The EX Trial of the Sword is a DLC Side Quest in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (BotW) where you can complete challenging Trials and upgrade the Master Sword! Here are tips on how to prepare for the Trials and strategies to get you through each floor!
| All Trial of the Sword Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
| EX Trial of the Sword | ||
| The Beginning Trials | The Middle Trials | The Final Trials |
List of Contents
The Master Sword will be upgraded to its full potential after completing the Beginning Trials, Middle Trials, and Final Trials. After completing all 54 floors, the Master Sword will permanently have 60 base power, not just when near Guardians or areas with the Ganon's presence (Divine Beasts and Hyrule Castle).
Link can access the trial at any time after finishing The Hero's Sword main quest. Simply place the Master Sword back in its pedestal to start the trial.
Link will fight through the trials with the current health he has, and while it's possible to complete all three trials with just 13 Heart Containers, every extra heart container helps—especially when you reach the tougher levels!
Boosting Link's stamina is also a good idea as some levels require Link to climb, swim, and even paraglide across environmental hazards.
Check out our shrine list below to learn how to solve each shrine and get enough Spirit Orbs to boost Link's hearts and stamina.
Shrines Map and All Shrine Locations
Although Link can't bring any weapons and armor during the trials, he can gain a lot of weapons as he progresses throughout each level.
Link needs all the spare weapons he can get to succeed each trial, so expanding your inventory is a must! You don't need to find all Korok Seeds though. just enough that you can store five or more weapons, bows, and shields.
Since Link starts each trial with the amount of health he currently has, it's a good idea to boost it before actually starting the challenge.
The best dishes to eat are meals made from Hearty ingredients, such as Hearty Radishes, Hearty Truffles, and Hearty Durians. These dishes also provide Golden Temporary Hearts, which is very useful especially if you don't have maximum hearts.
If you have enough hearts and are confident in your combat skills, you can also eat Mighty Dishes before starting a trial. These provide a temporary attack boost that can help Link quickly dispatch enemies throughout the levels.
The best food to eat is Mighty Simmered Fruit made with five Mighty Bananas. This fruit is very easy to farm as Yiga Footsoldiers and Yiga Blademasters that ambush Link frequently drop it. It's also easy to find in the forests in the Faron Region.
It's also a good idea to upgrade Link's runes by finishing the Slated for Upgrades quest given by Purah in the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
The damage boost to the Remote Bombs, as well as the duration boost for the Stasis rune, can help Linkin certain levels where weapons are scarce or have tough enemies.
Since there are a limited amount of shields in the trials, it's important to master parrying attacks to conserve the durability of each shield you get.
The best monsters to practice against are Guardian Stalkers and Silver Lynels. Guardian Stalkers have a countdown that can help you get the timing right, while Lynels use a plethora of attacks and different weapons that require different timings.
Evading is another skill to master when progressing through the trials. Evading at the right moment allows Link to unleash a flurry of attacks that can quickly dispatch enemies.
How to Perfect Dodge and Flurry Rush
The Beginning Trials has a total of 13 floors with one Resting Spot. Completing the Beginning Trials leads you to the room where you can boost the Master Sword's power from 30 to 40.
The Beginning Trials Walkthrough
| 1 | Equipment | Enemies |
|---|---|---|
|
・Tree Branch (3) ・Boko Club (1) ・Woodcutter's Axe (1) ・Boko Spear (1) ・Boko Shield (1) |
・Bokoblin (3) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Seared Steak (1) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 2 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Traveler's Sword (1) ・Boko Bat (1) ・Boko Bow (2) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Traveler's Shield (1) |
・Bokoblin (4) ・Fire Chuchu (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 3 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Boomerang (1) ・Fire Arrow (5) |
・Fire Chuchu (4) ・Chuchu (4) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 4 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Soldier's Broadsword (1) ・Boko Club (1) ・Spiked Boko Bat (1) ・Traveler's Spear (1) ・Boko Spear (1) ・Traveler's Bow (1) ・Spiked Boko Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Fire Arrow (Multiple) ・Soldier's Shield (1) |
・Blue Bokoblin (2) ・Bokoblin (5) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Bird Egg (2) |
||
| 5 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Spiked Boko Club (1) ・Spiked Boko Bat (1) ・Moblin Club (1) ・Spiked Boko Spear (1) ・Moblin Spear (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Spiked Boko Shield (1) |
・Moblin (2) ・Blue Bokoblin (3) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 6 | Equipment | Enemies |
| None |
・Stone Talus (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 7 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (1) ・Eightfold Blade (1) ・Serpentine Spear (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Fire Arrow (Multiple) ・Shield of the Mind's Eye (1) |
None | Food & Materials |
|
・Apple (2) ・Armored Carp (3) ・Fairy (1) ・Ironshroom (2) ・Razorshroom (2) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 8 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Lizal Boomerang (1) ・Throwing Spear (1) ・Boko Spear (4) ・Lizal Bow (1) ・Arrow (10) |
・Blue Lizalfos (2) ・Lizalfos (2) ・Electric Chuchu (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Roasted Bass (3) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 9 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Lightning Rod (1) ・Arrow (10) |
・Electric Wizzrobe (1) ・Water Octorok (2) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 10 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Lizal Boomerang (1) ・Lizal Spear (1) ・Lizal Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Lizal Shield (1) |
・Black Lizalfos (2) ・Blue Lizalfos (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 11 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Soldier's Broadsword (1) ・Dragonbone Boko Club (1) ・Spiked Boko Bat (1) ・Soldier's Spear (1) ・Spiked Boko Spear (1) ・Spiked Boko Bow (4) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Fire Arrow (10) ・Shock Arrow (10) ・Dragonbone Boko Shield (1) |
・Black Moblin (1) ・Black Bokoblin (1) ・Blue Bokoblin (1) ・Bokoblin (6) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 12 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Knight's Broadsword (1) ・Knight's Bow (1) ・Knight's Shield (1) |
・Blue Hinox (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Palm Fruit (Multiple) |
The Middle Trials has a total of 17 floors with two Resting Spots. Completing the Middle Trials leads you to the room where you can boost the Master Sword's power from 40 to 50.
| 1 | Equipment | Enemies |
|---|---|---|
|
・Soldier's Broadsword (1) ・Boko Club (1) ・Spiked Boko Club (1) ・Woodcutter's Axe (1) ・Boko Spear (1) ・Spiked Boko Spear (1) ・Soldier's Bow (2) ・Boko Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Fire Arrow (Multiple) ・Spiked Boko Shield (1) |
・Bokoblin (5) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 2 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Soldier's Broadsword (1) ・Feathered Edge (1) ・Fire Rod (1) ・Meteor Rod (1) ・Soldier's Spear (1) ・Spiked Boko Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Soldier's Shield (1) |
・Blue Bokoblin (1) ・Bokoblin (2) ・Meteo Wizzrobe (1) ・Fire Wizzrobe (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 3 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Lizal Forked Boomerang (1) ・Feathered Spear (1) ・Enhanced Lizal Spear (1) ・Phrenic Bow (1) ・Boko Bow (1) ・Spiked Boko Bow (2) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Reinforced Lizal Shield (1) |
・Blue Bokoblin (2) ・Bokoblin (5) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 4 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Soldier's Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Knight's Shield (1) |
・Decayed Guardian (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 5 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (1) ・Knight's Broadsword (1) ・Woodcutter's Axe (1) ・Falcon Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Hylian Trousers (1) |
None | Food & Materials |
|
・Apple (2) ・Fairy (1) ・Hylian Shroom (2) ・Hyrule Bass (3) ・Ironshroom (2) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 6 | Equipment | Enemies |
| None |
・Fire Keese (5) ・Electric Chuchu (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 7 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (1) ・Flameblade (1) ・Forest Dweller's Spear (1) ・Enhanced Lizal Spear (1) ・Strengthened Lizal Bow (1) ・Fire Arrow (Multiple) |
・Fire-Breath Lizalfos (2) ・Blue Lizalfos (2) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 8 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (2) ・Soldier's Broadsword (1) ・Rusty Broadsword (2) ・Dragonbone Boko Club (1) ・Meteor Rod (1) ・Dragonbone Boko Bat (1) ・Rusty Halberd (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Soldier's Shield (1) ・Rusty Shield (1) |
・Black Bokoblin (2) ・Blue Bokoblin (1) ・Meteo Wizzrobe (1) |
Food & Materials |
|
・Seared Steak (1) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 9 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (2) ・Rusty Broadsword (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Rusty Shield (1) |
・Decayed Guardian (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 10 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Torch (2) ・Knight's Broadsword (1) ・Thunderstorm Rod (1) ・Rusty Claymore (1) ・Rusty Halberd (1) ・Knight's Bow (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) |
・Black Hinox (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 11 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Forest Dweller's Sword (1) ・Forest Dweller's Spear (1) ・Arrow (Multiple) ・Hylian Tunic (1) |
None | Food & Materials |
|
・Apple (2) ・Endura Shroom (2) ・Fairy (2) ・Hyrule Bass (3) ・Ironshroom (2) ・Various Food (Multiple) |
||
| 12 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Arrow (10) |
・Guardian Scout I (6) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 13 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Guardian Sword (1) ・Ancient Battle Axe (1) ・Guardian Spear (1) ・Duplex Bow (1) |
・Guardian Scout II (3) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 14 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Guardian Sword (2) ・Eightfold Longblade (1) ・Guardian Shield (2) |
・Guardian Scout II (2) ・Guardian Scout I (4) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 15 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Guardian Sword+ (1) ・Ancient Battle Axe (1) ・Guardian Spear (1) ・Guardian Shield+ (1) |
・Guardian Scout II (2) |
Food & Materials |
| None | ||
| 16 | Equipment | Enemies |
|
・Guardian Sword+ (1) ・Ancient Battle Axe+ (1) ・Guardian Spear+ (1) |
・Guardian Scout IV (1) |
Food & Materials |
| None |
The Final Trials has a total of 24 floors with three Resting Spots. Completing the Final Trials fully awakens the Master Sword, boosting its base power from 50 to 60.
Link will be spending more time clearing each floor on Master Mode due to the tougher enemies. As a result, normal food buffs will likely run out before you even get a chance to face the first boss!
 EnlargeNormal Mighty Simmered Fruit |
 EnlargeMighty Simmered Fruit with Dragon Horn |
When cooking up a dish with a buff, such as Migthy Dishes, add any Dragon Horn (Naydra's / Farosh's / Dinraal's Horn) to the mix to extend the duration of its effects to 30 minutes!
Master Mode enemies regenerate lost health after not being attacked for a short while, so you don't want them getting flung away by your combos. Try using Stasis to hold enemies in place, especially fast ones like Lizalfos, before performing a combo.
Using Charged Attacks while wielding a Two-Handed weapon dishes out higher damage than a normal combo, so make use of this against a frozen enemy to maximize the rune's duration.
The Trial of the Sword is a mini-dungeon added in the game as part of The Master Trials DLC.
Also known as the Sword Monk's Shrine, it is widely considered the toughest challenge in the game and is designed to test the limits of Link's strength and willpower by pitting him against waves of enemies across 54 floors.
Once Link starts a trial, he is unable to use any of his weapons, armor, shields, food, and materials. Runes are still useable and are often instrumental in progressing through certain floors.
Additionally, Link can't use any of his Champion Abilities and must rely instead on his wits and cunning to defeat all enemies in each floor.
Clearing a set of trials boosts the power of the Master Sword by 10, eventually reaching a base power of 60 after completing all three sets.
A fully awakened Master Sword will always glow with energy and using the Sword Beam when at full health no longer drains its durability. It will still eventually lose energy and will need to recharge, but the boost in power makes it the most reliable weapon in the game.
The Trial of the Sword is composed of three sets of trials - 13 Beginning Trials, 16 Middle Trials, and 23 Final Trials for a total of 54 floors.
Link needs to defeat all enemies in each floor to progress to the next one. While this may seem like a daunting task, the trials have floors that act as Resting Spots where Link can recuperate and cook food, acquire armor and weapons, and even catch fairies!
| All Trial of the Sword Guides | ||
|---|---|---|
| EX Trial of the Sword | ||
| The Beginning Trials | The Middle Trials | The Final Trials |
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