The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild has been out for over three years now, but the continued success of the Switch has kept one of Nintendo’s best-selling titles relevant as more and more players begin their journey across Hyrule for the first time. There are a ton of locations to discover, puzzles to solve and armor sets to unlock during the adventure, including a costume that transforms Link into one of his most iconic adversaries: Dark Link.
What is the Dark Link Armor Set?
Dark Link is a recurring antagonist in The Legend of Zelda series meant to represent the hero’s inner demons turned against him; his appearance fully embodies this concept, as he’s typically portrayed with glowing red eyes and a shadowy black tunic.
The Dark series armor set in Breath of the Wild most closely resembles Dark Link as he appeared in Ocarina of Time, allowing players to creep around Hyrule in style while striking fear into the hearts of its carefree citizens. It’s one of the more difficult armor sets to acquire in the game, but definitely worth the effort for fans of Link’s edgy doppelganger.
Step #1: Complete the Quest “A Shady Customer”
The first thing players will have to do is unlock Kilton, a secret vendor who specializes in monster-themed armor sets and costumes. To begin this process, travel to the East Akkala Stable and speak to an NPC there by the name of Hoz; he’ll provide a quest called “A Shady Customer,” requiring players to find and snap a picture of the mysterious individual who’s recently been spotted at Skull Lake.
Located in the upper right corner of the map, Skull Lake is impossible to miss; it’s literally shaped like a skull with two islands in the center resembling eyes. Kilton can be found on the left eye once the sun goes down, but players will have to employ a bit of stealth in order to get the drop on him. Just use the Sheikah Sensor to snap a photo from afar and present it to Hoz back at Akkala Stable to complete the quest.
Step #2: Clear All Four of the Divine Beasts
Once players have finished the related quest and spoken to him for the first time, Kilton and his floating shop will begin appearing on the outskirts of towns and villages at nighttime. He’ll sell a variety of strange weapons, items, armor sets and costumes that can only be purchased using Mon, a proprietary currency players can convert monster parts into by speaking to Kilton. His inventory will be relatively sparse to begin with, but progressing the main story will unlock additional products to get for Mon.
Unfortunately, the Dark Link armor set will not appear in Kilton’s stock until players have beaten all four of Hyrule’s Divine Beasts. So if players have been putting off their inevitable showdown with Gannon in favor of the many distractions Hyrule provides, they’ll need to focus and make some serious story progress before the Dark Series is even available for purchase. After the fourth Divine Beast falls, Kilton’s inventory will refresh for the last time and the Dark Hood, Dark Tunic and Dark Trousers will be available for purchase.
Step #3: Save Up 3,997 Mon
Unfortunately, looking evil doesn’t come cheap: The Dark Series armor costs 3,997 Mon in total, which is going to take a staggering amount of monster parts in order to save up the necessary currency.
Players' best bet is to farm Lynels, one of the game’s toughest enemies, as they drop some of the most valuable parts and will make the grind to 3,997 Mon as painless as possible. Another strategy is to refrain from buying anything from Kilton until after the Divine Beasts are defeated, as players will be able to convert all the monster parts they've accumulated throughout the game at once and hopefully have enough to buy the Dark Link armor set outright.
What does the Dark Link Armor Set Do?
Although it looks really cool, the Dark Series armor is pretty useless compared to most of the other sets in Breath of the Wild. Wearing all three pieces grants Link the Night Speed Up set bonus, a perk that is largely situational given the other options available. Since players can’t upgrade the set at the Great Fairy Fountain, its defensive capabilities are fairly lacking to be an effective tool in battle.
Still, players will at least be able to scare the pants off of any NPC they speak to while wearing the Dark Link armor, which makes the effort involved all the more worth it.