Making (spirit) Tracks
In Tears of the Kingdom, there are new ways to traverse Hyrule. It’s possible to build rocket-propelled carts, wind-powered hoverboards, and even stone gliders. There are also plenty of rails that can be found, and they connect sky islands and twist through mines. The easiest way to use the rails is to simply jump on a shield and slide down. However, this chews away at the shield’s durability, and shields aren’t suitable when Link also has passengers to escort.
Figuring out how to cross broken rails in Tears of the Kingdom requires a bit of fusing and creativity, but it is possible provided the right items are at hand. Knowing how to get over the gaps is especially vital in the Eldin Region where rails are found aplenty.
Method 1: Shield Surfing
As previously stated, Link can surf his shield down rails. He can also leap over gaps with his shield. It should be noted that this method is somewhat limited, as Link can only do it alone, and it only works on downward slopes.
Method 2: Connect a Lot of Carts
The second method takes inspiration from a humble animal – the centipede. To implement this method, connect about four carts together using the Ultrahand ability. Following this, three fans should be attached to the cart at the back. Once the fans are activated, the carts will be propelled forward.
The aim is to ensure the front of the cart centipede reaches the next railing before the back end reaches the gap. Though this method is simple, it isn’t always applicable. For example, there may not be enough carts lying around, or the rails may have too many sharp turns for the cart centipede.
This method also works when only one side of the rail is missing.
Method 3: Zonai Wings
If there aren’t many carts around, Link can also cross gaps by using Zonai Wings. The upside to this method is that it only requires two carts, while the downside is that it requires a bit more building. After fusing two carts, simply attach the Zonai Wings to the back cart. Following this, fuse two fans to the back of the Zonai Wings, a Zonai Rocket may also be necessary if the gap is wide. This method is ideal if Link needs to transport someone from place to place.
Method 4: Hooks
Sometimes, Link will come across rails where only one side of the rail has a gap. To overcome the obstacle, simply attach a hook to the cart, and attach it to the unbroken side of the rail. If Link needs to travel on a downward slope, gravity will do the heavy labor. If he’s facing an upward slope, simply attach a fan to the cart beforehand.
Method 5: Recall
In certain situations, Recall can be used to jump tricky gaps. For example, if Link has managed to cross a gap using a cart going down a slope, it is possible to use Recall on the cart to reverse time and leap the gap going upwards.
Gaps in rails are a pesky problem, but there is luckily a workaround for all of them. The same creativity used to overcome this obstacle should be applied in the rest of the open world to help Link deal with other problems he encounters. For example, fusing loot with weapons can help make early-game Tears of the Kingdom weapons stronger, and by building clever contraptions, shrine puzzles can be solved with ease.
