Tears of the Kingdom has two control lists: the regular options menu and the special controls list. While options has graphic and audio settings, special controls entries are initially hidden until you unlock them in-game. Taking advantage of these gives you the upper hand in battles and assists you with navigating your TotK map, making it crucial to figure them out as soon as possible. If you want to learn more, continue reading to discover every special control in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Tears of the Kingdom (TOTK) Special Controls List
Tears of the Kingdom has nine special controls options you’ll unlock throughout your playthrough, which you can find in the list below:
- Throw Material – R (hold) + Up on d-pad (hold)
- The Scope and Pins – Press R-stick + A to place pins
- Shield Surf – ZL + X + A
- Charged Attacks – Y (hold and release)
- Jump Slash – X + Y
- Backflip – ZL (hold) + Down on L-stick + X
- Side Hop – ZL (hold) + Left/Right on L-stick + X
- Perfect Guard – ZL (hold) + A
- Use amiibo – Place amiibo on R-stick
While it is possible to unlock every special control throughout your playthrough, some of these are easier than others. Use amiibo is a unique one, in particular, since you need an amiibo to activate it.
Related: How To Use Amiibo In Tears Of The Kingdom
However, there are others, such as Jump Slash, Backflip and Side Hop, that you may not encounter during your entire playthrough. In the case of Jump Slash, visiting coordinates (-0332, -0333, 0226) and reading the book on this skill will activate it, while various combat ones are accessible after completing Kyononis Shrine.
It’s important to note that many of these require you to have a melee weapon and shield equipped. If you don’t, you may run into a situation like I did, where you went to parry an attack with your shield and got hit in the face by an enemy instead. Always double-check to make sure you have the right tools for the job!
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available to play on Nintendo Switch. To learn more about the game, click the tag below to check out our complete TOTK content list!
