Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: Hylian Shield location & unlock

by Alex Donaldson on 13 May, 2023

With its classic design as established in Ocarina of Time, the Hylian Shield is one of the most iconic pieces of gear in gaming history - and it makes a triumphant return in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. If you know where to find it, that is.

Just as in the previous open-world Zelda adventure, TOTK hides a bunch of iconic items across its world. This includes things like the Fierce Diety Armor and Biggorn’s Sword - and, of course, the Hylian Shield. On this page, we reveal where to find it.

Where to get the Hylian Shield in Tears of the Kingdom

For players of BOTW, the Hylian Shield is actually in a fairly similar place - as it’s around Hyrule Castle, just as it was in that game. However, whereas in that instance you had to go spelunking in the dungeons, in TOTK you’ll have to head to the rear of the castle, to the castle docks - or what’s left of them. Here’s the location on the map:

The first step to getting the Hylian Shield in Tears of the Kingdom is to head to Hyrule Castle Docks.

This is on the lower tier of Hyrule Castle - but it’s crucial that you don’t go so low as you start approaching the depths beneath the castle.

As you float around the rear of the castle and the docks, you should keep a lookout for a circle of lily pad style things in the water leading to the docks. This is the direction you need to head in, underneath the castle.

It’ll be pretty obvious when you’re on the right track, as that same area gives way to a small dock - and mounted in a prominent position, right in front of you, is a stone version of the Hylian Shield, proudly displayed. This is the area.

Keep an eye out for this pathway beneath the castle, which leads to the Hylian Shield.

There's a pretty obvious clue as to the shield's location - a stone statue of it.

Be warned - as you approach this area, you’ll need to head up the stairs to behind that giant Hylian Shield statue. On those stairs, Malice Hands spawn - and if you’ve encountered them before, you’ll know that they’re difficult to defeat, and once defeated spawn Phantom Ganon.

Although you could bypass this fight with a bit of manipulation, in real terms the easiest way to get to where you need to go is just to face Phantom Ganon. Remember that when you’re fighting, you can reduce the Malice at the feet of the Phantom by keeping up the pressure on him and attacking him.

Once defeated, you can continue to the top of this area - where there’s a large stone torch, unlit. That’s a classic Zelda puzzle, and so you know what you have to do…

The Hylian Shield is an iconic piece of Zelda Gear - and it returns in Tears of the Kingdom - though it's well hidden.

Once the torch is lit, the chest with the Hylian Shield drops.

Light the torch with whatever fire-spewing method you have to hand - and a chest is revealed. Open that chest to net yourself the Hylian Shield!

With a defensive stat of 90, it is by far and away the single most powerful shield in Tears of the Kingdom - just as it was back in BOTW. It pairs beautifully with the Master Sword, of course, but it’s worth remembering that unlike the Master Sword, this is still a temporary weapon - it degrades and breaks like any other. So use it sparingly.