Link has been given four new abilities in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, each providing players immense creativity within the kingdom of Hyrule. Players will likely use Ultrahand and Fuse abilities more frequently, as Recall and Ascend are usually relegated to specific situations involving quick traversal and solving Shrine puzzles. But both can be utilized in combat situations, particularly Recall.
Enemies will hurl literally anything at Link in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, whether that be weapons, their own charge attacks, or other items like Bomb Barrels. The Recall ability allows Link to reverse time, meaning he can throw back what enemies toss at him in addition to other things in the environment that may not have anything to do with the battle at hand. There are some surprising ways that Recall can be used in combat, including methods that players may not have thought of before.
6 Reverse Large Objects
When approaching an enemy fortress, there’s a chance they’ll have barricaded the main entrance with an object like a large Spiked Ball, Boulder, or Snowball. This is the case at the Hyrule Field Skyview Tower, which requires players to infiltrate a group of Bokoblins that have made camp at its base.
As Link walks up the slope to the barricaded fort, the Bokoblins will launch a large Spike Ball towards him. By applying the Recall ability to the object at the last possible second, Link can use their weapon against them. It will either work to avoid the Spiked Ball or injure any Bokoblins still in its path.
5 Throw Back Projectiles
Enemy camps will often have a few Bomb Barrels at their disposal, and if Link is sneaky enough, he can aim a fire arrow to set them off before the enemies can attack. But the Recall ability gives players a chance to play with a different approach to combat. By making himself known, enemies will throw whatever they have at their disposal toward Link - including Bomb Barrels. In that case, all players need to do is observe the trajectory and set Recall on it. The barrel will return to whichever enemy threw it and explode on impact.
Link can also use the Recall ability to throw back Boulders in the same way, which is particularly helpful when dealing with Horriblins. They’ll often dig at the cave ceiling they’re hanging from and send rocks flying in Link’s direction. But if players use Recall, it will hit the Horriblins causing them to fall and provide an opening as they often get stunned when falling to the ground.
4 Reverse Yiga Clan Vehicles
Link first meets the Yiga Clan during the “A Mystery in the Depths” main quest, where he obtains the Autobuild ability. After confronting Master Kohga in the Depths, players will begin the “Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan” side adventure, which involves following the leader of the Yiga Clan through the Depths in multiple battles involving vehicles. The vehicles used depend on where the action occurs, whether on the ground, in the air, or on the water. Yiga Clan members will also use vehicles within the camps they’ve set up around the Depths.
While Link can't use Recall on these vehicles when they're being piloted, once whoever is driving it has been taken out or pushed off he can take advantage and reverse the contraption away from them. Players can then take the vehicle for themselves, gaining the upper hand against the Yiga Clan.
3 Recall Thrown Weapons
Boomerangs aren’t the most popular weapon to use against enemies, but they can give Link the opportunity to get continuous attacks in from a distance for players familiar with successfully catching one after it's thrown. But as the Recall ability can be used on thrown weapons in Tears of the Kingdom, players can make their own boomerangs that will likely be much more powerful.
If Link throws a spear with high durability at an enemy, he can Recall the spear which will then float next to him for players to take back. By repeating this process until the weapon breaks, players can use this technique to fight from a distance. Or they can use it for another chance at landing a hit if they miss the first time.
2 Make A Quick Getaway
There are three main ways of reaching the Sky Islands in Tears of the Kingdom. The main port of access is the Skyview Towers littered around Hyrule, followed by using Shrines as fast travel points and Recall on fallen pieces of the islands as an elevator. These pieces of Sky Island fall at random, but if one just so happens to appear on the battlefield during a difficult encounter, it provides Link with a quick getaway where he can glide away from the fight or get in some airtime to fire off arrows.
However, players don’t need to rely on fallen pieces of Sky Islands for this trick. They can also make their own platforms by moving a nearby plank of wood or stone up and down with Ultrahand, hopping on top of it, then using Recall to go upwards.
1 Recharge Vehicles
Upgrading the Energy Cell can be challenging early on in the game, but there are other ways to recharge batteries to give Zonai Devices and vehicles a longer lease of life. For example, Link can use Zonai Charges dropped by Soldier Constructs to prolong the life of Energy Cells, with a Large Zonai Charge providing even more of a boost. But if players don’t want to waste their Zonai Charges, they can use the Recall ability as an alternative method.
When using Recall on a vehicle that Link is operating, the delay regenerates the battery as the vehicle no longer uses energy. This can be useful during combat scenarios where players are utilizing vehicles with many weapons attached or piloting an aerial machine to battle enemies like the Moragia during the “Yunobo of Goron City” main quest.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available now on Nintendo Switch.