How amiibo work in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, one of the most anticipated Nintendo games of the year, will include amiibo integration – with keen players able to purchase new Zelda amiibo or use old figures to gain in-game items and cosmetics.

The new Tears of the Kingdom Link gives you a snazzy blue glider skin. The Zelda & Loftwing amiibo gives you a white glider with a Hylian crest. Meanwhile, the Kid Link amiibo based on his Majora’s Mask appearance gives you a purple, glowing Majora’s Mask glider skin.

According to Nintendo, other amiibo will also provide you with weapons and crafting materials – although it’s unknown if this functionality extends to less common amiibo, like the Animal Crossing villager cards.

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In Breath of the Wild, all amiibo types were functional, and these granted rare loot, at random. This led to players attempting to ‘cheese’ the game by nabbing powerful swords, shields, and mounts in the early parts of the game, granting temporary boosts in attack power. While amiibo scans were limited to one every 24 hours, players soon discovered ways to circumvent these requirements, allowing for multiple scans and weapon hoarding.

At this stage, it’s unknown whether Tears of the Kingdom will close this loophole – but regardless, it’s a good idea to keep your amiibo close when the game finally launches on 12 May 2023. They could make enough of a difference to help you eke through a fight.

For now, only one new Legend of Zelda amiibo has been revealed for the launch of Tears of the Kingdom – a posed Link amiibo launching on 12 May – but this collection may expand in future. If you’re keen on this particular amiibo, it’s a good idea to put a preorder down, as other Legend of Zelda figures are now rare, and frequently hit the AU $100 price point on reseller websites.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches for Nintendo Switch on 12 May 2023.