As was the case breath of the wild, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom lets Link use his shield as a makeshift surfing device. It’s fun and useful for getting out of trouble if you know how. But DeadK adds a little twist to this fun mechanic with the game’s new Fuse ability. If you thought surfing shields was fun, then just wait.
Tears of the Kingdom is quickly gaining notoriety for how playful and intuitive the various physics and crafting systems are. Fuse and Ultrahand are cool ways to combine different objects together, but when combined with the game’s lifelike physics, players will discover all sorts of interesting ways to do it to get around puzzles, Battle, engage in questionable activitiesAnd just have fun. One such possibility is the ability to fuse random objects with Link’s shield to either increase his defensive properties or improve the game’s shield surfing technique, depending on the items you attach him to.
Shield Surfing 101: How to Master the Technique
You may have accidentally triggered the Shield Surf technique if you’ve ever attempted to jump while holding your shield up. To shield the surf, you need to perform this key combination in this order: X + ZL + A. (You can also swap the order of X and ZL for this combination). Note that only shields with smooth surfaces will work. Something like the Armor-Shard Shield with its spikes just makes you fall.
It’s best to practice this while standing first. Once you get the feel for it, a run-up will give you some momentum. The steeper the slope you go down, the further you advance. Note: This deals damage to your shield. So save the cheap ones for the thrill, or use the tech as a quick dodge to mitigate damage to your shield.
Even if you paraglide while paragliding, your shield will stick to your feet, so you can combine paragliding with paragliding back to surfing. Also, hitting the Shield Surf combo while paragliding will put you in a Shield Surf, so the next time you paraglide to the surface you can now land in style.
Connect your shields to Zonai wagons and sleds for even more fun
Zonai devices can be found throughout Hyrule. Two in particular can be fused to your shield to improve its surfing abilities: carts and sledges. You can find carts at the Zonai Dispenser above the Upland Zorana Skyview Tower, which is also present are highlighted in this guide). Toboggans can be found at the Zonai dispenser of the East Gerudo Sky Archipelago. Note that these aren’t the only places to find such items, but this is where we’ve had the most luck getting them. You can also hover over the donors on the map to see which items are available.
Continue reading: The Tears of the Kingdom The paraglider trick basically lets you fly forever
Once you get these items, drop them in front of you, then press L to call up your skills. Highlight the item you want to fuse, then press ZL to bind it to your shield. Connecting a cart to your shield essentially gives you a skateboard to skate around with. This provides far greater range and control than just a shield alone. You can also ollie with a Cart Shield.
The fusion of a sled essentially gives you a snowboard (although you can use it on grass and other surfaces as well). You can surf with galloping horses — which is almost as fun as swimming with tigers (don’t ask).
This does not make your shield invincible. While surfing, your shield will still be subject to wear and tear, even when fused to something, and it will break. So use it where it makes sense. It’s a pretty fantastic way to gain some distance from Gloom Hands.
Shield surfing is just one of many playful tricks Tears of the Kingdom Offerings that allow for both fun and strategy. And Fuse just increases the shenanigans you can do. Only Queue matching music and watch out for the steep slopes!
