The world of Hyrule is your oyster. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is practically unlimited in its scope - an absolute behemoth of a game with countless things to do, see and, most importantly, build. Your new abilities afford you many options, none so much as Ultrahand.
Ultrahand is a pretty straightforward concept: when in use, you can grab anything highlighted, from mushrooms to boulders, and glue them together. It’s a mind-opening ability that encourages you to think outside the box and is endlessly applicable in every situation.
7 Foraging Made Easy
Above your head, dangling just out of reach, hangs a perfectly golden apple glowing brightly in the sun. You climb the tree to reach it and find the limbs are a little difficult to grasp - you can reach the red apples just fine, but this one is determined to taunt you. After making Link eat some truly wild things, you just want to give him a nice treat.
Maybe you accidentally turn Ultrahand on, or you’re trying to make an axe. Either way, you realize all the apples are glowing - you can grab them from the ground. This foraging technique is not super useful when it comes to things like mushrooms, as the Ultrahand is slower than just running around and pressing A, but when it comes to items that are too high for Link to reach? It's the perfect tool.
6 Who's A Good Boy?
Hyrule is littered with sweet, collie-like dogs called Hylian Retrievers who do nothing but be absolute angels. They roll around on the ground, bark, and chase their tails. And while some may disagree, it's still a bit of a bummer that you can't give these especially good dogs a little head scratch. (You can, however, feed them gourmet meat, so maybe it evens out.)
But! With Ultrahand, you can make it look like you're petting the dog - and it's easy. All you have to do is hold an item with Ultrahand, line up Link (and your camera) just so, and move Link's outstretched hand over the dog's head. It's close enough. Or, if you're determined, you can build a machine to pet the dog for you - though that lacks the human element.
5 'Accidentally' Terrorizing People
You’re on the side of the road, right beside a Hudson Construction cache, trying to build something. Meanwhile, people are strolling along the route, minding their own business, as you rotate the wood plank in the air, making them cower and exclaim. This is likely an accident for most of us - you just want to build your thing, and this poor person is caught in the middle.
For others, however, it could be a little funny - especially when a character is following their route and seems to continuously pass you in each direction. Besides, we all know that some Zelda fans have a mean streak - you just have to look at how people treat Koroks to know that.
4 Treasure Hunting
A neat thing about Ultrahand is that it highlights items you can use, even if they’re not in range to pick up. This is helpful in places like shrines, where you may have missed a treasure chest beneath the water or above your head. In the dark, Ultrahand can guide you to items of interest that you may want to interact with.
However, you can also use Ultrahand as a way to hunt for items of interest from a distance. Ultrahand is pretty precise when highlighting the shape of items. So, if you're looking for a certain item in the Depths - like a new weapon - then use Ultrahand to help guide you to the right place.
3 Ladders For Everyone
Climbing is hard; we all know it’s a difficult process made even more difficult by the rain. If you’re staring up a mountain, uncertain if your stamina wheel can take you the distance, you can always just…make your own ledge. Take the planks and logs available around you, glue them together, make a little platform, and then lean it against the hill you’re determined to climb.
And voila! It’s not exactly up to code, but now you have a little rest point at the top of your makeshift ladder. Of course, this is all much easier if you have access to a Zonai stabilizer - if not, then just pray to the goddesses of Hyrule that the physics engine favors you. Sure, it kinda feels like cheating - but if you're allowed, then why not?
2 Bring Your Own Elevator
Anything can be an elevator if you believe. This trick has to be used with Recall, but it’s a great little hack for when you want to get a headstart on a climb or just don’t feel like climbing at all. Grab anything that Link can stand or climb on, push it as high as you can with Ultrahand, leave it there for a moment before bringing it back down, get on it, and then use Recall.
You’ve got yourself a magic elevator. Considering the balloons and rockets you could use instead, its simplicity almost feels wrong. Still, you can't deny those results, try as you might.
1 Just Drop Stuff
With Ultrahand, you can make a ton of intricate contraptions to serve your purposes. No Bokoblin can withstand a rocket to their face, after all, and you have saved up a lot of Zonai devices for this exact purpose. We’ve all seen the videos online - you can make some impressive and devastating stuff with Ultrahand.
Or, you know, you can just glue a bunch of boulders together and drop them on enemy camps. That can work, too. In a game where almost anything is possible, the simplest answer feels the most unconventional.