Heya Gang! Today we’re on a subject of some scholarly debate: the *best things you can fuze to an arrow in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. NOW, due to the fact you can fuze LITERALLY ANYTHING in your material inventory to an arrow (as well as all Zonai devices) narrowing that list down to ten items was *not an easy task… Seriously, you can attach a jar of milk to an arrow if you’re ever so inclined. Anyway, with that being the case, this list is focused more on utility, than simply damage output (oh but we have some highly destructive fusions to talk about my friends, don’t you worry). SO, with all of that in mind, let us begin…
10. Portable Pot
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I mentioned that you can fuse any Zonai device to an arrow. But I’d bet dollars to donuts you didn’t see this one coming! I certainly didn’t; I didn’t even *consider it when I first set out to create this list. For anyone who doesn’t know, the Portable Pot is a super handy Zonai device that allows Link to cook one meal or elixir, literally anywhere. But it also has a secret superpower…
It turns out that if you fuze and fire this Hylian Crockpot at ANY armor-clad enemy (with the sole exception of Lynels, because of *course it’s Lynels) it will instantly destroy ALL of their armor. At once. All of it. Completely disintegrated. Leaving you free to beat them with a hammer for 15 minutes without…you know, beating them with a hammer for 15 minutes first.
What the Portable Pot Arrows excel At:
Preemptive attack
Weakening armored enemies in groups
Utter obliteration of armor in general
Use Portable Pot Arrows When:
Facing any armor-clad enemy (EXCEPT LYNELS!)
Clearing out a monster encampment (breaking all their armor before going in can be a big help)
Trying to preserve your weapons (smashing armor is just like smashing rocks)
You don’t have a weapon on hand that *can break armor (cutting edge weapons won’t do the job, only smashers, crushers, hammers, and a certain monster’s leg)
Portable Pot Details:
A Zonai device for cooking food almost anytime, anywhere. It lasts for cooking one recipe only. The device is easier to use on flat surfaces
Can shatter ores or breakable rocks
Disintegrates any enemy's armor in one hit (excluding Lynels)
Can be found in both dispensers on the Great Sky Island
Near Taunhiy Shrine on Courage Island
Near Joku-usin Shrine on Dragonhead Island
On the same island as Ijo-o Shrine in the Hebra Sky Region
On a rock island South of the Gerudo Canyon Mini stable
9. Keese Wings
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Potentially Hyrule’s most useless creature in Breath of the Wild, Keese are batlike creatures which come in four different flavors: Fire, Ice, Electric, and of course Keese Classic™ (all pictured above). These scrappy little survivors have made quite a comeback in Tears of the Kingdom thanks almost entirely to Link’s new Fusion ability. Instead of boundless annoyance at their very existence, I’ve found myself seeking out the not-at-all-adorable little Hell Bats in TOTK. And now, I think I’ll stop rambling and actually tell you why!
In keeping with the spirit of continuity that kindles my adoration for this franchise, Keese can drop two types of parts when killed, wings, and eyeballs. Just as they did in Breath of the Wild. Unlike BOTW however, both Keese parts can be INCREDIBLY useful in Tears of the Kingdom. First, let’s discuss their wings. Attach any Keese wing to an arrow, and you’ve now got yourself a Hylian Sniper Rifle. That arrow is going to be capable of MUCH further flight, and have significantly less drop. But wait, there’s more! Use a wing from one of the elemental Keese, and your long-range arrow will also deal EXPLOSIVE electric, fire, or ice damage!
Clearing enemy encampments (especially if you’re trying to do so covertly)
Scouting/ exploring new areas (you can shoot ‘em before they even see you)
You’re short on weapons and heavy on arrows
You’re shooting from cover and/ or high ground
Keese Wing Details:
Keese (Compendium No. 97) - Hyrule Field & West Necluda / Value 3 Rupees
Fire Keese (Compendium No. 98) - Eldin Region & The Depths / Value 8 Rupees
Ice Keese (Compendium No. 99) - Hebra and Mount Lanayru / Value 8 Rupees
Electric Keese (Compendium No. 100) - Gerudo Desert & The Depths / Value 8 Rupees
Keese are found in literally every part of Hyrule (mostly at night)
They usually travel either in pairs or large…flocks? Yes, *ahem* flocks of Keese, definitely
Keese are a one hit kill so farming Keese parts is very economical (weapon-wise)
Okay, remember how I said *both Keese parts can be useful? Well…
8. Keese Eyeball
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...Well, they’re so useful in fact, that I had to break this into two parts, haha! So useful (and so equally useless in BOTW) that they’re a meme on Reddit! Now then, back to business. Keese Eyeballs drop only slightly less frequently than wings. Which to me, seems like a more than fair trade for the effect they grant your arrows: HOMING!!!
Yes my dear reader, that is correct; attach a Keese Eyeball to an arrow, and you don’t even have to AIM the thing if you don’t feel like it. Not only do these eyeball-arrows auto-target, they go for headshots! And, just like their counterparts, if you use…let’s say an Electric Keese Eyeball… Well you’ve got yourself a monster-seeking, fire and forget lightning-missile that will inherently do everything in its power to deal as much damage as possible.
What Keese Eyeball Arrows excel At:
Hitting moving targets
Hitting targets while *you're moving
Shooting in the dark of the depths
Flying enemies (Colgera and Mucktorock is a *fantastic example)
Boss fights (small critical targets, again, Mucktorock and Colgera)
Use Keese Eyeball Arrows When:
Fighting Hinox, Stalnox, Aerocuda, Moth Gibdos, anything that's difficult to hit
Boss Fights
Falling/ paragliding/ riding a horse
You’re in the Depths with no light source (or even with one!)
You *neeeeed an elemental arrow to hit its mark
You want to watch something cool (homing arrows…only in TLOZ )
Keese Eyeball Details:
Keese are found in literally every part of Hyrule (mostly at night)
Usually travel in pairs or swarms, we're going with "swarms". Thank you Reddit!
Keese (Compendium No. 97) - Hyrule Field & West Necluda / Value 2 Rupees
Fire Keese (Compendium No. 98) - Eldin Region & Eldin Depths / Value 6 Rupees
Ice Keese (Compendium No. 99) - Hebra and Mount Lanayru / Value 6 Rupees
Electric Keese (Compendium No. 100) - Gerudo Desert & Gerudo Depths / Value 6 Rupees
7. Brightbloom Seeds
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Brightbloom seeds are basically naturally occurring portable lanterns. If thrown, struck, or fused to an arrow and shot into something, these seeds take root and sprout the botanical equivalent of a lightbulb. They illuminate a relatively large area for their size, and will stick to basically anything. And anywhere there’s a cave or a well, there are gonna be Brightbloom Plants.
Brightbloom Seeds were a bit of a mystery to me at first (before I’d been to the Depths) but when I started exploring to upgrade my battery, I realized what an invaluable tool they are. I would honestly recommend going into the depths without *weapons, before not bringing seeds. It’s not just the darkness and monsters and Yiga Clan fortresses and secret boss battles (I think you get the idea) it’s about simply GETTING AROUND! You can throw them of course, but arrows give your seeds the reach they need to investigate the surprise walls, cliffs, mines, and who knows what you’re gonna find down there.
What Brightbloom Seed Arrows Excel At:
Simosiwak Shrine
Illuminating areas ahead (allows you to plan a route)
Illuminating deep chasms
Illuminating walls
Distracting enemies
Use Brightbloom Seed Arrows When:
You’re exploring the depths anywhere there isn’t a Lightroot active
You find a deep chasm or mine you want to explore
You’re in Pondside Cave
You can’t see where you're going
Brightbloom Seed Details:
Compendium No. 249
"A seed that's often found in caves or wells. When struck, it will take root and bloom, giving off faint light from a small flower."
Can be found right from the start of the game on the Great Sky Island
Grow in basically every cave and well in Hyrule
Dropped by Little Frox
Cost 8 Rupees
Value 2 Rupees
6. Shiny Rocks!
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Now you may be thinking something along the lines of “Why the hell would I fuse a sapphire to an arrow and FIRE IT??”. I certainly was, the first time I heard about this fusion. But fear not dear reader, for that is exactly why I’m here: to try these things so you don’t have to! I of course decided to try shooting rocks at monsters (doesn’t that just *sound fun?) and I was quite pleased with the results. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this.
Okay, so first off the basics: opals deal water damage, topaz electric, sapphires ice, and rubies are obviously gonna set fires. Big deal, there are fruits growing everywhere that can do the same thing right? Wrong. The reason these stones made the list is because of their elemental damage output, and AOE (which are INSANE). IGN ranked these stones above DRAGON PARTS in terms of power and explosion radius-by the way, don’t shoot these at anything too close to you-which is the other reason they’re on the list…gemstones are FAR easier to obtain than dragon parts.
What Gemstone Arrows Excel At:
Largest area of effect in game/ explosive impact (all)
Setting fire to enemies, obj-...everything, burning everything (ruby)
Extinguishing the same fire, extra damage to fire based enemies, cool lava (opal)
Freezing enemies, deadly to fire enemies, create platforms in water (sapphire)
Zap and stun enemies, causing them to drop weapons, power machinery (Topaz)
Use Gemstone Arrows When:
Attacking a large group of monsters
In boss fights (use your elemental advantage!)
You’ve gone stone farming/ have a surplus
Gemstone Details:
All can be mined from rare ore deposits, dropped by Rare Stone Talus, and found in chests
Ruby 110
Sapphire 150
Topaz 80
Opal 30
5. Ancient "Blade"
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This is easily the most OP item on this list. And we all love it. If you didn’t know yet, *spoiler alert* the Ancient Arrow is back! And it works exactly as it did in BOTW. They’re significantly harder to find in post-upheaval Hyrule than post-Calamity Hyrule, but as there are no more guardians this seems fair to me. They’ve been renamed “Ancient Blades”, and can now be fused to just about anything…
…But they will also still one-shot almost *anything, INCLUDING Lynels! In a tight spot, they’re absolutely magnificent. An Ancient Blade literally disintegrates anything living it touches save for bosses. The only downside is their extreme rarity (but even that can be remedied through the magic of YouTube) and the fact that their kills don’t drop items.
What Ancient Blade Arrows Excel At:
Massive damage output
Vaporizing Lynels
Looking cool as hell
Use Ancient Blade Arrows When:
You find yourself severely outmatched by an enemy
You’re near-death and out of options
In mini-boss fights (Phantom Gannon for example)
Ancient Blade Details:
Can be found in Highland Stable Well, Komo Shoreline Cave, and in chests around Hyrule
Dropped by the Archer Link and Guardian Amiibo
Can be created by Forge Constructs *after completing the Spirit Temple*
Fuse attack power 50
Cost 50 Zonaite
Value 1 Rupee
4. Puffshrooms
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Puffshrooms are a LOT of fun! Especially if you, like me, enjoy covertly destroying your enemies. These particular mushrooms can only be found in the Depths, but they aren’t in short supply. Throw one at a group of enemies (or a single Lynel perhaps) and they create a large cloud of blinding smoke!
Attach one to an arrow, and you’ve got yourself an archaic smoke grenade launcher! The effects completely obscure enemies’ sight and stop their movement for around 15 seconds. This allows Link to either turn and escape, face and completely shred, or even reposition and sneakstrike his enemies. And of course, you can always shoot another one when your smoke begins to dissipate; allowing you to clear out an entire encampment without a swing or shot taken at you.
Puffshroom Arrows Excel At:
Defense
Disorienting enemies
Stealth/ concealment
Covert attack
Escape
Use Puffshroom Arrows When:
Outnumbered and/ or overwhelmed
Clearing out large groups of monsters
Repositioning in fights with stronger enemies
Running for your life
Puffshroom Details:
Compendium No. 232
Found naturally in the Depths
Only sold by Bargainer Statues (but they’re so easy to find)
Effect lasts around 15s
Cost 16 Poe Souls
Value 10 Rupees
3. Dazzlefruit
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Speaking of non-lethals, Dazzlefruit are probably the most under-appreciated plant life in TOTK. If you haven’t tried one yet, they’re basically a Hylian flash bang! They grow all over Hyrule, come three to a bushel, and stop enemies dead in their tracks.
Not only do they completely stun enemies, but Dazzlefruit also cause them to drop their weapons giving you a bit of extra time. But their benefits don’t stop there! These spiky little dynamos are great for blinding the horror that is Gloom Hands, and have a secret superpower most people don’t know about: Dazzlefruit are a one shot kill to ALL STAL ENEMIES in their AOE aside from Stalnox!
Dazzlefruit Arrows Excel At:
Defense
Stunning AND disarming enemies
Killing Stalmonsters
Stunning Gloom Hands
Use Dazzlefruit Arrows When:
Exploring the Depths
Climbing to the Mt. Lanayru Skyview Tower (you’ll see)
Curing the Great Deku Tree
Surprised by large groups of enemies (or large enemies)
Dazzlefruit Details:
Compendium No. 217
Can be found all over Hyrule, primarily on Sky Islands (or Skyslands)
Three to a bushel
Restore health
Blind and disarm enemies
Insta-Kill Stal Enemies
Cost 20 Rupees
Value 5
2. Muddle Bud
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This, is one of the greatest defensive weapons in the Hyrule Historia, I mean history of Hyrule. Muddle Bud is a flower found only in the Depths, and it’s well worth the trip. When fired at an enemy (or better still a horde of them) the bud immediately disorients everything in its AOE. But the best part is what happens shortly after, the plant sends monsters into a confused frenzy that causes them to start attacking everything around them. And yes, I mean each other hehe.
Do keep your distance with this one, because Muddled monsters will attack *whatever is closest to them. This includes Link. That’s why it’s ideal for arrow fusion; fire one into an enemy encampment and watch the chaos ensue as they do half (or more) of the work for you. I’ll give you two recommendations for the Muddle Bud from my own experience: Battle Talus, and Gloom Hands. It completely changes the battle dynamic of the latter, changing them from inescapable nightmare fuel, to a manageable enemy to defeat. And Muddling a Battle Talus is just hilarious.
Muddle Bud Arrows Excel At:
Crowd control (dispatching hordes of enemies with just an arrow or two)
Saving your weapons
Gloom Hands!!!
Pure, simple entertainment (so satisfying to watch them attack each other instead of yourself)
Use Muddle Bud Arrows When:
Raiding monster encampments
Fighting a Battle Talus
Surprised by Gloom Hands
Expecting Gloom Hands
Muddle Bud Details:
Compendium No. 251
Found only in the Depths, but plentiful there
Only sold by Bargainer Statues
Effects last 15-30 seconds
Cost 16 Poe Souls
Value 10 Rupees
Entertainment value…priceless
1. Bomb Flowers!!!
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Here they are, coming in at number one for a number of reasons, Bomb Flowers! Their name should pretty well explain what they’re all about. These naturally occurring Looney Tunes-esque explosive plants are a GIANT step up from the Remote Bomb rune in BOTW, but they aren’t new to the Legend of Zelda universe. Bomb Flowers first appeared in one of my all time favorite games: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time way back in 1998.
I’ve ranked them in first place because these Bomb Flowers are likely the best iteration to date. They’re incredibly versatile, highly volatile, and reasonably plentiful. They detonate upon impact, delivering a *massive amount of explosive damage making them perfect for rock breaking, monster killing, fire setting, ice melting, bomb jumping, you name it. They’re found growing naturally in all of the caves, and of course the Depths, so they’re easy to farm (and well worth it).
Bomb Flower Arrow Excel At:
Blowing up…anything
Mining Ore and Zonaite
Obliterating Gloom Hands
Bringing down a Talus in record time
Detonating explosive barrels
Use Bomb Flower Arrows When:
Ever possible, they’re indescribably fun
Mining/ breaking boulders
Killing Gloom Hands (Phantom Gannon too)
Killing an entire swarm of Keese at once
Battling any Talus or dispatching Pebblits
Bomb Flower Details:
Compendium No. 252
Found mostly in caves and in the Depths
Sold only by Bargainer Statues
Does not mix well with fire or electricity
Explosive damage output dwarfs that of any other fusible item
Indispensable as both a weapon and a tool
Cost 16 Poe Souls
Value 10 Rupees
Well, that’s it for this one gang! I’ll see you next time, and thank you once more, for playing along! :)
A native of Tatooine, I mean Texas, I've always needed ways to escape reality. Once I discovered a knack for writing, I felt a need to share my findings with others who might be similarly in need.
Gamer Since:
1997
Favorite Genre:
RPG
Currently Playing:
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Far Cry 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Unreal Tournament
