Ever stared at a cave ceiling in Hyrule and thought, “I wish I could just go through that”? Nintendo heard you. Ascend turns low roofs, rock shelves and cave ceilings into elevators, and it costs zero stamina.
If you’re still climbing every wall by hand and burning stamina like it’s free… we need to talk. This guide covers where to get Ascend, the exact rules for when it works, and the tricks that make it the most underrated ability in your kit. Everything here is checked against the current version 1.4.3.
Where to Get Ascend: Gutanbac Shrine
Ascend comes from Gutanbac Shrine, the snowbound shrine on the eastern side of the Great Sky Island. Like the other tutorial shrines, Rauru grants you the ability as soon as you walk in, and the rest of the shrine teaches you how to use it.
Getting there is the actual puzzle. The shrine sits on top of a frozen cliff, and ice is too slippery to climb. Nintendo’s own hint gives you two options: build footholds out of objects and trees lying around, or find a patch of rock that isn’t frozen and climb that instead.
- Cold: the snowy area drains your hearts. Cook Spicy Peppers in a pot for Spicy Sautéed Peppers, which give cold resistance and restore hearts. Our cooking and elixir guide covers the full process.
- Ropes: inside the shrine, some platforms hang from ropes. Cut them with a bladed weapon or an arrow.
- Reward: finishing the shrine gives you a Light of Blessing, like every Shrine of Light.
The Four Great Sky Island Abilities
| Ability | Shrine | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Ultrahand | Ukouh Shrine | Grab, rotate and attach objects |
| Fuse | In-isa Shrine | Attach materials to weapons, shields and arrows |
| Ascend | Gutanbac Shrine | Rise straight up through a ceiling |
| Recall | Temple of Time (then tested in Nachoyah Shrine) | Rewind an object’s movement |
Ukouh always comes first, since you need Ultrahand to do almost anything else on the island. After that, most players hit In-isa for Fuse and Gutanbac in whichever order the paths take them.
How Ascend Works
Open the ability wheel by holding L, pick Ascend, and your camera tilts up toward whatever is above you. A marker appears on the ceiling. Green means go. No green, no ride.
- Stand under the target. The ceiling has to be directly above you and close enough. Too high, and the marker never appears.
- Check the marker. It only turns green when the surface you enter and the spot you exit are both flat enough, and nothing blocks you on the other side.
- Press A. Link swims up through the rock or wood and pokes his head out on top.
- Look around. While only your upper body is out, time is stopped. Nintendo confirms this, so take your time.
- Commit or bail. Climb out if the coast is clear. Spot a Moblin waiting up there? Press B to drop back down before you emerge.
The Math: one press of A replaces a full climb, and climbing is what drains your stamina wheel. Every Ascend through a tall ceiling is stamina you keep for the climb that actually matters.
Ascend Rules at a Glance
| Situation | Works? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cave ceilings | Yes | Nintendo’s go-to example for a quick cave exit |
| Building roofs and rock overhangs | Yes, if flat | Needs a flat entry and exit surface |
| Stone Talus | Yes | Stand under it and you pop out on top, near the weak spot |
| Flux Constructs | Yes | Same trick as the Talus, per Nintendo’s own tips |
| Very high ceilings | No | The ceiling must be within a set height above you |
| Depths ceiling | Almost never | Blocked everywhere except a few dedicated exit spots |
Best Ways to Use Ascend
Ascend isn’t a damage ability, and it doesn’t need to be. It saves time, stamina and, occasionally, your life.
- Instant cave exits: finished looting a cave? Find a ceiling and skip the walk back to the entrance.
- Combat vantage points: Nintendo recommends Ascend for reaching high ground to attack enemies from above or to escape their attacks. Pop up on a ledge, then rain arrows on the camp below.
- Stone Talus shortcut: run under the Talus and Ascend. You come out on its back next to the ore weak spot, without climbing a boulder that keeps turning to face you.
- Emergency escape: surrounded in a tight space? Time stops while you’re poking out, so you also get a free look at your exit.
Here’s the thing most guides won’t tell you: Ascend is also a scouting tool. Because time stops while you peek, you can pop your head into an enemy camp on the floor above, read the layout, and press B to sink back down. For pure altitude in the sky, combine it with Recall, which lets you ride fallen rocks back up toward the islands they came from.
Getting Out of the Depths
You’d be surprised how many people get this wrong. The Depths ceiling blocks Ascend almost everywhere, so you can’t just spam it to reach the Surface. Your real exits are the Chasms you jumped down, fast travel to any Shrine or Lightroot, or the handful of dedicated Ascend exit points the game provides.
Hot Take: Ultrahand gets all the YouTube clips, but Ascend is the ability you’ll use most without noticing. Every other power asks what you want to build or break. This one just asks where you want to be.
Lore Drop: Why Link Can Do This
Lore Drop: Ascend, like Link’s other new abilities, comes from his new right arm, which belonged to Rauru, the first king of Hyrule. Rauru’s spirit is the one granting the powers in the Great Sky Island shrines. In other words, the ability that gets you out of a cave was handed down by a Zonai king (yes, really).
Ascend FAQ
Where do you get Ascend in Tears of the Kingdom?
At Gutanbac Shrine, in the snowy eastern part of the Great Sky Island. Rauru grants it as soon as you enter the shrine.
Why won’t Ascend work on a ceiling?
The ceiling is probably too high, too slanted, or blocked on the other side. Ascend needs a ceiling directly above you within a set height, plus a flat spot to exit onto.
Can you cancel Ascend?
Yes. While you’re rising, press B to drop back down. It only works before you climb out on the other side.
Can you use Ascend to leave the Depths?
Only at a few dedicated exit points. Everywhere else the Depths ceiling blocks it, so fast travel or the Chasms are your way back up.
Does time stop during Ascend?
Yes. While only Link’s upper body is out of the surface, time is stopped, so you can check for enemies before committing.
Actually Do This: clear Gutanbac Shrine as soon as you can, then use Ascend on every ceiling you pass for the next hour. Try it on the first Stone Talus you meet. Once you start thinking vertically, you’ll stop climbing walls that were never worth the stamina. If you’re still on the Great Sky Island, grab the Great Sky Island Korok Seeds while you’re up there.
