Breath of the Wild - Guardian Swords

May 11, 2024

The Guardian Sword and Guardian Sword++ from Breath of the Wild: full-size builds with LED detailing running the length of each blade.

Legend of Zelda

Video-game

Two versions of the Guardian Sword from Breath of the Wild: the 75cm basic blade, and the 88cm Guardian Sword++. Both are sold through the shop, and both carry a string of LEDs along the length of the blade.

The Sword++ started life as somebody else's design. It was crude, it taught me a few things, and then I scrapped it and built my own from scratch: the floating blade sections, the grip, and structural solutions that also let the LED string run back and forth inside the blade. Later versions moved to a USB-C rechargeable battery and more reliable Arduino control.

The basic sword follows the same structural playbook, with a lower-profile blade and smaller grip, which meant a few space-saving redesigns to fit the internals without losing strength.

Development of the ++

Early on in my pursuit of 3D modelling and the 3D printing creation of various models and props, I came across a design for the Guardian Sword ++ that seemed like a fun project. So, I made one. It was a fairly crude design, but the process taught me a few things along the way (learning from the mistakes of others, I suppose!) and so it was an especially useful project, all things considered.

From that point, I scrapped the existing model, and created my own design from scratch. The first versions were created to improve upon the overall look of the model, making it more in line with the aesthetic of the in-game item. The 'floating blade' sections were a big part of this, so producing structural solutions that allowed for this look came with its own set of challenges. The key issues being structural strength, and the necessity of being able to run a string of LEDs along the length of the blade (back and forth).

Other improvements included a better grip design (again, to more closely match the in-game item), and the addition of a USB-C rechargeable battery and more reliable Arduino controllers.

Overall, I think the Sword++ was an enormous success, and so far, all my clients seem to agree! Though I'm continuously finding ways to improve it, these updates are becoming much more minor as time goes on.

The Short-Sword

As the ++ variant became much more of a 'finished product' I decided to start expanding my BOTW selection. I have a few other items (that will have project logs of their own) but the basic non-plus version of the Guardian Sword was always on my mind to create.

It uses much of the same structural techniques and aesthetic cues that I created for the Sword++, which streamlined the design process somewhat, though with the blade needing to be more low-profile and the grip also being smaller, it required a few space-saving redesigns to allow for all of the internal components to fit (without sacrificing structural integrity).

And so eventually, the Guardian Sword was born, and was added to my growing lineup of Zelda props!