Tears Of The Kingdom Made Shield Surfing Even Better

As was the case in Breath of the Wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom allows Link to use his shield as an improvised surfing device. It’s both fun and useful for getting out of trouble if you know how to do it. But TotK is adding a little twist to this fun mechanic with the game’s new Fuse ability. If you thought surfing shields was fun before, then hold on.

Tears of the Kingdom is quickly gaining notoriety for the playful and intuitive nature of its various physics and crafting systems. Fuse and Ultrahand are cool ways to combine various objects together, but combined with the game’s realistic physics, players discover all sorts of interesting ways to bypass the puzzles, fight, engaging in questionable activitiesAnd just having fun. One such possibility is the ability to merge random items with Link’s shield to boost his defensive characteristics or increase the game’s shield surfing ability depending on the items you attach it to.

Shield Surfing 101: How to Master the Technique

You may have accidentally triggered the Shield Surf technique if you’ve ever tried to jump while holding your shield up. To protect the surf, you’ll want to perform this button combo in this order: X + ZL + A. (You can also swap the order of X and ZL for this combo). Note that only shields with smooth surfaces will work. So something like the Armor-Shard shield with its spikes will knock you down.

It is best to practice when stationary at first. Once you get the hang of it, a running start will give you some momentum. The steeper the slope you descend, the further you will go. Note: This damages your shield. So save the cheaper ones for the thrill or use the technique as a quick evasive maneuver to mitigate damage to your shield.

Also, when paragliding while surfing on a shield, your shield will stick to your feet, so feel free to chain surfing with paragliding to get back to surfing. Additionally, hitting the surf shield combo while paragliding will place you in a surf shield, so the next time you paraglide back to the surface, you can now land in style.

Merge your shields to Zonai Carts and Sleds for more fun

Zonai devices can be found all over Hyrule. Two in particular can be fused to your shield to increase its surfing capabilities: carts and sleds. You can find Zonai Vending Carts above the Upland Zorana Skyview Tower, which is also highlighted in this guide). Sleds can be found at the Zonai Distributor in the East Gerudo Sky Archipelago. Note that these aren’t the only places to find such items, but we had the best luck getting them here. You can hover over the distributors on the map to also see what items are available.

Learn more: This Tears of the Kingdom Paragliding Ride Essentially Lets You Fly Forever

Once you get these items, drop them in front of you, then press L to summon your abilities. Highlight the item you want to merge, then press ZL to bind it to your shield. Fusing a cart to your shield will essentially give you a skateboard to move around with. This provides far greater movement distance and control than a simple shield. You can also ollie with a cart shield.

Merging a sled essentially gives you a snowboard (but you can use it on grass and other surfaces). You can surf with galloping horses, which is almost as fun as swimming with tigers (don’t ask).

It does not make your shield invincible. Surfing will still wear down your shield, even if it’s fused to something, and it will break. So use it where it makes sense. It’s a pretty fantastic way to get away from Gloom Hands.

Shield surfing is just one of the many fun tricks Tears of the Kingdom offers, allowing for both fun and strategy. And the fuse only increases the shenanigans you can get into. Just queue appropriate music and look at those steep falls!

Do you like Nintendo’s new open-world game? Be sure to check the tricks we wish we had known before playingsome advice on can’t miss side questsTHE duplication issue breaking game economyAnd all the latest news on Hyrule’s Korok Murder Crisis. Unless you’re still stuck in tutorial areaOr missing the paraglider you should pick it up the best shield in the game as soon as possible.