This guide will show you how to Shield Surf in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (TotK). Read on to learn tips to Shield Surf downhill or on railings and the best shields for Shield Surfing.

How to Shield Surf

Hold the ZL Button to Raise Your Shield

Press and hold the ZL Button to raise your shield. Continue to hold the ZL Button as you proceed with the next step.

Press the X Button to Jump and Press the A Button to Activate Shield Surf

While raising your shield, press the X Button to jump and immediately press the A Button to begin shield surfing. If successful, Link will perform a flip and use the shield as a surfboard.

Tips for Shield Surfing

You Cannot Shield Surf on Fused Shields Shield Surf on Railings Perform Tricks While Shield Surfing Press the Y Button to Extend Shield Surf Use a Bow to Attack While Shield Surfing Paraglide While Shield Surfing Shield Surf on Certain Terrains Do the Material Duplication Glitch

You Cannot Shield Surf on Most Fused Shields

Most fused shields cannot be used for shield surfing as the added bulk and texture will get in the way of surfing. An in-game warning appears when you attempt to do so.

You Can Use a Cart Shield to Shield Surf

The best fused shield to shield surf on is the Cart Shield. This fused shield has better mobility and acceleration than a regular shield as it has four wheels.

Fuse Guide

Shield Surf on Railings

You can shield surf on the railings that you normally use to create ziplines with Ultrahand. Stand on the railing and shield surf down to the next area.

This comes in handy if you do not want to spend time creating contraptions with Ultrahand and want to reach an area quickly.

Ultrahand Guide

Perform Tricks While Shield Surfing

You can press the Y Button to perform a spin and the X Button and the Left Thumbstick at the same time to perform various tricks.

Press the Y Button to Extend Shield Surf

You can extend your shield surf onto a flat surface when pressing the Y Button. This allows you to travel further and adjust your steering when coming down a hill or a slope.

Use a Bow to Attack While Shield Surfing

You can use a bow and arrow to attack while shield surfing. Pressing the Y Button also allows you to perform a spinning attack with your melee weapon.

Paraglide While Shield Surfing

If you jump and open up your paraglider, you can paraglide while still strapped to your shield. This is very useful for when you're about to go off the edge of a cliff or if you missed landing on a railing. Once you put away your paraglider, you'll land on your shield and immediately start shield surfing again.

Shield Surf on Certain Terrains

You should generally shield surf on sandy, snowy, and grassy areas only as these do not deal damage to your shield. Rocky areas will deal damage and slowly break your shield over time, so be sure to stay on course.

Shield Surf on Gloom-filled Terrains

Shield Surfing is one of the best ways to bypass any gloom-filled terrains. You will not take any Gloom damages while shield surfing directly on gloom-filled surfaces, making this one of the ideal ways to explore the Depths safely.

Do the Material Duplication Glitch

Shield Surfing is also one of methods of the Material Duplication Glitch. Right before you land your shield, open your menu and select the items you want to duplicate. Press Y and B at the same time and after you exit the menu, all items you selected drops in the overworld as duplicates!

If you find this a little difficult to execute, you can try the paragliding method. It's a fairly similar method, but easier to execute as you only need your paraglider and an elevated area to trigger this glitch. All you have to do find a small slope to paraglide on and while mid-air, select all the items you want to duplicate and Press Y and B after.

List of Glitches and Exploits

Best Shields for Shield Surfing

Cart Shield

The Cart Shield is the best shield you can use for shield surfing. The cart has four wheels which increases mobility when surfing downhill or on railings. You can use any shield and fuse it with the Cart Zonai Device to create this piece of equipment.

Use a High Durability Shield

Shield surfing can eat away at the durability of your shield, especially if you shield surf for long periods of time. If your shield breaks while in the middle of shield surfing, Link will trip and fall. You don't want that to happen when you're surfing down a steep slope.

Use a high durability shield like the Hylian Shield or a shield with a Durability Up modifier as your dedicated shield surfing equipment. Do not use shields that are about to break.

Note that using a fused shield does break both the shield and the fused device, so use a shield that you do not need to create your shield surfing equipment.

Sled Shield

When surfing on either snow or sand, it may be preferable to use a Sled Shield instead of a Cart Shield. The Cart Zonai Decive incurs a movement penalty in sand. When traversing the Gerudo Desert, you can glide through the sand more easily with a Sled Shield.

List of All Zonai Devices

Icy-Meat Shield

If you don't want to use a Zonai Device, you can fuse Icy Meat to your shield instead. The Icy-Meat Shield is an effective way of surfing through any terrain. It has all the slipperiness of ice, but it has the benefit of not being able to melt.

When making your Icy-Meat Shield, make sure you don't pick up the Icy Meat after it's frozen. It will end up in your Food Inventory, and you will no longer be able to take it out. Simply fuse the meat directly to your shield once it is frozen.

List of Food and Dishes

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Related Guides

Tips and Tricks
A Beginner's Guide to Tears of the Kingdom

All Tips and Tricks Guides