Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity guide: How to unlock all characters

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity features several playable characters from the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild storyline. While you get access to some of the cast right from the start, unlocking the rest requires some work.

There are two sets of characters you’ll unlock in the game: The four Champions from Breath of the Wild and several special characters from the same title. The Champions and one of the special characters become available as you play through the main story, while the other party members involve several steps before they join your team.

In this Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity guide, we’ll show you how to unlock each character and what to do after you have them in your party.

How to unlock characters

In Age of Calamity’s first chapter, you’ll work through the story as it establishes its place in the timeline. The second chapter focuses on rounding up other heroes to help you in your journey. All the main characters have required introductory missions to complete before they join you.

Special characters can be unlocked in later chapters. These teammates require the completion of several optional quests and missions before they join your party.

Main characters: Link, Impa, and Zelda

Link / The Battle of Hyrule Field

Unsurprisingly, Link is available right from the start of the game. In fact, you’ll be playing as Link in almost every major story mission. Unlike other characters, Link can use multiple weapons which changes up his combat style. He can use a sword and shield combo, two-handed weapons, and spears.

Impa / The Battle of Hyrule Field

This mission also lets you play as Impa, the ninja-like warrior. This introductory quest allows you to freely swap between her and Link. In future levels, you’ll be able to swap between more characters, but in this stage you only have these two.

Zelda / Guardian Amok

In the second major story mission, you get to control Zelda. This will boost your party limit to three. Since this stage is larger than the first level, this will be the first time you’ll want to swap characters more frequently and issue orders, which is an essential tip we mention in our beginner’s guide.

The Champions: Daruk, Mipha, Revali, and Urbosa

The four Champions (Daruk, Mipha, Revali, and Urbosa) are playable in Age of Calamity. To unlock them, you’ll have to beat their specific missions in chapter two. Each of these levels play out differently, but all of them end with the ability to play as each character once completed.

Mipha / Mipha, the Zora Princess

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To unlock Mipha, head east to Zora’s Domain in Lanaryu. Her stage involves running across her kingdom defeating enemies, having a boss fight with a Lynel, and controlling her Divine Beast, Vah Ruta.

Unlock Mipha first. Her strong attack and powerful special attack move both have healing properties. Mipha’s strong attack creates fountains on the battlefield. If any of her allies are standing in the water, they’ll receive a small amount of health. When she does her all-encompassing special attack, the surrounding wave of water damages enemies and also restores a large amount of health for Mipha and her allies.

Urbosa / Urbosa, the Gerudo Chief

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To unlock Urbosa, head southwest to Gerudo Town in Gerudo. Urbosa’s stage will initially have you battling other Gerudo warriors until you meet up with her about halfway through. Then you’ll take control of Urbosa while fighting off an invasion from the Yiga Clan. The stage ends with a boss fight against Master Khoga, in which you must defeat him with of runes.

Urbosa’s lighting-based abilities allow her to defeat large waves of enemies or deal a lot of damage to a single target. However, to make the most use of her strength, you have to manually charge up her lighting powers using your unique action button. Doing so leaves her vulnerable, but the payoff can be immense.

Daruk / Daruk, the Goron Hero

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To unlock Daruk, head northeast to Death Mountain in Eldin. His stage will have you running up and down a volcano while defeating various enemies and a large Igneo Talus. You’ll also defend his home by controlling his Divine Beast, Vah Rudania.

Daruk’s strong attacks can summon different forms of magma across the battlefield, which he can then explode at will using his unique action. Some of his attacks also create a shield around him that deflects attacks.

Revali / Revali, the Rito Warrior

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To unlock Revali, head over to the Tabantha Frontier, in the northwest region of Hebra. During your trek up and down the snowy village, you’ll take on several Rito warriors with a boss fight against Revali himself at the end. Once you defeat him, he will join your party.

Revali’s unique action lets him take to the sky, giving him a separate set of moves while airborne. He can stay above ground for as long as you want or until you get hit. His bow attacks and combos are also great for dispatching huge numbers of enemies quickly.

Other characters: Hestu, Monk Maz Koshia, Great Fairies

Hestu / Freeing Korok Forest

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To unlock Hestu, finish the first part of the “Freeing Korok Forest” mission. Once you’ve cleared a path into the forest, your party will meet Hestu. Once your team has the opportunity to split up, he’ll join your party. Finish the mission, and Hetsu will join your team.

Hestu attacks with big maracas and his unique action allows him to call upon other Koroks that fight along side him. They will either passively attack other enemies or become a part of Hestu’s attacks to bolster his damage output.

Monk Maz Koshia / Trial of the Ancients

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In chapter four, three quests open up that require you deliver a handful of materials. After completing the quest requirements for “The Trial of Monsters,” “The Trial of Stones,” and “The Trial of the Mighty Stone,” you’ll unlock a challenge called “Trial of the Ancients.” The battle pits you against the ancient monk, Maz Koshia. The battle itself isn’t too challenging, but you must beat your opponent within 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Maz Koshia’s attacks involve summoning large weapons with their strong attacks. These weapons then explode, granting the monk some of their energy. Convert this power to slam the battlefield with a large area attack.

The Great Fairies / Fairy Fountain: Battlefield

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In chapter four, a quest will open up called “Offering Help on the Road,” which costs 4,500 rupees to unlock and access the “Trial of the Great Fairies.” Thankfully, once this quest is complete, you’ll get twice your money back.

After that, you’ll unlock three challenges in which you must clear large battlefields and collect rupees for Great Fairies. Once you complete the mission requirements for “Fairy Fountain: Deep Snows,” “Fairy Fountain: Grassy Plains,” and “Fairy Fountain: Desert Sands,” you must defeat a Great Fairy at the end of each.

Doing so will unlock one last mission, “Fairy Fountain: Battlefield.” For this mission, bring your strongest character, make sure you have plenty of Wizzrobe wands, and be on point with your dodges to get rush attacks. You’ll have defeat multiple large enemies within a strict time limit. At the end of this mission, you’ll need to defeat one last Great Fairy. Take her down, and all four Great Fairies will combine into one character who joins your party.

As a group, the Great Fairies switch between attacks. Each of the four Great Fairies will perform a different attack that affects the entire battlefield around them. The only exception is the purple-haired Mija, whose unique action creates a temporary barrier around her.

There are also some special character who unlock near the end of the game, which we’ll place at the end of this guide.

What to do after you unlock characters

After you unlock a new character, two sets of levels appear on your map.

The first is a set of missions with a single sword icon. These character-specific mission teach you how to play as your newly unlocked character. The main benefit of these challenges is being able to take new teammates to a small arena where you can experiment with their moves.

A set of quests will also open up that feature an icon based on each character. These quests either allow you to raise the amount of health for that character, or they unlock more combo options. These quests often require you to turn in certain materials. If you are having trouble finding the right materials, then use the Sheikah Sensor to find what you’re missing.

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Late-game characters

Riju / Air and Lightning

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Before you can regain control of Vah Naboris in this mission, you have to help Urbosa defeat Thunderblight Ganon. Aiding you in this fight is Riju, a descendent of Urbosa who travels from the future to help you win the fight.

Riju carries on the tradition of her ancestor by using electricity to aid her in combat. She also fights with alongside her Sand Seal, Patricia. Together they ride across the battlefield smashing into enemies and casting bolts of lighting wherever they go.

Sidon / Water and Fire

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As you fight to regain control of Vah Ruta, Mipha will struggle in her fight against Waterblight Ganon. To her surprise, a future version of Sidon — the same one you meet in Breath of the Wild — will join the fight to help you and the Champion fight against the boss.

Like his sister, Sidon fights with a spear and water-based moves. His unique action allows him to amplify his strong attacks if you follow the on-screen queues. Hitting the unique action button at the right time can turn Sidon’s normal strong attacks into screen-filling assaults.

Teba / Air and Lightning

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While Revali tries to single-handedly fight Windblight Ganon on top of Vah Medoh, his replacement from the future, Teba, joins the fight.

As a fellow Rito warrior, Teba fights with a bow and arrow. Most of their attacks focus on utilizing the weapon with their unique attack allowing them to charge up a powerful arrow volley the longer the button is held down. Their combo finishers with strong attack focus on multiple arrow shots that stretch across the battlefield.

Yunobo / Water and Fire

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With Daruk struggling to put down Fireblight Ganon atop Vah Rudania, the Goron’s descendent from the future, Yunobo, travels from the future to save him.

Yunobo can activate the same protective shield as Daruk, however his implementation is different. While it can still help him deflect damage, the barrier can also power up his strong attacks. However, each time the power is activated, it will enhance a different strong attack.

Zelda (Bow of Light version) / Each Step Like Thunder

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Near the end of this mission, Zelda’s powers finally activate allowing her to use her Bow of Light. With this weapon equipped, Zelda’s attacks change and she plays like a completely different character.

With the Bow of Light as her main weapon, Zelda’s main moves become Trifoce-laded magical attacks. These abilities can create rings of light around enemies, making them take more damage from Zelda. Her unique action allows her to switch into Luminescent mode, where she can use her special gauge to deliver massive energy attacks.

Master Khoga / Each Step Like Thunder

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At the end of this mission, a cutscene will play where Master Khoga defects and joins your side.

Master Khoga’s strong attack combo enders add to a stress gauge. If this meter fills up, he’ll throw a tantrum and fall over and you’ll need to wiggle your left thumbstick to gain control of him again. However, if you eat a banana (by hitting the strong attack button by itself) and can complete the long eating animation, his stress will be converted into a special meter for a limited amount of time. If the meter fills up while still under the effects of his banana, hitting the unique action button will unleash an attacked called the Big Glowy Blast.

King Rhoam / Great Plateau

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You can take control of the King of Hyrule at the end of this mission.

The king can switch between two forms by hitting the unique action button. His king guise allows him to deliver strong, but slow attacks and his hermit guise switching things up with faster strikes. If you press the unique action button at the end of a combo that ends with a strong attack, King Rhoam will switch guises while delivering an additional strong attack.