Just like in prior Zelda games, rupees are a currency used to purchase valuable goods in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Whether it be buying a home, getting new armor, or just paying for some ingredients for cooking, you're going to constantly be wanting more rupees; you'll never have enough.
In this guide we'll briefly go over how rupees are earned, and the fastest way to get them.
How You Get Rupees
The primary way of obtaining rupees is to sell items to a vendor. You will collect a variety of materials and goods during your journey, and these can be turned in for rupees when you find someone willing to trade with you. On that front, there are a variety of vendors throughout the world, usually found in small settlements out in the wild.
You will also find a few Rupees hidden in the game world. They definitely aren't found when sweeping grass like in prior games. Instead, you'll find them visibly on the ground, on enemies, and in treasure chests.
There are several types of rupees found in the game world. They are as follows:
- Green Rupee - 1 rupee
- Blue Rupee - 5 rupees
- Red Rupee - 20 rupees
- Purple Rupee - 50 rupees
- Gold Rupee - 300 rupees
Gathering and Cooking
One way to quickly earn rupees is to find a settlement where a vendor is located. Then, collect everything you can find in the nearby area before returning and selling everything you don't need. You might be surprised to find that even cheap ingredients have value, or at least when cooked.
You will want to cook groups of cheap ingredients at a campfire to increase their value, such as with the case of Spicy Peppers or Apples as they are worth more cooked than sold individually. In other words, don't sell food-oriented materials without cooking them first.
Mining and the Steppe Talus
Some of the most valuable items are stones and ore that can be found near hillsides and on certain enemies. Always be sure to carry a hammer with you so you can mine these ores and net big gains.
One of the earliest way to gain a chunk of valuable ores early in the game is to kill Steppe Talus, a mini-boss (there's more than one). The first one you can find is on the Western side of the Forest of Spirits, which is located in the north section of the starting area. The location is circled in the image above. For a guide on how to defeat him, see here.
Gambling Exploit
If you are okay with exploiting, you can take advantage of gambling in Lurelin Village in the East Necluda region. Speak to the bald NPC in a house with jewels above the door to begin.
What you need to do is save before betting, and then put down between 10 to 100 rupees when gambling with him. If you win the bet, save again and keep playing. Once you lose a bet, load your last save. This is technically cheating, and also not available until many hours into the game. However, the gains are incredible.
Jesters
You will encounter a number of NPCs out in the game world, usually on open paths, that will fight you after a brief discussion. Upon answering a question of theirs, they will reveal their true identity.
Jesters are quite a handful. It is recommended that you drop bombs and detonate them with they charge to open up offensive opportunities. Otherwise, it's difficult to get a hit in. The good news is they have small health pools.
Jesters drop rupees, sometimes upward of 100 at a time. Not bad!
Climber's Bandana
One of the very first shrines you have access to is called the Ree Dahee Shrine. At the end of this shrine there is a well-known treasure chest floating on a platform that many players have difficulty getting to.
Using this guide, you can learn how to get to this treasure chest. Inside is a Climber's Bandana. You may want to keep this piece of headgear, but when you decide to sell it you will receive a whopping 600 rupees. Easy money.
Ka'O Makagh Shrine
There are a number of treasure chests that contain rupees, none more accessible than the Ka'O Makagh Shrine treasure. This shrine is located South of the starting area, due east from Haran Lake which is the directly South of the first tower you visit in the starting area. See here for a full map.
Once you reach this shrine, what you want to do is clear the two enemies nearby. Then, head to the back left of the room and pull out your Magnesis rune. You will see a block that can be pulled out of the nearby platform, which reveals a treasure chest inside. This treasure chest contains a gold rupee, which is worth 300 rupees!
Snowball Bowling
There is a fun mini-game in Breath of the Wild called Snowball Bowling. It's found in Tabantha Tunda (location in the image below) near a house on a cliff.
After speaking with a nearby NPC named Pondo, you'll be able to roll two snowballs down a hill. Depending on how many logs you knock over, you can be rewarded up to 300 Rupees!
We recommend reading our tips guide called '5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting Zelda: Breath of the Wild'. This write-up avoids spoilers but prepares you for the challenge ahead.
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