Hidden deep beneath Hyrule Castle lies one of the game’s most prized treasures-the legendary Hylian Shield. This guide reveals exactly where to find it and how to claim it before the monsters guarding it send you back to the surface.
It’s possible to grab it as soon as you dive from the Great Sky Island to the surface of Hyrule, but you’ll still run into some powerful adversaries (like Gloom Hands) on the way, if you’re not careful. Read on to find out where to find the Hylian Shield and how to get there.
Hylian Shield location in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The Hylian Shield is found in the Hyrule Castle Docks beneath the floating castle, in a chest located on the upper platform of the cavern-like dock area. You can reach the docks by following the northern moat around Hyrule Castle and entering the small cave along the water, or by sailing from the prison-side dock on the western island and hugging the castle’s north wall until you see the dock entrance. The exact coordinates for the chest are (-0161, 1159, 0037), just north of Lookout Landing on the surface map, so set a pin there to guide your approach.
The Hylian Shield can be found at the docks under Hyrule Castle at the coordinates (-0161, 1159, 0037).
Before setting off on your journey, you’ll also need some method of starting a fire. It can be a fire fruit, a Red Chuchu jelly, a torch, or any fire-starting method you know of – just make sure to bring at least one.
We also recommend you prepare a few materials if you intend on fighting. If you don’t intend on defeating any enemies and beelining it to the Hylian Shield, feel free to skip to the next section. Here are a few recommended materials to bring along the trek:
- 8 to 10 bomb flowers (or AOE Fuse materials such as Chuchu jellies and Like Like materials)
- 8 to 10 arrows
- Powerful Fuse weapons and shields
- Sundelion dishes or gloom resistance equipment
How to get the Hylian Shield in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Head to Hyrule Castle Docks at coordinates (-0161, 1159, 0037), reachable early after unlocking Lookout Landing Skyview Tower. Launch from the tower, glide north to castle grounds, then navigate northeast around the exterior, past gloom puddles and monsters without engaging them. Enter the docks cave from the water’s northwest opening, climb stairs to the highest platform, light four torches with a fire source like Fire Fruit to reveal the chest containing the Hylian Shield.
To enter the docks under Hyrule Castle, you’ll need a boat of some sort. If you have Autobuild, you can create a boat you have saved or use your Zonai devices to build one from scratch. You’ll need a steering stick to properly control your vehicle because the current will push you away from the dock’s entrance.
If you don’t have any materials, there is a prefabricated boat on the western side of the Hyrule Castle Moat. This premade boat isn’t equipped with a steering stick or any fans, by the way, so you’ll need to control it the old fashioned way: using the boat’s sail and a Korok-Frond guster. (If you don’t have a Korok-Frond guster, you can create one by Fusing a Korok-Frond and a tree branch together. And if you dont have a Korok-Frond or a tree branch, you can find a few by chopping down trees to the southwest of the boat’s starting location.)
Steer your boat around the northwest portion of the Hyrule Castle Moat to find a dock and an opening in the wall. Ignore the outer docks, and drive your boat into the opening to find the docks under Hyrule Castle. Veer off to the left and hop onto the stone docks. Head up the stairs to find five Gloom Hands.
If you’re intending on fighting the enemies ahead, prepare yourself for battle. If not, then get ready to sprint! Before the five Gloom Hands begin to hunt you down, ready your bomb flower arrows and shoot it into the center of the five hands. We’ve found that it takes around six arrows to defeat all five Gloom Hands if you precisely hit the middle of all of them, but if they’re still alive, keep going until they’re all dead.
Afterward, a Phantom Ganon wielding a spear will appear. We recommend that you stick close to Phantom Ganon and strafe around him in a circle to avoid all of his attacks. Though, always remember, don’t get too greedy trying to get that extra hit in, and keep your shield up to block his damage.
After you’ve defeated Phantom Ganon (or run away to safety), continue up the stairs to find five lit braziers surrounding one large brazier. Light the center brazier on fire with any fire starting method you can think of. If you have leftover arrows, you can light one on fire by nocking an arrow and hovering it over one of the lit braziers. Then, shoot it into the center brazier to light it on fire and spawn a chest which has the Hylian Shield inside.
Can the Hylian Shield break?
The Hylian Shield is famously durable, but it isn’t completely indestructible. After taking a large amount of damage, it can break during combat, leaving you without its strong defensive power. If that happens, you can repurchase it from a special vendor who appears later in the game once you’ve completed certain conditions. This allows you to keep using the shield without having to worry about losing it forever.
Just like all of your gear in Tears of the Kingdom, the Hylian Shield will eventually break. Luckily, though, it’s easy to replace – if a little expensive.
How to replace the Hylian Shield
If your Hylian Shield breaks, you can buy a replacement from Cece’s Secret Shop in Hateno Village after completing her quest line. The shield is quite expensive, so make sure you’ve saved enough rupees beforehand. Once purchased, it’s automatically restored to full durability, giving you another chance to use one of the strongest shields in the game.
Yes, you can get the Hylian Shield again in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but you’ll need to complete a few quests before getting it back. Head over to Hateno Village and complete “The Mayoral Election” side adventure to unlock Cece’s shop. Cece will sell pieces of armor that you may have lost during your adventures around Hyrule. The only problem? To get the Hylian Shield back, you’ll need to pay 3,000 rupees.
Best route to Hyrule Castle Docks without combat
The safest no-combat route to Hyrule Castle Docks in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom uses the water approach from Castle Town Prison.
Water Raft Method
Start at Castle Town Prison on the western island near the floating castle. Find the northern dock with a raft, attach Zonai fans or fuse a Korok Leaf to a weapon for propulsion, and navigate through the moat cave into the docks without engaging enemies.
This path avoids surface foes and gloom by staying low on water; sneak past any minor bats if needed.
Sky Glide Alternative
Launch from Lookout Landing Skyview Tower, glide north over the chasm with stamina food/elixirs, and aim for the eastern chasm edge west of ramparts to spot a small cave opening leading down to docks.
Drop precisely to bypass guards; use ascend on walls if available early.
Inside Docks Stealth
Once inside, hug walls and climb platforms out of Gloom Hands’ reach to reach the chest at (-0161, 1159, 0037); ignore Phantom Ganon post-grab.
How to reach the north dock entrance step by step
The north dock entrance refers to the starting point for the water-based route to Hyrule Castle Docks from Castle Town Prison in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Step-by-Step Directions
Travel to Castle Town Prison, located on the western island beneath the floating Hyrule Castle (coordinates around 0100, 0900, -0050), accessible via nearby chasms or gliding from Central Hyrule.
Head to the northernmost dock in the prison area, where a basic raft spawns naturally on the water.
Fuse a Zonai fan (found nearby or crafted) to the raft’s back or attach a Korok Leaf to a stick for wind propulsion, then board and steer eastward through the moat toward the cave opening.
Navigation Tips
Stay low on the water to avoid detection by surface enemies like Yiga or Constructs; the cave leads directly into the Castle Docks without combat.
If no fans are available early-game, paddle manually or use arrows to push forward-stamina food helps for swimming if you capsize.
Once through the cave, dock and proceed stealthily upward to the Hylian Shield chest.
