Age of Calamity: Your Guide To Making An Overpowered Master Sword

Although the Master Sword hasn’t always been a fixture in The Legend of Zelda, A Link to the Past immediately made a piece of iconography comparable to the Triforce. By Ocarina of Time, the Master Sword became the series’ logo along with the Hylian Shield. Games like Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild have only highlighted the Master Sword’s importance, with Age of Calamity being the latest Zelda to honor it.

Age of Calamity props up the Master Sword more than ever, making it Link’s de facto ultimate weapon narratively and through gameplay. While players might find other weapons that seemingly outclass the legendary blade, a fully upgraded Master Sword cuts through everything in its path with minimal resistance.

Updated December 17, 2021, by Belle Huston: Heroes are not born, they're made! Of course, the help of a reliable Master Sword doesn't hurt. Here, we've updated the article to help you understand the best way to improve your very own personal Master Sword.

Step 1: Unlock The Master Sword (AKA The "Blade Of Evil’s Bane")

The first step to overpowering the Master Sword is actually unlocking the Master Sword.

Unlike in Breath of the Wild where the Blade of Evil’s Bane was completely optional, Age of Calamity gives Link the Master Sword as part of the main story.

Simply defeat Astor at the end of Freeing Korok Forest – the first mission of Chapter 3 – and Link will pull the Master Sword from its pedestal before the battle’s end.

Step 2: Grind The Sword To Level 20

Once the Master Sword has been obtained, the next step is leveling the blade up to its (first) cap of 20.

Head to the Hyrule Blacksmith.
Fuse weapons into the Master Sword in order to level it up.
Repeat until you've got enough equipment for it to reach level 20.

In doing this, the Master Sword will eventually have Seals attached to it which carry their own unique side effects. There's no point in trying to be particular about the seals that the Master Sword is getting because,

so early in the game, it’s unlikely players will get the Seals they want (or even need) to make the Master Sword optimal. It’s possible to remove any Seals down the line so prioritize getting the Master Sword to its max level before worrying about what to equip it with.

Step 3: Attach 'Damage Per 100 KOs' Seal

Now for the worrying. Seals don’t really matter on one-off weapons that’ll just become fusion fodder and unwanted Seals can be easily removed, but it’s important to equip the right Seals on the Master Sword. Not every buff will benefit the weapon to its fullest and some are downright useless.

The first Seal most players will want to equip ASAP is 'Damage Per 100 KOs.' For every 100 enemies you kill with Link, you'll get a buff to your damage.

Age of Calamity’s battles are long and they only get longer, so it pays to have a Seal that buffs the Master Sword's damage. The increase makes a noticeable difference, especially on huge maps.

Step 4: Increase The Level Cap To 25

Level 20 is the first of three level caps for weapons in Age of Calamity. The other two caps unlocked through side missions. Completing A Monumental Undertaking allows players to level up their weapons to 25. To finish the mission, simply turn in...

3 Luminous Stones
30 Moblin Fangs
5 Lynel Horns
20 Moblin Trophies
1 Stone Talus Trophy

A Monumental Undertaking is unlocked after finishing Relentless as a Waterfall at the very start of Chapter 6.

Step 5: Attach 'Attack Speed' Seal

Link is the most well-rounded character in Age of Calamity and his One-Handed Weapons stand out as some of the strongest in the game – with the Master Sword no exception.

An easily overlooked Seal is Attack Speed, which speeds up how quickly characters attack. This is especially useful for locking enemies into combos: the faster Link can attack, the more he can interrupt his opponents. Attack Speed on a fully upgraded Master Sword makes for a ferociously overpowered weapon.

Step 6: Unlock Lv 30 Weapons

Unfortunately, the final level cap can’t be unlocked until after finishing Age of Calamity’s last story mission: The Future of Hyrule.

Players can level their weapons up to 30 after completing The Legendary Blacksmith in the post-game. To finish The Legendary Blacksmith, exchange...

4 Hinox Trophies
1 Stone Talus Trophy
4 Lynel Trophies
1 Molduga Trophy
2 Ethereal Stones

Considering The Legendary Blacksmith is only available in the post-game, there are no shortage of missions to grind Trophies off of.

Step 7: Max Out The Master Sword At Level 30

Once A Monumental Undertaking and The Legendary Blacksmith have both been completed, all weapons in Age of Calamity will be able to be raised to their true max level of 30. The extra 10 levels between 20 and 30 make a notable difference, especially for the Master Sword.

A fully maxed out Master Sword not only has access to the Sword Beam, but the potential to turn it into a long range killing machine. Worth keeping in mind that Link will inevitably find stronger weapons than the Master Sword in the post-game, but the Blade of Evil’s Blade side effects are too unique to ignore.

Step 8: Attach 'Damage At Full Hearts' Seal

'Damage At Full Hearts' is a must-have Seal for the Master Sword. Link players should avoid taking damage as much as possible, since the Sword Beam is only accessed at full health. Paired with the 'Damage At Full Hearts' Seal, the sheer amount of slaughter tied to the Sword Beam becomes staggering. They were made for each other!

Link will be able to drop most foes before he even reaches them, slicing through most maps like butter. While Link does have weapons with higher stats, only the Master Sword lets him unleash non-stop carnage over Hyrule.

Bonus Tips For An Extra Kick

Level Up Link

Some of the playable characters from Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity

Age of Calamity doesn’t have an absurdly high level cap for player characters (yet), capping out at a reasonable Level 100. Once the Master Sword has reached its max level of 30, it’s time to level up Link to his max of 100.

Since most players will have likely used Link during their playthrough, this shouldn’t be a particularly difficult task. For those that need to grind, however, you can...

Cook any recipe that increases earned EXP
Finish off leftover side missions as Link
Replay Blood Moon missions

... until you hit level 100.

Cook Before Every Meal

On that note, make sure to cook. The real key to success in Age of Calamity is unlocking recipes and always having a steady stock of ingredients on hand. A fully maxed out Link with an equally maxed out Master Sword becomes even more overpowered when they’ve eaten before battle.

Recipes like...