughout TOTK, but it’s understandable that some players might want to continue with the sky blue look made iconic in the previous game - but with the upgrades seen in the intro.

In order to get the Champion’s Leathers tunic, you’ll need to take yourself into Hyrule Castle. This is a hard zone, and through the in-game map classifies it as a dungeon, meaning it has a separate map, you can freely explore it from the moment you’re able to head down onto the main Hyrule Map proper. You could combine this adventure with nabbing the Hylian Shield to make it truly worth your while.

In order to get the Champion’s Tunic equivalent, you’ll need to make your way to the Hyrule Castle Throne Room - which players of BOTW will remember well as the palace where the final encounter with Ganon kicks off in that game. In this game it remains abandoned, and in ruins. While this is considered a late-game challenge, it's totally possible to go here early - just avoid enemies.

On the upper floor of the throne room, where the throne itself sits, there’s two torches. You can see them in the screenshot below, where they’re lit - but when you first discover them, they’ll be unlit:

You can probably guess where this is going. Light the torches! 

You can do this with a fire-element weapon, with an arrow shot when combined with something that causes a fire effect, or even by dropping flint into the torches and then striking it.

Once the torches are lit, the sigil behind the throne will slide to one side, revealing a hidden cache with a chest inside. Open the chest to find the Champion Tunic.

Industrious Zelda players may find this on their own - lighting mysteriously unlit torches is a series staple going back to the NES. However, there is a story justification for why the Champion’s Tunic upgrade is here.

If you head to the house that belonged to Link in BOTW, in the far south-western side of Hateno Village in Neclunda, it appears Link and Zelda shared that space in between the games - or were possibly even living together.

Dropping down into the well behind the house reveals a secret area Zelda used to study - and in there, reading her diary, she talks about having the Champion’s Tunic upgraded and talks about where it was hidden.

This is also where you can obtain the Well-Worn Hair Band, an item which lets you pin up Link’s mullet to revert his hair-style to the BOTW style. If you want to party like it’s 2017, these are the two items you need.