'BotW' "Trial of the Sword" Final Trials: 3 tips to beat the 'Zelda: Breath of the Wild' DLC

Impact

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild downloadable content introduces “Trial of the Sword,” a series of increasingly difficult challenges that only get tougher in the final trials. When you’re not lamenting over the fact that you don’t have all your armor, you’re probably getting smacked in the back by a deadly Bokoblin — and don’t get us started about all the times we’ve accidentally bombed ourselves in “Trials of the Sword.”

If you’ve reached the “Trial of the Sword” final trials in the new Zelda DLC you’re almost at the end, but it’s about to get really tough. Take note of these tips and finish the fight properly.

BotW “Trial of the Sword” Final Trials: Temporary hearts and stat boosts are your friends

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Right before entering the final trials in “Trial of the Sword,” the game will provide you with a checkpoint. This means you can exit the trials and head back to the real world before starting. It’s here you can make use of all that food you’ve collected.

Using food that gets you yellow hearts and increases your attack, defense or stealth will carry over into the trials. This means foods like the heart mushroom skewer or hearty steamed meat, which give you hearts beyond your regular heart containers, will provide you with extra defense in the trials. Other edibles like the mighty crab risotto or tough steamed meat grant you attack and defense bonuses you can bring with you to battle in the final trials.

BotW “Trial of the Sword” Final Trials: There are multiple ways to scan for chests

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You don’t want to miss out on chests in the finals trials, or at any point during the “Trial of the Sword.” They typically lead to rare items or just a restock of your arrows. How do you scan the room for items, you ask? The answer lies within your Sheikah Slate.

The obvious answer is to use magnesis or stasis to scan the room for objects. Along with metal crates and metal weapons that have sunken underwater, both abilities can be used to see nearby chests. Stasis, in the above picture, shows a chest far off in the distance.

Taking things a step further, you can set your Sheikah Slate to scan for chests. That way, when there’s one close by, it will alert you.

BotW “Trial of the Sword” Final Trials: Wood is food?

Xavier Harding/Mic

That’s right, and trees are your new best friend.

Every once in a while you’ll come across a rest floor that offers a cooking pot, some chests and a fairy that we’re never quite able to grab (side-eye). Collect wood from trees every chance you get because they can be cooked into rock-hard food. The food heals a quarter of a heart, which is not much but is better than nothing. Use bombs to fell trees without wasting any of your items. Rock-hard food doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but, depending on the outcome, could taste like sweet, sweet victory.

Check out more Zelda: Breath of the Wild tips, tricks and guides

Find out all there is to know about Zelda: Breath of the Wild, including what to expect from the Wii U version, how to preserve your items, how to beat bosses like the Stone Talus and Lynel, the best recipes for Link and how to take on the game’s shrines. You’ll also want to find out where all the great fairies in the game and how to use amiibo with your version of Zelda.