Sage Abilities Guide — All 5 Companions
Sage Abilities Guide — All 5 Companions
The Sages are Link's companions in Tears of the Kingdom — five characters who grant him unique abilities after completing each Divine Temple. This guide covers how to unlock each Sage, what their ability does, and how to use it effectively.
Overview: The Five Sages
| Sage | Ability | Unlocked After | |------|---------|----------------| | Tulin of Rito Village | Gust (wind push) | Wind Temple | | Sidon of the Zora | Sidon's Blessing (water shield) | Water Temple | | Yunobo of Goron City | Charge (rolling fireball) | Fire Temple | | Riju of Gerudo Town | Riju's Blessing (lightning strike) | Lightning Temple | | Mineru (Construct) | Mineru's Construct (rideable mech) | Spirit Temple |
How Sage Abilities Work
Each Sage avatar follows Link and can be activated in two ways:
- Physical press: Walk into or hit the Sage's avatar directly
- Assign to d-pad: Open the abilities menu (hold L) and assign a Sage to a d-pad direction for quick activation
Multiple Sages are active simultaneously — you can dismiss individual ones if they crowd the screen during combat.
Tulin of Rito Village — Wind Gust
What it does: Tulin flaps his wings and pushes Link with a focused burst of wind, extending glide distance significantly.
When you get it: After completing the Wind Temple (Story: Tulin of Rito Village quest).
Best uses:
- Gliding extension: The most important traversal tool in the game. Gust at the apex of any jump extends your glide dramatically. Use from Skyview Tower launches to reach far sky islands.
- Sail vehicles: Position Tulin near a fan-powered sail for extra speed boost.
- Combat repositioning: Gust while airborne to reposition in mid-air during aerial fights.
Tips:
- Gust recharges almost instantly — spam it freely during long glides
- Use from sky island edges to glide all the way to surface landmarks
- Tulin's Gust stacks with Paraglider — both active simultaneously
- The wind burst can knock enemies back slightly at close range
Sidon of the Zora — Water Blessing
What it does: Sidon creates a water shield around Link that absorbs one hit, then releases a burst of water on impact. Also enables Link's charged attack to fire a water projectile.
When you get it: After completing the Water Temple (Story: Sidon of the Zora quest).
Best uses:
- Free hit absorption: Sidon's shield automatically recharges after each absorbed hit (with a cooldown). Against aggressive bosses, this is a significant damage mitigation tool.
- Water arrow combo: Charge your bow, shoot through Sidon's water — the arrow gains water element. Essential for hitting Fire Gleeok weak spots.
- Sludge removal: Water burst from the shield cleans Sludge off enemies, exposing their weakness.
Tips:
- The shield recharge is surprisingly fast — use Sidon early and often
- Water + fire element creates steam; great for stunning enemies
- In Gibdo fights (lightning temple area), water makes Gibdos vulnerable instantly
- Sidon is the most defensively useful Sage — prioritize keeping him active
Yunobo of Goron City — Charge
What it does: Yunobo rolls into a large fireball and charges forward in the direction Link aims. Can break Marbled Rock Roast (specific ore type) and deal fire damage.
When you get it: After completing the Fire Temple (Story: Yunobo of Goron City quest).
Best uses:
- Mining: Yunobo breaks Marbled Rock Roast — a specific ore blocking caves in Eldin region that nothing else can break. Required for some cave content.
- Enemy stun: A fully-charged Yunobo roll staggers most non-boss enemies and deals solid fire damage.
- Chain multiple targets: Position Yunobo to roll through a line of enemies for AoE damage.
Tips:
- Hold the activation button to charge the roll for greater range and damage
- The charge direction follows where Link is facing — aim precisely
- Yunobo is the least useful combat Sage but unique for Marbled Rock Roast access
- In the Fire Temple itself, Yunobo is required for nearly every puzzle solution
Riju of Gerudo Town — Lightning Strike
What it does: Riju generates a lightning field around Link. When Link performs a charged attack while Riju's field is active, a powerful lightning strike hits the target area.
When you get it: After completing the Lightning Temple (Story: Riju of Gerudo Town quest).
Best uses:
- Highest damage output: Riju's lightning strike combined with a charged two-handed weapon is one of the highest-damage combos in the game. Each hit triggers a full lightning burst.
- AoE clearing: The lightning strike hits everything in the area — ideal for enemy clusters.
- Gleeok counter: For Thunder Gleeok or King Gleeok weak spots, Riju's strike is the most efficient damage source.
- Breaking enemy shields: Lightning breaks wooden shields instantly.
Tips:
- The combo is: activate Riju → charge your attack → release. Lightning fires on the charged attack hit.
- Pair with the Eightfold Blade (7-hit combo) for rapid lightning triggers
- Each strike of a flurry rush also triggers Riju's lightning — extreme burst damage
- Riju is the best combat Sage for pure DPS — build your late-game combat strategy around her
Mineru — Spirit Temple Construct
What it does: Mineru is unique — she doesn't fight alongside Link. Instead, after completing the Spirit Temple, she provides a large rideable Construct body that Link can mount and control. The Construct has attachment points for Zonai devices, making it a customizable combat mech.
When you get it: After completing the Spirit Temple (final Divine Temple — located in The Depths beneath the Gerudo region).
Best uses:
- Combat mech: Attach weapons, flame emitters, or beam emitters to Mineru's Construct for a walking weapons platform
- Traversal: The Construct walks without stamina cost, useful for crossing difficult terrain in the Depths
- Carrying heavy objects: The Construct's Ultrahand range and strength is normal, but the mounted position gives better visibility for Ultrahand puzzles
Tips:
- The Construct has limited health — it can be destroyed in combat; Mineru reappears after a cooldown
- Attachment slots on the Construct's arms accept most Zonai devices
- Equip a Flame Emitter + Rocket on opposite arms for a versatile combat configuration
- Mineru is the most situational Sage; most players use her rarely after completing the Spirit Temple questline
Managing Multiple Sages
Active Sage selection: Press and hold L to open the ability wheel. You can dismiss individual Sages or call them back. During intense combat, consider keeping only Sidon and Riju active and dismissing Yunobo and Tulin to reduce visual clutter.
Simultaneous activation: All Sages are active at once unless you dismiss them. Sidon's shield + Riju's lightning combo is the standard combat duo.
Best combat combo:
- Sidon active → absorbs one incoming hit automatically
- Riju active → charged attacks trigger lightning
- Tulin on standby for repositioning
Unlock Order (Recommended)
- Tulin first (Wind Temple) — his Gust transforms traversal from the start
- Yunobo second (Fire Temple) — enables Eldin ore mining
- Sidon third (Water Temple) — best defensive companion for mid-game
- Riju fourth (Lightning Temple) — opens up best combat DPS
- Mineru last (Spirit Temple, in The Depths) — final story temple
See Temple Order Guide for reasoning on the recommended sequence.
See also: Temple Order Guide | Final Boss Guide | Zonai Builds Guide
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo Switch — pick up your copy on Amazon
Affiliate disclosure: Hyrule Archive may earn a commission from purchases made through Amazon links on this site at no extra cost to you.
