Great Fairy Upgrade Guide — All 4 Fairies and Armor Materials

Great Fairies are the only way to upgrade your armor in Tears of the Kingdom. There are four of them, each hidden inside a flower bud that opens only after you complete a specific musician side quest. Each fairy you unlock increases the maximum upgrade tier available for all armor sets. This guide covers every fairy location, unlock method, and the upgrade material system.

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How the Upgrade System Works

Each Great Fairy lets you upgrade armor by one additional star tier:

| Fairies Unlocked | Max Upgrade Tier | Defense Boost | |------------------|-----------------|---------------| | 1 Fairy | One star | Small | | 2 Fairies | Two stars | Moderate | | 3 Fairies | Three stars | Large | | 4 Fairies | Four stars (max) | Maximum + set bonus activates |

Set bonuses only activate at the four-star tier. For example, the Soldier's Armor set bonus (Armor Proficiency) requires all three pieces upgraded to four stars at the fourth Great Fairy.

Tip: Unlock all four Great Fairies as early as possible. The armor defense scaling from upgrades is the single biggest survivability improvement in the game — more impactful than extra heart containers.

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All 4 Great Fairy Locations and Unlock Quests

Each Great Fairy is locked behind a side quest involving the Stable Trotters, a traveling musician band. You must help reunite band members and transport them to each fairy fountain.

Great Fairy Tera — Woodland Stable

Location: North of Woodland Stable, near the road to Korok Forest.

Quest: "Serenade to a Great Fairy" — Find the musician at Woodland Stable. He needs transportation to the fairy fountain. Build a vehicle (attach a Zonai fan to a flat board) and carry him to Tera's flower bud. The music opens her fountain.

This is typically the first Great Fairy most players encounter.

Great Fairy Mija — Snowfield Stable

Location: Southwest of Snowfield Stable in the Tabantha Tundra region.

Quest: "Serenade to Mija" — A musician at Snowfield Stable needs help reaching the fairy fountain through the cold. Build a vehicle capable of traversing snowy terrain. The musician will ride along as you drive.

Tip: A simple sled with two Zonai fans handles the snow well. Make sure the musician has a seat — attach a flat platform for them to stand on.

Great Fairy Kaysa — Outskirt Stable

Location: Southwest of Outskirt Stable, in the hills approaching Gerudo Canyon.

Quest: "Serenade to Kaysa" — A drummer at Outskirt Stable has lost their instrument. Retrieve it from a nearby monster camp, return it, and then transport the drummer to Kaysa's fountain.

Great Fairy Cotera — Dueling Peaks Stable

Location: East of Dueling Peaks Stable, across the river in the Necluda hills.

Quest: "Serenade to Cotera" — The final musician quest requires reuniting the complete Stable Trotters band. All previous musicians must be gathered to perform the full serenade that opens Cotera's flower bud.

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Upgrade Material Tiers

Each armor piece requires specific materials at each upgrade tier. Materials become increasingly rare at higher tiers.

Common Materials by Tier

| Tier | Typical Materials | Where to Find | |------|------------------|---------------| | One star | Bokoblin Horns, ChuChu Jelly, Keese Wings | Common enemy drops everywhere | | Two stars | Moblin Horns, Lizalfos Tails, Elemental ChuChu Jelly | Mid-tier enemy drops | | Three stars | Hinox Guts, Lynel Hooves, Dragon Parts | Boss drops, dragon farming | | Four stars | Star Fragments, Silver enemy parts, Diamonds | Rare drops, Silver Lynels, shooting stars |

Farming Priority Materials

Star Fragments (needed for many four-star upgrades):

• Drop from shooting stars at night — watch the sky between 9 PM and 5 AM game time
• Silver Lynel drops (rare)
• Amiibo scanning (random reward)

Dragon Parts (Scales, Claws, Fangs, Horns):

• Each of the four dragons (Dinraal, Naydra, Farosh, Light Dragon) follows a fixed route
• Shoot the specific body part you need: horn for Horn Shard, claw for Claw, fang from the mouth area, scale from the body
• One part per dragon per encounter — wait for the next pass or Blood Moon

Lynel Parts (Hooves, Guts, Horns):

• Farm White-Maned and Silver Lynels on the Lynel farming circuit
• Lynel Guts are the rarest drop — not guaranteed from every kill

Tip: Before visiting a Great Fairy, check what materials your target armor needs. Farm the materials first, then upgrade in one visit rather than making multiple trips.

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Upgrade Costs by Popular Armor Sets

Soldier's Armor Set (General Defense)

| Tier | Materials per Piece | |------|-------------------| | One star | 3 Bokoblin Guts, 5 ChuChu Jelly | | Two stars | 5 Moblin Guts, 5 Keese Eyeball | | Three stars | 3 Hinox Guts, 5 Lizalfos Tail | | Four stars | 2 Lynel Guts, 10 Amber |

Barbarian Armor Set (Attack Up)

| Tier | Materials per Piece | |------|-------------------| | One star | 3 Lynel Horn, 5 Mighty Bananas | | Two stars | 5 Lynel Hoof, 5 Razorclaw Crab | | Three stars | 3 Lynel Guts, 10 Mighty Thistle | | Four stars | 2 Lynel Guts, 5 Dragon Horn Shard |

Climbing Set (Climb Speed Up)

| Tier | Materials per Piece | |------|-------------------| | One star | 3 Keese Wing, 3 Rushroom | | Two stars | 5 Electric Keese Wing, 5 Hightail Lizard | | Three stars | 5 Ice Keese Wing, 10 Hot-Footed Frog | | Four stars | 5 Fire Keese Wing, 10 Swift Violet |

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Efficient Great Fairy Progression

1. Unlock Tera first (Woodland Stable) — she is closest to early-game areas and unlocks one-star upgrades
2. Upgrade your primary armor set to one star immediately — even one star significantly boosts defense
3. Unlock Mija and Kaysa next to reach three-star capability
4. Farm mid-tier materials (Moblin Horns, elemental jellies) while exploring naturally
5. Unlock Cotera last for four-star access and set bonus activation
6. Target farm Star Fragments and Lynel parts once you need four-star upgrades

Tip: Set bonus activation at four stars is often more valuable than the raw defense increase. The Barbarian set bonus (Charge Attack stamina reduction) and Rubber set bonus (Shock immunity) fundamentally change gameplay.

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Common Mistakes

• Upgrading too many sets at once: Focus on one primary combat set and one exploration set. Spreading materials across five sets leaves all of them underpowered.
• Ignoring the musician quests: Many players find the fairy fountains but cannot open them because they have not started the Stable Trotters quest line. Talk to every NPC at stables.
• Not farming dragon parts early: Dragon parts are needed for many three-star and four-star upgrades. Start collecting dragon materials during normal exploration so you have a stockpile when needed.
• Selling Star Fragments: Never sell Star Fragments. They appear rare and valuable as gems, but their primary use is armor upgrades and they are difficult to farm in quantity.

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See also: Armor Sets Guide | Lynel Farming Guide | Dragon Farming Guide | Star Fragment Guide