What Can the Great Fairy Upgrade? A Comprehensive Guide
The Great Fairies in the Legend of Zelda series, particularly in Breath of the Wild (BotW) and Tears of the Kingdom (TotK), offer a crucial service: they upgrade your armor. This service significantly enhances your defensive capabilities and unlocks powerful set bonuses, making them invaluable allies on your Hyrulean adventures. Simply put, Great Fairies enhance the defensive stats of the armor pieces in your inventory.
How Great Fairy Upgrades Work
Unlocking the Service
The process starts by finding and activating Great Fairy Fountains. These fountains are initially dormant, appearing as large, closed flower buds. To awaken them, you must complete a series of quests, often involving the traveling music troupe, the Stable Trotters, and paying a one-time fee to the fairy residing within. Each fairy needs to be coaxed out of her bud with music. The cost increases with each subsequent fairy you awaken, starting at 100 Rupees for the first and escalating to a whopping 10,000 Rupees for the fourth. Once a fountain is activated, it’s permanently available for your use.
The Upgrade Process
After waking at least one Great Fairy, you can talk to them to access an upgrade menu. This menu displays all the armor pieces in your inventory that are eligible for upgrades. To enhance a piece of armor, the Great Fairy will require a fee in Rupees and a selection of specific materials. These materials can range from common monster parts to rare flora and fauna found throughout Hyrule.
Leveling Up Your Armor
You can upgrade each armor piece up to four times, however the maximum upgrade level attainable is directly tied to the number of Great Fairy Fountains you have unlocked. Each Great Fairy you awaken unlocks another level of upgrading. Consequently, if you only activate one fountain, you can only upgrade to level one. To fully maximize armor potential with level four upgrades, you must unlock all four Great Fairy Fountains. The order in which you visit the Great Fairies doesn’t matter; the upgrading functionality unlocks based on how many fairies you have awakened, not which fairy provides the service.
Set Bonuses
Beyond increased defense, upgrading your armor can also unlock set bonuses. Some armor sets offer additional perks when all pieces are upgraded to at least level two and worn together. These bonuses can include enhanced attack power, increased stamina, stealth, elemental resistances, and more, making them highly sought after.
The Unique Upgrade Experience
The Great Fairy upgrade experience is also memorable for its quirky and entertaining interactions. Each subsequent upgrade comes with a slightly different encounter. These often include the Great Fairy becoming more bold and affectionate with Link, culminating in a unique visual experience at the final upgrade level.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are 15 frequently asked questions, to provide more context and detail on Great Fairy upgrades:
1. How do I unlock Great Fairy Fountains?
Great Fairy Fountains are dormant flower buds that must be awakened. This involves a combination of quests and one-time Rupee payments that increase with each subsequent fountain you activate (100, 500, 1000, and 10,000 Rupees). You will also need to help the Stable Trotters find their musical member. After meeting these conditions, each fairy fountain will become active.
2. Do I need to visit the Great Fairies in a specific order?
No, the order in which you visit the Great Fairies does not matter. The upgrade level is determined by how many fountains you’ve activated, not which particular fairy provides the service.
3. Can I upgrade all armor?
Most armor in the game can be upgraded by the Great Fairies. There are some exceptions like the Evil Spirit Armor set which cannot be upgraded. However, most standard armor pieces, purchased, quest-based, or found in the wild, are eligible for upgrades.
4. What materials do I need for upgrades?
The materials required vary depending on the armor piece being upgraded and the upgrade level. Common materials include monster parts (such as Bokoblin horns and Lizalfos tails), flora (like mushrooms and herbs), and fauna (such as insects and lizards). You’ll accumulate many of these materials naturally while playing.
5. How many times can I upgrade each armor piece?
Each armor piece can be upgraded up to four times, provided you have unlocked all four Great Fairy Fountains.
6. What are set bonuses?
Set bonuses are additional perks that activate when wearing a complete set of armor that has been upgraded to at least level two. These bonuses provide additional benefits such as increased attack power, charge attack stamina increases, and additional elemental resistance.
7. Does it matter if I upgrade the same armor multiple times?
Yes, absolutely! Upgrading an armor multiple times is essential to reaching its maximum potential. Each upgrade increases the defense and helps to activate set bonuses when the full armor set is equipped and upgraded to level two or higher.
8. Is it worth unlocking all the Great Fairies?
Yes, despite the high costs associated with their activation, unlocking all four Great Fairy Fountains is highly worthwhile. It is necessary to maximize your armor’s defensive stats and unlock powerful set bonuses.
9. What is the Evil Spirit Armor and can it be upgraded?
The Evil Spirit Armor is a unique set that is not upgradable. It grants a bone weapon proficiency bonus and allows you to blend in with Stal enemies, but it cannot be enhanced by Great Fairies.
10. Can the Fierce Deity Armor be upgraded?
Yes, the Fierce Deity Armor can be upgraded up to four times by the Great Fairies. It is one of the strongest armors in the game. Additionally, you’ll get a set bonus of Charge Attack Stamina Up once each piece has reached level two.
11. How can I get a lot of Rupees quickly for Great Fairy upgrades?
A good method is to hunt animals in the South Tabantha Snowfield, near the Snowfield Stable. The animals there drop quality meats that can be cooked and sold for a substantial profit, making this an efficient way to earn approximately 10,000 rupees per hour.
12. What happens when you give the fairies rupees?
The initial interaction with each Great Fairy involves a one-time Rupee payment that’s required to coax them from their dormant flower bud. The cost escalates for each subsequent Great Fairy. The first fairy will cost 100 Rupees, the second 500, the third 1000, and the final Great Fairy 10,000 Rupees.
13. Do the Great Fairies kiss Link?
Yes, at certain upgrade levels, Great Fairies do interact with Link, including a gesture where they touch his cheek in the second level and kiss him directly in the third level.
14. What is the difference between Radiant and Evil Spirit Armor?
The Radiant Armor is upgradeable and can provide higher defense but does not provide the bone weapon proficiency or disguise bonus. The Evil Spirit Armor cannot be upgraded but has the bonus of bone proficiency and the ability to blend in with Stal enemies.
15. What are the benefits of upgrading Fierce Deity Armor?
Upgrading the Fierce Deity Armor increases its defense and unlocks a set bonus that reduces the stamina used when charging attacks. This set is highly valued for its offensive power.