Following up on our beginner's guide — this post goes into more detail on the part that trips people up most: a given amiibo doesn't do the same thing (or anything at all) in every Zelda game. Here's how to think about it in general terms, without us inventing specific drop rates or bonuses we can't verify game-by-game.
The general categories of what amiibo do
- In-game item or material drops — scanning certain figures can grant materials, rupees, or crafting components. Exactly what and how much varies by both the specific figure and the specific game, and is sometimes limited to once per day.
- Cosmetic unlocks — outfits or gear tied to a specific figure's design, purely visual in some cases and mechanically useful in others depending on the game.
- Companion or summon effects — some figures summon an in-game ally or object rather than granting an item directly.
- No functionality at all — some figures are compatible with a game only in the loosest sense (a generic recognition message) or aren't supported by a given title at all. Always worth checking before assuming a figure does something specific in the game you're playing.
Compatibility is set per-game, not per-figure
This is the part that's easy to get backwards: it's not that a figure has one fixed function everywhere. The game reads the figure and decides what to do with it, which means the exact same physical amiibo can behave completely differently — or not at all — depending on which game you scan it into.
Where to actually check before buying
We're deliberately not publishing a master compatibility chart here, because these details are maintained more reliably (and updated faster, as new games release) by dedicated amiibo-tracking resources than they would be in a blog post that goes stale the moment a new game ships. If unlocking specific in-game content is your reason for buying a figure, verify what it actually does in your specific game before paying a premium for a rare one — some of the rarer figures are rare because they're old, not because what they unlock is especially valuable.
A word on reprints
Nintendo has reprinted some previously scarce amiibo over time, which can suddenly make a figure that was hard to find easy to get again. If you're chasing a specific figure purely for its function rather than as a collectible, it's worth checking whether a reprint might be likely before paying a big secondary-market premium.
Once you know what you're after, our products directory lists current amiibo retailer availability.