Worrying About No Paraglider in Tears of The Kingdom? Worry Not; Here is a Detailed Guide on How To Obtain it Faster
As a long-time Zelda gamer who has played every entry since the original NES classic, I know first-hand how essential the paraglider has become for opening up freedom of exploration ever since its debut in Breath of the Wild. The latest tears in the acclaimed franchise‘s timeline, Tears of the Kingdom, offers an even larger world full of towering cliffs, distant landmarks across vast plains, and hidden secrets tucked away in hard-to-access nooks.
The paraglider serves as an invaluable tool for crossing otherwise impassable chasms, taking daredevil leaps off cliffsides to traverse great horizontal distances, and gently descending from elevated spots ideal for scouting out points of interest. Especially with much of the initial gameplay spent in Hyrule‘s sprawling overworld before unlocking fast travel, obtaining Link‘s trusty glider early on cuts down tremendously on traversal time.
Fortunately, as a Zelda professional gamer myself, I can assure even casual fans that unlocking the paraglider requires almost no deviation from the critical path early main storyline quests. This guide will walk through precisely where to acquire it, how the basic mechanics work, and some key pro tips that elevate paragliding from merely a transportation device to a vital strategic element of Link‘s adventuring arsenal that creates all-new tactical possibilities.
Let‘s glide into it!
Exact Location Pinpointed
While Breath of the Wild players had to wait around 10 hours typically before earning the paraglider to finally leave the intro Great Plateau area, Tears of the Kingdom allows brandishing this handy gadget under 3 hours into the iconic adventure for nearly all players.
The critical location to obtain Link‘s paraglider is Lookout Landing, an initial base of operations established by Purah and Robbie. This outpost offers the first firm foothold into re-exploring Hyrule for Link, Zelda and their research expedition crew arriving from the skies above after Ganon‘s demise.
Lookout Landing lies among Hyrule Field northeast of Central Hyrule and directly south of Hyrule Castle Town Ruins along the Lazy River. When beginning the "To the Kingdom of Hyrule" main quest shortly after awakening from Link‘s 100-year slumber, an illuminated wind stream guides the hero directly to Lookout Landing‘s gates.
Step-By-Step Walkthrough
Specifically, these are the steps for unlocking the paraglider:
- Follow the winding green stream indicating the direction of guidable wind to Lookout Landing
- Upon entering Lookout Landing, guards direct Link to meet Purah atop the central tower
- After Purah‘s initial dialogue, she dispatches Link regarding a situation at Hyrule Castle, kicking off the "Crisis at Hyrule Castle" main quest
- Exit the tower and talk to Captain Hoz at the nearby military camp to receive key backstory details about the castle
- Return and speak to Purah again to update her on the conversation with Hoz
- In gratitude for his efforts investigating the castle crisis, Purah gifts Link the paraglider!
From initially awakening to gliding through the skies only involves about two hours of playtime focused on those core storyline quests. And Lookout Landing remains a major hub area visited frequently throughout further main quests, so players will get ample practice launching off its ramparts and towers on the newly acquired paraglider.
Basic Paraglider Controls and Functions
As a longtime Zelda player dating back to the NES era, I have gotten extensive hands-on practice with paraglider controls across Breath of the Wild playthroughs on both Switch and WiiU. The same intuitive scheme makes a welcome return in Tears of the Kingdom.
Equipping and utilizing Link‘s paraglider could not be simpler. By pressing the jump button while falling off an elevated surface, Link automatically pulls out the paraglider and catches updraft allowing him to gently float downward.
The player can then tilt the directional stick to steer freely left, right, and even catch gusts to propel upwards for maintaining altitude. No equipped slot or consumable resource is needed – the paraglider is instantly accessible anytime while airborne.
Additionally, the paraglider now features an added stability upgrade from Breath of the Wild – less turbulence near updrafts enables more precision steering and control rather than getting tossed haphazardly about. This helps smoothly navigate through floating obstacle courses or tricky landing zones.
Other basic paraglider functionality remains faithful to its debut incarnation:
| Function | Control |
|---|---|
| Deploy paraglider | Press jump while falling |
| Steer direction | Tilt left stick |
| Gain altitude | Angle into updraft gusts |
| Close paraglider | Press jump again |
So in no time, even newcomers quickly get the hang of launching off cliffs or peaks and drifting over large swaths of land with ease.
Now let‘s break down some key advanced tricks that make paragliding incredibly versatile and valuable beyond basic transportation.
Pro Gamer Paragliding Tips and Tricks
Simply opening the paraglider and floating straight down may seem underwhelming at first glance outside small hops off tiny foothills. But mastering advanced paragliding allows transcending this tool from solely pragmatic means of descent into an artform with profound flexibility for strategic and exploratory purposes.
As a professional gamer specializing in the Zelda series, these are my top tips for unlocking the paraglider‘s complete potential:
Practice precision landings – Line up landing zones from the air and use tilting and updrafts to narrowly hit targets like mini floating islands and pinpoint ruins resting areas
Use scope to spot markings– Plan more accurate glide routes from better vantage points by marking waypoints and lines of interest while peering through the zoomable Sheikah Slate scope
Build momentum off launch points – Perch on activated ancient columns, waterfalls, scaling rocky slopes before jumping greatly propels launch speed and distance
Weave between enemies – Breeze overhead mob camps and flowing elemental streams to bypass battles from creative routes
Scout the unknown – Climb tall peaks bordering unexplored areas and chart out the landscape, identify waypoints for investigation
Engage aerial foes – Enter bullet time to pick off skybound nuisances like keese swarms cluttering the starry skies
While paraglider handling remains intuitive overall, mastering applications like quick landings, scoping waypoints, aerial scouting, and glide evasion bring dynamic new possibilities. New players and hardcore veterans alike can appreciate the paraglider‘s flexibility.
For those seeking even more ways to augment their experience gliding across Hyrule‘s landscapes from on high, custom upgrades also help fine tune Link‘s trusty glider to match preferred playstyles.
Upgrade Attributes and Style with Fabrics
An already extremely versatile adventuring tool, the humble paraglider gains even more enhancements via special collectible fabrics used for customization.
While the standard model received from Purah serves its purpose faithfully, Link can discover over 24 types of fabric around the kingdom with quirky decorative designs that also provide unique buffs altering glider parameters.
For example, the Blaid Glider Fabric sprinkles some aesthetic fairy dust trails with a 10% increase to horizontal glide speed. Or the Phantom Fabric masks visibility when drifting overhead unaware enemies. Some paraglider fabrics even blend abilities like extending hang time, durability boosts, or elemental protections.
Few feelings compare to that sense of first unfurling the paraglider to take in gorgeous new aerial views. But maintaining momentum need not sacrifice style – half the fun comes from collecting themed fabrics to show some personality high above villages and mountain tops alike.
Fellow Zelda gamers looking to obtain some starting fabrics:
- Buy your first armor set from Claree in Kakariko Village
- Meet Sayge and activate the Kochi Dye Shop in Hateno Village
- Redeem some hard-earned Pony Points at any of the horse stables
Each of these notable early game events rewards the player with novel paraglider fabrics to kickstart customization. And utilize those Zelda amiibos by scanning daily forchance drops containing rare exclusive fabrics unavailable otherwise!
Before long, Link can glide through the kingdom with a snazzy persona matching ever-shifting needs facing whatever lies ahead on the winding journey. Confront a dragon? The flamebreaker set already paired nicely with Dragonrider Fabric‘s heat immunity. Plan to go treasure hunting off the shipwreck coastline? Maybe the Swabbie Sailcloth Fabric perfectly suits the high sea skies.
With so many fabric types to mix and match bonuses from, creativity becomes the only limit to developing your ideal glider loadout and style. And that sense of personal ownership over such a critical game mechanic amplifies enjoyment exploring every corner of the vast open worlds I have come to love about Zelda through decades of gaming the storied Nintendo franchise.
So for both first-time players and longtime veterans, unlocking Link‘s paraglider early on provides a profound impact that utterly evolves navigation and traversal throughout the game while enabling access to formerly unreachable regions off the beaten path hides many secrets rewards.
Conclusion
I hope this comprehensive expert guide shed some light on quickly acquiring the invaluable paraglider, grasping how to utilize its full potential not just functionally but strategically, and customizing for both form and function via collectible enhancement fabrics.
As a professional gamer specializing in Zelda titles for most of my life, I highly encourage all Tears of the Kingdom players to prioritize the main quest introducing Lookout Landing for obtaining this vital adventuring tool. In under just a couple hours, the paraglider vastly improves mobility, offers new exploratory freedom, and ultimately transforms the way you can approach objectives through creative aerial routes and tactics.
So for both series veterans re-exploring Hyrule once more and those embarking for the first on this memorable Switch journey, kick off the grand quest by following the guiding winds to unlock the iconic paraglider. From there, the real adventure takes flight!
To all my fellow Zelda gamers – may the goddess smile upon your quest, the wind grace your paragliding adventures from new heights, and Link‘s legend continue growing across the lush landscapes we have come to cherish through so many memorable virtual expeditions together!