Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Ascend Ability Guide

How to get the Ascend Ability

Ascend will be the third Zonai ability that Link will possess in the Sky Islands. It can be obtained by entering the Gutanbac Shrine for the first time.

Ascend Controls

To use Ascend, you will need select it as your main ability first by pressing and holding on the L button to open the ability wheel, and selecting the ability using the R analog. Once it has been selected, press the L button again to enter Ascend mode.

Open ability wheel - Press and hold L button
Ascend mode - L button while Ascend is selected as active ability

While on Ascend mode, you can look up and see a grid imposed on the ceiling above Link’s head. When the grid is green, Link will be able to use the ability to swim upwards, otherwise it would appear as red.

Pressing the A button while under an eligible ceiling will make Link swim through the material up to the next surface that would allow Link to stand up. As Link reaches the surface, press A again to get out from the ground. Pressing the B button while Link is still in the ground will make Link swim downwards back to his original position.

Ascend - Press A button under an eligible ceiling
Get out - Press A button while on the upper surface
Go back - Press B button while on the upper surface or while swimming upwards

This ability can only be used upwards, so make sure to double check if you want to get out of the ground first or find out if you have an alternate path that goes back to your original position if you need to. Also, the ability has a limit on how high of a ceiling it can allow Link to reach; use the grid as an indicator as it will only appear if the ceiling is low enough.