Zelda Tears of the Kingdom: Ultrahand controls and techniques explained
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the new Ultrahand ability will be what you use to solve almost every puzzle. The Ultrahand acts a bit like BOTW’s Magnesis in that it can pick things up – but it can pick almost any item that can be moved around the game world. Then, you can attach those items together to create potentially immense structures.
The Ultrahand is incredibly cool and necessary for playing Tears of the Kingdom, but it’s also a bit complicated to maneuver items in a 3D space. In this guide we’re breaking down how to use Tears of the Kingdom’s new Ultrahand ability.
For more Zelda guides and tips, like how to find and activate all Skyview Towers, or an explanation of all Zonai Devices, make sure to read our full Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.
Ultrahand controls explained – Zelda TOTK
You place the bridge...
Ultrahand can be controlled a lot like Magnesis in Breath of the Wild. You can select the Ultrahand ability by holding the L button and selection Ultrahand. You can then grab a highlighted object by aiming at it and pressing A.
While an item is held you can move it up or down in the air with the right stick or with gyro controls, and pull it towards or push it away from Link by pressing up and down on the d-pad. Hold R and use the d-pad if you want the rotate the object.
Rotating the object is the hardest part, because you often need to line things up to get them balanced perfectly when using the Ultrahand to attach objects to one another. You can find deposits of wooden materials from Hudson Construction all over Hyrule, and they’re good to practice on.
It’s best to lay your “main” object on flat ground before attaching items to it, otherwise lining up the correct rotations may be awkward. Once you line things up in the way you want, press A to attach two items together while using Ultrahand. This is different from the Fuse ability you can use on weapons and shields.
If you want to disconnect Ultrahand objects from one another, choose the piece you want to disconnect and then shake the right stick left and right rapidly to shake the pieces off of it. You should also be careful to not do this accidentally.
Ultrahand techniques you should know – Zelda TOTK
... and then you walk across the bridge
Bridges can do a lot. Honestly, a lot of puzzles and problems can be solved by stringing together a bunch of wooden pieces until you can form a functioning bridge. Even the longest of structures are surprisingly sturdy, so you shouldn’t worry too much about engineering stability for the most part.
Keep in mind that, even though putting some walls on the sides of your makeshift cart may seem like a good idea, it will also increase the weight of the object, making it harder for Zonai devices like Wheels, Fans, etc. to push or pull you along.
Likewise, you should also keep in mind the balance of an object when attached items to it. A minecart, for example, may tip over if you’ve only attached items to the right side. Likewise, a Glider may go off course if it is weighted only on one side. Keep all of this in mind when modifying and building your vehicles.
