Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – Best Sage Companion Abilities Guide

TL;DR

  • Tulin’s Wind Burst provides unmatched mobility and should be your first priority acquisition
  • Yunobo’s Rolling Fireball excels at environmental destruction and vehicle combat
  • Riju’s Lightning Strike offers devastating damage but requires careful positioning
  • Sidon’s Water Bubble has limited utility and can be safely delayed
  • The Fifth Sage requires completing all regional quests first but offers unique combat advantages

Discover which Sage companions and their unique abilities deliver the most strategic value throughout your journey across Hyrule in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom introduces Sage companion abilities that empower Link with elemental mastery and exploration enhancements. This comprehensive guide analyzes each companion’s strengths and weaknesses to help you prioritize your quest route effectively. Please note that this content includes early to mid-game narrative reveals.

Understanding Sage Companion Mechanics

Strategic prioritization of Sage abilities significantly impacts your gameplay experience. After completing the introductory segments in Hyrule and Lookout Landing, the game’s open-world design permits visiting Hebra, Gerudo, Lanayru, and Eldin regions in any sequence. However, an optimized progression path exists that maximizes your capabilities early on.

Each regional expedition culminates in acquiring a companion’s Sage Vow through their main storyline. These abilities remain active by default, though you can disable them via the key items inventory section. Activation typically involves approaching the spectral companion avatar and pressing the A button when prompted.

Tulin, Sage of Wind – The Essential Mobility Expert

Undoubtedly, Tulin’s Wind Burst stands as the most valuable companion ability in Tears of the Kingdom. The game subtly encourages players to begin with Hebra region to complete the Rito village questline, and for excellent reason.

  • Combat effectiveness: Generates a powerful gust that repels smaller foes while simultaneously firing three accurately targeted arrows. While the knockback proves situational, the ranged support consistently delivers damage.
  • Exploration utility: This capability transforms traversal mechanics. Tulin projects a wind current in your facing direction, creating significant speed boosts during gliding. By timing consecutive activations during cooldown periods, you dramatically extend your airborne reach across vast distances.
Take to the skies and reach distant areas faster via Tulin's Wind Burst.

Master Tulin’s Wind Burst timing to cross massive chasms and scale towering heights efficiently.

Pro Tip: Combine Tulin’s ability with the Class Guide strategic thinking – always assess wind patterns before committing to long glides.

Yunobo, Sage of Fire – The Destructive Force

Yunobo’s fiery assault represents another exceptional option, obtainable by traveling to Eldin to finish the Death Mountain and Goron City narrative.

  • Battlefield application: Yunobo transforms into a spinning inferno projectile that bowls through enemy formations while setting them ablaze. This proves invaluable in tight situations, dealing moderate damage while creating defensive space around Link.
  • Environmental interaction: The rolling fireball decimates rock barriers and mineral deposits effortlessly. When conventional blunt instruments repeatedly fracture during cave exploration or resource gathering, Yunobo handles demolition duties reliably. Crucially, this function remains operational during vehicle operation, enabling offensive capabilities while navigating.
Destroy enemies and objects, even while riding vehicles, with Yunobo's Rolling Fireball.

Yunobo’s vehicular combat integration makes him indispensable for mobile engagements.

Common Mistake: Players often waste Yunobo’s cooldown on single enemies rather than grouping foes for maximum area effect impact.

Riju, Sage of Lightning – The High-Risk Powerhouse

Acquire Riju’s formidable capability by journeying to Gerudo territory to conclude the Gerudo Town mission arc. This represents the most devastating damage-per-second elemental power available, despite occasional operational frustrations.

  • Combat mechanics: Activation generates an expanding area-of-effect field. Firing arrows within this radius summons catastrophic lightning strikes with explosive consequences, affecting multiple targets simultaneously. However, significant limitations include extended recharge periods and delayed field expansion toward distant enemies. Additionally, Riju employs melee combat tactics, forcing ranged specialists to pursue her for ability activation before awaiting field growth.
  • Exploration functionality: Similar to Yunobo’s rock-clearing effects due to the destructive detonation produced. In select scenarios, it can also energize push-block power cells and mechanical devices.
It might take a while for the AoE field to grow, but Riju's Lightning Strike power packs a punch. Just cross your fingers that she's near you and not close to the enemies that you're targeting.

Strategic positioning around Riju ensures optimal lightning strike deployment when confronting clustered enemy formations.

Optimization Tip: Use elevated positions to maintain visibility of both Riju and targets while her field expands.

Sidon, Sage of Water – The Situational Specialist

Regrettably, Sidon’s aquatic protection ranks as the least impactful companion ability in Tears of the Kingdom. Indeed, the Zora prince delivers the most underwhelming capabilities among the core quartet. Obtain this by venturing to Lanayru province for the Zora’s Domain storyline.

  • Defensive combat: Sidon generates a protective water sphere surrounding Link, negating one incoming damage instance from any source. Theoretically promising for survival situations, practical implementation faces challenges. Like Riju, Sidon aggressively engages in close-quarters combat, requiring proximity for activation. Frequently, upon triggering the ability, the bubble immediately ruptures due to simultaneous impact. Additionally, your initial melee strike dissipates the shield, releasing a hydro-based projectile.
  • Environmental applications: Primarily cleanses sludge deposits, a central mechanic during the Lanayru quest sequence. The bubble can also be burst for temperature regulation in thermally intense regions.
This image shows Sidon's Si-don't Bother Getting This Water Bubble Early ability.

Sidon’s defensive bubble proves most effective when strategically deployed rather than reactively activated.

Time Estimate: Delay acquiring Sidon until approximately 15-20 hours into your playthrough when environmental challenges become more prevalent.

The Fifth Sage – The Late-Game Game Changer

Finally, an additional fifth companion summon becomes accessible in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. However, this campaign segment only unlocks after finishing all primary regional questlines. Consult our Fifth Sage guide for comprehensive acquisition details. For additional specialized actions and functionalities, explore our abilities guide covering all gameplay systems.

Tears of the Kingdom contains numerous intricate mechanics and systems to master. For expanded guidance, visit our Complete Guide hub for thorough coverage of all game aspects. The strategic acquisition order significantly impacts your progression efficiency, similar to weapon prioritization in our Weapons Unlock strategic planning approach.

Action Checklist

  • Prioritize Hebra region first to acquire Tulin’s essential Wind Burst ability
  • Complete Eldin region second for Yunobo’s destructive Rolling Fireball
  • Master Tulin’s cooldown timing for maximum gliding distance efficiency
  • Acquire Riju’s Lightning Strike third for high-damage situations
  • Delay Sidon’s Water Bubble until mid-game when environmental challenges increase
  • Complete all regional quests before pursuing the Fifth Sage companion

No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom – Best Sage Companion Abilities Guide Master the five Sage companion abilities in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom with strategic insights and practical usage tips