Both the Nintendo Switch and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild come with support for Nintendo’s full range of amiibo figurines. There’s even a special range of Breath of the Wild amiibo that can get you some very special in-game items if you have them available to tap in.
However, the game never tells you how to use the amiibo or what tapping in each amiibo actually gets you. In fact, the option to use amiibo is actually turned on by default. To turn the functionality on, you need to go to the plus menu, go all the way to the far right and selection Options. Amiibo is the very first option, so just flick that option to “use amiibo” and you’re good to go.
Amiibo now act as a kind of rune, so you can press up on the D-Pad to access it (along with your bombs, magnesis and other Sheikah Slate runes). Activating the amiibo rune brings up a reticule on the ground, so make sure you’re on a flat surface away from wind and cliffs before you start spawning stuff in.
Also, you can only use the amiibo rune once per day, which means you can use Toon Link once and then Archer Link once. It’s one single amiibo tap-in per day, so choose wisely if you’re rocking a massive collection.
Here’s what all the Breath of the Wild amiibo and all the others actually do in the new Legend of Zelda:
Smash Bros Link
Probably the best Breath of the Wild amiibo match up apart from Wolf Link, Smash Bros. Link actually gets you legendary horse Epona spawned right next to you. You can even register her at any nearby stable and she has maximum health, stamina and other stats. On any subsequent taps, you’ll get food items and a chest containing either a piece of Twilight Princess costume or a random weapon.
Twilight Princess Wolf Link
Wolf Link is one of the best amiibo to use in Breath of the Wild as it actually spawns Wolf Link as an ally to fight alongside you in the game. How many hearts Wolf Link has in Breath of the Wild will be determined by data you’ve saved to the amiibo in Twilight Princess HD for Wii U.
Ocarina of Time Link
Prices for this iconic Link in amiibo form have absolutely skyrocketed since the launch of Breath of the Wild and that’s because tapping this guy has the potential of getting you a piece of Link’s costume from the Ocarina of Time era. It also could drop the biggoron sword or other basic weapons.
Breath of the Wild Archer Link
As the name suggests, the item drop you get with the Archer Link amiibo is archery themed. Rewards will include rare bows, along with food and other materials.
Breath of the Wild Rider Link
If you’re wondering how to give you horse different saddles, one of the best ways is to tap in the Rider Link. You’re going to nab yourself a unique horse saddle, food and potentially some high-end weapons too.
Breath of the Wild Zelda
Tapping in the Breath of the Wild Zelda amiibo is the only way to get yourself the incredibly rare Hylian Shield, which also happens to be the best shield in the game. This Zelda amiibo will also drop in plants for you to cook with.
Breath of the Wild Guardian
The Guardian isn’t just the biggest Breath of Wild amiibo, it’s also the biggest ever. But thankfully, it’s as useful as it is large. Tapping this leggy fellow in will get you a chest full of rare weapons and items, and potentially powerful ancient arrows and food too.
Breath of the Wild Bokoblin
Just as you’d expect from Bokoblin, tapping this amiibo in gets you some high-power club weapons and some meat for cooking with.
8-Bit Link
8-Bit Link takes the item drop a little bit old school. He’ll spawn a selection of barrels that you can smash to reveal food and rupees, along with some weapons. Tapping this one in may also drop a chest containing a piece of the classic Link tunic.
Wind Waker Toon Link
Both the Smash Bros Toon Link of the official Wind Waker Toon Link amiibo work in the same way. They both drop a bunch of fish along with a chest contained a piece of the Wind Waker armour, the sea-breeze boomerang or other more common gear.
Wind Waker Zelda
Tapping in the Wind Waker Zelda gets you some plants to add to your Breath of the Wild recipes and a shield. If you’re incredibly lucky, there’s a very slim chance of the Hero’s Shield from Wind Waker turning up too.
Smash Bros Zelda
If you’ve got all the luck, tapping in the Smash Bros. Zelda will get you the Twilight Bow from Twilight Princess, which is the best bow in the game by a mile. Otherwise, you should expect cooking materials and potentially rare shields and bows to drop too.
Smash Bros Sheik
If you want some Sheikah weapons in Breath of the Wild, then you can tap in the Smash Bros Sheik to drop some as well as some other random materials. It’s extremely rare, but apparently, Sheik can also drop his mask armour headpiece.
Smash Bros Ganondorf
Unlike he did in Twilight Princess HD, Ganondorf’s presence in Breath of the Wild is limited to dropping a selection of cooking materials and a chest full of rare weapons. Apparently, he can also drop the amiibo-exclusive sword of the six sages.
Any other amiibo
If you don’t have any of the Legend of Zelda themed amiibo, you can tap in any of the characters from the full amiibo range to get a special treat. Instead of giving you specific items, you’ll get a random selection of materials from food to loot or even a gemstone.
Breath of the Wild is available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Wii U.