The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces a number of new and exciting abilities for Link to use in his adventure, giving players some of the most exciting and dynamic new gameplay mechanics the series has seen. If you’re just starting out on your quest, you might be wondering when and how you’ll be able to fill out your ability wheel with every new skill that Link can gain, so we’ve got you covered.
There are a total of eight unique abilities that Link can obtain over the course of the game, most come from mandatory main quests but at least one is optional and it’s possible to get one a bit earlier than usual.
The abilities are:
- Ascend
- Camera
- Ultrahand
- Autobuild
- Fuse
- Amiibo
- Recall
- Map
And here’s how you can get access to each one:
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – How To Unlock Every Ability
Amiibo
Tears of the Kingdom once again allows players to scan amiibo figures to unlock special items in-game, from unique weapons and gear to random assortments of resources. We’ve put together a handy guide to everything you can get from scanning your amiibo collection right here.
You’ll get access to the Amiibo ability as soon as you’re given Zelda’s Purah Pad in the early main quest, Find Princess Zelda.
Map
Guess what? It’s a map. Much like Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom’s map allows link to get the lay of the land as well as ping points of interest through a first-person view and have them marked on the map.
You’ll also get access to the Map as soon as you’re given Zelda’s Purah Pad in the early main quest, Find Princess Zelda.
Ultrahand
This is the first proper ability you’ll get to play with, allowing link to attach together objects and devices he finds in the world to make new creations like platforms, vehicles and even mildly complex machines. Basically anything you could possibly need to surpass the obstacles ahead.
Ultrahand is given to link as part of the early main quest, The Closed Door.
Fuse
The next ability that Link receives is Fuse, which allows him to magically combine items, weapons/weapon parts to create new and exciting tools of destruction. Think anything from a huge rock on the end of a stick for a makeshift hammer to smash through obstacles, a rocket on an arrow to make it extra spicy, or a mine cart on a shield for added (and probably very heavy) protection.
Fuse is also given to link as part of the early main quest, The Closed Door.
Ascend
Ascend allows Link to, well, ascend great heights by phasing through ceilings. It’s a great way to quickly zip up to high platforms or return to the surface from deep caves. You’ll even get a chance to poke your head out of the ground on the other side and scope the situation before committing to an exit.
Ascend is also granted during the early main quest, The Closed Door.
Recall
Link can use Recall to rewind time on single objects, launching enemy projectiles back at them, reversing rolling stones or moving doors and even sending fallen rocks back up to the sky and riding on top for a quick elevator to the Sky Islands
Recall is given to Link shortly after completing The Closed Door quest, and finally entering the Temple of Time.
Camera
Link’s Purah Pad can be granted a Camera function, which will be essential for building the Hyrule Compendium and completing a number of side quests.
After completing the main quest, Regional Phenomena, you’ll need to stick around (or head back to) the Lookout Landing and speak to Josha and Robbie, who will start you on a new side quest called Camera Work In The Depths. During this quest, Link will be asked to take some specific pictures and thus granted access to the Camera.
Autobuild
Autobuild is an incredibly handy ability that allows Link to save or find blueprints of Ultrahand creations and build them instantly either using nearby objects or a secondary resource if the required bits aren’t on hand.
To unlock Autobuild, after completing the Camera Work In The Depths quest described above and also completing any one of the game’s four temples, you’ll need to take on the Mystery Of The Depths quest in Lookout Landing, which will take you to the Great Abandoned Central Mine where the Autobuild ability is granted to Link via a glowing symbol.
If you’re feeling particularly enthused to get around Autobuild as quickly as possible and don’t want to go to the trouble of completing a temple, there are already some players finding creative ways to get into the mine early on, like this example from PhillyBeatzU on YouTube:
And that’s it! It doesn’t take long at all to amass the full suite of Link’s abilities in Tears of the Kingdom, so now you’ve still got a full, fantastic experience ahead of you – with all the tools at your disposal to overcome any challenge.
