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 perhaps the most special of its kind. There are several dragons on the map, but while most of them navigate through specific regions, it constantly circles the entire sky of Hyrule.

Besides some useful materials if you manage to get close to it, the Light Dragon is perhaps the most important, as it’s where you’ll find the Master Sword, Link’s iconic weapon. This guide explains where to find the Light Dragon Zelda: Tears of the Kingdomso 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 several ways to find the Light Dragon. If you’ve concentrated on the main story, you can check out the Master Swords location by finding all 12 Dragon Tear memory locations. That method requires a lot of legwork, but luckily there are other less time-consuming ways.

One is to get through the Lost Woods and reach the Korok Forest. Once there, you must help the Deku Tree by defeating Gloom Hands and Phantom Ganon. Come out victorious and after speaking to the Deku Tree you will be able to access the main quest “Recovering the Hero’s Sword”.

This is the quest for the Master Sword, and luckily 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 can always see where the dragon is, which is a big help.

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

The other way, plain and simple, is to encounter the dragon as you wander around the map. It is not required to have the related quest to find it.

That said, it’s recommended that you complete the Korok Forest quest, as it means the Light Dragon will fly lower to the ground. As such, you can get there by using a nearby Skyview tower to lift Link to the sky. Until you complete the quest, there is a chance that the dragon will fly at the same height as, say, the Sky Islands, which will make the task significantly more difficult.

How to Jump on the Light Dragon

Unlike in Breath of the WildLink can ride on the back of dragons Tears of the Kingdom. This is done simply by landing on their body from where you can easily go on top of them. (For dragons that have a specific element, it’s wise to have the right elemental resistance. You don’t need such resistance for the Light Dragon.)

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

If you see the dragon in the wild, either by chance or because you have the quest marker active, I suggest you make a quick trip to the nearest Skyview tower. Taking this shortcut does not affect the dragon’s position, resulting in a great method of getting closer. Then activate the tower to lift Link into the air and paraglide towards the Light Dragon.

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

In case nearby towers are quite far from the dragon you are trying to reach, you can always try to go to a Sky Island. If you happen to see celestial stones falling to the ground, use your To remind skill and jump on it to gain height. Then you can jump off the island and take out your paraglider to get close to the dragon.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

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

Once you’ve reached the back of the Light Dragon, the next step is to get the Master Sword out. Visit our dedicated Master Sword page for a step-by-step breakdown of how to do this.

Light Dragon Materials List and Best Farming Practice

Related to the rest of the dragons in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the Light Dragon has a number of possible materials you can obtain. What you get depends on which part of his body you attack with a melee or ranged weapon.

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 quills. There are about eight at a time.
• Light Dragon Scale: Obtained by hitting the dragon anywhere on its body – other than its mouth, feet, or horns – with a melee or a ranged weapon.
• Shard of Light Dragon’s Fang: Obtained by hitting the dragon’s mouth.
• Light dragon claw: Obtained by hitting one of the dragon’s legs.
• Light Dragon Horn: Obtained by hitting the dragon’s horns with a melee or a ranged weapon.

Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon

As with other dragons, you can only get one material from the Light Dragon at a time. After doing this, the glow around his body will disappear. It takes 10 minutes before materials fall again. After that time has passed, the glow will return to his body, indicating that you can grab another one again. Please note that pausing the game in any form will stop this hidden timer.

Grabbing a shard of Light Dragon’s Spike, Light Dragon’s Scale, or Light Dragon’s Horn is quite easy. You just need to stay on top of the dragon and either grab the item (in the case of a shard or a nail) 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 should aim at its mouth. I recommend going to his head, dropping into the air and immediately aiming your bow so you can slow down time. Then aim at the dragon’s mouth and the item will fall. It stays in place for a few seconds – if you don’t pick it up on the spot, it will just fall to the floor. You can then skydive and pick it up in the air, or grab it as soon as it hits the ground. (The Glider Armor set can help with this.)

A similar method applies to obtaining the Light dragon claw. You can drop off the dragon’s back and use your paraglider to stay afloat, as the dragon always has wind currents around to help. I recommend attacking the legs from the front and getting as close as possible as there is a chance the arrow will hit the body instead. It’s by far the trickiest body part to farm, but it’s just 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 let the game idle for 10 minutes. The only dangers of this are getting attacked by an Aerocuda, or going through an electrical storm, which can leave Link vulnerable to lightning if he’s carrying metal weapons, shields, or bows.

The alternative is to note the Light Dragon’s location on your map and go elsewhere. After the 10 minutes are up, go to the nearest Skyview tower and jump back on. Rinse and repeat. As mentioned, the dragon’s movement is quite slow, which should hopefully make it easier. But if you can, let Link rest on top of the creature for a while, and you’ll get about six materials per hour.