Tears of the Kingdom introduced a wide variety of alternative traversal methods through things like Autobuild and Ascend. With the ability to traverse through matter like a spirit, Link can use this Ascend ability to skyrocket to new places! Every cave, rock, and structure offers the player a unique new means of confronting enemies! From sneaking around, to ambushing your enemies, Ascend can accomplish a lot. Ascend can be an essential tool for gaining the upper hand against any opponent! Every location will have vital spots for ascending, allowing Link to achieve the optimal high ground for any situation!
While the Ascend ability can be useful for unconventional sniping spots, and views, it’s vital for certain enemies. Tears of the Kingdom has implemented several enemy types that require certain abilities in order to beat them! In the case of Ascend, the enemy type most vulnerable to it are Talus. These large rock fortresses are combat platforms to Bokoblins and can be taken care of quickly via Ascend. Several shrines and puzzles will require ascending to make quick work of them as an alternative method of success. While the Ascend ability may be one of the more traversal oriented, it holds a great deal of potential for any play style!
Looking for more Tears of the Kingdom content from KeenGamer?
- Tears of the Kingdom | Fuse Guide
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- Tears of the Kingdom | Gutanbac Shrine Guide
- Tears of the Kingdom | Rewind Guide
Basic Ascension
The typical means of using ascend fall into two main categories. These generally depend on a combative situation or a need for traversal. For this reason, consider your use of ascend as a means of traversal or getting away from strong opponents. Ascension can be used on any flat surface above Link within a moderate distance from him. This is useful for not only granting high positions but can bypass certain obstacles. Caves and houses are other great places for ascending since they often can grant Link a good paragliding position. As one of the first abilities you’ll get in Tears of the Kingdom, Ascend will be with the player their entire playthrough, so make it count!
Limitations
While Ascend can be a great method of getting from place to place, it has its definite drawbacks. For starters, Link can’t use any of his abilities while climbing or swimming. This limitation restricts the otherwise usefulness of Ascend as Link can’t use it to escape tight environmental effects. Another major limitation of Ascension is the fact it can only be used on surfaces above Link. Perhaps in the name, it says enough, however, it can’t be helped but notice the ability to descend would offer further creative solutions. Lastly, this ability has the drawback that if even a small rock, arrow, or anything obscures the path, it can’t be ascended through. This can be a frustrating circumstance against Talus who will constantly try to crush you!
Combat Ascend
Using Link’s abilities in combat can prove to be a mixed bag of results either way. While Ascend can make a huge difference in a fight, it has three primary uses in this role. The first and most effective means is to get to high ground for ranged attacks and bombs. Secondly, the use of ascending to escape enemies can be one of the best ways to avoid dying early in Tears of the Kingdom. Lastly, Ascend makes a wonderful ability for dealing with Talus quickly. Rather than facing your opponents head-on, Ascend allows Link to fight opponents on his own terms.
Ruin ascending
High Ground
As a famous Jedi once proved, the high ground can mean all the difference against a skilled opponent. Link takes this advice literally with the ability to use Ascend as a means of escaping melee combat. Enemy dens and fortifications often have surfaces that Ascend can be used on in order to gain the upper hand. This high ground still leaves Link open to ranged attacks, however through clever sniping and rewinding you’ll be safe.
The ideal situation for these high-ground ascensions is when there are a lot of environmental hazards around you. Avoid explosive barrels and damage yourself with bombs by firing them from a raised position! Very few opponents are capable of climbing or reaching ascendable positions making it perfect for camping spots.
Evasion
When it comes to dealing with large crowds of enemies, Link can be overwhelmed quickly. Luckily, like Batman, Link can escape these places by ascending to better locations. From these ascended locations, Link can heal, ready weapons, and even produce a powerful slam attack. This can be seen as a use of high ground, however, the main strategy here is to temporarily exit combat. Along with this, Ascend can make a decent sneaking asset as you stay out of enemy eyes.
Link peaking out of Ascend
Ascend is quick, quiet, and necessary for Link to evade environmental hazards like lava or gloom! Remember that ascension makes a decent method of escaping explosives and traps. In circumstances where the enemy relies on bull rushing you, or hiding on high ledges, Link can use Ascend to evade their advantage, and land the sneak attack! Finally, evade storms and weather effects by ascending into more opportune locations with shade or shelter.
Talus
When it comes to the battle platforms of Tears of the Kingdom, the Talus, and Ascend can be quintessential to victory. These aggressive rock elemental creatures are capable of killing Link quickly by crushing him or throwing large rocks. For this reason, it’s incredibly important to use Ascend quickly and efficiently in order to climb on top of them. Once on top of a talus, Link can initiate their weak spot, the ore chunk, with melee combat. This is a great alternative to fighting them with ranged weapons and ends the problem far more quickly. Acting as an economic way of dealing with such a tough opponent, Ascend will save the player on bombs and arrows!
Sneak Attacks
One of the more complex methods of using Ascend is to sneak attack enemies. Since Link is virtually silent during his ascent through rocks and surfaces, he can use it as a method of quickly dealing with surprise attacks. These sneak Attacks can allow Link to perform a variety of combos before the enemy even notices. The most common circumstance where this will come in handy is with a hinox or a horde of bokoblins. In both cases, Link has the opportunity to take some damage out of the enemies before they have the ability to counterattack. This strategy can be made more potent with stealth-enhancing food, armor, and weapons! Altogether this is a weird strategy unless you’ve practiced it due to the fact stealth can be finicky in Tears of the Kingdom.
Ascend on the ability wheel
Travel Ascension
Traveling in Tears of the Kingdom can be one of the most enjoyable aspects of the game. From wacky creations and powerful elemental exploits, there are seemingly endless possibilities. One of the best methods of travel can be Ascending, especially when trying to traverse caves and dungeons. Acting like a ghost, Link can pass through walls and ceilings in such a manner that the game feels truly open axis. Despite the limitations of the ability, ascend is great for scaling mountains, and navigating caves and wells. Additionally, ascending is great when needing to get away from the gloom, or lava! Overall, this ability is perfect for claustrophobic travel and can make any play style easier to traverse.
Scaling Mountains
Climbing mountains can be not only a time-consuming effort, but also one of monumental futility. The stamina style in Tears of the Kingdom makes getting to high places challenging naturally. Thankfully, the ascend ability can act as a go-between with climbing and paragliding, turning large cliffs into short rides. One of the best methods of doing this is to create a rocket-propelled surface to send you up like an elevator. Once up, Link can use Ascend in order to escape the risk of falling or being crushed by the surface. In this way, the player can traverse Hyrule’s upper limits through paragliding or using the glide suit!
Scaling mountains in Tears of the Kingdom is one of the best ways of finding rare ingredients and excellent paragliding spots. Because of this, Ascend is a vital means of quickly finishing off the map by paragliding from mountain top to mountain top. Remember that using ascend on pillars and arches can grant Link the additional boost in distance to go farther in these glides. All of this is made easier through the use of the Ascend ability which changes the dynamics of how you interact with high places!
Gutanbac Shrine
Caves and Wells
Tears of the Kingdom is filled with a number of caves and wells that are traversable. Each holds its own host of treasures, enemies, and environmental effects that can prove difficult. One of the lucky aspects of these systems is in most cases they can be ascended out of quickly. To this degree, Link does not have to backtrack, or even try to fight his way out of a deadly encounter. By using Ascend, Link can quickly make his way out of the circumstances to heal himself or escape. This is a great method for reaching new places like the inside of locked houses or jump towers! Be aware that caves may have multiple layers of traversal so it may require multiple uses of the Ascend ability!
Houses and Temples
When traveling through houses and Temples remember that secret areas may hide behind an ascension. These bonus items are great for building up Link’s war chest, however, also provide the player with unique immersion. At every corner, there are hidden areas located behind blastable rocks or ascendable walls. Make sure that you take advantage of these places by checking a cleared house or temple with the ascend ability. These ascend have the added bonus of being able to evade traps or locked areas! For this reason, keep ascending in mind whenever Link enters a tough situation. After all, why fight conventionally when you have the ability to pass through walls like a ghost?
Combining Abilities
Mixing links abilities can create unique solutions to nearly any circumstance. For instance, mixing the Ascend ability with reverse can create an all-new pathway for Link to travel through. Ascending on devices is another useful aspect of the ability as you can confront enemies or get back into areas you’ve fallen off of. Ascending onto a surface that’s been glued to a wall can make for quick methods of getting to high places as well. Finally, by ascending to high places and throwing your fused explosives, you ensure you won’t take damage from them. It’s simple and straightforward, but due to the nature of Link’s abilities, you can mix and match for infinite potential!
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Paragliding
One of the big aspects of Ascending that makes it so potent in Tears of the Kingdom is the accessible paragliding spots. Whether it’s through the use of rocket-propelled wings or your hang glider, there are an infinite amount of ways to get airborne. The best ways to achieve these locations are to make the most of Ascending up cliffs and ruined sides. From atop sky islands, there is an infinite amount of ruins that can be exploited for this purpose. Additionally, you can ascend atop fuse guardians, as well as talus to paraglide off of them. In the event that you need a spot to paraglide, remember that rewind and ascend can be your best friends!
Chargeless Travel
One of the most appealing factors of Ascending is the fact it doesn’t require battery charges. A good portion of the travel methods in Tears of the Kingdom is dedicated to charges and batteries. Due to Ascend being one of the major abilities of the game, they don’t require any batteries to use. This can provide instrumental energy efficiency when you are looking forward to long-term travel. Try to use the Ascend ability with the paraglider as much as possible to avoid constantly losing battery power on devices. No matter how potent a device might be, it will eventually run out, something that can’t be said for Link’s mainstay abilities!
Ascending to Victory
Tears of the Kingdom is the entry of the Legend of Zelda series that offers its player base the most opportunities. In its full depth, Link’s abilities will help fix Hyrule, one problem at a time, and through Ascend, he can reach all new heights! The scale and majesty of Hyrule have never been grander, and the power of Ascend will help you see every corner of it. Remember, it’s dangerous to go alone, so take Ascend so you can save the kingdom!
