While it's entirely possible to beat Breath of the Wild without ever setting eyes on the Master Sword, true Zelda fans will undoubtedly seek out the weapon as soon as they can. The main quest won't lead you to its location, so you'll have to go out of your way to add it to your arsenal. It'll take a bit of planning but acquiring the beloved Master Sword is a worthwhile task.
Although you can locate the Master Sword shortly after starting the game, only after gaining some experience can you wield the legendary weapon. It's located in the Lost Woods, just southeast of Great Hyrule Forest. However, navigating to its location isn't as simple as just waltzing through the forest. The Lost Woods is an elaborate maze — take one wrong turn and you'll find yourself back at the entrance.
To successfully get through the Lost Wood, you'll need to bring a torch with you. When equipped, you should notice embers blowing in the wind. Just follow the direction they are blowing — stopping every now and then to check the direction of the embers — and you'll eventually reach The Great Deku Tree.
This is where you will finally lay eyes upon the Master Sword. However, only those who are strong enough can take hold of its hilt — players with less than 13 heart containers won't survive the attempt to free it from its stone encasement. As Link attempts to free the sword his health will slowly drain, stopping once it has been pulled from its resting place. Unless you've got enough heart containers, you won't survive the ordeal. Note, these need to be 13 "real" heart containers, and buffing Link with food to reach 13 hearts won't work.
Once you've acquired enough heart containers and have navigated the Lost Woods, the Master Sword is all yours. As the only weapon in the game that is unbreakable — not including the Lightscale Trident — it’s a great item to have by your side. Although it doesn't break, it does need to recharge occasionally, so you'll still want to bring other weapons into combat.
The Master Sword deals extra damage to enemies affected by the Calamity — including Ganon — but has a base damage rating of 30. Players can upgrade the Master Sword by taking on the Trial of the Sword challenge. There are three tiers of challenges, each one increasing the sword's power by 10. This content is only available to those who have purchased The Master Trials DLC pack, but is a great way to make the best weapon even better.
Players will have to put in a lot of work to get the Master Sword. Acquiring 13 hearts is bound to take some time, as this will probably require the completion of over 35 Shrines. By the time you're ready to use the Master Sword, you'll be fighting like the Hero of Time.
There are a lot of secrets to uncover throughout the land of Hyrule and — as odd as it sounds — the Master Sword is one of them. Though it's not part of the main quest, this only makes it more exciting when you're finally able to use it.