Weaponsupporting

Gerudo Claymore

The Gerudo Claymore is a two-handed weapon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom that trades speed and durability for strong Fuse-based damage potential.

Importance

supporting

Damage

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom · weapon

Key Takeaways

The Gerudo Claymore is a heavy two-handed weapon whose value comes from how strongly it amplifies attached Fuse materials, not just from its unfused attack.

Heavy two-handed profile

It is a slower-swinging two-handed melee weapon, trading the quicker handling of one-handed weapons and spears for heavier attacks and a commitment to each swing.

Displayed base attack

The decayed weapon has a displayed base attack of 10 before Fuse effects or other combat conditions alter its performance.

Strong Fuse role

Its defining mechanic is Fuse: attached materials receive a substantial damage contribution, making material choice central to the weapon’s effectiveness.

Durability trade-off

That Fuse advantage comes with a practical limitation: the Gerudo Claymore generally offers less durability than some other weapons, so it may break sooner in extended use.

Two obtainable conditions

Players can encounter decayed Gerudo Claymores in the world and pristine versions in the Depths; these forms should be treated as separate weapon states rather than one universal stat line.

Compared with the Gerudo Scimitar

Compared with the Gerudo Scimitar, the Claymore prioritizes two-handed reach and heavier commitment, while the Scimitar provides a one-handed alternative with faster handling.

Overview

The Gerudo Claymore is a two-handed heavy weapon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its main distinction is its strong interaction with Fuse: attached materials contribute substantially to its offensive potential, making the claymore a deliberate, high-commitment choice for powerful melee combinations.

Unlike one-handed swords and spears, the Gerudo Claymore occupies the slower, heavier end of Link’s melee arsenal. Its broad swings require more commitment and give it a different combat rhythm from faster weapons, so it is better suited to deliberate attacks and openings than to constant rapid strikes. Its value is not defined by its unfused form alone.

The weapon is especially relevant because of the Gerudo weapon set’s Fuse-oriented design. A fused material can make a major contribution to the claymore’s damage, allowing the weapon to serve as a platform for strong combinations rather than merely as a source of its own base attack. This makes the choice of material an important part of using it effectively.

That offensive potential comes with a durability trade-off: the Gerudo Claymore generally offers less endurance than some other weapon options when used for fused combinations. It is therefore a weapon to use purposefully, particularly when a powerful hit or material effect matters more than extended routine use. The heavy moveset also rewards spacing and timing.

Gerudo Claymores appear in both decayed and pristine forms. The decayed form belongs to the surface-world weapon pool, while pristine versions can be found through the Depths’ weapon system; these are separate conditions rather than interchangeable cosmetic states. Within its broader family, the claymore contrasts with the Gerudo Scimitar, Gerudo Spear, and Gerudo Bow by emphasizing heavy two-handed attacks and Fuse-enhanced melee power.

Statistics

Attack and durability are the game’s own published values, not a 0–100 scale. Taken from the project’s verified weapons database, not from generated text.

Attack
10
Durability
10
Class
Two-Handed
Trait
Strong Fusion
Condition
Decayed
Compendium
#389

Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

Compared to similar melee weapons

Weapon	Attack	Durability	Class
Gerudo Claymore	10	10	Two-Handed
Mighty Zonaite Sword	10	18	One-Handed
Royal Broadsword	10	20	One-Handed
Cobble Crusher	9	18	Two-Handed
Giant Boomerang	11	18	Two-Handed

Attack and durability are the game’s own published values. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.

How to Obtain

Before you start

The pristine version requires the relevant decayed Gerudo Claymore to have been broken before that weapon can enter the corresponding pristine-weapon spawn pool.
No quest, boss, vendor, DLC, or NG+ prerequisite is established for the decayed world route.

01Search the Gerudo Desert and Gerudo Highlands for a decayed Gerudo Claymore in the overworld and in chests. The available route information does not establish one single guaranteed chest, vendor, quest reward, or boss drop, so do not treat a particular unidentified chest as mandatory.
02For a repeatable pristine version, search the Depths beneath the Gerudo region for a shadow soldier holding a pristine Gerudo Claymore. This route is separate from the decayed world weapon and uses the Depths' pristine-weapon spawn system.
03After obtaining a pristine Gerudo Claymore, return to the Gerudo-region Depths when you want another copy. The pristine route is repeatable rather than a one-per-playthrough reward.

Mechanics and Handling

The Gerudo Claymore uses the deliberate two-handed moveset: broad horizontal swings with substantial commitment between attacks. Its reach and arc can catch several nearby enemies, but the slower handling makes spacing more important than with a one-handed weapon or spear. It is most comfortable when Link has room to complete a swing rather than when surrounded at point-blank range.

Heavy swings and charged attacks

Normal attacks provide wide coverage in front of Link, while the heavy attack can be held for the claymore’s spinning charge sequence. The charge consumes stamina as it continues, so releasing it early can be preferable when an enemy is about to recover or counterattack. Jump attacks and the weapon’s heavy strike are useful for committing to a single opening, but neither removes the weapon’s slow recovery.

Strong Fusion and material damage

The Gerudo Claymore’s defining handling trait is Strong Fusion. When a material is attached, the trait increases that material’s contribution to the weapon’s attack power; it is conditional on the fusion and does not describe the unfused claymore. This makes high-value monster parts and other powerful fuse materials more meaningful on the claymore than on an ordinary weapon. The result depends on the material used, so the weapon should be evaluated together with its current fuse rather than by its base attack alone.

Durability and weapon state

Fusing also changes the weapon’s practical lifespan, but the decayed and pristine forms should not be treated as one durability state. A decayed Gerudo Claymore found on the surface and a pristine version obtained through the Depths use different underlying condition contexts. The weapon can still break during extended use, so its strong fusion trait is best spent on deliberate encounters instead of routine strikes. Once the weapon is equipped, Link cannot use a shield at the same time; switching weapons is required before blocking or parrying.

Upgrades and Variants

Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses

Strengths

Its two-handed heavy-weapon class gives a fused material a strong damage contribution, making the Gerudo Claymore more valuable as a platform for high-power Fuse combinations than as an unfused sidearm.
The broad claymore swings suit committed attacks against sturdy enemies, where a slower, heavier hit is easier to justify than repeated light strikes.
Both decayed and pristine forms are available, so the weapon can remain relevant when replacing an early-world pickup with a Depths-found version.

Weaknesses

Its heavy moveset is slower than one-handed swords and spears, leaving less room to recover if an attack misses or an enemy interrupts the swing.
The weapon occupies both hands, so Link cannot use a shield while it is equipped; this makes defensive play and shield-based Fuse setups less convenient.
Its lower typical durability makes repeated high-power Fuse combinations more maintenance-intensive than comparable weapons with better durability.

Best uses

Use it as a burst-damage platform by attaching a high-value Fuse material before challenging a powerful enemy or boss.
Choose it for deliberate heavy attacks against targets that give Link time to commit, rather than for fast reactions or constant mobility.
Prefer a pristine Depths version when replacing a worn decayed claymore, while treating the two forms as separate weapon states rather than interchangeable stat lines.

Compared With Similar Weapons

Compared With Similar Weapons
Weapon	Class or state	Defining trait	When it is the better fit
Gerudo Scimitar	Strong Fusion	Choose it when faster swings and one-handed handling matter more than the Claymore’s heavier commitment.	—
Royal Claymore	Improved Flurry Rush	A strong alternative for players who build their damage around Flurry Rush attacks rather than maximizing fused-material power.	—
Knight’s Claymore	Desperate Strength	Suited to a deliberately high-risk, low-health approach; the Gerudo Claymore is the more consistent fusion-focused choice.	—
Pristine Gerudo Claymore	Strong Fusion	Prefer it over the decayed form when available because the intact variant has higher base attack and durability while retaining the family’s fusion role.	—

Lore and Design

The Gerudo Claymore is identified with the Gerudo weapon set in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, alongside the Gerudo Scimitar, Gerudo Spear, and Gerudo Bow. This establishes a factional association, but the weapon has no documented story role comparable to the Master Sword or the Champion weapons.

Its significance is therefore primarily regional and equipment-based rather than narrative. The available documentation does not establish a specific Gerudo character, historical event, real-world inspiration, or developer commentary connected uniquely to the claymore. Claims about cultural design intent or a direct real-world model should not be treated as canon without stronger supporting evidence.

Trivia

The Gerudo Claymore returns from Breath of the Wild as part of the recurring Gerudo weapon lineup in Tears of the Kingdom. Its name identifies the weapon as a Gerudo-made claymore rather than a newly introduced weapon family.
Tears of the Kingdom distinguishes the Gerudo Claymore’s decayed and pristine forms as separate condition states. The pristine form is associated with the Depths’ restored-weapon system, while the decayed form is encountered on the surface and in other ordinary world locations.