Paraglider Guide — Aerial Traversal & Sky Island Access

The Paraglider is TotK's primary aerial traversal tool — open it mid-fall to glide horizontally across vast distances. Combined with Skyview Tower launches, Tulin's Gust, and thermal updrafts, you can cross Hyrule without touching the ground. This guide covers everything from basic gliding to advanced sky island approach techniques.

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Getting the Paraglider

The Paraglider is obtained at the end of the Great Sky Island tutorial area — the opening sequence of the game. After completing all 4 ability shrines on the Great Sky Island, speak with Rauru and descend back to Hyrule. The Paraglider is awarded before the descent.

You cannot miss it — it's the first guaranteed story item.

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Basic Paraglider Mechanics

• Deploy: Press X while in the air (falling or jumping)
• Close: Press X again while gliding to fold the Paraglider (start falling faster)
• Stamina: Gliding consumes stamina continuously. When stamina depletes, the Paraglider folds automatically.
• Direction: Tilt the left stick to steer. No tilt = slow forward glide. Tilt down = slight dive for speed.
• Speed: Gliding forward at a slight downward angle is faster than flat gliding.

Stamina recovery mid-glide: None — once you open the Paraglider, stamina drains until you close it, land, or grab a surface.

Stamina tip: The higher your launch altitude, the farther you can glide on the same stamina amount (you're converting height to horizontal distance).

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Stamina Management in the Air

| Stamina Wheels | Approximate Glide Distance | |---------------|--------------------------| | 1 wheel (base) | ~400m from tower altitude | | 2 wheels | ~800m from tower altitude | | 3 wheels (max) | ~1,200m from tower altitude |

Endura Carrot meals add yellow stamina beyond the wheel maximum. A 5× Endura Carrot meal effectively adds 2 extra wheels of glide time — enough to reach distant sky islands that would otherwise be unreachable.

Tulin's Gust (Sage ability — unlocked after Rito Village) provides a mid-glide speed burst that also extends range. Each gust adds approximately 20–30% to your horizontal glide distance.

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Updraft Sources — Free Height

Updrafts are rising air columns that carry Link upward while the Paraglider is open:

Natural Updrafts

Campfire thermals:

• Any active campfire (or burning grass/wood) creates an upward thermal
• Stand next to the fire → deploy Paraglider → thermal carries Link upward
• Free height gain: 20–50 meters depending on fire size
• Tip: Carry wood + flint to create fires anywhere for on-demand thermals

Volcanic vents (Eldin):

• Hot gas vents near Death Mountain create powerful thermals
• Paraglide over them for significant altitude gain
• Combine with Flamebreaker armor (required at high Eldin altitudes)

Drafts near sky islands:

• Many sky islands have circular draft patterns beneath them (Zonai infrastructure)
• Glide into the column from the side to gain altitude

Artificial Updrafts

Fan placement:

• Place a Zonai Fan facing upward under Link
• Activate it → upward draft carries Paraglider higher
• Useful for reaching slightly too-high ledges without a tower

Balloon + Flame Emitter:

• Balloon + heat source creates a rising platform
• Can serve as a temporary elevated launchpad for extended glides

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Skyview Tower Launches

Each of the 15 Skyview Towers launches Link to approximately 800–1,200 meters altitude when activated (used as a launch point after activation via Paraglider deployment at apex).

How to use a tower launch:

1. Fast travel to any Skyview Tower
2. Interact with the terminal — Link is launched upward
3. At the apex (highest point), deploy Paraglider immediately
4. Glide toward target location

From tower apex, you can reach:

• Any sky island cluster visible in that tower's sky region
• The next nearest shrine in the direction you glide
• Areas 600–1,000m away depending on altitude and stamina

Tower launch + Tulin combo: Launch from tower → deploy Paraglider → wait for Tulin's Gust cooldown to reset (~10 seconds) → use Gust for max speed → reach sky islands 1,200+ meters from tower.

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Sky Island Access Strategies

Strategy 1 — Tower Launch + Direct Glide

Best for sky islands near Skyview Towers. Launch, glide directly to the island. Works for most tier-1 sky islands visible from tower altitude.

Strategy 2 — Tower Launch + Hoverbike

For far sky islands (1,500m+ from tower). Launch → deploy Paraglider → close Paraglider when stamina low → deploy hoverbike mid-air (Autobuild) → fly the rest of the distance. Hoverbike continues where stamina ends.

Strategy 3 — Chained Shrine Launches

Sky island shrines often trigger a second minor launch when entered from above. Chain: Tower → Shrine on lower sky island → glide to nearby higher island → activate its shrine. Progressively work upward through the sky island archipelago.

Strategy 4 — Waterfall Climbing + Glide

Use Zora Armor to climb any surface waterfall → reach elevated cliff edge → glide from new height toward sky islands at a steeper approach angle.

Strategy 5 — Rocket + Paraglider

Fuse a Rocket to your shield. Jump + activate shield → rocket fires upward → deploy Paraglider at the apex of the rocket boost. Adds ~80m to your effective launch height from any ground position — no tower needed.

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Combat with the Paraglider

Bow + Paraglider: While gliding, press ZR to draw the bow → time slows dramatically. This "bullet time" window is one of the best DPS windows in the game:

• Shoot Gleeok heads while they're airborne
• Shoot Keese Eyeball-Fused arrows (homing) for reliable targeting
• Target bosses at range before they reach melee range

Paraglider escape: If surrounded on the ground, jump + Paraglider to disengage. Many enemies cannot effectively track a gliding Link. Particularly useful against Moblin charges and Lynel rushes — glide over the enemy for aerial positioning.

Bomb drop: While gliding, throw Bomb Flowers downward onto enemy camps. Effective for camp clearing — enemies cluster below and don't expect aerial attack.

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Advanced Glide Techniques

Speed gliding: Tilt the stick slightly downward (not full dive — 20% down tilt) to increase horizontal speed at the cost of slightly more altitude loss per meter. For long flat-terrain crossings, speed gliding covers distance faster.

Stamina-zero landing: Calculate your stamina to reach exactly zero over a climbable surface. At zero stamina while gliding, Link grabs any climbable surface automatically. "Crash landing" onto cliff faces is faster than deploying Paraglider → landing → climbing.

Tulin Gust + Recall: Use Recall on a thrown object mid-flight to create an unexpected change of direction. Niche, but can reach specific sky island positions from unusual angles.

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Quick Tips

• Glide toward sky islands, not at them — aim slightly below the island's level for maximum speed; pull up gently to land on the edge
• Close Paraglider to refill stamina from food — land on any climbable surface, eat stamina food, open Paraglider again without losing position
• Tower fast travel then immediately launch — you can activate the tower terminal from any previous activation. Just fast travel to the tower and immediately interact with the launch terminal again (no need to "activate" it twice)
• Watch for orange dots on sky map — after activating a tower, switch to sky layer on map — orange dots indicate nearby sky island clusters reachable from that tower's launch altitude
• Endura Carrot before any sky exploration session — one 5× Endura Carrot meal covers the full glide stamina cost for most sky island runs

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See also: Sky Islands Guide | Climbing Guide | Skyview Towers Guide