Navigating the Lost Woods
The Master Sword rests in the Korok Forest, located in the center of the Great Hyrule Forest region north of Hyrule Castle. You cannot simply paraglide into the forest; a thick fog will envelop you and instantly teleport you away. You must enter through the southeastern path.
Follow the Braziers
When you enter the woods, you will see a lit brazier. Look around to find the next lit brazier and walk straight towards it. Continue this process until you reach two braziers next to a large tree.
Follow the Wind
From the two braziers, there are no more guiding lights. Pick up the lit torch resting on the ground. Stand still and watch the embers blowing off the torch—they will drift in a specific direction. Walk slowly in exactly that direction. Whenever the wind changes, stop, check the embers, and adjust your path.
The Korok Forest
Once you break through the fog, you will arrive at the Korok Forest. Before attempting to pull the sword, make sure to activate the Keo Ruug Shrine right next to the Great Deku Tree so you can fast-travel here later.
You will also find Hestu here permanently, assuming you met him outside Kakariko Village previously. This is the perfect time to trade in all your Korok Seeds for inventory space.
Pulling the Master Sword
The Master Sword is waiting in the stone pedestal in front of the Great Deku Tree.
Pulling the sword slowly drains your health. If you run out of hearts, Link will die. You must have exactly 13 permanent Heart Containers to survive the process. Temporary yellow hearts from food do NOT count. The Great Deku Tree will stop you from dying on your very first attempt, but any attempt after that can be fatal.
If you don't have enough hearts, head to Hateno Village. There is a cursed horned statue near the entrance that allows you to exchange your Stamina Vessels for Heart Containers (for a small fee of 20 Rupees per swap). You can always swap them back after pulling the sword!
Once you pull the sword, you unlock the ultimate weapon against Calamity Ganon. The Master Sword has a base damage of 30, but when you are near Guardians, inside Hyrule Castle, or fighting Blight Ganons, it glows with a sacred light and its damage doubles to 60. It can run out of energy, but it will never permanently break—it just needs 10 minutes to recharge.
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