What Happens if You Do the Master Sword Trials?
The Master Sword Trials, found within the first DLC pack for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, offer a significant upgrade to Link’s legendary blade. Successfully completing these trials results in the Master Sword permanently becoming fully powered up, meaning it no longer needs to recharge after extended use. This enhancement is transformative, turning the already formidable weapon into an incredibly powerful and consistently reliable tool in your fight against Calamity Ganon and the various challenges Hyrule throws your way.
Understanding the Master Sword Trials
The Master Sword Trials are a series of combat challenges located within the Korok Forest. Divided into three distinct sets – the Beginner Trials, the Middle Trials, and the Final Trials – each presents Link with a gauntlet of enemy encounters, starting with no equipment. The trials test your strategic thinking, resource management, and combat skills, forcing you to rely on scavenged weapons, items, and your knowledge of enemy weaknesses to survive.
Beginner Trials
The Beginner Trials consist of approximately twelve floors (including rest areas), introducing the core mechanics of the challenges. Enemies start relatively weak, but the difficulty gradually increases as you progress. Successfully completing these trials increases the Master Sword’s base attack power by 10.
Middle Trials
The Middle Trials, spanning around sixteen floors (including rest areas), ramp up the challenge significantly. Expect to encounter more formidable enemies, including Lizalfos, Moblins, and even Lynels in later stages. Resource management becomes even more crucial in this set of trials. Beating these trials will add another 10 attack power to the Master Sword.
Final Trials
The Final Trials are the most difficult of the three, featuring roughly twenty-three floors (including rest areas) packed with the toughest enemies Hyrule has to offer. Guardians, powerful elemental enemies, and a challenging boss encounter await you at the end. This final trial awards the final 10 points to the attack power.
The End Result: A Fully Powered Master Sword
Upon conquering all three sets of trials, the Master Sword will permanently remain in its awakened state, glowing with a vibrant blue aura. This means the sword’s base attack power increases from 30 to a substantial 60. More importantly, it eliminates the 10-minute recharge time that normally occurs after the Master Sword runs out of energy.
The awakened Master Sword remains perpetually at its peak performance. You no longer need to worry about it weakening at crucial moments. This drastically improves its usability in combat, allowing you to consistently deal significant damage to enemies without interruption.
Strategic Advantages of an Awakened Master Sword
The benefits of a permanently powered Master Sword extend beyond simply increasing damage output. It offers several strategic advantages:
- Increased Damage Output: Doubling the base attack power of the Master Sword allows you to defeat enemies more quickly and efficiently, saving valuable resources and reducing the risk of taking damage.
- Uninterrupted Combat: The absence of a recharge time means you can constantly wield the Master Sword in combat, without having to switch to other weapons or wait for it to recharge. This is particularly useful in prolonged battles or against multiple enemies.
- Resource Conservation: By dealing more damage per hit, the awakened Master Sword helps you conserve weapon durability, reducing the need to constantly replace broken weapons.
- Enhanced Exploration: The ability to rely on the Master Sword for consistent damage output allows you to explore Hyrule more confidently, knowing that you always have a powerful weapon at your disposal.
- Peace of Mind: The knowledge that you have a reliable and powerful weapon eliminates the stress of constantly managing weapon durability or worrying about being caught off guard in combat.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the Master Sword Trials:
1. Can I complete the Master Sword Trials in any order?
No, you must complete them in order: Beginner Trials, then Middle Trials, then Final Trials. You cannot skip directly to the Middle or Final Trials without first completing the preceding ones.
2. What happens if I die during a trial?
If you die during a trial, you’ll be sent back to the beginning of that specific set of trials. You will have to start from floor one of the Beginner, Middle, or Final Trials that you were doing, losing all the resources collected in the previous floors.
3. Can I use amiibo to help me in the Master Sword Trials?
While amiibo can provide items outside of the trials, they cannot be used inside the trials themselves. The trials are designed to test your skills using only what you can find within the challenges.
4. Are there any rewards besides the Master Sword upgrade?
No, the only reward for completing the Master Sword Trials is the permanent upgrade to the Master Sword. There are no other items or abilities unlocked.
5. Do I need to have the Master Sword to start the trials?
Yes, you must have the Master Sword to access and begin the Master Sword Trials. The trials are specifically designed to enhance this weapon.
6. Can I leave the trials mid-way?
Yes, you can leave the trials at rest areas in between floors. However, you’ll need to restart from the beginning of the current set of trials if you do so. It’s best to plan your attempts when you have time to complete the entire trial.
7. Does the Master Sword’s durability still deplete after the trials?
No, the Master Sword’s durability still depletes as normal. However, the main effect of the Master Sword Trials is the elimination of its recharge time and the increase of its base power to 60.
8. What happens if I already defeated Calamity Ganon before doing the trials?
Completing the Master Sword Trials after defeating Calamity Ganon simply makes the Master Sword a more powerful and reliable weapon in your subsequent adventures. It doesn’t unlock any special post-game content.
9. How long do the Master Sword Trials take to complete?
The length of time it takes to complete the Master Sword Trials varies depending on your skill level and strategy. Each trial set can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours, or even longer for less experienced players.
10. What items should I prioritize collecting in the trials?
Prioritize food items that restore hearts and provide temporary buffs, such as attack power or defense. Also, collect ancient arrows whenever possible, as they are highly effective against certain enemies. Bombs are also invaluable.
11. Is it possible to cheese or exploit the Master Sword Trials?
There may be some minor strategies that give advantages, like using glitches. But on the whole, the trials are designed so that the player relies on resource management and combat strategies.
12. What happens to my inventory when I enter the trials?
You start the trials with no equipment. Everything you use must be found within the trials themselves. This adds to the challenge and requires strategic resource management.
13. Do the Master Sword Trials get harder on Master Mode?
Yes, the Master Sword Trials are significantly more challenging on Master Mode. Enemies have higher health, deal more damage, and regenerate health. This requires even more careful planning and execution.
14. Is it worth doing the Master Sword Trials?
Absolutely! The Master Sword Trials provide a substantial upgrade to the Master Sword, making it a significantly more powerful and useful weapon throughout the rest of the game. It is arguably one of the best improvements you can do to Link.
15. Do I need to own The Champion’s Ballad DLC to do the Master Sword Trials?
No, the Master Sword Trials are included in the first DLC pack, The Master Trials DLC. The Champion’s Ballad is a separate DLC pack with its own unique challenges and rewards.