How to shield surf in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Link is more than just a swordmaster in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. He’s also a radical surfer dude who can pull off gnarly tricks with his makeshift board. That’s right, shield surfing is back.

A beloved mechanic first introduced in Breath of the Wild, shield surfing involves mounting your shield and gliding to your heart’s content. It saves time, helping you get from point A to B, but it also looks really cool. 

Shield surfing received a noticeable upgrade in Tears of the Kingdom thanks to the new Fuse ability. You can fuse your shield to any number of items, adding to the surfing experience. Here’s how to shield surf.

How do you shield surf in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

To shield surf, simply hold down ZL to pull out your shield, press X to jump, and immediately hit A while you’re in the air. This fast, three-button motion will see you do a front flip straight onto your shield. 

If you’re on a slope, your board will carry you with its momentum. You can steer the board or jump off and spring back into action.

While regular shield surfing is fun and can save you time and stamina, getting creative and fusing objects to your shield is where things get interesting.

If you’re feeling fancy, you can surf off a mountain and whip out your paraglider for a great escape, or you can bounce off a Bomb Flower, enable bullet time, and catch out a group of unsuspecting enemies.

I tried to get creative with a Bomb Flower in the video above, but I ended up surfing straight to my death. In hindsight, I should have pulled out my paraglider to save bruising my poor elven face.

To fuse an item to your shield, hold down L to bring up the radial menu, select Fuse from the wheel, aim at something (in this case a Bomb Flower), and press ZL.

There are plenty of items you can fuse to your shield and incorporate into shield surfing. How about a spring for some extra height, a minecart, or even a rocket? They all work.

But be warned. While shield surfing is a hell of a lot of fun, it comes at a cost. Your shield will degrade every time you surf, so make sure to save your most-prized shields for a special occasion.