Man at Arms recently recreated a real-life Fierce Deity's Sword (also known as the Double Helix Sword) and used it to slice a pumpkin in half. The video and GIFs were so damn awesome that it inspired us to create a list of the ten best swords that players can find in the entire Legend of Zelda series.
This was a fun list to create, and should spark a huge debate over what swords should be ranked where. With an arsenal as huge as the Zelda universe, it was really hard narrowing it down to just 10. But it happened, and here's the result.
10. Phantom Ganon's Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
- Also known as Beast's Blade
Kicking off the countdown is a sword that's barely used during the game, but breaks into the list for two reasons. Spoiler alert on the first reason -- it plays a big role in Ganon's Tower, the final dungeon in Wind Waker. Another is the extremely cool design. The cel-shaded nature of WW created some great sword illustrations. Since it's only a temporary sword that's wielded when Phantom Gannon drops it, the Beast's Blade can't go any higher than the entry point.
9. Goddess Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
- Other forms include Goddess Longsword and Goddess Whitesword
The main sword in Skyward Sword has various upgrades throughout the adventure, and we'll include them all in this category. Its blue hue is captivating and attractive, and unleashes a Skyward Strike attack to unveil artifacts around Hylia. It may not be the most powerful sword in the game (that belongs to the True Master Sword), but it is named after it. That's important enough, right?
8. Lokomo Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
- Given by Anjean after receiving the Bow of Light
It's in similar taste to the Master Sword, but the Lokomo Sword is one of the most handiest swords in Spirit Tracks. After wielding it, Link becomes twice as strong when compared to using the Recruit's Sword. It can also stun Phantoms in the game for Zelda to possess.
7. Phantom Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
- Forged by Oshus and Zauz
Once again, the Phantom Sword has a similar look to the Master Sword, and it's the most powerful sword that Link can receive in Phantom Hourglass. It fends off Phantoms the best and is the tool needed to defeat Bellum. The design slightly edges out the Lokomo, but both swords are very similar in the back-to-back Nintendo DS releases (with Spirit Tracks).
6. Magical Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- Considered to be the original Master Sword
It's a pretty standard blade that has a blue hue fused with red around the grip. So why is it so high on the list? Because of its important place in Zelda history. Many fans believe this was Nintendo's intention of the ultimate sword before it became the Master Sword in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and various iterations of the series afterwards. It's the ultimate sword in the original and it's the only sword that's used in Zelda II -- it just continues to get upgraded with the RPG-like elements of the adventure game.
5. Biggoron's Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons
- Two-handed sword that's an upgrade from the Giant's Knife in OoT
While not a requirement in any edition of Zelda, the jointly-named Biggoron's sword is a blast to slash around with. Requiring two hands to wield, players opt to drop the defense in order to have a stronger offensive attack. The sword is received after completing various tasks in Ocarina of Time, but its downfall is not being able to be used to defeat the final boss.
4. Great Fairy's Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- Not a standard sword (falls under the item/equipment category)
While I wasn't the biggest fan Majora's Mask personally, I'd be damned if I didn't admit it had the best looking swords in the series. Arguably, the Great Fairy's Sword is one of the coolest and most colorful. Not to mention one of the most deadly as it wields four times the attack power of a Kokiri Sword.
An interesting caveat to this sword is unlike many other swords in Zelda adventures, it's not a standard sword. Players must equip it to an item button. To use its spin attack, players must rotate the analog stick on the controller instead of traditionally holding down the button. It's unsure if this was created on purpose or if it was a programming error.
3. Four Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords and The Minish Cap
- Unique ability to create four souls with a similar power
While the sword may not be the most powerful or attractive, it's one of the deadliest and most useful swords in Zelda history. Not only can it create up to four Link clones, it can repel evil, create time traveling portals, lift curses, and seals evil. It was made famous in the various Four Swords games, but it also had an appearance in The Minish Cap.
2. Fierce Deity's Sword
- Featured in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
- Also known as the Double Helix Sword
Whatever you want to call it, the Fierce Deity/Double Helix Sword has been a fan favorite for years. The unique style that reigns different from any other Zelda sword, its incredible power, and importance in Majora's Mask makes it considered by many as the series' best sword overall. Link is stuck with the sword until he removes Fierce Deity's mask, and it requires two hands to wield, so there are some limitations to the sword. But overall, it's hard to argue that it's one of the coolest looking swords in Zelda lore.
1. Master Sword
- Featured in nearly every iteration of The Legend of Zelda
- There's a ton of variations
Let's be honest, people. While it sees a number of variations, that falls into the rules of this countdown (like the Goddess Sword). There is nothing like the Master Sword, which is deemed as the most nostalgic and important sword in the Zelda stratosphere. It's used to kill Ganon multiple times, it can be found in almost every Zelda game, and it's the main sword in two of the most successful Zelda adventures: A Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time. In my eyes, the Master Sword is the clear winner without question.
What are your thoughts on the sword countdown for The Legend of Zelda? Where would you have the swords listed? Are there any you would put on or drop off the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Published: Nov 25, 2014 12:30 pm