The best early-game fusions in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Unleashed on his latest adventure, Link has a new Fuse power to help him cobble together weapons and items in unusual ways. There are some seriously wild combinations out there, but if you’re just starting out in Hyrule, it helps to have a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are some basic Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom fusions that you can use in the early game to give you the edge over Link’s enemies.

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom best early-game fusions

Two-handed weapon + Rock / Boulder

One of the earliest fusions you’ll likely test in Tears of the Kingdom is sticking a rock or boulder to your weapon. This will boost the damage a bit and, more importantly, give it a breaking property. A rock-fused weapon can be used to break down destructible pillars and mine ore deposits to get rare gems. Any melee weapon will work, but two-handed ones offer more oomph to smash ore deposits quickly. Rubies, amber, and the like are one of the best sources of Rupees, so make sure you remember your rock fuses when necessary to make some money!

Arrows + Chuchu Jellies

Another basic combo you likely won’t need explaining is sticking elemental Chuchu Jellies to arrows. Each color of Chuchu Jelly comes with its own elemental effect which, when combined with an arrow, will let you freeze, electrocute, or ignite enemies at a distance.

Shield + Flame Emitter

While still exploring the Great Sky Island, you’ll find several Zonai Flame Emitters – powerful weapons which can spew fire. Rather than combining them with your melee weapons, slap them on your shield instead. Now anytime you block, you’ll also spew out fire while your battery lasts. Toasty! Just be warned that the entire time the device it active, it will drain your shield’s durability. Don’t use this one on your favorite means of protection.

Bokoblin Arm + Bokoblin Arm

In Tears of the Kingdom, fusion turns those pesky nighttime skeleton Bokoblins into one of your greatest early-game assets. Bokoblin Arms, though low in durability, deal extremely high damage. Fuse two together and you an make them twice as powerful. They’ll still only last a few hits, but it’s worth saving a slot for one of these glass cannons so you can take down any tougher foes you encounter early. You can also combine an arm with a bokoblin horn to make a bokoblin reaper, though its damage will be significantly reduced.

Shield + Puffshroom

Another simple-yet-effective combo is slapping the humble Puffshroom onto your shield. When an enemy strikes it, the Puffshroom will explode into a cloud of smoke. This immediately grants you stealth, letting you escape in the confusion or sneak up on some enemies for a critical hit. We always knew vegetables were good for us.

Mushroom + Spear

While we’re on the topic of helpful shrooms, sticking one of the top of a spear is a surprisingly effective strategy. The mushroom won’t add much damage but does give each hit a bouncy knockback effect, keeping the enemy at a distance. It’s also very funny.

Spear + Spear

Need even more reach? Stick a spear onto a spear and you’ll be able to hit enemies from twice the distance. Great for keeping enemies away when you’re low on health.

Two-handed weapon + Shield

Don’t like using two-handed weapons because you can’t shield attacks? Get the best of both worlds by fusing the two together! A shield on a two-handed weapon will sit on the front, blocking some enemy attacks so that you have time to land those meaty swings.

Keese Eyeball + Any Ranged Weapon

Keese Eyeballs offer an invaluable homing trait when fused. It’s most commonly helpful with arrows, but it also works for thrown melee weapons too. When your spear is running low on durability, stick an eyeball to it before hurling it at an enemy. It’ll home in on their weak point to deliver a powerful final blow.

Arrows + Muddle Bud

Taken your first trip into the Depths yet? When you do, be sure to grab as many Muddle Buds as you can. This new plant native to the underground has the tricksy property of making monsters hit by it lash out at their nearby friends. Stick it onto an arrow and you can mind control the toughest enemies in monster camps, making them kill or be killed by their weaker allies. An invaluable tool for dealing with dangerous foes early on.

Two-handed weapon + Soldier’s Construct Horn

Weapon durability is an issue early in Tears of the Kingdom, but one long-lasting sword you can make early is the Soldier’s Blade. You’ll need to combine a two-handed weapon with a Soldier’s Construct Horn, the latter of which you’ll find plenty of by taking out soldier constructs in the starting sky islands. Ideally, fuse the Construct Horn with a Zonaite Longsword for a resonant boost of damage, too. You can also use Captain Construct Horns with weapons to produce Captain Reavers as well.

Shield + Shield

Early shields always breaking too soon? Up their durability by fusing two shields together. You’ll find plenty of rusted and rubbish shields early – far more than you can carry in your pack. As such, it’s worth sticking them together if you don’t plan on connecting any more unusual devices to the front.

Shield + Explosive Barrel

Alternatively, a more aggressive shield use can be obtained by fusing an explosive barrel to the front. This might sound like a terrible plan, but Link will actually be protected from the subsequent explosion when an enemy strikes the barrel. Just don’t expect your shield to survive the encounter.

Shield + Minecart

And finally, a chance for a bit of fun. Fuse a minecart to your shield and you can create and impromptu skateboard for Link to ride via shield surfing. Shield surf onto a downward rail and you can grind all the way along it, provided gravity stays on your side.

Discovered any of your own early-game fusions in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom? Share them with us to we can get even more creative!

Henry Stenhouse

Associate Editor

Henry Stenhouse serves an eternal punishment as the Associate Editor of AllGamers. He spent his younger life studying the laws of physics, even going so far as to complete a PhD in the subject before video games stole his soul. Confess your love of Super Smash Bros. via email at henry@moonrock.biz, or catch him on Twitter.