How to find the Light Dragon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Light Dragon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is possibly the most special of its kind. There are multiple dragons located around the map, but while most navigate through specific regions, this one constantly circles the entirety of Hyrule’s skies.

Alongside having some useful materials if you manage to get close to it, the Light Dragon is perhaps the most important, as this is where you will find the Master Sword, Link’s iconic weapon. This guide explains where to find the Light Dragon in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, so you can get your hands on one of the best weapons in the game, while also progressing through the main story.

Light Dragon path and location

There are multiple ways of finding the Light Dragon. If you’ve been focusing on the main story, you can pinpoint the Master Sword’s location by finding all 12 Dragon Tear memory locations. That method requires a lot of legwork, but thankfully, there are other, less time-consuming ways.

One is to get through the Lost Woods and reach the Korok Forest. Once there, you need to help the Deku Tree by defeating Gloom Hands and Phantom Ganon. Emerge victorious, and after talking with the Deku Tree, you’ll have access to the “Recovering the Hero’s Sword” main quest.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

This is the quest for the Master Sword, and thankfully, the Deku Tree will mark the location of the Light Dragon on your map. As long as you select the quest in your Adventure Log, you’ll see where the dragon is at all times, which is of great help.

Keep in mind that once you’ve recovered the Master Sword and the quest is complete, the marker will dissipate. If you want to be able to easily locate the Light Dragon to farm materials from it (more on this later), you might want to hold off on getting Link’s emblem weapon.

Graphic: Jeffrey Parkin | Source images: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The other way is, plain and simple, to stumble upon the dragon as you’re roaming around the map. The Light Dragon flies a circumferential route around Hyrule; you don’t need to have the related quest in order to find it. The Light Dragon’s flight circuit takes it through areas including Zora’s Domain, Hateno Village, Goronbi Lake, Lindor’s Brow, and the Thyphlo Ruins.

Our map above shows an estimated route based on findings from a few community sources, but we have not been able to confirm the exact route independently. Polygon has reached out to Nintendo for comment.

That said, it’s recommended you complete the Korok Forest quest, as this will mean the Light Dragon will fly lower to the ground. As such, you’ll be able to get to it just by using a nearby Skyview Tower to lift Link up to the sky. Until you complete the quest, there’s a chance that the dragon will be flying at the same height as the Sky Islands, for example, which will make the task significantly harder.

How to jump on the Light Dragon

Unlike in Breath of the Wild, Link is able to ride on the back of dragons in Tears of the Kingdom. This is done simply by landing on their bodies, from where you can easily move on top of them. (For dragons that have a specific element, you’ll be wise to have the proper elemental resistance. You do not need any such resistance for the Light Dragon.)

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you spot the dragon out in the wild, either by chance or because you have the quest marker active, I recommend fast traveling to the nearest Skyview Tower. Taking this travel shortcut won’t affect the dragon’s position, resulting in a great method to get closer. Then, activate the tower to lift Link up to the air, and paraglide toward the Light Dragon.

As said, if you want to make the process even easier, then make sure you clear out the Deku Forest first. This will see the dragon fly closer to the surface, and thus be more accessible from the height of a tower.

In the case that any nearby towers are quite far from the dragon you’re attempting to reach, you can always attempt to get to a Sky Island. If you happen to see any sky rocks falling to the ground, use your Recall ability and hop on them to gain altitude. Then, you can jump off the island and bust out your paraglider to get close to the dragon.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

The dragon’s movement is quite slow, but if at any point you fall off from its back, quickly opening your paraglider will lift you upwards again, as there are wind currents surrounding the dragon’s body.

Once you’ve made it to the Light Dragon’s back, the next step is to get the Master Sword from it. For a step-by-step breakdown of how to do this, head over to our dedicated Master Sword page.

Light Dragon materials list and best farming method

Akin to the rest of the dragons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you can farm dragon materials from the Light Dragon. What you get will depend on which part of its body you attack with either a melee or ranged weapon. When using Light Dragon materials for Fuse combinations, the material will imbue the Fused weapon with a healing effect and will restore a quarter of a heart per hit.

At a glance, here are the materials you can get from the Light Dragon:

• Shard of Light Dragon’s Spike: Picked up from the dragon’s back, near its spikes. There are around eight of them at a time. This material has a 12 Fuse attack power.
• Light Dragon’s Scale: Obtained from hitting the dragon anywhere on its body — except its mouth, feet, or horns — with either a melee or a ranged weapon. This material has a 12 Fuse attack power.
• Shard of Light Dragon’s Fang: Obtained by hitting the dragon’s mouth. This material has a 16 Fuse attack power.
• Light Dragon’s Talon: Obtained by hitting any of the dragon’s feet. This material has a 14 Fuse attack power.
• Light Dragon’s Horn: Obtained by hitting the dragon’s horns with either a melee or a ranged weapon. This material has a 20 Fuse attack power.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

As with other dragons, you can only get one material from the Light Dragon at a time. After you do, the glow around its body will disappear. It takes 10 minutes for materials to drop again. After that time passes, the glow will return to its body, indicating that you can grab a new one again. Bear in mind that pausing the game in any form will also stop this hidden timer.

Grabbing a Shard of Light Dragon’s Spike, Light Dragon’s Scale, or Light Dragon’s Horn is quite simple. You only need to stay on top of the dragon, and either grab the item (in case of the shard of spike) or attack the corresponding body part with a melee weapon.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

For the Shard of Light Dragon’s Fang, you’ll need to aim at its mouth. I recommend moving towards his head, dropping into the air, and immediately aiming with your bow so you can slow down time. Then, aim at the dragon’s mouth, and the item will drop. It will stay in place for a few seconds — if you don’t pick it up on the spot, it will simply fall to the ground. You can then skydive and pick it up in the air, or grab it once it hits the ground. (The Glider Armor set can be of help here.)

A similar method applies to obtain the Light Dragon’s Talon. You can drop off from the back of the dragon and use your paraglider to stay afloat, as the dragon has wind currents around it at all times to help. I recommend attacking the legs from the front, and getting as close as possible, as there’s a chance for the arrow to hit the body instead. It’s by far the most tricky body part to farm, but it’s only a matter of practice.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

In terms of the best farming method, you can just stay on top of the dragon and leave the game idle for 10 minutes. The only dangers of doing so are that you might be attacked by an Aerocuda, or go through an electric storm, which can leave Link vulnerable to lightning if he has any metal weapons, shields, or bows on him.

The alternative is to note the Light Dragon’s location on your map, and go somewhere else. After the 10 minutes have passed, head over to the nearest Skyview Tower and jump on it again. Rinse and repeat. As mentioned, the dragon’s movement is fairly slow, which should hopefully make it easier. But if you can, let Link rest for a while on top of the creature, and you’ll be getting six materials an hour or so.

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