[GameSpot] - Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - Best Fuses For The Early Game

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Fuse system allows you to combine various items and weapons, creating something that's extraordinarily powerful, or downright silly. Either way, you'll experiment with your creativity and have fun with the process. Here's our guide to help you with the best early-game Fuses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Best early-game Fuses

How the Fuse system works

Before we discuss the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom best Fuses options, let's talk about how the system actually works. First off, you'll learn it as you're making your way through the Great Sky Island starting area. You may then activate it by holding the L button and selecting the Fuse action. Here are a few tidbits to remember:

• You can Fuse something to either your equipped melee weapon (press the Y button), or your equipped shield (press the ZL button).
• The Fused item can be anything from a particular material, a weapon part, an actual weapon, an actual shield, or a Zonai Device.
• To determine the Fuse attack power of an item (if applicable), you can check your inventory. The stat should appear under the item's name.
• If an item you want to use as a Fused material is already in your inventory, simply hold and drop it. Then activate the Fuse action so it can be targeted.
• If you need to replace or remove a Fused item, you must go to the inventory tab, select the weapon or shield in question, then click on the "Destroy Fused Material" option.

You can see the Fuse attack power via the inventory screen.

Ideal early-game Fuses for weapons

Here are some options that we think are the best early-game Fuses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. You'll want to keep a few of these ready just in case:

• Boulders or rocks - Whether you're destroying blockages to enter passageways or just mining ores, you need these objects to crush your target. Ideally, you'll want to Fuse these onto spears or broadswords. The former due to charged thrusts, and the latter for cyclonic spins. With these attacks, you'll be able to break apart obstacles and ore deposits with ease.
• Spiked iron ball - If ever you come across one of these, they're going to help you through enemy encounters. Spiked iron balls deal +15 damage, which is great for the early-game.
• Spears with spears - Fusing a spear with a spear (or, alternatively, halberds) gives you extended range with your melee weapon.
• Zonai-boosted weapons with Zonai Devices - If a Zonaite weapon has the "resonates with Zonai Devices to increase attack power," you'll want to make sure that a Zonai Device is Fused with it.
• Spellcasting: Gemstones (i.e. rubies, sapphries, and topazes) - This option leads to one of the best Fuses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. That's because these gems have elemental properties (i.e. fire, ice, and shock respectively). When Fused, normal attacks will shoot out projectiles. As such, this function is a bit like spellcasting.
• Late-game pick: Gloom weapons - Gloom weapons drop from a particular boss, which we won't spoil here. They deal high damage, but your maximum hearts will be locked out from getting healed. You need to use cleansing means, such as leaving the Depths or finding a Lightroot just to remove the debuff. Funnily enough, this debuff will only take effect if you have a Gloom weapon equipped, not if the Gloom weapon acts as the Fuse material. As such, equipping a wooden stick, and using Fuse to attach a Gloom Sword, means you can keep attacking with it without suffering the effects.

Rocks destroying rocks. Simple as that.

Ideal early-game Fuses for shields

• Shields with shields - Putting a shield on a shield simply increases how much damage it could take before breaking.
• Springs or Time Bombs - Both these Zonai Devices grant sudden verticality, and are often used on platforms. However, you can Fuse them onto shields. With that in mind, you can do a "Shield Surf" - hold ZL, press X to jump, and then press B. Instead of the regular Shield Surf action, the Spring or Time Bomb will get triggered, causing you to launch upward instantly. This is great if you want to do a mid-air slow-time aimed shot and there are no platforms or ledges that you can use.
• Sub-optimal: Flame/Frost/Shock Emitters or anything that requires constant activation - We advise you not to Fuse these types of objects or devices onto shields. That's because, when they constantly remain active, that also causes the shield to degrade, as though it's being used to block something.

Time Bombs and Springs launch you instantly. You can follow this by drawing your bow to slow down time while in mid-air.

These are just some suggestions as to the best Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Fuse options for the early-game. You can check out other related concepts, such as Ultrahand DIY tips, the Autobuild system, and Zonai Devices.

There are numerous mechanics and facets to learn in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For more information, you can visit our guides hub.

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