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How to upgrade armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

Enhance the defensive capabilities of your armor!

Knowing how to upgrade armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will help raise Link’s defence and, in doing so, keeps him alive during difficult battles.

Before you can start upgrading armor in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, however, you first need to visit the Great Fairies and ensure they’re ready to help you. If not, you’ll have a lot of low-level armor.

Below we’ll explain how to upgrade your armor in Tears of the Kingdom, so that you can take on stronger foes.

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10 Things We Wish We Knew Before Starting The Legend of Zelda Tears of the KingdomWatch on YouTube

If you’d like to learn more about Link’s quest, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

How to upgrade armor in Tears of the Kingdom

To upgrade you armor, you'll first need to unlock one of the Giant Fairy Fountains and, following that, pay it Rupees and material for each upgrade.

Depending on the item you're looking to upgrade, the amount of Rupees and material needed will vary. For example, the first upgrade for the Snowquill Headdress costs just three Red Chuchu Jellies and 10 Rupees, but for its final upgrade, you're looking at needing five Rubies, five Fire-Breath Lizalfos Horns, 10 Fire-Breath Lizalfos Tails and 500 Rupees.

The cost can be worth it sometimes though, fully upgrading the Snowquill Headdress increases its defence from three to 20.

It's worth noting though, that not every piece of armor can be upgraded. For example, the starter clothing that you got in the Great Sky Island can’t be enhanced.

How to access all upgrades in Tears of the Kingdom

You'll notice at first that, even if you have all the needed materials, you can only access the first tier of upgrades.

A group of musicians surround a large, spiky plant bud which is where a Great Fairy will spring from in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Image credit: Nintendo

To gain access to higher-tier upgrades, you're going to have to unlock all the Great Fairy Fountains first. There are four of them in total, and with each one you unlock, you gain access to another tier of upgrades. So if you’ve unlocked two fountain, you can upgrade your gear a maximum of two times, but you won't be able to upgrade any further until you've unlocked another fountain.

Have fun upgrading your armor, and if you need more defensive help in Hyrule, don't forget to check-out our list of all Tears of the Kingdom armor sets!

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