Upgrading armor in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom isn’t just about better defense-it’s a strategic edge that can mean the difference between survival and defeat. Here’s how Nintendo’s upgrade system transforms basic gear into powerful equipment through resources, Great Fairies, and clever planning.
If you’re wondering how to upgrade armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, there are multiple factors to consider. This page explains how to unlock the mechanic, how to gain access to all four enhancement levels available, and how to fully upgrade an armor set.
How to upgrade armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
To upgrade armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, visit a Great Fairy fountain after completing the required side adventures to coax each fairy out of her flower bud, then offer Rupees and specific materials for the piece you want to enhance, such as monster parts, gems, or regional items tied to that armor set. Each successful enhancement raises the armor’s defense level, and upgrading all three pieces of a set multiple times can grant powerful set bonuses like improved damage resistance or special movement effects. Since higher upgrade tiers demand rarer resources and more Rupees, focus on your primary combat sets first, check the upgrade requirements from the fairy menu, and farm the enemies or resource locations associated with your favorite gear.
In order to unlock the mechanic to upgrade armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you first need to visit the four Great Fairy Fountain locations. Each of them requires you to complete a side adventure involving The Stable Trotters musical troupe.
Here’s the gist: You’ll gain access to armor upgrades as soon as you help at least one of the Great Fairies. From then, talk to the Great Fairy to open the menu, which will showcase all armor pieces in your inventory.
In order to upgrade your armor, you’ll have to pay a rupee fee, and have the necessary materials. Upgrading the Climbing Gear chest piece, for example, required three Keese wings and three rushrooms, alongside 10 rupees. This increased its base stat of 3 defense to 5 defense.
If a specific armor piece isn’t highlighted, that means you either don’t have the necessary materials, or that it’s not eligible for upgrades. Regardless, selecting the piece will tell you. If a piece is highlighted, though, that means you can upgrade it on the spot.
Also, there tend to be shrines near their locations – make sure to grab the fast travel point so you can quickly get back to the Great Fairies in the future!
How to unlock all armor enhancement levels
To access all four armor enhancement levels, awaken every Great Fairy by completing the Stable Trotters side adventures tied to their fountains, then pay each fairy’s Rupee fee the first time you visit her. Each additional Great Fairy you restore increases the maximum enhancement tier available at all fountains, letting you raise any eligible armor piece from one star up to four stars as long as you also bring the required monster parts, gems, and other materials.
If you want to upgrade your armor even further, you’ll need access to the subsequent fairies. As such, the possible enhancement levels at your disposal (signalized by a star icon) increase with each fairy until you’ve uncovered all four of them.
Every time you talk to the Great Fairies, they’ll tell you how much they can upgrade your armor, starting with “a little bit” and culminating in “to the maximum” once you have access to all four. It’s worth mentioning that whichever one you visit is irrelevant, as they all share the same menu and options.
For a step-by-step breakdown of how to unlock all armor enhancement levels, head over to our dedicated Great Fairy Fountain locations page.
How to fully upgrade armor sets in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Visit Great Fairy Fountains after completing side adventures to free them, such as playing music for Pikango near Woodland Stable for the first one. Select an armor piece from the menu, pay Rupees, and supply specific materials like monster parts, gems, or plants listed for each upgrade level-four levels exist per piece, with costs and items rising per stage. Complete all four fairies to reach maximum upgrades on every eligible set piece, activating set bonuses from level two when wearing the full matching trio.
Once you have access to any complete armor set – well, one that’s eligible for armor upgrades – there is a chance for the Great Fairies to unlock their “potential.”
This is achieved by upgrading all armor pieces of a set twice. If the armor set is eligible, you’ll be bestowed with a new power. (Keep in mind the dialogue appeared for me while I was upgrading the Barbarian Armor set. As of this writing, I haven’t been able to upgrade an armor set twice. We’ll update this story with additional information when we know what the specific power is.)
Where to find every Great Fairy fountain quickly
Great Fairy fountains in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are located near specific stables and emit purple smoke for easy spotting, but they require unlocking via side quests in sequence. The fastest route starts with the “Potential Princess Sightings!” quest at Lucky Clover Gazette (-3256, 1764, 0119), then follows Stable Trotters musicians to awaken each fairy.
Fountain Locations
All four are visible from nearby shrines or stables; glide or paraglide toward the smoke plumes.
| Great Fairy | Nearest Stable/Shrine | Coordinates | Quick Access Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tera | Woodland Stable/Ekochiu Shrine | 0920, 1361, 0093 | Northwest of stable near Military Training Camp |
| Mija | Snowfield Stable/Orochium Shrine | -1461, 2995, 0305 | Northeast on Piper Ridge |
| Kaysa | Outskirt Stable/Tsutsu-um Shrine | -1555, -1237, 0085 | Hill west of stable |
| Cotera | Dueling Peaks Stable/Eshos Shrine | 1766, -2172, 0013 | South after Little Twin Bridge |
Fastest Unlocking Order
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Visit Lucky Clover Gazette (Tabantha Frontier, below Rito Village) and talk to Traysi/Penn to start quests.
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Woodland Stable (Eldin): Fix Trotter’s wagon, lead to Tera (first unlock).
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Highland Stable (Faron): Find Pyper in tree (10x Sunset Fireflies), unlock Kaysa.
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Outskirt Stable (Hyrule Field): Find Eustus, unlock Mija.
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Snowfield Stable (Tabantha): Find Beetz the drummer, unlock Cotera last.
Unlocking progresses upgrades across all fountains; paraglide between nearby shrines for speed.
Fast route to unlock all four Great Fairies in TotK
The fastest route to unlock all four Great Fairies in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom starts at Lucky Clover Gazette and follows the Stable Trotters quest chain in a logical order, using shrines for quick travel and a horse with towing harness. This sequence minimizes backtracking: Woodland → Snowfield → Outskirt → Dueling Peaks.
Step 1: Initiate Quest Chain
Head to Lucky Clover Gazette (-3256, 1764, 0119) below Rito Village, talk to Traysi and Penn to start “Potential Princess Sightings!” Fast travel to Eldin Canyon Skyview Tower or Ekochiu Shrine, then go to Woodland Stable (1058, 1128, 0022).
Step 2: Unlock Tera (Woodland)
Repair the Stable Trotters’ broken wagon with Ultrahand (nearby parts), buy Towing Harness (3 Pony Points), hitch a wild horse (not Epona), and tow uphill to Tera’s fountain (0920, 1361, 0093). Music plays to awaken her.
Step 3: Unlock Mija (Snowfield)
Talk to Mastro at Woodland, fast travel to Orochium Shrine (-1619, 3133, 0218), reach Snowfield Stable (-1404, 2816, 0235). Find missing hornist Eustus nearby (-3649, 0768, 0117), repair wagon with roof (wooden boards), tow to Mija (-1461, 2995, 0305).
Step 4: Unlock Kaysa (Outskirt)
Return to prior stable’s Mastro, go to Highland Stable (Faron region) for Pyper (needs 10x Sunset Fireflies at night), escort stable worker Haite to tree, then tow upgraded wagon from Outskirt Stable (-1555, -1237, 0085, near Tsutsu-um Shrine) to Kaysa.
Step 5: Unlock Cotera (Dueling Peaks)
Final stop: Dueling Peaks Stable southeast of Lookout Landing (1766, -2172, 0013, near Eshos Shrine). Find drummer Beetz, tow final wagon setup over terrain to Cotera. All fairies now enable level 4 upgrades everywhere.
