Epona is one of the most recognizable characters in the Legend of Zelda franchise. Sure, Epona is just a horse, but it’s Link’s trusty steed that has guided him into battle hundreds of times. However, there were some questions as to whether or not Epona would be making a return in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Fortunately, we are happy to report that Epona is, in fact, back in the newest entry in the series. However, there appears to be one major caveat with Epona’s return that all players will need to know about. For more details on that and how to find Epona in the first place, keep reading our guide below.
Getting Epona in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
As you might expect, Epona is available right from the get-go in Tears of the Kingdom. If you visit the town of New Serenne, which is just northwest of Lookout Landing and west of Hyrule Ridge, you will find a stable. The stable is located on the eastern side of the town.
At the stable, you can talk to the NPC who owns it and is standing right out front. The owner will comment on what a good customer Link has been in the past and offer for him to borrow a horse. As expected, this horse is Epona, and you will be able to now access it from the mount selection screen.
However, this is where the caveat comes into play. It appears as though you need to have a Breath of the Wild save file installed on your Nintendo Switch for you to acquire Epona at the New Serenne stable. I, personally, had one installed on my Switch and was able to acquire the mount with no issues. Other writers without a BotW save file were not able to receive Epona from the stable, or any other one for that matter.
It’s unclear if this is just a bug, but it looks as though it’s a built-in feature of the game. So, if you want to ride Epona in Tears of the Kingdom, you will most likely need to have a Breath of the Wild save file installed on your Switch. You can luckily acquire other mounts in Tears of the Kingdom that lessens the blow of not being able to call upon Epona. You can read about how to get those other mounts in our previous guide.
