When The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launched in 2023, it did more than add sky islands, caves, and the Depths. It also quietly sealed many of the movement and combat exploits that had turned Breath of the Wild into a playground for speedrunners, challenge hunters, and curious players. By 2026, both games remain popular, but the divide is clear: BOTW's glitches became part of its identity, while TOTK forced players to find new tricks — and Nintendo patched many of those, too.
The result is a fascinating case study in how a sequel can improve on its predecessor by removing some of its most famous shortcuts. Here are the biggest BOTW glitches that no longer work in Tears of the Kingdom, along with what changed and why players noticed.
10. Windbomb 💥
Also known as Boomy Zoomy, the Windbomb was one of BOTW's most overpowered and well-known glitches. Players would detonate square and round Remote Bombs in bullet time to send Link flying into the air. It was effectively a rocket jump, and it made traveling across Hyrule much faster. Variations of the technique became essential in many speedruns.
In TOTK, Nintendo changed the bomb mechanics. If players try to recreate the Windbomb, they mostly damage themselves. The sky is still reachable, but not through the same explosive trick.
9. Bullet-Time Bounce 🛡️
Bullet-Time Bounce, or BTB, let Link gain height and momentum by freezing an enemy and immediately shield surfing on their head. It looked like a move from a certain plumber's playbook, and it was probably never intentional. In TOTK, attempting a BTB off an enemy simply slides Link off to the side. The glitch is gone.
8. Bow Lift Smuggling 🏹
Bow Lift Smuggling, or BLSS, was an advanced technique that let players fly to nearly any location on the map. To do it in BOTW, players equipped a bow and shield, found an item to pick up, then glitched the game by pulling out the bow while picking up the item and holding out the shield at the same time. Jumping and unequipping both items could launch Link with enough momentum to cross Hyrule.
In TOTK, the same inputs do not work. Picking up an item while drawing a bow just will not trigger the old glitch, so BLSS is another BOTW-only memory.
7. Shield Clipping 🧱
Shield Clipping allowed players to shield surf against a wall and then clip through it by unequipping the shield at the perfect moment. It was a precise trick used to skip rooms, escape boundaries, and break puzzle logic. TOTK updated the game so players cannot unequip a shield mid-shield surf. That single change removes the glitch entirely.
6. Unbroken Throw 🪓
In BOTW, players could land a critical strike on a throw without breaking their weapon by manipulating the hitboxes of nearby objects. The trick required aiming a throw near a crate or similar object so the weapon would break the object and hit the enemy without shattering. It was hard to land consistently, but very useful for skilled players.
In TOTK, the same attempt fails. The weapon breaks upon hitting the enemy, so the old risk-free critical throw is gone.
5. Whistle Sprint 🏃
Whistle Sprint was a favorite for players tired of running out of stamina. By whistling and tapping the sprint buttons at the same time, players could make Link run at nearly full sprint speed without using stamina. It appeared throughout BOTW speedruns and became one of the game's better-known exploits.
TOTK seems to have accounted for it. Attempting the same glitch actually drains stamina faster than regular sprinting. It is one of the clearest examples of Nintendo turning a famous BOTW shortcut into a punishment.
4. Thunderclap Rush ⚔️
Thunderclap Rush was an offensive glitch that let players deal serious damage in a short time. Players held out their shield, backflipped off a raised area, entered bullet time, then pulled out a weapon to perform a rapid flurry of attacks. In TOTK, the flurry no longer initiates. The same button presses simply swing the weapon, so the rush is retired.
3. Fall-Damage Cancel 🪂
In BOTW, players could jump from a great height, initiate an item throw, then pull out a weapon right before hitting the ground to negate fall damage. TOTK still allows a weapon throw to begin before falling off a cliff, but the same actions no longer cancel fall damage. Fortunately, TOTK gives players more natural ways to navigate the air, so the exploit is less necessary than it was in BOTW.
2. Overloading the Game 🧠
BOTW had a menu overload glitch that made item duplication easier and could make Link's body disappear on the inventory screen. Players could also overload the game's memory by tossing elemental weapons into water or dropping lit campfires into a fairy fountain. The side effects were strange and powerful: Link could become immune to damage and even walk underwater.
While overload-style glitches may still exist in TOTK in some form, the specific BOTW methods no longer work. The old fairy fountain and water tricks are not a path to invincibility in the sequel.
1. Infinite Arrow Glitch 🎯
In BOTW, players could equip a multishot bow and shoot at very specific locations around Hyrule. Those spots returned more arrows than players spent, creating a never-ending arrow factory. It was a classic BOTW exploit: weird, location-specific, and immensely practical.
TOTK players do not need it as much. Arrows can be found almost everywhere by breaking crates and other wooden objects. Still, the original infinite arrow glitch remains a BOTW-only trick.
Why These Changes Matter in 2026
By 2026, Tears of the Kingdom has had years of patches, and many of its own early duplication or movement glitches have been closed. That makes the BOTW-to-TOTK comparison even more interesting. Nintendo did not simply copy and paste Hyrule. It rebuilt systems like bombs, shields, stamina, and item handling in ways that shut down old exploits.
| Glitch | BOTW Effect | TOTK Status |
|---|---|---|
| Windbomb | Bomb-powered rocket jump | Self-damage instead |
| Bullet-Time Bounce | Freeze enemy, shield surf for height | Slides off |
| Bow Lift Smuggling | Fly anywhere | Inputs fail |
| Shield Clipping | Clip through walls | Cannot unequip mid-surf |
| Unbroken Throw | Critical throw without breaking weapon | Weapon breaks |
| Whistle Sprint | Sprint without stamina | Drains stamina faster |
| Thunderclap Rush | Bullet-time attack flurry | Flurry does not start |
| Fall-Damage Cancel | Negate fall damage | No longer works |
| Overloading the Game | Menu and memory overload | Old methods fail |
| Infinite Arrow Glitch | Endless arrows at specific spots | Arrows are plentiful instead |
For longtime players, these removed glitches are not just trivia. They represent a design shift. BOTW was a game that players broke open, and TOTK was built by a team that had watched them do it. The sequel still rewards creativity, but it asks players to use its new tools rather than the old exploits. In 2026, that legacy is clear: BOTW's glitches are history, and TOTK's Hyrule is a different kind of sandbox.