All new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities: Recall, Fuse, Ultrahand, Ascend, & Autobuild

All new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities: Recall, Fuse, Ultrahand, Ascend, & Autobuild
Images via Nintendo

Written by 

Harry Boulton

Published 

14th May 2023 18:48

There are a plethora of new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities that you'll be able to take advantage of during your adventure in Hyrule. Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game to introduce these supernatural skills, but there are even more on the table in the new game that will change how you play.

So, if you're wanting to see all of the new rune abilities in the game, make sure to check out the rest of this guide for a full list with descriptions for each one.

All new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities

There are five new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities that have been shown so far, and all of them give you entirely new ways to approach each situation whether it be traversal or combat.

Here is a full list of the new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities:

Rune Abilities What They Do
Recall Reverse time on a particular object
Fuse Combine two items into one
Ultrahand Pick up, move and combine items
Ascend Climb straight up through solid surfaces
Autobuild Instantly construct previous builds

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Recall rune ability explained

Tears of the Kingdom Recall rune ability
Click to enlarge

Recall in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is the first new rune ability that was shown off, and it is key to reaching the new and exciting Sky Islands that sit above Hyrule. The general purpose of the ability is to 'rewind time' on an object and return it to a position it held in the past.

This is especially helpful for getting to the Sky Islands, as there are rock fragments that have fallen down that you can use to rise up into the sky. However, the uses certainly won't stop there, and we are sure that there will be plenty more situations where this will come in handy in your adventures.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Fuse rune ability explained

Tears of the Kingdom Fuse rune ability
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Fuse, on the other hand, has seemingly limitless potential. As the name suggests, this rune ability will allow you to fuse together two items in order to create a completely new one. The examples shown so far feature weapon and item combinations like a stick and a boulder, a shield and a mushroom.

These combinations could simply be adding more damage to a specific weapon, but we saw with the mushroom shield combo or the arrow and the eye that there can be some mysterious effects like smoke and homing devices too.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Ultrahand rune ability explained

Tears of the Kingdom Ultrahand rune ability
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Ultrahand is a little like Fuse in the way that you also combine together items, but in this case, it is for the purpose of building something. What we have been shown so far is the construction of a boat using three logs and a fan, but there was also a car-like vehicle shown that was very reminiscent of Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts.

Whether this ability is limited to vehicle types is still yet to be seen, but it still creates an exciting new opportunity to roam the lands of Hyrule and can be an incredibly helpful problem solver if you're needing to traverse a tricky space.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Ascend rune ability explained

Tears of the Kingdom Ascent rune ability
Click to enlarge

Ascend might perhaps be the most straightforward of the four abilities shown so far, but that doesn't mean that it isn't incredibly useful. The ability will allow you to merge through any ceiling and end up on the other side, which as you can imagine is very strong.

For example, if there is a cave at the bottom of a mountain, you could hypothetically use Ascent to move through the 'ceiling' and reach the summit in one simple move. We don't currently know the limits of this ability, nor whether it is constrained to a resource, but it certainly presents a way out of some intriguing situations.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Autobuild rune ability explained

Using the Autobuild rune ability in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
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Autobuild is the last of the abilities you unlock in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as it is the only one not given to you before you leave the Great Sky Island. Autobuild works in tandem with the Ultrahand ability, as it focuses on the many things you can build with that ability.

Autobuild records vehicles and other structures that you build using Ultrahand and allows you to instantly recreate them. It does this using nearby parts, or the Zonaite in your inventory. This is a great way to quickly put together a ground or air vehicle when you need them.

Will old rune abilities return in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?

Will old rune abilities return in Tears of the Kingdom?
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So far, the original rune abilities from Breath of the Wild have not made an appearance in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. They could see a return later as more about the game becomes known, or further down the line in DLC. The original rune abilities are as follows:

  • Remote Bombs
  • Cryonis
  • Magnesis
  • Stasis
  • Camera

We will make sure to keep you updated whenever we do have more concrete information regarding the return of the original rune abilities in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom though, so make sure to check back later for more information.

So, that's everything you need to know about the new Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom rune abilities. Make sure to check out this guide on how to unlock the Camera and the Compendium in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom to see the rest of Link's abilities.

Harry Boulton
About the author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
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