Ascend is probably the most interesting ability in The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. By allowing you to travel up and through objects, it unlocks some interesting options for moving around the vast fields and deep caves of Hyrule.
However, if you're like most players, you've probably looked at this ability and wondered what are the limits. What can't you go through, and how high can you go? It can be hard to get a feel for Ascend at first simply because it's a concept we don't see often in games, so here's everything you could want to know about the Ascend ability.
Updated by Nick McDonald on June 20, 2023: The Ascend ability is definitely one of the more mind-bending abilities in The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. With a bit more testing, we realized things about the ability that we didn't know before and found new ways to use it throughout the game. We've updated the article to reflect that and better direct you toward descriptions of the other abilities in the game as well.
How To Get The Ascend Ability
To get ascend, you'll have to find the Gutanbac Shrine on the eastern side of the Great Sky Plateau, but to get there, you'll likely have to unlock the Fuse and Ultra Hand abilities first.
Once you make it to the shrine, walk in, and a short cutscene will play. After it's over, you'll have access to the Ascend ability, and the rest of the shrine will help you understand how it works.
How To Use The Ascend Ability
If you find yourself in a situation where you think Ascend could come in handy, all you have to do is hit the left bumper and select the Ascend ability. Once you do, your view will shift toward looking at the ceiling. As long as the game allows, you can hit the A button to rise into the ceiling, swim through the solid material, and poke your head out the other side.
If you ended up where you wanted to go, you can hit the A button again to exit the ground, but if you missed the mark slightly, just hit the B button. That will send you right back to where you used the ability in the first place. This comes in handy whenever you need to be precise, so don't get in the habit of exiting right away no matter what.
This ability works while you're underneath most flat surfaces. You can go through a surprising amount of stone to reach the other side, so much so that there doesn't seem ot be a limit. However, if the material you want to go through isn't one that works with Ascend or either end isn't flat enough, you'll see a red dot above you. If that dot turns teal, you're free to use the Ascend ability.
There's not much complexity to the Ascend ability, but if you want to make the most use of it, you'll have to learn how to watch out for opportunities. It can be a powerful tool in combat and exploration, but thinking about what's above you takes some work.
If you're in a cave, think about what might be above you. If you need to get somewhere, think about what could be below it, and when you're fighting monsters, keep one eye open for raised platforms that can help you get out of harm's way. Some puzzles in the game, like the one for unlocking Sahasra Slope Skyview Tower, will require this type of thinking and then some.
There are also tons of passive uses for getting around Hyrule. For example, you can find tall stone towers throughout the Depths that reach all the way up to the ceiling. If you stand beneath one and use Ascend, it'll take you straight to the surface.