How to get & use Epona in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
While you can use vehicles you can construct to get from A to B quickly in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, falling back on an old classic can't be knocked - especially when building a vehicle is out of the question and with plenty of stables dotted across the map of Hyrule. If you're going to use a horse, why shouldn't it be Epona?
How to get Epona
There are two ways of getting Epona, though both will ultimately require the use of specific Amiibo collectibles.
Click to enlargeThe first method involves using the Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link Amiibo, as both have a high chance of causing Epona to spawn directly in front of you. It's worth noting you aren't limited to one Epona either, so if you get lucky you can spawn multiple in.
A second method of getting Epona in TotK involves transferring your horses from Breath of the Wild. To do this, you'll need a BotW save file on your Switch, and you'll want to follow this process:
- Visit a stable for the first time
- Speak to the owner from outside.
- Select Epona from the list of imported horses
The only caveat with this method is that you'll need to have used an Amiibo to get Epona in Breath of the Wild first, otherwise, you will import the normal horses you had stabled in the previous game.T
Can you get Epona without Amiibo?
Unfortunately, you cannot unlock Epona in the game without having used an Amiibo. If you don't have the Amiibo, you could try and find a horse that looks similar and then name them Epona (no one would ever know) - but the stats on Epona are far superior to any other horses in the game.
How to use Epona
Once you have summoned Epona, you can ride them immediately.
Unlike the wild horses found across the game, Epona doesn't need to be tamed, and you will automatically have the maximum bond with them.
Epona also comes with four stars in the Strength, Speed, and Stamina stats, making them one of the best horses in the game from the get-go.
Click to enlargeA downside is that they don't have a Pull stat, meaning you cannot use the towing harness with TotK Epona, and you can't customize their gear or mane styling, but aside from these negatives, they're still one of the best horses you can ride.
Make sure you learn the best recipes in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom cooking, along with our explainer of cooking.
