The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has a ton of things for players to do. Whether you are trying to traverse the new Depths area, flying around the Sky Islands, or you're walking around Hyrule, you have a lot you can do.
One of those things players can do is collect weapons and figure out which are the best. While what weapon is the best certainly depends on the player and how they want to play, there are some that are better than others. Regardless, if you're new to the game and are overwhelmed by the insane variety of weapons in the game, here's a list to help you figure out which ones are the best and how they can fit your playstyle.
Updated by Erin Rice on July 7, 2023: There are plenty of powerful weapons in Tears of the Kingdom's Hyrule, so this list was updated to include even more of them. Any one of these weapons would be a worthy companion to take on Ganondorf.
20 Forest Dweller's Sword
The Forest Dweller's Sword may seem like an odd choice. However, its special ability is that you can reuse one-hit items that are fused to it, making it pretty powerful. This means that you will not lose those items upon the first hit, and they will stay fused to the sword until it breaks.
This sword can only be found in the Korok Forest. To obtain it, you must first complete the quest "Walton's Treasure Hunt." This will be available to you once you cure the Great Deku Tree in the Korok Forest.
19 Eightfold Longblade
The Eightfold Longblade is a two-handed weapon that drops from Yiga Blademasters. This makes it the perfect weapon to use if you're wanting to complete your Yiga Clan Armor set look. You will blend right in with the foes.
What makes this weapon so great is that not only does it do a decent amount of damage, but it also has a secret ability. If Link has enough Hearts, it can cause a charged attack to slice through the air, hitting enemies from a distance.
18 Boomerang
Boomerangs are pretty powerful weapons on their own. They are a one-handed weapon that can be thrown to hit enemies at a distance. They can also be used as a regular one-handed weapon like Link always uses.
Overall, the versatility of the Boomerang is what makes it so great. However, with Link's new Fuse Ability, you can take these weapons to the next level. For instance, adding a Keese Eyeball to it will make it go even farther, hitting more enemies.
17 Knight's Bow
The Knight's Bow is a bow you can find all around Hyrule. If you run into any Hylian soldiers, camps, garrisons, etc. chances are you've seen one of these. The ease of finding it makes it that much better. It does a nice 26 base damage without fusing the arrows to anything.
What makes this bow great is that it is one of the more powerful bows in the game. (Though it certainly cannot compete with those that shoot multiple arrows at once.) It has great damage and great durability, making it the perfect long-range weapon.
16 Boulder Breaker
The Boulder Breaker is the legendary weapon of Daruk, the Goron Champion that fought against the Calamity alongside Link. Its special ability is that it is a boulder breaker. It can break through rocks and armor with ease.
If you want to find this weapon, you'll need to do the quest "Yunobo of Goron City." After saving Goron City, an aspiring blacksmith will ask you to help him make the legendary weapon to prove his worth.
15 Master Sword
The main sword of the Legend of Zelda series also appears in this game. When first starting out, the Master Sword is fully restored. However, once the story truly begins, Link has a destroyed version of the legendary sword.
If you want to obtain the fixed version, you can find it on the back of the Light Dragon. This can be obtained early on in the game, and you’ll need two stamina wheels to pull it free. While the Master Sword cannot break, it does need to recharge.
14 Royal Guard Spear
This spear not only has amazing base damage for a spear, but it also is extremely fast. This means that you can stay away from enemies and hit them quickly from a distance. This ensures Link doesn't get in over his head.
Once belonging to the royal guard that protected the royal family, this spear can be found in Hyrule Castle or in chests from Amiibo. This specific spear looks great with the Royal Guard Armor set that can also be found in Hyrule Castle.
13 Dusk Bow
This is the bow that Princess Zelda used in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The bow can only be obtained by scanning the Amiibo from Twilight Princess and finding it in the chest. Originally named the Twilight Bow, this bow is a great addition to your arsenal.
What makes this bow powerful is that it has a base of 30 damage and can shoot arrows farther than other bows. When combined with the many different types of arrow fusions to create something truly powerful.
12 Dusk Claymore*
The Dusk Claymore is another weapon from The Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess. This weapon can be obtained by scanning the Ganondorf Amiibo from that game, or by completing the Typhlo Ruins quest "Investigate the Thyphlo Ruins."
This weapon has a base attack of 32 and looks amazing. When you combine it with some powerful fusion items, you can make an amazing two-handed sword. However, the sword is amazing by itself.
11 Scimitar of the Seven
This sword is the one that Urbosa, the Champion of the Gerudo, used. The base damage of this weapon is 28. If you want to obtain the sword, you'll need to complete the quest "The Pride of The Gerudo" after saving Gerudo Town.
Its ability is that it is much stronger when it is fused with something. Essentially, this weapon will double the damage of anything it is fused with. If you fuse it with something like the Gloom Sword, you could have a really amazing sword.
10 Zonaite Bow
Zonaite Bows can be found when you kill the many different Zonaite Constructs that you run into. The higher the level of the Construct, the better your chances are of getting a better bow like this than the other bows Zonaite Constructs have.
Like the Dusk Bow, this bow has a base damage of 30. However, if combined with Zonai material fused arrows, it can truly become a worthwhile and dangerous bow. A large majority of these bows also come with an increase in durability.
9 Gloom Spear*
The Gloom Spear is one of the weapons dropped by Phantom Ganon. In order to find him, you must either enter into Hyrule Castle, or find one of the many Gloom Spawns that plague the land of Hyrule. Once killed, Gloom Spawns will cause Phantom Ganon to appear.
This spear is an extremely powerful weapon. The only downside is that you will lose Hearts to the Gloom as you use it. You will need to be careful and only use these weapons when you truly need them. You can also fuse them with regular weapons to create powerful weapons that negate the Gloom's effect.
8 All Zora Weapons
The Zora weapons have a special ability that no other weapon has. This sets them apart from all other weapons in the game. The passive ability of Water Warrior is automatically applied to all Zora weapons. This means that all these weapons will double their damage if they are wet. This makes them extremely useful.
The Zora weapons are pretty easy to come by. You can find them throughout Zora's Domain and in chests scattered around Hyrule. You can also obtain them by scanning Mipha's Amiibo if you are able to do that.
If you want to double the Zora weapon's damage but aren't around water, you can use Sidon's ability. His water shield will automatically get your weapon wet.
7 Lightscale Trident
The Lightscale Trident is the weapon belonging to Mipha, the Champion of the Zora. If you want this weapon, you'll need to gather some material for the armory owner in Zora's Domain. He will then craft the item for you. He will also recraft it if it breaks.
This weapon, like all Zora weapons, will double in damage if it gets wet. This includes doubling any fusion you may put onto the weapon. If you need help getting your weapon wet, just have Sidon use his ability. This can help if there's no water around.
6 All Gerudo Weapons*
Gerudo weapons are very similar to Zora weapons. Rather than doubling their damage when wet, these weapons will double in damage when fused with something. This will also double the damage of the fused item.
If you want to find a Gerudo weapon, just head to the Gerudo Desert. A large portion of monsters in the area carry the weapons. You can also find a few laying around Gerudo Town if you look hard enough.
5 Fierce Deity Sword
The Fierce Deity Sword is the sword used by Fierce Deity Link. You can obtain this by using Majora’s Mask Amiibo. You can also obtain it by wearing the entire Fierce Deity Armor set in the Cephla Lake Cave. This will cause a wall to move, showing the Fierce Deity Sword.
The base damage of the sword is 38. It is a two-handed sword and can do some serious damage. Its damage is even better if you fuse it with an item. Considering the Fierce Deity Armor set is one of the best in the game, and Fierce Deity Link is one of the most powerful Links, it is no surprise this weapon is so good.
4 Gloom Sword*
The Gloom Sword is another weapon that drops from Phantom Ganon. He can be fought in Hyrule Castle, or he will spawn after you kill one of the many Gloom Spawns that plague the Kingdom of Hyrule. If you want this specific weapon, you'll want to kill a Phantom Ganon that has this type of weapon.
Like the Gloom Spear, this weapon's downside is its ability. It will make the user lose Hearts to Gloom as the weapon is being used. This can become extremely detrimental to Link quickly. You'll want to use this weapon sparingly or fused with another weapon.
3 Royal Guards Sword
This sword is the weapon used by the royal guards of Hyrule. Just like the Royal Guards Bow, this item can be found in Hyrule Castle. It is actually pretty common in the area. If you wait until a Blood Moon, the weapons will respawn.
The sword is a very quick weapon and has a high damage rate of 22 or 30, depending on which variation you find. You can find both versions in Hyrule Castle. It being fairly common on top of the high damage makes it a great weapon.
2 Royal Guards Bow
The Royal Guards' weapons are strong weapons that were once used by members of the royal guards for the royal family of Hyrule. The bow can be found in chests from different Amiibo and from areas within Hyrule Castle.
This is certainly one of the best bows in the entire game. The base damage of this weapon is 50, only being beaten by the Savage Lynel Bow. When you use this with different arrow fusions, you'll be unstoppable.
1 Savage Lynel Bow
This weapon may very well be one of the best in the game. It has a base damage of 32; however, it shoots 3 arrows at once as a Passive Ability. This means that it does 32x3 damage or 96 damage if each arrow hits the target. It also will only use 1 arrow each time it is fired.
This amazing amount of damage coupled with the fact you can fuse the arrows the bow uses, makes this bow one of the best weapons available. What is even better is the fact that this weapon will shoot 3 of whatever you fuse to it without using 3 of the items.