Tears of the Kingdom’s Ascend even lets you pass through enemies’ bodies 

Players have been sharing all kinds of different ways to make use of the Ascend ability in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. But what has many in awe is how the ability can be used during battle.  

Please note that this article contains spoilers regarding certain enemies. 

A variety of new abilities make their debut in Tears of the Kingdom, one of which allows Link to move upward through solid material and emerge above it. Using Ascend makes it possible to instantly leave the depths of a cavern and rise to the surface or to quickly reach a floating platform located high in the air by shooting up from directly below it. It is an indispensable ability for completing the game.  

The majority of players naturally use Ascend as a movement ability, but it is also valuable in combat. For example, it allows you to instantly attack an enemy that may be perched atop a high platform. Another beneficial effect of the ability is that when Link pops his head up to the surface, time is temporarily frozen. This means that you have extra time to decide whether you want to come out or instead drop back down. It’s an excellent ability that lets you scout out an area without exposing yourself to danger. Furthermore, you can even use Ascend to pass through enemies. This is an especially advantageous strategy against Stone Talus enemies.

The key point to defeating a Stone Talus is attacking the weak point located up on the top of its head. There are a number of different ways to reach this weak point, like using a bomb to make the creature falter or climbing up onto it. But don’t forget that, unlike Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom grants you a powerful helper in the Ascend ability. You can use Ascend to rise up into the Stone Talus and then emerge directly on top of it. Although many players discovered this handy strategy relatively quickly following the game’s release, there are also those who still hadn’t realized that you could also use Ascend to pass through enemies. This recently posted Reddit thread shows players voice their surprise upon learning about this. When you think about the Stone Talus having someone force their way through its body, you can’t help but feel a little sorry for it.  

But it’s not just Stone Talus types that you can use Ascend against—it’s also great against Flux Constructs. When taking on a Flux Construct, it is important to target their weak points in an efficient manner. However, depending on the shape that the construct takes, it can be difficult to approach from below. At such times, you can use Ascend to reach the top of the Construct. One thing to note is that Ascend appears to be limited to inorganic enemies. I (the original author of this article) tested out the ability on a Hinox and wasn’t able to pass through it. Nor did it work on a flying enemy like an Aerocuda. As one maybe should expect, Ascend does not allow you to pass through living things made of flesh.  

What’s unexpected is that Ascend can be used to pass through Koroks. More specifically, it works on the Koroks that carry a huge backpack and are stuck in place. The process involves keeping the Korok in the air for a while using Ultrahand and then using Recall to replicate the situation. Then when you use Ascend from below the Korok, Link will rise up into its body. Strictly speaking, Link actually enters the large backpack, which is being treated as a solid object. Regardless, the helpless Korok is probably petrified by the whole ordeal. This technique will, of course, work on any kind of solid object, so you can use it to create an impromptu platform if you need help reaching a higher location.  

This kind of variety is not limited to Ascend other abilities such as Ultrahand and Recall also have a wide range of combat applications. Combining each of these abilities can open up even greater possibilities, and we’re sure that players are coming up with even more diverse strategies even as we speak.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is currently available for the Nintendo Switch.   

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2023-05-30 19:02 JST)