Look, let’s be honest. The first time you walked into the Korok Forest and saw the Master Sword sitting in that pedestal, you probably thought the hard part was over. You pulled it out, survived the heart-drain, and felt like a god. Then the Great Deku Tree dropped the bomb: the sword is "asleep," and you need to slog through 54 floors of misery to wake it up.
The master sword botw trial—officially called the Trial of the Sword—is basically Nintendo’s way of asking if you actually learned how to play the game or if you’ve just been brute-forcing your way through Hyrule with high-level armor and x5 Lynel bows.
If you’re struggling, it’s not because you aren't good at combat. It’s because the Trial of the Sword isn't a combat test. It’s a resource management puzzle. You start with nothing. No clothes, no food, just your runes and whatever sticks you can find on the floor.
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Why the Master Sword Trial is still a nightmare in 2026
Even years after Breath of the Wild launched, the Trial of the Sword remains the ultimate gatekeeper for completionists. The stakes are annoyingly high. If you die on floor 12 of the Beginning Trials, you don't just restart that floor. You go back to the pedestal. The whole thing. It’s brutal.
But the reward? That makes it worth the gray hairs.
Normally, the Master Sword has a base power of 30. It only glows and jumps to 60 when you’re near Guardians or inside Hyrule Castle. Completing the trials makes that 60-power state permanent. It also cranks the durability from roughly 40 hits to a massive 188. Basically, you’re turning a fancy kitchen knife into a laser-beam-firing chainsaw that almost never breaks.
The Secret "Pre-Game" Setup
Most people make the mistake of walking into the pedestal naked. Don't do that. You can carry over active buffs from food and potions into the trial. This is the single most important tip you’ll ever get.
Go to a cooking pot. Toss in four Mighty Bananas and a Shard of a Dragon Horn. This gives you a Level 3 Attack Up buff that lasts for 30 minutes. Eat it right before you touch the sword. Now, for the first half-hour of the trial, you’re hitting like a truck even when you're only swinging a Boko Spear.
If you’re terrified of dying, do the same with Ironshrooms for a Defense Up buff, though most veterans agree that killing things faster is the better way to stay alive. Also, make sure you have full yellow "extra" hearts from Hearty Durians. Those extra hearts don't disappear when you enter.
The Beginning Trials: Room 10 is the real boss
The Beginning Trials (Floors 1-12) are ironically the hardest for many. Why? Because you have zero gear.
Most players get stuck on Floor 10. It’s the one with the two Black Lizalfos on a wooden pier. In Master Mode, this floor is a war crime. If you alert them, they jump into the water, spit at you, and regenerate health faster than you can damage them.
The pro move: Use Stasis+ on the scout in the middle and headshot him immediately. Then, sneak up behind the other two. Use a "sneakstrike chain." Hit one, walk to where his face was while he's knocked down, and when he stands up, he'll turn around to look for you—right as you're behind him again. Rinse and repeat.
Middle and Final Trials: It’s all about the Ancient Arrows
The Middle Trials (Floors 1-16) focus on verticality and elements. It's mostly a test of whether you know how to use the paraglider and your runes. Honestly, once you get past the dark rooms, it’s a breeze compared to the first set.
The Final Trials (Floors 1-23) look scary because they have Lynels and Guardians. But here’s the thing: Nintendo gives you Ancient Arrows.
If you're thorough, you can find nine Ancient Arrows hidden in chests throughout the Final Trials.
- Floor 6: Check the chests in the rest area.
- Floor 10: Look in the lava.
- Floor 14: Melt the ice blocks.
One Ancient Arrow deletes a Lynel from existence. No loot, no fuss, just gone. Save them for the two Lynels and the Guardian Skywatchers. If you try to "honorably" fight the Lynel on Floor 23, you’re just asking for a one-way trip back to the Korok Forest.
Misconceptions about the "True" Master Sword
I see this all the time on forums: "Does the Master Sword become unbreakable?"
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No. It still breaks. It just takes a really long time. In its "awakened" state, it has a durability value of 188. To put that in perspective, a standard Royal Broadsword has about 36. You can clear out several enemy camps before the sword starts flashing red.
Another weird detail? The sword beam (where you throw the sword while at full health) no longer consumes durability once the trials are finished. You can stand on a hill and snipe ChuChus all day long for free.
Actionable Tips for your next attempt
- Bomb everything: In the early floors, don't waste weapon durability on red Bokoblins. Use the circular and square bomb upgrade to juggle them until they die.
- Cook the wood: This sounds insane, but you can use bombs to chop down every tree in the rest levels. Cook the wood bundles one by one. Each "Rock-Hard Meal" restores a quarter heart. It’s tedious, but in the Final Trials, having 20 extra quarter-hearts can be the difference between winning and a Game Over screen.
- Set your Sheikah Sensor to Treasure Chests: There are hidden chests in almost every room with arrows or better bows. Don't leave a floor until the sensor stops beeping.
- Cryonis is a shield: In the water levels, don't just swim. Use Cryonis blocks for cover against archers. It costs nothing and saves your health.
If you've been putting this off because it feels impossible, just remember that the game provides everything you need—it just hides it in crates and ice blocks. Grab your dragon-horn-buff, pack your patience, and go get that glowing blade.
Next step: Go hunt a Dragon (Farosh is the easiest) to get that 30-minute horn buff before you head to the Korok Forest.