How to fight in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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Link returns in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to save Hyrule and fight Ganon. Fighting is a major component of the game and you’ll be doing quite a lot of it. At first, you’ll have barely more than just a stick and very few clothes. However, you’ll grow more powerful and collect stronger items during your venture across the open world. All fledging swordsmen need training so here’s how to fight in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
How do you fight in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Fighting is a broad term but generally comes down to using a melee weapon, shield, and bow and arrow. You’ll use several Nintendo Switch buttons to fight including ZL to bring up your shield to block an attack and lock on to a target. The Y button is your main melee attack. Press it once to strike out with your weapon or hold it to build up a charged attack.
You can use it in combination with the X button to jump. While in the air, press the attack button again to bring down your melee weapon on top of an enemy. You can also use X to dodge an attack by using the left stick to jump out of the way.
Dodging an attack at the right time will activate flurry rush allowing Link to attack multiple times before the enemy can react. You can hit A to parry, knocking an oncoming attack out of the way.
The ZR button aims Link’s equipped bow, while subsequently releasing it will fire an arrow from the quiver. Alternatively, you can hold the ZR button while pressing up on the d-pad to select an item for Link to throw. Releasing the d-pad while still holding down ZR will place the selected item into Link’s hand. Throw it the same way you would fire an arrow. to throw Link’s equipped weapon, hold R and Link will prepare to throw it at enemies. Release the button to throw it.
While Link will mainly rely on a melee weapon, bow, and shield, the addition of Zonai devices and abilities such as Fuse is also helpful in fights. You can use Ultrahand to pick up items to bash enemies. While the Fuse ability lets you attach bombs to weapons or arrows to use as small detonations.
Fighting works in the same way it did in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For the sequel, it wouldn’t make much sense to change what players are used to. Whether you’re fighting a standard Moblin or taking down a boss such as the Mucktorok, understanding how to fight is important. Enemies are challenging in Tears of the Kingdom and you’ll have to rely on much more than weapons to defeat them as well.
That’s why wearing armor is also key to winning battles in Tears of the Kingdom. You’ll find several pieces of armor for Link to wear while exploring. Each includes an armor rating that tells you if it’s stronger than what you’re previously wearing.
Of course, there are several ways to fight in Tears of the Kingdom. Players are constantly discovering new ways to bring down foes with the use of Link’s new abilities. Mastering combat is essential to making sure Link remains alive so he can save Hyrule once again.
