Metal beams and rails in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom explained
Link needs the Ultrahand ability to use metal beams and rails in TOTK
In Zelda Tears of the Kingdom beams and metal rails that connect various islands can be used to cross the gigantic gaps between them. It's technically possible to climb up onto the metal beams and precariously tightrope walk from island to island if you're very careful, but there's a better way: using the Ultrahand ability to create special railcarts or moving platforms that hook into the beams and allow you to cross safely. Here's how to use Ultrahand to cross beams in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, as well as how to find Ukouh Shrine to learn the essential Ultrahand skill if you're having trouble spotting it.
How to use Ultrahand to cross beams
After learning Ultrahand at Ukouh Shrine, head back to the first beam. You can see it on your map – it's that black curvy line linking from nearby the shrine to the other side of a wide chasm.
Here, you'll find some planks of wood and some large hooks. Simply use Ultrahand on the hooks by tapping L and pressing A over one of the hooks, allowing you to lift it up and rotate it using the R bumper and your right joystick.
Rotate the hook until the flat bottom part is lined up with the surface of one of the flat planks, and press A again to attach it to one of the short ends. Do the same with another hook on the other short end of the plank, and you should have a platform with two stable hooks. Now, cast Ultrahand again to lift the platform and carefully hook it over the beam. Press ZR to let go, and hop aboard – gravity will carry your platform down to the other side of the chasm.
This is also useful to bear in mind later when you run into the first Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Korok seed puzzle, since there are quite a few beams to travel across in the Sky Island map alone.
How to find Ukouh Shrine and get Ultrahand
You'll need Ultrahand to cross the first beam in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, and luckily the shrine where you learn it is not too far away. Ukouh Shrine is the first stop on your journey to collect all three Lights and abilities, and we have a guide to help you find all Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Sky Island shrine locations if you're feeling stuck.
Since the first beam puzzle is not too far away from Ukouh Shrine, you might stumble across it before you learn Ultrahand. You'll be able to see the shrine's tell-tale green glow from right next to the beam's starting point, so just hop back down and swim across the lake to access the shrine before continuing.
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Jasmine is a staff writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London in 2017, her passion for entertainment writing has taken her from reviewing underground concerts to blogging about the intersection between horror movies and browser games. Having made the career jump from TV broadcast operations to video games journalism during the pandemic, she cut her teeth as a freelance writer with TheGamer, Gamezo, and Tech Radar Gaming before accepting a full-time role here at GamesRadar. Whether Jasmine is researching the latest in gaming litigation for a news piece, writing how-to guides for The Sims 4, or extolling the necessity of a Resident Evil: CODE Veronica remake, you'll probably find her listening to metalcore at the same time.