This page details how to complete the Trail of the Master Sword main story quest, including information on how to get through the Lost Woods, how to cure the Deku Tree and how to obtain the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

How to Start Trail of the Master Sword¶

You can opt to head to Korok Forest at any point in the game to retrieve the Master Sword but you’ll first be prompted to go there after speaking with Mineru after completing the Spirit Temple.

Whilst you can go to Korok Forest without speaking with Mineru first, there are a couple of things to know before you go charging in. Firstly, to obtain the Master Sword you’ll need two full stamina wheels, meaning you’ll need to complete a ton of shrines and upgrade your stamina.

Secondly, before you can even find out the location of the Master Sword, you’ll need to fight some Gloom Hands and a Phantom Ganon - this is no easy feat and is definitely not recommended to early game players. So, we recommend at least getting the necessary stamina and upgrading your gear a bit before embarking on this quest!

How to Reach the Deku Tree in Korok Forest¶

In Breath of the Wild, you entered the Lost Woods by following the brazier smoke through the fog to reach Korok Forest. However, this won’t work in Tears of the Kingdom. If you attempt to walk into the fog towards the Lost Woods, you’ll immediately get transported back out again.

The way to reach the center of the Lost Woods is via the Depths. You’ll want to begin from the Woodland Stable, following the path that heads north towards the Lost Woods and Korok Forest. Along the way you’ll come across Minshi Woods Chasm. You want to drop down into this chasm to the Depths.

From this way point, head northwest towards an area called Korok Grove - there’ll be some Gloom Hands along the way and you can deal with those however you like. Near Rikonasum Lightroot (Map Marker) you’ll find a large pillar column going up into the air. Use Ascend beneath it to head up into Korok Forest!

How to Cure the Deku Tree¶

When you arrive at the Deku Tree in the Lost Woods, you’ll find that none of the Koroks are responding and the Deku Tree is very sick. To cure the Deku Tree and learn the information about the Master Sword, you’ll need to rid the Lost Woods of the Gloom - which is certainly easier said than done!

Firstly, head into the room at the base of the Deku Tree. You can stop here to make some food at the cooking pot in the middle of the room. And once you’re ready, head to the back of the room and drop down the Deku Tree Chasm into the Depths below.

When you drop down, you’ll find a small room where you’ll need to beat some Gloom Hands and a Phantom Ganon (spawns afterwards)!

How to Beat Gloom Hands¶

You’ve probably encountered Gloom Hands before if you’ve been to the Depths, and most players will likely want to run away from them or avoid them at all costs as they’re definitely one of the most terrifying things to witness in this game!

Unfortunately, if you want to help the Deku Tree and the Koroks of Korok Forest, you’re finally gonna have to face your fears and beat up some Gloom Hands!

One of the best and easiest ways to deal with Gloom Hands is with bomb arrows. It also helps a lot if you have at least one or two of the Sages equipped so they can take some aggro from the Gloom Hands. Riju is especially useful because her lightning field ability can also do big damage!

In this small-ish chasm room beneath the Deku tree you might find it quite tricky to maneuver and dodge the Gloom Hands, but Bomb Flowers can also temporarily incapacitate the Gloom Hands. Unless you have some Gloom Resistance we don’t really recommend getting up close to them with your melee weapons. For more information on Gloom Resistance and how to prevent Gloom damage, head over to our guide on how to deal with Gloom!

How to Beat Phantom Ganon¶

The worst part about Gloom Hands is that they spawn a Phantom Ganon mini boss fight after they die…I mean talk about unfair!

Phantom Ganon packs a big punch and will do a lot of damage with his long bladed weapon. The weapon is so big it might as well be a ranged weapon as he can hit you from miles away. Again, we recommend using ranged weapons against Phantom Ganon, and using Bomb Flowers to chunk his health as much as possible.

He will frequently charge and spin attack against you so you’ll constantly need your wits about you and dodge his attacks either by side stepping or by running away (we like the latter option best!). You’ll want to make sure you have plenty of food going into this fight, as you don’t want to leave yourself vulnerable to getting killed if you’re half health.

This is definitely a slow and steady meets the race kinda fight if you’re a bit underlevelled. Don’t get too greedy and just keep your distance and whittle him down using your bow and arrow and any fun and powerful fuses you might have!

How to Speak with the Deku Tree¶

Once you’ve fought off the Phantom Ganon, Koroks will descend from the chasm above to speak with the Deku Tree. You can do this by fast traveling to a shrine on the surface - the nearest one is Musanokir Shrine (Map Marker). Then, speak with Chio the Korok near the base of the Deku Tree, who will tell you to head up the roots of the big Deku Tree to interact with Deku.

He’ll tell you about where to find the Master Sword - head over to our guide on how to complete the next quest Recovering the Hero’s Sword!