Beginner Guide
🎯 Advanced Tips Collection
Master these techniques, and your journey through Hyrule will transform from “beating the game” to “playing with elegance.” This guide applies to both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, with specific techniques noted for their applicable version.
⚔️ The Combat Core Trio
Flurry Rush
At the moment an enemy’s attack is about to hit, use a side hop or backflip to dodge. Upon success, time slows down, and you can press the attack button repeatedly to unleash a flurry of strikes.
- Against sweeping attacks: backflip;
- Against thrusts/overhead slams: side hop left or right;
- Against spinning attacks: create distance;
- Flurry Rushes rapidly consume weapon durability; avoid overusing them early on.
Parry
After locking onto an enemy, press the guard button (default A) to raise your shield just before an attack hits. This deflects the attack and stuns the enemy.
- Parrying a Guardian’s laser reflects it back, dealing massive damage and being the most resource-efficient way to defeat Guardians;
- A perfect parry can create an opening against almost any melee attack;
- Consecutive parries require mastering each enemy’s unique rhythm; the Lynel’s “triple swipe” is a classic example.
Charged Attack
Hold the attack button to unleash your weapon’s charged technique:
| Weapon Type | Charged Effect |
|---|---|
| One-Handed Sword | 360° Spin Attack |
| Two-Handed Sword | Great Spin, large area, high damage |
| Spear | Rapid Thrusts, long range |
Charging consumes stamina. If stamina depletes completely, you’ll be left panting and vulnerable, so manage your stamina carefully.
🏹 Bullet Time (Bow Slow-Mo)
Drawing your bow while airborne automatically triggers slow motion, allowing for precise headshots. How to trigger:
- Jump from a high place and immediately draw your bow;
- Draw your bow while horseback jumping;
- Draw your bow after being lifted by an updraft / Tornado;
- In Tears of the Kingdom, you can use a Rocket Shield, Spring Shield, or Zonai Fan to launch yourself high into the air.
::: tip Aerial Combo Use an updraft to ascend → enter Bullet Time for a headshot → fire another arrow before landing to safely clear an entire camp. :::
🛡️ Shield Surfing
Hold the guard button to raise your shield, jump, and press the guard button again in mid-air to ride your shield.
- Sliding on snow/sand consumes no durability;
- Sliding on rock/grass rapidly consumes shield durability;
- While sliding, you can shoot arrows or press the attack button to perform a spin attack;
- When sliding down from a height, you can deploy the paraglider to continue flying.
::: warning Use cheap shields like the “Traveler’s Shield” specifically for surfing. Don’t wear down the Hylian Shield’s durability. :::
💥 Windbomb / Bomb Impact Launch (Breath of the Wild Only)
Using a Remote Bomb’s explosion during Bullet Time to launch yourself is Breath of the Wild’s most famous movement technique, often used in speedruns.
Principle: Enter Bullet Time in the air, drop a square bomb, recall it and drop a round bomb, then immediately detonate the square bomb to blast the round bomb towards you, providing immense propulsion.
Three common trigger methods:
| Method | Key Steps |
|---|---|
| Edge Windbomb | Stand at a cliff edge, walk and jump → enter Bullet Time → drop bomb → detonate |
| Wall Windbomb | Jump off a wall, immediately draw your bow, and drop a bomb behind you |
| Aerial Windbomb | Glide, retract the paraglider to enter Bullet Time; watch your altitude |
::: tip Windbombing requires extensive practice. Try it repeatedly at a save point on the plains; failing and falling is common, so always save first. :::
🎯 Stealth and Sneak Attacks
- Crouching significantly reduces detection probability; the Stealth Set, when upgraded, makes you nearly silent;
- You can perform a Sneak Attack on unaware enemies (or animals), dealing several times normal damage;
- Following up a sneak attack with an immediate strike often one-shots common enemies;
- To catch Fairies or rare insects, wear stealth gear and slowly approach from behind.
🧨 Elemental and Environmental Interactions
| Combination | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fire + Grass | Creates an updraft, useful for ascending |
| Ice + Water | Creates a platform or freezes enemies |
| Lightning + Metal | Conducts electricity; throw metal weapons at enemies to attract lightning |
| Bomb + Rock | Mining, clearing paths |
| Stasis + Boulder | Charge to launch the boulder at a camp |
🚀 Tears of the Kingdom Exclusive Advanced Techniques
Rocket Shield
Fuse a Rocket to your shield. Holding the shield and jumping launches you instantly into the air. It’s the most practical technique for quickly reaching towers, sky islands, and avoiding Gloom.
Spring Shield / Cannon Shield
- Spring Shield: Bounces enemies away when hit; can also be used to bounce yourself up;
- Cannon Shield: Fires a cannonball when you jump while shielding, functioning as a ranged weapon.
Clever Uses of Recall
- Recall an explosive rock thrown by an enemy back to them;
- Recall fallen ore or chests to a higher place for easy collection;
- Stand on a Zonai device, fall off, then Recall it for alternative movement.
Ascend Through Walls
In caves with ceilings, look up to ascend to the upper level. This allows quick escapes from underground, entry into Shrines, or bypassing mazes.
Fuse Tips
- Fusing Gems to weapons adds elemental damage;
- Fusing Monster Materials increases attack power;
- Fusing a Shield to a weapon creates a unique blunt weapon;
- Fusing Bomb Flowers to arrows provides area-of-effect clearing;
- Fused weapon durability is a blend of both components’ durability; strategic combinations extend usage time.
Quick Vehicle Construction
After unlocking Autobuild, you can use blueprints to quickly generate flying machines or vehicles; combining a Large Fan + Steering Stick + Battery creates a low-cost aircraft.
💰 Resource and Efficiency Tips
| Goal | Technique |
|---|---|
| Quick Money | Sell ore and dragon parts; open a shop after the Hateno Village house quest |
| Dragon Parts | Wait along a dragon’s fixed flight path and shoot scales/horns with a bow |
| Star Fragments | Wait on open high ground at night for shooting stars; use Magnesis or run to collect |
| Stamina Recovery | Cook “Stamina” dishes, like Endura Shrooms or Endura Carrots |
| Weapon Refresh | Blood Moons respawn the world; mark powerful weapon spawn points |
| Quick Upgrades | Prioritize opening Shrines and completing Trials of Power for weapons |
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- Greedy Attacks: Rushing in to attack a boss immediately, only to be countered; observe their moves first.
- Hoarding Weapons: Good weapons left unused will just rot in your inventory; use them when needed.
- Ignoring Stamina: Climbing, swimming, and charging all consume stamina; prepare stamina dishes before heading out.
- Not Upgrading Armor: The defense boost from Great Fairy upgrades far outweighs eating a few extra dishes.
- Skipping Dialogue: Many key hints and Shrine challenges are hidden in NPC conversations.
Related Pages: Combat Tips | Controls Guide | Survival Tips | Boss Guides