Want one of the best pieces of gear in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom before finishing your first dungeon? The Hylian Shield is a powerful secret shield located in the depths of Hyrule Castle. If you’ve played Breath of the Wild, you might remember this hidden secret — there’s a Hylian Shield secret in the game too. And you’ll find it in exactly the same place this time around. If you’re unfamiliar, we’ve got a full guide below explaining how to get this shield right at the start of the game. No enemies to fight. Your starting glider is enough to reach it.
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The Hylian Shield is a powerful returning artifact from the original game. The shield has 90 defense — but you’ll only find one. Use it wisely. The shield is located in a secret location in the Docks of Hyrule Castle.
- Travel to the ridge directly north of Hyrule Castle. Reach the edge of the cliffs near the Hyrule Castle Moat marker on your map.
- Use the glider to reach the north-most structure. After landing on the platform with the piece of the castle outer wall, go right and look down. There’s a hidden dock below with a cavern entrance.
- Glide down and enter the Docks through the water cave tunnel — this is right next to the Lockup. Ignore the Lockup and enter the large underground docks.
From the Docks, we’ll encounter an extremely dangerous enemy. Don’t let it catch you.
- Up the stairs, you’ll encounter a terrifying Gloom Hands enemy. Cling to the side of the stone brick wall to avoid the hands — even with low stamina, you should be able to climb around them and wait for the hands to subside.
- Continue past the Gloom enemy after it disappears. At the top of the stairs, you’ll find a giant fire brazier. Light it with a torch — any wooden weapon will work. Light it on one of the nearby fires, then hit the brazier.
- Lighting the brazier causes a treasure chest to appear. The chest contains the Hylian Shield.
And that’s it! The Hylian Shield is the more powerful shield in the game, with a defense of 90. It is extremely durable — but it will break if it takes too much abuse. Use it wisely!
Most shields at this stage of the game have 2-10 Defense. That’s nothing compared to the Hylian Shield — which matches the iconic shield design in Link’s previous adventures. If you want to truly become a perfect Link, you’ll need the Hylian Shield and the Master Sword. Then you’ll be ready to take on Gannon for real.
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