Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: All Runes RANKED!
Every rune in Tears of the Kingdom is incredibly useful in some way or another, and since they are all very useful, it isn’t very easy to rank them! Because of this, this ranking is solely based on how much I enjoy using each ability in the game. And no, I will not be including amiibos, because those kind of take me out of the game, to be honest. Now without further ado, RPG Ranked presents… Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: All Runes RANKED!
6. Camera
I’ve never been a big fan of the Camera rune, to be honest. If you love photography? You’ll love this rune. But with very little application for the Camera in puzzles and battles, it just really isn’t my favorite, and filling out the compendium just feels too much like an unnecessary part of the game, in my opinion. And while taking pictures for the heck of it is a blast, with the game’s very limited photo storage, this rune does not have enough to offer compared to the other runes. Overall, this is not a bad rune, but it isn’t extraordinary either.
5. Ascend
Some people adore this ability, saying it is their favorite ability in Tears of the Kingdom. I don’t personally understand the love for this ability, but I’m glad others like it! I just find it rather replaceable. Zonai devices and Ultrahand can allow for greater creations that allow you to cover so much more ground and height. Fusing a Rocket to your shield? Tons of ground. Also, using Recall on an object that fell out of the sky and climbing on it lets you get so much more height than this ability. This ability definitely has its uses, but I just feel like it is the least interesting and least creative ability of the bunch. Overall, while I still enjoy using this ability, it is my second least favorite on this list.
4. Fuse
I have a love-hate relationship with this ability. On one hand, it opens up so many fun options like rocket and flame-emitting shields, homing and meat arrows, and the ever iconic Long-Stick Stick. On the other hand, it overcomplicates the weapons too much in my opinion, which makes me long for the much simpler weapon system from Breath of the Wild. It annoys me that, just for some shrine puzzles or traversing around the world, I have to destroy an awesome weapon I fused for the sake of attaching something dumb like a boulder onto my weapon just to solve a puzzle. I know there are always multiple ways to approach a puzzle, but sometimes, this ability just frustrated me when it was a necessity for puzzles. Overall, while this system was very fun and full of variety, I don’t jive all that much with crafting. Objectively, Fuse is awesome, but it’s not really for me.
3. Ultrahand
While this ability was incredibly frustrating at first (and made me miss Magnesis), once I got the hang of it, I fell in love with this ability. You can do so many fun things with this ability, and with this ability in tandem with Zonai devices, the possibilities are endless! This ability almost single-handedly makes the shrines in Tears of the Kingdom so fun and so different from Breath of the Wild. Overall, though I absolutely adore this ability, there are still two I like better.
2. Autobuild
As soon as I got this ability, I freaked out! It was Ultrahand, but without all the annoyances! And with Zonaite, you can always have an awesome experience building, no matter where you are! This is because Zonaite allows you to purchase any materials you don’t have on the fly! The idea of this ability was absolutely genius, and I’m so glad that they put this in the game! Though Autobuild takes a bit more preparation to get than the other Runes, it is well-worth it.
1. Recall
Recall is the coolest ability in any Zelda game I’ve played, to be honest. It is simple on paper, but it is just executed in the coolest way imaginable. The fact you can recall sky fragments, Octorok projectiles, and objects falling over waterfalls? This ability is just so fantastic. And if you mess up with the Ultrahand ability? Just Recall it! Also, Recall kind of allows you to cover more ground than Ascend, so that’s a vibe. Overall, though more situational than Ultrahand and Autobuild, the versatility, amazing visuals and execution of Recall makes it my favorite ability in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.