Charged Attack Guide — Maximizing Charged Combos

Charged attacks are one of TotK's highest-damage single moves — hold Y to charge, release to unleash. Each weapon type has a different charged attack animation with different reach, damage, and stamina cost. This guide covers every weapon type's charged attack and how to integrate them into efficient combat combos.

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How Charged Attacks Work

Activation: Hold Y → Link begins charging → yellow particles appear → release Y → charged attack fires

Stamina cost: Every charged attack costs stamina. No stamina = can't charge. If stamina runs out mid-charge → Link releases a weak uncompleted attack.

Damage: Charged attacks deal 2–3× the standard swing damage depending on weapon type.

Stagger: Charged attacks knock back or stagger most standard enemies on hit.

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Charged Attack by Weapon Type

One-Hand Sword — Spin Attack

Animation: Link spins 360 degrees → slash hits everything in radius

Properties:

• AoE (hits all enemies in a circle around Link)
• 2× normal damage
• Moderate stamina cost
• Excellent in group fights

Best use: Multiple enemies clustered together. Spin attack hits all simultaneously — more efficient than individual swings.

Two-Hand Claymore / Greatsword — Overhead Slam

Animation: Link lifts the weapon overhead → brings it down in a powerful overhead strike

Properties:

• Single target, massive damage
• 3× normal damage
• Highest single-hit damage of any charged attack
• High stamina cost

Best use: Staggered or stationary enemies (after Flurry Rush or parry). The slam is slow — must connect during a window.

Spear — Thrust Combo

Animation: Link performs a rapid forward thrust series → ends in a spinning sweep

Properties:

• Forward-reaching attacks (long range)
• Multiple hits (3–4 per charged combo)
• Moderate stamina cost
• Good for keeping range

Best use: Enemies that need to be kept at distance (Moblins approaching) or enemies with large HP where multiple hits help.

One-Hand Axe — Overhead Chop

Animation: Single heavy overhead chop

Properties:

• 2.5× damage
• Slower than sword spin but hits harder
• Shorter range than spear

Boomerang — Throw Attack

Animation: Link throws the boomerang → it arcs and returns

Properties:

• Ranged charged attack (unique)
• Damage scales with Fuse material
• Hits enemies at distance, then returns
• Very low stamina cost

Best use: With a powerful Fuse on the boomerang — throw it at a group, it hits all enemies in the arc and returns.

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Stamina Management

Stamina wheels: Base game starts with 1 stamina wheel. Upgrades add more.

Charged attack stamina costs (approximate):

| Weapon Type | Stamina Cost | |-------------|-------------| | One-hand spin | 0.5 wheels | | Claymore slam | 0.75 wheels | | Spear combo | 0.6 wheels | | Boomerang throw | 0.2 wheels |

Stamina recovery: Stamina recovers while not attacking. Brief pause between charged attacks restores enough for another.

Endura Carrot meals: Temporarily grant bonus stamina above maximum — useful for extended charged attack combos.

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Combo Integration

Flurry Rush → Charged Attack

Most efficient damage combo:

1. Perfect dodge → Flurry Rush (8 hits)
2. Enemy briefly staggers at end of rush
3. Immediately hold Y → charged attack lands on staggered enemy
4. Claymore slam = 3× damage on a stationary target

This sequence is the highest burst damage available in most encounters.

Sneakstrike → Charged Attack

1. Sneakstrike from behind → 8× damage (may kill or critically wound)
2. If enemy survives → they're briefly disoriented
3. Charged attack into the disoriented state

Used against high-HP enemies (Lynels, Silver Bokoblins) where the Sneakstrike alone isn't lethal.

Parry → Charged Attack

1. Parry → enemy staggers for 1–3 seconds
2. Hold Y immediately → charged attack (lands during stagger)
3. Claymore or axe here for maximum single-target damage

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Charged Attack vs Standard Combo

| Situation | Better Choice | |-----------|--------------| | Multiple enemies (3+) | Charged (spin attack) | | Single high-HP enemy | Charged (claymore slam) after stagger | | Fast enemies that dodge | Standard (don't give them time to react) | | Conserving stamina | Standard (no stamina cost) | | After Flurry Rush stagger | Charged (best damage window) | | Low stamina | Standard | | Boomerang Fuse | Charged (throw returns hits all) |

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Advanced Notes

Charged Attack + Fuse Synergy

Fuse materials that add AoE effects (explosives) interact with charged attacks:

• Claymore slam with Bomb Fuse → explosion on impact in addition to slam damage
• One-hand spin with elemental Fuse → each spin hit applies the element

Best Fuse for charged attacks:

• Lynel Blade (high attack bonus — each charged hit gains the bonus)
• Elemental material (fire/ice/shock added to every charged hit)
• Avoid single-trigger fuses (like single-use bombs) on weapons used for charged attacks

Throw Attack (Shield Throw)

Separate from weapon charged attacks:

• While holding shield (ZL) → press A → Link throws the shield
• Shield bounces off enemies and returns (boomerang behavior)
• Deals shield's guard power as damage on hit
• Can be charged (hold A) for a stronger throw

Practical use: Throw the shield at an archer → disrupt their shot → close for melee.

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Quick Tips

• Spin attack for groups — any time 3+ enemies cluster, a one-hand sword spin attack is more efficient than 3 individual hits. It hits all simultaneously and often staggers multiple enemies.
• Claymore slam needs setup — the overhead slam is slow. Don't attempt it against moving enemies without a setup (Flurry Rush stagger, parry stagger, or Sneakstrike opener). On a stationary target, it's the hardest-hitting non-bow attack in the game.
• Stamina food before tough fights — Endura Elixir or stamina-boosting meals before a boss fight give you extra charged attack capacity. The difference between 1.5 and 3 stamina wheels is significant for how many charged attacks you can throw.
• Boomerang + charged throw — the charged boomerang throw is underrated for clearing small groups from range. Fuse a good material to it → throw → watch it arc through multiple enemies → returns to hand.
• Flurry Rush into charged slam is the power move — once you can reliably trigger Flurry Rush, follow every rush with a claymore/2H charged slam on the stagger window. It's the single most consistent high-damage sequence in TotK combat.

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See also: Flurry Rush Guide | Parry Guide | Combat Basics Guide