Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Hylian shield location guide

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Hylian shield is a complete mystery for a large part of the game. That is, of course, unless you know where to go. While there are no clear hints or clues, you can actually get the shield incredibly early in the game.

So, head below for a step-by-step guide to getting TotK’s Hylian shield. For more once you’re all done here, check out our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review for a full rundown. We’ve also got Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom koroks, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom shrines, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom armor guides for all you treasure hunters out there.

Okay, here’s how to get the Hylian shield in Tears of the Kingdom.

How do I get the Hylian shield in Tears of the Kingdom?

Here’s a quick step-by-step guide to getting the Hylian shield in Tears of the Kingdom:

• Head into the Hyrule Castle docks or the east-side wall (the two star icons in the photo below)
• Find the stone stairs and head up
• Get ready to fight some gloom hands
• Take on Phantom Gannon
• Keep going up the stairs until you see four lit torches surrounding a larger one
• Light the larger one
• Open the chest that appears

It sounds simple when you look at it like that, but it’s quite tough, so here are some key tips.

How do I get to Hyrule Castle’s docks in TotK?

You have a few options for getting to the docks of Hyrule Castle. The easiest way is to fly from Serutabomac Shrine if you’ve already unlocked it. Then, just fly east around the stony wall of the castle and down towards the water to the point marked in the photo above.

Alternatively, if you have enough stamina or stamina-refilling meals or elixirs, you can fly all the way from Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s Lookout Landing. Just hop on the skyview tower’s launchpad and get flying.

You could also build a boat to sail there, but this is a much slower option. Meanwhile, there’s another entrance marked as a star in the photo above, on the east side of the castle. If you have a way to access this it’s an easier route, though it’s quite hard to spot.

How do I defeat gloom hands in TotK?

The best way to take down gloom hands in Tears of the Kingdom is with bomb flowers. Pull out your bow with ZR, fuse a bomb flower to it by pressing up on the d-pad and selecting it, and fire away. It took me five bomb flowers to take down the whole group.

How do I defeat Phantom Gannon in Hyrule Castle’s docks?

Phantom Gannon is a completely unique enemy you won’t find anywhere other than Hyrule Castle. He is a straight fighter, so use Link’s dodging skills. When I fought him in the docks he had a spear – I assume this is the same for every player.

Your best bet is to side dodge by holding ZL to raise your shield, pulling Link to the left or right, and pressing X to dodge at exactly the right moment, just before Gannon attacks. Do it right and time slows down, letting you wail on Gannon in a flurry rush.

There you have it, the best way to get the Hylian Shield in Tears of the Kingdom. For more, check out our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom bubbul gems, Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom towers, and Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom amiibo guides.