Knight's Broadsword
The Knight's Broadsword is a one-handed Knight's Gear weapon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its special ability rewards Link with powerful attacks when he is down to his last heart.
Key Takeaways
One-handed Knight’s Gear
A one-handed blade associated with Hyrule’s knights and the Knight’s Gear category.
Last-heart trait
Its defining trait conditionally enables more powerful attacks when Link is down to his last heart; the effect is not always active.
Two weapon states
The sword appears in both decayed and pristine forms, which should be treated as separate states rather than one shared stat line.
Depths availability
Pristine versions can be obtained from Shadow Soldiers in the Depths, while Amiibo scans can provide randomized rewards.
Fuse-compatible
Fuse lets the Knight’s Broadsword take on added material-based damage or effects, making its use depend partly on the attached material.
Overview
Knight's Broadsword is a one-handed Knight's Gear weapon in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Its defining trait rewards fighting at critical health, giving the otherwise standard blade a risk-and-reward role alongside its decayed and pristine forms.
The Knight's Broadsword is a regular one-handed melee weapon associated with Hyrule's knights. It is not presented as a unique story weapon or a separate DLC armament; its importance comes from a distinctive conditional ability rather than from a special acquisition quest or a permanently unusual moveset.
Its defining behaviour is tied to Link's health: when he is down to his last heart, the weapon can produce more powerful attacks. That makes it different from a straightforward sword chosen only for ordinary close-range use. The benefit is conditional, so it does not describe the blade's normal performance at full health.
Tears of the Kingdom includes both decayed and pristine versions of the Knight's Broadsword. The decayed form belongs to the surface-era weapon pool, while pristine examples can be found from Shadow Soldiers in the Depths. Certain Amiibo scans can also provide the weapon as a randomized reward.
Like other eligible weapons, the Knight's Broadsword can be modified with Fuse materials, allowing its role to change without treating every fused combination as a separate weapon. It is therefore most relevant to players who want a conventional one-handed sword with a low-health attack property and access to the game's normal Fuse system.
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.
- Attack7
- Durability18
- ClassOne-Handed
- TraitDesperate Strength
- ConditionDecayed
- Compendium#340
Figures verified against Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
Compared to similar melee weapons
| Weapon | Attack | Durability | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knight's Broadsword | 7 | 18 | One-Handed |
| Forest Dweller's Sword | 7 | 17 | One-Handed |
| Royal Halberd | 7 | 30 | Spear |
| Strong Zonaite Sword | 7 | 16 | One-Handed |
| Sturdy Thick Stick | 7 | 26 | Two-Handed |
Attack and durability are the game’s own published values. From Consolidated Game Weapons Database.
How to Obtain
- The pristine version requires access to the Depths.
- The amiibo route requires a compatible amiibo and may not produce the sword on every scan.
- 01Search for Shadow Soldiers in the Depths; their weapon offerings can include a pristine Knight's Broadsword. The exact soldier and location are not fixed, so check multiple Depths weapon apparitions rather than a single guaranteed chest.
- 02Certain amiibo scans can also provide the Knight's Broadsword as a randomized reward. The specific eligible figurines and reward outcome should be treated as variable rather than a guaranteed drop.
Availability
Requires None beyond normal story access to the area containing the weapon
The decayed form is part of the standard Tears of the Kingdom weapon pool. This entry does not cover the separate pristine variant.
Requires Access to the Depths
Pristine Knight's Broadswords are obtained from Shadow Soldiers in the Depths rather than treated as the same stat state as the decayed form.
Requires A compatible Amiibo scan
The Knight's Broadsword can appear as a randomized scan reward; the reward is not guaranteed from every scan.
Mechanics and Handling
The Knight's Broadsword uses the responsive one-handed sword moveset: quick slashes for sustained pressure, with the shield remaining available in the other hand. Its handling suits close spacing and short attack windows rather than wide-area crowd control. Holding the attack button produces the one-handed charged spin attack, which trades stamina and time for broader coverage.
Desperate Strength activates at critical health
Its defining trait is Desperate Strength. When Link is reduced to his last heart, the sword can deliver substantially more powerful attacks. This bonus is conditional, not a permanent property of every swing, so the weapon's normal performance and its critical-health performance should be considered separately. The effect rewards deliberate risk but does not remove the danger of fighting while critically injured.
Fuse changes its role without changing the base weapon
Fuse lets the Knight's Broadsword take on a material's added damage or utility while also improving its durability. The resulting behaviour depends on the attached material, so the sword can remain a straightforward close-range weapon or gain a more specialised effect. Decayed and pristine versions should be treated as separate states when comparing performance; attaching a material does not make them the same weapon state.
Upgrades and Variants
Strengths, Weaknesses and Best Uses
Strengths
- Its one-handed moveset leaves the other hand available for a shield, supporting guarded combat and parries.
- The Desperate Strength trait rewards fighting at one heart by increasing the weapon’s attack potential while its condition is active.
- Fuse lets the sword take on added material effects or power, giving it flexibility beyond its base blade.],
- weaknesses?
Compared With Similar Weapons
| Weapon | Class and role | Distinctive trait | When it may suit you instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knight's Broadsword | Desperate Strength activates when Link is down to his last heart | Choose it for its low-health attack mechanic, with decayed and pristine forms considered separately | — |
| Soldier's Broadsword | No weapon-specific trait is assumed here | Prefer a simpler sword choice when Knight's Broadsword's low-health condition is undesirable | — |
| Royal Broadsword | Improved Flurry Rush | Prefer it for a playstyle built around successfully timed flurry rushes | — |
| Royal Guard's Broadsword | Breaking Point | Prefer it when exploiting a weapon's near-breaking state is worthwhile | — |
Lore and Design
The Knight's Broadsword belongs to Hyrule's Knight's Gear: its item lore presents the blade as equipment once carried by the kingdom's knights. In Tears of the Kingdom, that association is historical rather than a documented connection to a named character, faction quest, or major story event. Its last-heart attack trait gives the otherwise standard military design a distinct gameplay identity, while the existence of decayed and pristine forms reflects the game's broader presentation of old Hyrulean weapons.