The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom brings back the beloved amiibo scanning feature, allowing players to unlock classic glider fabrics, rare armor sets, and helpful survival materials. Navigating the vast floating islands and deep caverns of Hyrule becomes much more exciting when you can summon useful resources instantly. Understanding how to correctly initialize and scan these physical figures ensures you do not miss out on any exclusive drops during your journey.
Enabling Amiibo Functionality in System Settings
Before you can scan your figures or cards, you must ensure the function is properly activated within the game system options. Press the plus button on your controller to open the inventory menu, then scroll over to the system cog icon. From there, select options and toggle the amiibo feature to enabled so that the tracking icon appears on your radial wheel.
If you skip this initial setup step, attempting to select the ability during gameplay will result in a muted error sound. Once activated, the setting remains saved permanently across your adventure, meaning you only need to perform this configuration loop once. It is a quick and straightforward adjustment that prepares your console for physical hardware detection.
Selecting the Scanning Ability in Hyrule
With the feature enabled, you can access the scanning tool at almost any time while exploring the open landscape. Hold down the L button on your controller to bring up the circular ability selection menu, which displays your main powers like Ultrahand and Fuse. Move your right analog stick to highlight the specialized amiibo icon and release the button to activate the target reticle on the ground.
A glowing circular marker will appear directly in front of Link, indicating the exact landing zone where your virtual rewards will drop from the sky. Ensure you choose a relatively flat and unobstructed piece of terrain before finalizing the scan area. Scanning near steep cliffs or deep bodies of water might cause your newly spawned treasure chests to roll away out of reach.
Scanning the Figure to Claim Your Rewards
Once the digital reticle is properly positioned on the ground, hold your physical figurine over the designated NFC touchpoint on your controller hardware. For players using standard Nintendo Joy-Con controllers, the scanner is embedded directly underneath the right analog joystick. If you prefer utilizing a Pro Controller, simply tap the figure gently against the top center area near the official Nintendo logo branding.
Keep the base of the figurine steady on the touchpoint for a brief moment until the console successfully registers the data transmission. A showers of materials alongside a metallic treasure box will instantly materialize and fall into your designated targeting zone. You can open these chests immediately to claim unique gear pieces, weapon upgrades, or classic fabrics that pay homage to previous franchise entries.
Understanding Daily Scan Limits and Compatibility
Every unique figurine can be scanned once per calendar day, allowing dedicated collectors to build a reliable routine for gathering rare cooking ingredients and arrows. If you attempt to register the exact same figure twice within a single twenty-four hour period, the game will display a notification stating the device cannot be used again today. However, you can freely scan multiple different figures back-to-back without encountering any artificial progression gates.
While Zelda-themed merchandise yields specialized nostalgic cosmetics, non-Zelda figures are also highly useful for standard survival management. Scanning figures from other major franchises drops random assortments of fresh meat, wild fish, and assorted herbs to keep your health pools full. It ensures that every item in your physical collection serves a practical purpose as you work to conquer the challenges of Hyrule.
