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Horses and vehicles may be the main modes of transportation in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but there is a third and wild option waiting for you in the expansive sands of the Gerudo Desert: Sand Seals. These wild, reckless creatures make for a fun experience racing across the merciless desert.
With the possibilities of Ultrahand, you'll be able to expand your adventures on Seal-back. After all, who wouldn't want a Sand Seal with a mobile, flamethrower-cannon-laserbeam tank sleigh moving at incredible, high speeds. It would show those Molduga a thing or two for sure.
Sand Seals: Renting, Catching, And Riding
You can rent a Sand Seal in primarily two locations:
- Between Gerudo Canyon and Kara Kara Bazaar
- Gerudo Town
The prices and options of these are the same.
Sand Seal | 20 Rupees |
Sand Sleigh | 50 Rupees |
As they had been in Breath of the Wild, Sand Seals are generic rides where you hold on with reins (or a long rope) and shield-surf behind them. They're excellent for traversing the sands of the expansive Gerudo Desert, saving you time, and they don't have a limited stamina pool like horses.
Sand Sleighs handle almost exactly like the standard ride; you get the bonus of having a full sleigh attached to them instead of shield-surfing. This makes it possible for you to haul things, like unwitting Koroks, or create complicated mechanisms on the sleigh. They are the in-between of a horse with a Towing Harness and a Sand Seal.
If you don't want to pay for a Sand Seal, you can also catch one in the wild. There are always three waiting outside Gerudo Town. Wild Seals that, like wild horses, must be snuck up on to ride. However, they cannot be registered to keep, and they cannot pull Sand Sleighs.
How To Ride Your Sand Seal - Controls
While riding, you need only direct your joystick to the left and the right to steer, and you can move your joystick back to stop. You do not have to indicate to start because Sand Seals will always jolt forward and leap into action as soon as you step onto your shield/sleigh.
Sand Seals are generallyvery quick, and controlling them primarily comes down to practice. If you find yourself overwhelmed, it's always best to indicate to the Sand Seal to slow down and take things at a more manageable pace. Work on your steering before you try dashing.
Unlike horses, you have a large range of movement behind the seal, can crash into things independently (and risk getting knocked off), launch yourself over ramps, and dash infinitely with A when the prompt appears after a brief recharge.
However, that movement of range does not extend to rocky areas. Sand Seals cannot leave the sand. You must leave them when entering a town or rocky patches.
If you're worried about your shield while surfing, it's okay. Shield durability does not decrease when moving on sand. You can infinitely surf with no drawbacks. However, your shield may break if you move your shield onto rocky patches of the desert where Sand Seals cannot roam.
Wild Seals vs. Rented
If you want to leave a wild Sand Seal, you cannot return. As soon as you step off and stop riding your shield, the Sand Seal will continue without you and then disappear. You'll need to rent or catch another.
In regard to the rented Sand Seal, however, they are far more lenient. Like with a horse, they will wait for you to do whatever you may need in the near vicinity without moving an inch, and some seals may even fall asleep or roll onto their backs while they wait for you to finish with your business.
In general, when it comes to Sand Seals, you always get more for what you pay for.