Ascend is possibly one of the most important abilities in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The all-new game feature gives you the ability to rise up through via solid ground, and given that a good portion of Tears of the Kingdom takes place on floating sky islands, it’s probably going to be used very often. Thankfully, Ascend isn’t terribly hard to find, and you can get it right near the beginning of the game after you unlock the Ultrahand power. If you’re not sure how to get this unique new ability, then keep reading to find out how to unlock Ascend in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Ascend is one of three new abilities you’ll get during the quest “The Closed Door”, right at the beginning of the game. You’ll first receive this quest by approaching the Temple of Time and, after you’re unable to get in, speaking to Rauru. Rauru will then tell you to visit three Shrines on Great Sky Island, each marked with a glowing green spiral, in order to unlock the Temple. After visiting the Ukouh Shrine to get the Ultrahand ability, you’re free to get the Ascend ability.
Tears of the Kingdom: How to Unlock Ascend
The Ascend ability can be found within the Gutanbac Shrine, which is located on the eastern side of Great Sky Island, amidst some imposing snowy peaks. Getting to the shrine can be a little bit tricky, but if you collect the spicy peppers you find along the way and cook them in one of the area’s cooking pots, then you shouldn’t have too much of a problem. The Archaic Warm Greaves are also located in this area and can help with cold resistance. At one point along your route, you’ll also come across a small lake with some rafts in it – be sure to listen to the Steward Construct explain Energy Cells, if you don’t know what they are already, and use one to power the rafts instead of swimming in the freezing water.
Once you get to the Gutanbac Shrine, you’ll be given the Ascend ability “The Ability to Rise” challenge. A full guide on how to complete the shrine and the challenge can be found here, but the basis is simple: you have to use Ascend to move forward (and upwards) through the shrine, finding creative ways to open the shrine’s treasure chests as you go.
Reach the end of the shrine, get the Light of Blessing, and you’ve done it! The Ascend ability is now yours, allowing you to traverse Hyrule and the sky islands beyond in a really new and exciting way that sets Tears of the Kingdom apart from any Zelda game before it. If you want to see more Tears of the Kingdom content like this, be sure to check back for more news, guides, and features!
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is now available on the Nintendo Switch.
