Skimming down Hyrule’s slopes on a shield isn’t just for show-it’s one of Tears of the Kingdom’s most stylish ways to travel. Here’s how to master the glide, keep your gear intact, and turn every hill into your personal racetrack.
In Tears of the Kingdom‘s new Fuse ability, shield surfing is way more complex, thanks mostly to the new Fuse ability. Our guide breaks down how to shield surf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and provides some general tips on how to best use this feature with the new tools at your disposal.
How to shield surf in Tears of the Kingdom
Hold ZL to draw your shield on a slope, press X to jump, then hit A mid-air to land on it and slide downhill. Steer with the left stick to turn or pull back to slow down, and tap B to dismount when ready. Surfing wears down shield durability faster on rough ground like dirt, but fusing items such as rockets or springs via the L menu adds boosts or bounces for longer rides.
You can shield surf on any shield you pick up – as soon as the Great Sky Island. However, shield surfing may be a bit more difficult to do until you get the paraglider shortly after you reach Hyrule proper.
The short version: You can shield surf by holding ZL to pull out your shield, jumping, and then pressing A while you’re still in the air.
Again, this can be hard to accomplish if you don’t have the paraglider or are at the very least jumping down some kind of angled slope. However you do it, though, shield surfing can be a great method of traversal in Tears of the Kingdom.
As mentioned previously, Fuse only enhances this feature. By attaching Zonai devices, you can cover a ton of ground with shield surfing. Try attaching a rocket to your shield. This is a fair bit faster than just running, and looks pretty interesting to boot. However, rockets eat through your energy cell, meaning you can only use this tricks for roughly five to 10 seconds before it breaks when attached to your shield.
If you’re looking to get some verticality with your shield, Fuse a bomb barrel to your shield. These can be found throughout Hyrule once you’ve left the Great Sky Island – specifically where any Bokoblins are. What’s fun with this, is that if you have a bomb barrel when prompting shield surfing, it’ll actually give you a little boost by the way of an explosion. This is great for getting a bit of verticality to shield surf, or even help scale bits of terrain.
Best shields for long shield surfing sessions
Hylian Shield stands out as the top choice for extended shield surfing sessions due to its exceptional 800 base durability, far surpassing most shields, which reduces the need for frequent replacements during long runs.
Durability-Focused Shields
Daybreaker Shield rivals the Hylian with strong durability and no durability loss on favorable terrains like sand or snow when unfused.
Royal Guard or Savage Lynel Shields offer high defense (up to 96) but wear faster unless fused properly; pair with Durability Up modifiers for longevity.
Optimal Fusions
Fuse a Cart or Minecart to any high-durability shield (like Hylian) for wheeled mobility on grass or rock, accelerating faster than plain shields without excessive wear.
Sled fusion excels on snow or sand, avoiding movement penalties; Icy Meat or Ice provides universal glide with minimal friction across all surfaces.
Radiant Shield or Mind’s Eye Shield minimize friction unfused (Mind’s Eye at 0.25 value), ideal bases for fusions aiming for speed over raw endurance.
Practical Advice
Stock spares and avoid rough terrain with non-ideal fusions to maximize session length; test combinations like Cart + Hylian for your preferred surfaces.
Which shields have the highest durability for long runs
Hylian Shield has the highest durability at 800, making it ideal for the longest shield surfing runs in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Top Durability Rankings
Daybreaker Shield follows closely with 90 base durability and zero wear on snow or sand, perfect for specific terrains.
Radiant Shield (90 durability) and Seabreeze Shield also rank high, with Radiant losing just 0.75 durability per point compared to others during surfing.
Lynel and Royal Guard Options
Savage Lynel Shields (96 defense, high durability around 80-90) and Royal Guard shields endure well when fused, though they degrade faster unfused on rough ground. Steel Lizal Shield offers 15 max life with a low 0.5 surfing damage multiplier for efficiency.
Maximizing Long Runs
Fuse durability boosters or test on smooth surfaces; Hylian Shield remains unmatched overall for unbroken sessions.
