When all you have is a stick and a rock, it’s time to get creative. In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, players again have access to a suite of awesome abilities to help Link restore balance to Hyrule. One of these new abilities, Fuse, is perhaps one of the most revolutionary feats of engineering seen in a game, allowing Link to combine different items with weapons, shields, and arrows. The only limit here is your imagination.
If you think a wild pair of objects can be combined, they most likely can. You can’t quite hit a target? That’s fine, with the right combo, your arrows will track their targets. Sword not dealing enough damage? Throw a monster horn on there and watch enemies crumble.
Here are a few you’ll want to keep in mind as you start Tears of the Kingdom, several of which will likely remain staples throughout your experience.
Tears of the Kingdom Best Weapon Fusions
Spear+Mushroom
Spears and long sticks are plentiful in the early hours, and so are mushrooms, meaning you have the perfect combo right off the bat. What’s so much fun about this combination is that mushrooms are bouncy, so when you hit enemies they’re hilariously sent flying back. The length of the spear means you have the advantage no matter what enemy you’re up against.
Mushroom spears may not have the damage output of other weapons, but they can be great for separating enemies if you’re swarmed, or pushing away a strong monster if you’re trying to run away.
Weapon+Soldier Construct Horn
Construct Horns are going to be an essential part of your inventory throughout Tears of the Kingdom, and they’re always a great choice to stick on both spears and swords for a quick damage boost. Construct Horns are plentiful as you’ll be taking down dozens of Constructs, but you’ll want to make sure you’re always using the highest-level horns you have. For example, in the late-game Soldier Construct I Horns won’t do much extra damage, but Construct IV Horns will.
Weapon+Boulder
You should always have a boulder fusion in your inventory, not just for combat but because this combo can smash through cracked walls, rocks, and gemstones. Boulders and rocks are readily available anywhere in the world as are sticks and branches, so make sure to always have one ready to go.
Weapon+Flux Core
Flux Constructs are the earliest bosses you’ll encounter in Tears of the Kingdom, most often seen on the sky islands. When these bosses are defeated they drop a spinning mace-like item called a Flux Core that can be fused with a weapon for a huge damage bonus. Higher-level Flux Constructs will drop higher-level cores, thus granting more damage.
It’s honestly worth taking on one of these bosses just to get the core, as you can create a massive mace with huge damage and extended range.
Boomerang+Rocket
Boomerangs weren’t the best weapons in Breath of the Wild, but that’s all changed with the fusion ability. Attaching materials for extra damage is great, but slap a Zonai Rocket on a boomerang and you suddenly have a souped-up weapon that moves at sonic speeds.
This weapon does require a bit of practice, however, as the boomerang is 2-3 times faster than normal, so you really need to be on top of pressing the button to catch it as it comes back. Still, the power and speed will let you decimate foes before they can even get close.
Sword+Blue Lizalfos Horn
You’ll start seeing Blue Lizalfos roughly halfway through the game, earlier if you’re exploring a lot. These foes have a giant sword-like horn that, when dropped, can give you a sword-like weapon with good damage output. You’ll always want to Fuse this horn with a one-handed sword, as speed is everything when taking on some larger enemies.
Spear+Spear
Spears already have the longest reach of any weapon, but just imagine when you fuse one spear onto another. Now you have a weapon with not only increased damage but an absurdly long range that can keep even the biggest of enemies at a distance.
Weapon+Eyeball
Eyeballs are hugely useful fusion materials for arrows, as they make your shots track and hone in on enemies. But the same holds true for melee weapons. The eyeball adds a bit of damage, but the real advantage is that throwing your weapon will instantly make it hone in on an enemy. For most melee weapons this means one big final attack, but boomerangs can be thrown over and over. Either way, an eyeball is a great option if you want a bit of ranged damage.
Tears of the Kingdom Best Shield Fusions
Rocket Shield
The Rocket Shield isn’t great for combat but it serves an entirely different purpose, shooting you straight up into the air. This combination is fantastic for exploration, or even skipping puzzles solutions in some cases. With a rocket on your shield, you can hit the defend button once to send Link shooting straight up into the air, but it’s only one use, so do it sparingly.
Puffshroom Shield
Puffshrooms are pretty common in the early game, and putting one on your shield has a unique effect. Once an enemy hits your shield the shroom explodes in a cloud of smoke blinding enemies. This lets you quickly ambush them with a combo, or can be a viable option for escaping a sticky situation.
Ruby Shield
This combo is a little different as Rubies can be sold for some good cash, but you might want to consider keeping one for your shield. If an enemy hits the Ruby on your shield it will explode with fire, both damaging them immediately and with damage over time. The even better part is the explosion doesn’t affect Link at all. You can get multiple uses out of one Ruby, so it’s a great option if you’re willing to spare one.
Flame-Emitter Shield
Flame-Emitters are one of the first Zonai Devices you’ll encounter, so you shouldn’t have any trouble finding them. Putting one on a shield basically gives you a portable flamethrower, which can be especially useful against enemies weak to fire, such as Like Likes. Just keep in mind you can only use fire for as long as you have Energy charged.
Zonai Spring
As you might expect, the Zonai Spring works a lot like the mushroom spear, just as more of a defensive option. The spring doesn’t send enemies flying as far as mushroom weapons, but that’s actually to its advantage in this case. Knocking down an enemy and then diving in with a jump attack is a devastating combo.
Cannon Shield
Once you start seeing Zonai Cannons immediately strap one onto your shield, as this gives you a fantastic long-range defensive option. Cannon blasts cause huge damage to enemies, however, you will want to be careful this time as the blasts can also hurt and knock back Link. It’s a great option, but be careful when using it.
Minecart Shield
The Minecart Shield is by far one of the most fascinating combos in the entire game, as it essentially lets your turn the game into Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Not only do you get increased defense, but using the Shield Surf ability now gives you a set of wheel, increasing your speed and maneuverability. Another great perk is that you can still ride on Minecart rails by surfing on them.
Shield+Shield
It may have never even occurred to you to fuse one shield with another, but that’s a thing you can do. There are no special effects here, your shield will simply become twice as durable. This is a great way to spruce up some of the weaker shields as you get further in the game, and if your inventory is full you can still pick up shield you find by fusing them.
“It's dangerous to go alone!” Check out more of Inverse’s Tears of the Kingdom coverage:
- THE INVERSE REVIEW: Tears of the Kingdom Is the Best Nintendo Switch Game Ever Made
- Tears of the Kingdom’s Best New Mechanic Could Change the Series Forever
- Why Zelda Speedrunners Plan to Take It Slow With Tears of the Kingdom
- Tears of the Kingdom Doubles Down on Breath of the Wild’s Best Inspiration
