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The combat system of The Legend of Zelda franchise has come a long way and evolved into what it is today. While the game focuses on adventure and creativity, combat is still a big part of it. During your adventure in Hyrule, you will encounter several enemies and bosses during the quests and side quests. You must learn how to defeat your foes to complete these quests and progress through the game.
The combat system of Tears of the Kingdom is very easy to learn and understand. However, there are several mechanics which the player needs to learn to be the combat master in the game.
Updated by Chad Thesen on 14 June 2023: Additional information and embedded links have been added for the readers' convenience. This includes information on how the inventory can be increased and a link to the guide on how to increase it. An embedded link for the best kinds of weapons has also been added so readers know which ones to seek out.
Link’s Abilities
The first step to being the best in combat is to learn about the abilities. In Tears Of The Kingdom, Link has four basic abilities. You must use these four abilities throughout the game and your adventure to get past any enemies or obstacles.
Ultrahand
The first ability is the Ultrahand, which can combine two objects. You can find the Ultrahand ability at the Ukouh Shrine. This can be particularly useful when used with Zonai devices and can be used to make some deadly weapons. Using the Autobuild ability, you can also save custom Ultrahand builds to use later.
Fuse
Fuse is a creative addition to the game. It grants Link to combine any object with his weapons. You will get the ability from the In-isa Shrine. This can be really helpful as the fuse equipment will have all properties from both the weapon and object that was fused. You can also fuse materials with arrows and make them a much more powerful weapon for combat.
Fuse can also repair your damaged weapons, increasing their durability slightly. When stunned, your enemies will usually drop their weapons on the ground. Using a fuse, Link will be able to Fuse the dropped weapon as an object.
Ascend
As the name suggests, Ascend will let Link move upwards through objects. You will find Ascend in the Gutanbac Shrine. Though Ascend might not be that useful in combat, if you are creative enough, you can surely use it to your advantage.
Recall
The final and one interesting ability is Recall, which lets Link turn back time. You will get the recall ability after you have completed The Closed Door quest in the Temple of Time. You can use this ability to rewind any object and deal damage to your enemies. You can also use Recall to lift you up in the air during battle.
Interestingly, you can also rewind any object that has been thrown by your enemy and successfully ruin their attack. Once your enemy has thrown an object toward you, use the recall ability and target the object. This will rewind it and also deal damage to the enemy.
Elemental And Environmental Effects
There are several elemental and environmental effects you should know about. These effects can significantly benefit you during your fight and can even deal huge damage to your enemies when fused with your arrows.
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Element |
Effect |
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Fire |
Burn enemies |
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Shock |
Stun enemies |
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Ice |
Freeze enemies |
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Type Of Weapons
In Tears of the Kingdom, weapons are kept in your inventory, which can be upgraded to carry an increasingly larger arsenal of them. These weapons are divided into five main types based on their range, speed, and other attributes. Before choosing your weapon for battle, it's important to know these types and select the perfect one, depending on your battle requirements.
- One-Handed Weapons: Swords, Blades, and Sticks are prime examples of one-handed weapons. They have a decent range and power and can be equipped with a shield during battle.
- Two-Handed Weapons: Two-handed weapons are generally used alongside a sword in another hand. These weapons can deal huge damage to multiple enemies at a time. However, it lacks the shield, and thus Link will be more open to enemy attacks.
- Spear: Spears are throwables that give Link a lot of range. However, their damage could be better too.
- Bow: The bows are one super effective weapon if you want to hunt down some enemies from long range.
- Shield: Shields are the classic defense mechanism during hand-to-hand combat in Tears of Kingdom.
Repair Weapon
You will be able to repair your broken weapons with the help of the Rock Octorok. Once you have repeatedly used a weapon, its durability will slowly end. But, thanks to Rock Octorok, you can repair the weapon before it breaks completely.
You must put the broken weapon near the Rock Octorok to repair your weapon. Go near the rock, and open your inventory. Choose the weapon you want to repair from there, drop it, and return to a safe distance. Once it's dropped, the rock will take the weapon inside its mouth, chew it and repair it for you, and add a random buff to your weapon’s stats.
However, one Rock Octorok will repair only once. So, be careful with the weapons you repair, as these rocks are rare and will be reusable only after the blood moon.
Focus
Focus, or locking on a target, is an effective combat technique during attack and defense, especially when fighting against a group of enemies. To focus on an enemy, look at the enemy and press and hold the ‘ZL’ button. Remember, you must hold the ‘ZL’ button as long as you want to keep yourself locked in.
If you want to change your target, just let go of the ‘ZL’ button, look at the other enemy you want to target, and press and hold the ‘ZL’ button again. When an enemy is locked in, an orange arrow will be placed above its head.
Dodge And Flurry Rush
Flurry Rush is a series of heavy attacks that can be performed only after dodging the enemy's attack timely, which will slow down the time. While the time is slowed, pressing the ‘Y’ button will start the Flurry Rush attack.
Flurry Rush is a very effective attack in taking down the enemy quickly. To execute the perfect Flurry Rush, lock on using the ZL button, and wait for your enemy to attack. Press ' X ' once your enemy starts charging, and move the left stick to the direction you want to dodge. The direction of the dodge, in this case, is important. You should dodge to the back if your enemy is swinging their strike horizontally.
Again, if your enemy is swinging vertically, you should dodge to either left or right. If dodged perfectly, you will then be able to do the Flurry Rush.
However, remember that this attack is only helpful against solo enemies and might not be the smartest move while fighting against a group of enemies.
Block And Parry
Parry is another effective combat technique that can give you an extra advantage over your enemies during a fight. It's similar to the dodge and flurry rush technique, but you will need a shield to perform the Parry.
When you fight, equip a shield and lock on your enemy by holding the ‘ZL’ button. Wait for your enemy to attack, and as soon as it attacks, press the ‘A’ button before it lands a hit on you. If you can time the Parry perfectly, Link can defend the enemy's attack and stun it briefly. However, the parry comes with a risk. If you miss the timing to activate the Parry attack, your shield defense will be gone, leaving you vulnerable to enemy attack.
Sneakstrike
Just as the name suggests, Sneakstrike is a sneak attack. This can take down enemies quickly and relatively easily.
To perform the perfect Sneakstrike, you must sneak behind your enemy without them noticing you. So, crouch and slowly walk towards your target from the back. Once you are close enough, you can perform the Sneakstrike with your melee weapon by pressing ‘Y.’ However, if you are up against a group of enemies, taking one down with a sneak attack will alert the others around it.
Critical Hits And Jump Attack
Critical Hits are heavy attack hits, especially on the enemy’s head, eye, or weak spot, which can deal 2x much damage as usual. Arrows are one weapon that can effectively deal critical damage to enemies. Hold the ‘ZR’ button to aim with your arrow, and try targeting the enemy’s head or eye (if visible). If you can hit the target, the enemy will take 2x more damage from your arrow. Hitting enemy weak points will also stun the enemy, giving you enough time to plan your next attack or land multiple rapid blows.
You can also do critical hits on your enemy by throwing your weapon. Press and hold 'R' while you have any weapon equipped to aim it at your enemy.
Additionally, the last hit of the weapon can also cause Critical Damage. Weapon durability in Tears of the Kingdom works similarly to that from Breath of the Wild. If a weapon has been used for a long time, it will eventually break. However, the last blow of the weapon before breaking will deal 2x damage on the enemies.
Another type of attack that deals additional damage is the Jump Attack. Though it doesn't land a critical hit, it's still effective during combat. A jump attack can be done simply by jumping and charging while you are in mid-air. This will also stun the enemies in the attack radius.