The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom gives you plenty of freedom, but its open-ended systems can make it hard to know what to try first. Use these 15 practical tips to get comfortable with the controls, make better use of Link’s abilities, and find a way forward when you feel stuck—without locking yourself into one route.
What should you do first?
1. Review the controls before you need a special action
Check the controls in the System Menu to see the available actions. Some advanced actions appear there after you encounter them, so it is worth checking again when the game introduces something new. Nintendo’s general tips for the game point players to this menu when they need a reminder.
2. Treat Shrine lessons as a place to practice
Certain Shrines teach special actions. Try the action in that safe, focused setting and notice what it can affect before relying on it during a difficult climb or encounter. You can experiment with the intended solution, then consider whether the same idea might help elsewhere.
3. Check your Adventure Log for quest reminders
Started and completed quests are recorded in the Adventure Log, and many entries include hints or reminders. If you have lost track of what a character asked you to do, or where a clue pointed, check the log before retracing your steps.
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- Enhanced performance and visuals exclusive to the Nintendo Switch 2.
- Explore the skies, caves, and vast lands of Hyrule in a massive open-world adventure.
- Wield new and returning abilities to craft solutions, vehicles, and weapons.
- Discover the mystery behind the spreading gloom threatening the kingdom.
- Use the ZELDA NOTES app to share, compare, and earn daily bonuses.
4. Follow Main Quests when you want direction
The Main Quests provide a useful nudge if the open world feels too broad. You can pursue one when you want a clearer objective, then return to side routes and discoveries whenever you choose. Quest guidance is an option, not a requirement to explore in a particular order.
5. Cook before a demanding trip
Meals can help Link withstand environmental conditions and restore stamina. Before setting out on a route with a long climb or other difficult stretch, prepare food that suits the obstacle you expect to face. Nintendo’s support guidance specifically recommends cooking as part of getting unstuck and preparing to explore.
What do Link’s new abilities do?
The four central abilities solve different kinds of problems: Ultrahand handles objects and construction, Fuse modifies gear, Recall reverses an object’s movement, and Ascend offers upward traversal. They complement one another rather than functioning as a ranked set of upgrades. Nintendo’s official gameplay tips and ability overview describe their basic uses.
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6. Try Ultrahand before assuming there is only one solution
Ultrahand lets you pick up, move, rotate, and attach objects. Use it to see whether nearby materials can help solve the immediate problem: Nintendo lists bridges, boats, cars, and flying machines among the possible builds. A gap may call for a bridge; a stretch of water may be easier to cross with a boat. Look at what is available around you before deciding that a route is impossible.
7. Build small, then test and adjust
You do not need to start with an elaborate contraption. Try a simple structure or vehicle made from nearby pieces, test whether it solves the problem, and adjust it if it does not. Small experiments make it easier to see which part needs changing, and the game encourages trying different uses for its abilities and devices.
8. Fuse materials to adapt your gear
Fuse attaches an object to a weapon, shield, or arrow. Depending on the material, the combination can change durability, damage, or add an effect. Treat equipment as something you can adapt to the situation rather than assuming each weapon has only one fixed use. Nintendo explains the ability in its official tips.
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- Ultrahand: Using the new Ultrahand ability, Link can pick up, move, and rotate almost any object, and can even attach objects together to create bridges, vehicles, and more!
- Fuse: Magically fuse almost any object to Link’s current weapon, shield, or arrow to increase durability, damage, or even add a new effect. Experiment with lots of different combinations to come up with surprising—and sometimes hilarious—results!
- Ascend: Add a new dimension to your exploration with Ascend, which gives Link the ability to pass through solid objects above him. Rise up through ceilings, hillsides, and even certain enemies to create seemingly impossible shortcuts.
- Recall: Use Recall to make objects in motion move backward through time, letting Link ride fallen boulders skyward, recover thrown weapons, or send projectiles back where they came from.
9. Use Recall when an object has moved
Recall reverses an object’s movement. When something has traveled along a path that might help you, consider whether sending it back along that path could create an opportunity. The ability is about the object’s movement, so look for a moving object rather than expecting Recall to reverse every kind of obstacle.
10. Look above you for an Ascend route
Ascend carries Link upward through an appropriate ceiling or surface. When you are in a cave or enclosed area, look for a suitable surface overhead before searching for a long route back out. Nintendo’s adventure tips describe Ascend as a possible quick exit from a cave when you are surrounded.
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11. Strike the Zonai device you intend to activate
Some Zonai devices activate when struck with a weapon. Aim for the device itself rather than swinging at the rest of your build; Nintendo’s tips for your adventure call out this distinction.
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12. Try a different use for an ability or Zonai device
If your first idea fails, change the approach rather than repeating it unchanged. Nintendo Support recommends trying abilities and Zonai devices in new ways when you are unsure how to proceed. Consider whether a device could solve a different part of the problem, or whether another ability fits better: construction, gear modification, movement reversal, and upward traversal each offer a different angle.
13. Talk to the people you meet
Characters can offer clues or point you toward places and tasks. If you have reached a dead end, talk to people nearby and listen for a hint that gives you a new lead. You can decide how closely to follow it.
14. Search an area you have not visited
A route that seems blocked may be only one possible way forward. Explore an unfamiliar area, look for another entrance or useful materials, and see whether the detour reveals a new option. Nintendo notes that players’ exploration paths can differ, so there is no single route every beginner needs to take.
15. Keep your route flexible
Use character dialogue and quest hints as prompts, not commands. You can follow a lead for a while, pause it to explore, and return when you are ready. Nintendo’s support advice recognizes that “Every player’s exploration experience will be different.”
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