Got amiibo collecting dust on a shelf? Breath of the Wild turns them into loot. Scanning one drops materials, weapons and treasure chests out of the sky, and a handful of figures unlock gear you can’t get any other way, including Epona, Wolf Link, the Fierce Deity set and the Champions’ Divine Helms. Here’s the full breakdown of how amiibo work, what each figure gives, and how to get the rare stuff faster.
How to Turn On the amiibo Rune
The amiibo Rune is switched off by default, so this trips up a lot of players. Here’s how to set it up:
- Enable it: open the System menu, go to Options and set amiibo to on.
- Unlock it: the Rune becomes usable once you’ve completed your first shrine on the Great Plateau.
- Aim it: pick the amiibo Rune from your Rune wheel, then move the target cursor to a flat, open spot in front of Link.
- Scan: tap the figure on your controller’s NFC reader. Items, chests and sometimes a horse or wolf drop at the cursor.
(Pro tip: the Rune won’t work inside shrines, during the Eventide Island trial or in the Trial of the Sword, and a low ceiling over the target spot will block it too.)
The Rules Behind the Loot
Most figures can only be scanned once per day. Every scan follows the same structure:
- Common drops: a guaranteed pile of materials such as meat, fish or arrows, depending on the figure.
- Small bonus drops: extra items that each have a 20% chance to appear.
- The chest: Zelda-series figures drop a chest. It holds a standard reward 80% of the time and a rare reward 20% of the time.
- Pity system: get four standard chests in a row from the same figure and the fifth scan is guaranteed to be a rare one.
- Max bonuses: weapons from amiibo chests always roll the top value for their bonus, so they beat most chest weapons you find in the world.
- No duplicate armor: once you own a piece of an amiibo armor set, it can’t drop again until you finish the full set.
Chest quality also scales with progress. Better weapons enter the pool once you have the Paraglider, and the best table unlocks after you free your first Divine Beast. Your best bet is to save serious amiibo grinding until then.
Every Exclusive amiibo Reward
These are the items you can only get from amiibo in Breath of the Wild:
| amiibo | Exclusive reward |
|---|---|
| Link (Super Smash Bros.) or Link (Twilight Princess) | Epona on the first scan of a save, then Cap, Tunic and Trousers of Twilight |
| Wolf Link | Wolf Link as a companion |
| Link (Ocarina of Time) | Cap, Tunic and Trousers of Time, plus Biggoron’s Sword |
| Link (Majora’s Mask) | Fierce Deity Mask, Armor, Boots and Sword |
| Link (The Legend of Zelda, 8-bit) | Cap, Tunic and Trousers of the Hero |
| Link (Skyward Sword) | Cap, Tunic and Trousers of the Sky (the Goddess Sword can also drop) |
| Toon Link (The Wind Waker or Smash) | Cap, Tunic and Trousers of the Wind, plus the Sea-Breeze Boomerang |
| Zelda (Super Smash Bros.) | Twilight Bow |
| Sheik (Super Smash Bros.) | Sheik’s Mask |
| Ganondorf (Super Smash Bros.) | Sword of the Six Sages |
| Link (Rider) | Traveler’s Bridle and Traveler’s Saddle |
| Mipha, Daruk, Revali, Urbosa | Vah Ruta, Vah Rudania, Vah Medoh and Vah Naboris Divine Helms |
Epona
Scan a Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link figure for the first time on a save and Epona appears instead of the usual loot. Ride her to a stable and register her right away. She keeps her name, and she’s one of the best horses in the game.
Wolf Link
The Wolf Link figure summons him as a companion who hunts and fights alongside you. His hearts come from Twilight Princess HD Cave of Shadows data saved on the figure (up to 20), or three hearts without it. He can’t follow you into towns, and if he falls you can scan him again the next day.
The Champions’ Divine Helms
Each Champion figure can drop its Divine Helm. Once you’ve freed at least one Divine Beast, any rare chest from a Champion figure is guaranteed to be that helm until you own it. Champion amiibo support arrived in version 1.3.3 back in November 2017.
Other Figures and Cards
- Breath of the Wild series: Link (Archer) leans toward bows, Guardian gives Ancient parts and arrows, Bokoblin gives Dragonbone Boko gear, and Zelda gives shields like the Radiant Shield.
- Tears of the Kingdom figures: they came out years after Breath of the Wild, so they have no special reward table here. Treat them like any non-Zelda figure and expect a small batch of materials; save them for Tears of the Kingdom, where their exclusive gear lives.
- Non-Zelda amiibo: any other figure or card still drops a small batch of materials. Free food is free food.
Nintendo Switch 2 Edition and Zelda Notes
Playing the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition? The Zelda Notes feature in the free Nintendo Switch app has its own amiibo option for in-game items. Nintendo says that after you scan an amiibo five times, you get a bonus second scan of that figure the same day. Oh, and no Nintendo Switch Online membership is needed.
BOTW amiibo FAQ
How do I get Epona in Breath of the Wild?
Scan a Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link amiibo for the first time on your save. Epona appears instead of loot, so register her at a stable.
Which amiibo gives the Twilight Bow?
The Super Smash Bros. Zelda amiibo. It’s a rare chest reward, so it may take several daily scans.
How often can you scan amiibo in BOTW?
Most figures work once per day each. In the Switch 2 Edition, Zelda Notes adds a bonus second daily scan after five scans of the same figure.
Do non-Zelda amiibo work in Breath of the Wild?
Yes. Any amiibo figure or card drops some materials, but only Zelda-series figures drop chests and exclusive gear.
Nailed it? Turn the Rune on, free a Divine Beast, then rotate your Zelda figures daily and let the pity system do its thing. Need ingredients to cook with all that loot? Check out our BOTW recipe guide, and if you’re deciding between games, read which Zelda to play first.
