List of Upgrades: Best Item Upgrades and Required Materials

This is a list of upgrades in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. Read on to learn which items can be upgraded, the best items tp upgrade first, as well as the materials needed for all upgrades.

Best Items to Upgrade

Increase the Durability of Sacred Shield

The Sacred Shield is the second strongest shield type in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. Unlike the Wooden Shield and Iron Shield, Sacred Shield will gradually recover its Shield Gauge or durability, making you more sturdy and stable in battles. In this game, shields are one of your most important pieces of equipment, so upgrade it first!

Sacred Shield Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Divine Shield	・Sacred Shield ・Ornamental Skull x3 ・Dusk Relic x1 ・Bird Feather x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees
Goddess Shield	・Divine Shield ・Monster Horn x3 ・Dusk Relic x4 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Bird Feather x3 ・Upgrade Price: 150 Rupees

Strengthen Your Bow and Quiver Next

The next thing players will want to upgrade is the Bow and Quiver. This is obtained after Sacred Shield, but it is an almighty weapon you can use to defeat most enemies in the overworld and dungeons, so prioritize upgrading your Bow. Strengthen your Quiver as well to add more arrows to your stock!

Bow Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Iron Bow	・Bow ・Tumbleweed x3 ・Monster Claw x3 ・Evil Crystal x1 ・Eldin Ore x2 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees
Sacred Bow	・Iron Bow ・Tumbleweed x5 ・Lizard Tail x3 ・Goddess Plume x1 ・Evil Crystal x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees

Quiver Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Medium Quiver	・Small Quiver ・Monster Horn x3 ・Dusk Relic x3 ・Amber Relic x5 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 10 additional Arrows.
Large Quiver	・Medium Quiver ・Monster Horn x2 ・Golden Skull x1 ・Goddess Plume x1 ・Dusk Relic x3 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 15 additional Arrows.

Catch More Bugs with Big Bug Net

Lastly, it is recommended to upgrade your Bug Net to Big Bug Net to make it easier to catch hard-to-catch bugs and Tumbleweeds. It is especially helpful in upgrading your potions and playing the Bug Heaven minigame.

Item	Required Materials
Big Bug Net	・Bug Net ・Tumbleweed x3 ・Evil Crystal x1 ・Ancient Flower x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees

List of All Upgrades

Tap to Jump Ahead
Shield	Sword	Bug Net
Beetle	Mitts	Slingshot
Bow	Ammunition	Wallet
Potion	Adventure Pouch	-

Shield Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Banded Shield	・Wooden Shield ・Monster Claw x1 ・Jelly Blob x1 ・Amber Relic x2 ・Upgrade Price: 30 Rupees
Braced Shield	・Banded Shield ・Tumbleweed x2 ・Ornamental Skull x1 ・Monster Claw x2 ・Amber Relic x3 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees
Reinforced Shield	・Iron Shield ・Ornamental Skull x2 ・Monster Claw x2 ・Eldin Ore x2 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees
Fortified Shield	・Reinforced Shield ・Tumbleweed x3 ・Monster Claw x3 ・Eldin Ore x3 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees
Divine Shield	・Sacred Shield ・Ornamental Skull x3 ・Dusk Relic x1 ・Bird Feather x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees
Goddess Shield	・Divine Shield ・Monster Horn x3 ・Dusk Relic x4 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Bird Feather x3 ・Upgrade Price: 150 Rupees

Upgrading the shield increases its durability, allowing you to use it longer.

Note that upgrading the shield does not prevent it from being susceptible to the elements. This means that the Wooden Shield's upgrades and the Iron Shield's upgrades will remain vulnerable to fire and electricity respectively.

With this in mind, we recommend upgrading the Sacred Shield as it repels attacks from cursed enemies and is resistant to both fire and electricity.

How to Equip and Use A Shield

Sword Upgrades

Item	How to Get
Goddess Sword	Obtained inside the Statue of the Goddess.
Goddess Longsword	Upgrade the Goddess Sword after obtaining Farore's Flame.
Goddess White Sword	Upgrade the Goddess Longsword after obtaining Nayru's Flame.
Master Sword	Upgrade the Goddess White Sword after obtaining Din's Flame.
True Master Sword	Upgrade the Master Sword after obtaining Hylia's Blessing.

The first upgradable sword you obtain is the Goddess Sword. This can be further strengthened after obtaining the three Sacred Flames, as well as Hylia's Blessing in the story.

Bug Net Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Big Bug Net	・Bug Net ・Tumbleweed x3 ・Evil Crystal x1 ・Ancient Flower x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees

Upgrading the Beetle allows you to increase its range, making it easy to collect bugs.

If you are planning to farm for bugs or complete the Bug Hunt minigame, we recommend upgrading this item.

Beetle Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Hook Beetle	・Beetle Free upgrade of the Beetle from the Ancient Robot in the Lanayru Desert.
Quick Beetle	・Hook Beetle ・Hornet Larvae x2 ・Golden Skull x1 ・Ancient Flower x2 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees
Tough Beetle	・Quick Beetle ・Goddess Plume x1 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Ancient Flower x3 ・Amber Relic x4 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees

The Beetle will be automatically upgraded to the Hook Beetle as you progress through the story. You can also upgrade it further at Gondo's Scrap Shop in Skyloft.

Mitts Upgrades

Item	How to Get
Mogma Mitts	Obtained from Silva after defeating the two Magmanos in the Fire Sanctuary.

The Digging Mitts will be automatically upgraded to the Mogma Mitts as you progress through the story. This allows you to burrow underground and discover new areas.

Slingshot Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Scattershot	・Slingshot ・Jelly Blob x3 ・Dusk Relic x2 ・Amber Relic x2 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees

Upgrading the Slingshot to the Scattershot allows you to fire nine Deku Seeds at once while consuming one seed per use.

Bow Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Iron Bow	・Bow ・Tumbleweed x3 ・Monster Claw x3 ・Evil Crystal x1 ・Eldin Ore x2 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees
Sacred Bow	・Iron Bow ・Tumbleweed x5 ・Lizard Tail x3 ・Goddess Plume x1 ・Evil Crystal x2 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees

Upgrading the Bow strengthens the damage output and range of your arrows.

Ammunition Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Medium Seed Satchel	・Small Seed Satchel ・Ornamental Skull x2 ・Monster Claw x3 ・Amber Relic x4 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 20 additional Deku Seeds.
Large Seed Satchel	・Medium Seed Satchel ・Monster Claw x3 ・Golden Skull x1 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Amber Relic x5 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 30 additional Deku Seeds.
Small Bomb Bag	Purchase from the Gear Shop for 150 Rupees. Effects: Lets you hold 5 additional Bombs.
Medium Bomb Bag	・Small Bomb Bag ・Ornamental Skull x3 ・Lizard Tail x1 ・Blue Bird Feather x1 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 10 additional Bombs.
Large Bomb Bag	・Medium Bomb Bag ・Lizard Tail x3 ・Jelly Blob x4 ・Hornet Larvae x2 ・Golden Skull x1 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 15 additional Bombs.
Medium Quiver	・Small Quiver ・Monster Horn x3 ・Dusk Relic x3 ・Amber Relic x5 ・Upgrade Price: 50 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 10 additional Arrows.
Large Quiver	・Medium Quiver ・Monster Horn x2 ・Golden Skull x1 ・Goddess Plume x1 ・Dusk Relic x3 ・Upgrade Price: 100 Rupees Effects: Lets you hold 15 additional Arrows.

Upgrading the Quiver, Bomb Bag, and Seed Satchel allows you to hold more ammunition for your weapons.

You can also equip multiple ammunition bags in the Adventure Pouch to increase its capacity without upgrading it. However, since the pouch has limited slots, we recommend upgrading each of these ammunition bags to increase their maximum capacity.

Wallet Upgrades

Item	How to Get
Extra Wallet	Purchase from Beedle for 100 Rupees. Effects: Increases wallet capacity by 300 Rupees.
Medium Wallet	Give 5 Gratitude Crystals to Batreaux. Effects: Lets you hold a maximum of 500 Rupees.
Big Wallet	Give 10 Gratitude Crystals to Batreaux. Effects: Lets you hold a maximum of 1000 Rupees.
Giant Wallet	Give 50 Gratitude Crystals to Batreaux. Effects: Lets you hold a maximum of 5000 Rupees.
Tycoon Wallet	Give 80 Gratitude Crystals to Batreaux. Effects: Lets you hold a maximum of 9000 Rupees.

Upgrading the Wallet allows you to hold more Rupees. The maximum amount that you can have is 9900 Rupees.

To increase your wallet capacity, you need to collect Gratitude Crystals and show them to Batreaux.

How to Expand Your Wallet

Potion Upgrades

Item	Required Materials
Air Potion +	・Air Potion ・Skyloft Mantis x2 ・Sky Stag Beetle x2 ・Lanayru Ant x2 ・Upgrade Price: 20 Rupees Effects: Gives you infinite oxygen for 3 minutes.
Guardian Potion +	・Guardian Potion ・Starry Firefly x3 ・Faron Grasshopper x1 ・Eldin Roller x2 ・Blessed Butterfly x3 ・Upgrade Price: 40 Rupees Effects: Gives you immunity to all damage for three minutes.
Heart Potion +	・Heart Potion ・Woodland Rhino Beetle x1 ・Volcanic Ladybug x1 ・Blessed Butterfly x3 ・Upgrade Price: 20 Rupees Effects: Restores all hearts.
Heart Potion ++	・Heart Potion + ・Sand Cicada x1 ・Eldin Roller x1 ・Deku Hornet x1 ・Blessed Butterfly x3 ・Upgrade Price: 30 Rupees Effects: Contains two servings and restores all hearts.
Revitalizing Potion +	・Revitalizing Potion ・Woodland Rhino Beetle x2 ・Skyloft Mantis x2 ・Deku Hornet x3 ・Upgrade Price: 20 Rupees Effects: Restores eight hearts and fully replenishes the shield gauge.
Revitalizing Potion ++	・Revitalizing Potion + ・Woodland Rhino Beetle x2 ・Sand Cicada x1 ・Lanayru Ant x3 ・Gerudo Dragonfly x1 ・Upgrade Price: 30 Rupees Effects: Contains two servings and restores eight hearts and fully replenishes the shield gauge.
Stamina Potion +	・Stamina Potion ・Volcanic Ladybug x3 ・Sky Stag Beetle x2 ・Gerudo Dragonfly x2 ・Faron Grasshopper x1 ・Upgrade Price: 20 Rupees Effects: Gives you infinite stamina for 3 minutes.

Potions can be upgraded by using the materials you have collected and infusing them at Bertie and Luv's shop at the Bazaar.

How to Use Potions

Adventure Pouch Upgrades

Item	How to Get
Adventure Pouch	・ First Upgrade: Activate the first Goddess Cube in Deep Woods and open the Goddess Chest on Pumpkin Landing. ・ Second Upgrade: Purchase from Beedle for 300 Rupees. ・ Third Upgrade: Purchase from Beedle for 600 Rupees. ・ Fourth Upgrade: Purchase from Beedle for 1200 Rupees. Effects: Allows you to carry shields, medals, ammunition upgrades, and bottle items.

Fledge gives you the first Adventure Pouch shortly after receiving the Goddess Sword in the story. You can increase its capacity further to allow you to hold more shields, potions, ammunition upgrades, and medals.

How to Expand Your Adventure Pouch

Related Guides

List of Items and Equipment

Items and Equipment
Weapons	Equipment
Bottle Items	Medals
List of Upgrades