Learning to parry, dodge, and Flurry Rush remain some of the most useful skills to learn The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Like with Breath of the WildDo you want to evolve combat from not just becoming a master at not getting stuck with the pointy end, but becoming legendary with a counterattack.
However, you could easily get through most of the game without perfecting it, making it way harder than it needs to be. Frustratingly for some, this vital skill isn’t taught until a few hours into the game, after you leave the Great Sky Island and get back to Hyrule and accidentally come across the Kyononis Shrine.
But whether you’re up against a Bokoblin, Moblin, or anything in between, these essential tips will help you get through Tears of the Kingdom with all your heart containers intact.
How to dodge in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Dodging is the first step towards the perfect Flurry Rush, and it’s all about the ZL button.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Once in an encounter, just press and hold the ZL button to concentrate and wait for your enemy to attack. Just before they make contact, tap the X button to jump and move the left stick in the direction you want to move – make sure not to let go of ZL.
If Link loses focus, he will be hit. Nobody wants that.
Which direction are you avoiding? Easy said:
- If they jump at you or swing down with an overhead attack you want to dodge to the side (left or right, up to you).
- When they come singing side by side, you want to dodge backwards.
How to parry in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Like dodging, parrying is an essential skill Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Again, the ZL button is your best friend, but instead of the X button to jump, we hit A for action.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
Again, go into battle, equip a shield and wait for the enemy to attack. While holding ZL, tap the A button just before impact. A perfectly timed parry not only bounces the enemy, but briefly stuns them so that they drop their weapon.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
If you are fast enough, you can also steal their weapon. That’s Link’s sword now, Moblin…
How to hurry in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Once you’ve perfected dodging and parrying, you’ll be ready to unleash righteous fury in the form of a Flurry Rush – a counterattack consisting of a rapid series of attacks. If you parried the enemy’s attack and stole their weapon, it will make matters worse if you hit them with the Flurry Rush; you don’t get anything extra for it, but you feel like a badass, which is always nice.
Image: Nintendo EPD/Nintendo via Polygon
The Flurry Rush is an extension of the dodge. For Flurry Rush, hold ZL to focus, then X to jump. just before the enemy makes contact. If you time it correctly, time will slow down a bit when the Flurry Rush (Y) prompt appears on your screen.
Just hit Y while dodging to start a Flurry Rush – hit it as many times as you can before time speeds up. Sometimes this is all you need to do to take an enemy from full health to death.