Even years after its launch, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom continues to deliver endless creativity thanks to Link’s game-changing Fuse ability. Among the most underrated – yet devastating – categories that still catch many players off guard in 2026 is the frosty arsenal of ice weapons. Sure, fire and lightning get all the flashy headlines, but cold-based gear is the real MVP when you need to freeze a moblin in its tracks, delete a Fire ChuChu with one hit, or whip up a quick iceberg to skip a swim. In this updated guide, we’re breaking down the absolute coolest ice fusion materials and the best base weapons to pair them with. Grab your warm doublet and let’s dive in – this is one frosty beatdown you don’t want to sleep on.

Why Ice Weapons Are Still a Vibe in 2026

Before we get into the numbers, let’s state the obvious: freezing enemies never goes out of style. An iced foe can’t attack, takes triple damage from the next hit, and if it’s a fire-type, it just straight-up evaporates. Plus, you can solve shrine puzzles, create instant platforms on water, and even pull off some sick combo setups. With the right base weapon and a chilly fusion piece, you turn Link into the snow-capped terror of Hyrule. In the current meta, players are still discovering that ice builds can trivialize even post-game challenges like the Depths boss rush. It’s not just cool – it’s optimal.

The MVP Base Weapons for Your Frosty Fusion

Remember, in TOTK, a fused weapon’s total attack power leans hard on the base weapon’s starting damage. Slap an ice horn on a wet noodle and you’ll still be swinging a regret. Here’s a curated list of the heaviest hitters you should be on the lookout for when crafting your permafrost sticks:

• Gloom Club (50) – Dropped by Club Phantom Ganon. The absolute king of raw damage, even if the gloom toll is a bummer. Pair it with a massive ice horn and suddenly that health drain feels worth it.

• Gloom Spear / Gloom Sword (40) – Spear or sword variants from Phantom Ganon. Spear reaches farther, sword swings faster – both hit like a truck when iced up.

• Royal Guard’s Claymore (34/39 Pristine) – Stashed all over Hyrule Castle. It’s the go-to for breaking point strategies; its desperate strength passive makes it a monster when you’re on your last legs.

• Boulder Breaker (38) – Quest reward from ‘Soul of the Gorons’. High durability and demolishes Taluses, but give it an ice horn and watch it bully everything else too.

• Fierce Deity Sword (38) – Snag it via ‘Misko’s Treasure’. Stylish, powerful, and a solid canvas for your frosty dreams.

• Lightscale Trident (24) – ‘Glory of the Zora’ reward. Don’t let that 24 fool you: Zora weapons’ Water Warrior trait doubles damage when Link is wet. Splash yourself with a Chuchu jelly or park next to a puddle and this thing becomes a 48-power frozen nightmare.

Pro tip: Gerudo weapons also double the fuse material’s attack power. If you find a pristine Gerudo Claymore and slap a high-damage ice part on it, you’re looking at numbers that’ll make Calamity Ganon blush. The meta in 2026 has shifted toward hybridizing these traits – water warrior + ice = a whole new level of chill.

From Baby’s First Freeze to Endgame Mayhem: The Ice Material Tier List

White Chuchu Jelly – The Little Snowball That Could

Don’t let the measly +1 fuse attack power deceive you – White Chuchu Jelly is the unsung hero of early-game crowd control. Shoot one from your bow and it explodes on impact, freezing any lesser enemy in a radius. Fire-type foes? Poof, gone. It’s the perfect “oh shoot” button when a horde of Bokoblins has you cornered. Farming is a breeze: hunt White Chuchus in Hebra, or just toss a normal Chuchu Jelly onto freezing water or hit it with an ice arrow. Even in 2026, speedrunners still pack stacks of this stuff for cheesy skips and emergency pauses. If you’re not carrying at least 20 of these, are you even adventuring?

Sapphire Staff – Triple Threat Ice Magic

Fuse a Sapphire to a Magic Staff and you’ll summon a wand that fires three bouncing ice orbs with every swing. Each orb freezes on contact, and the bounce effect means it can tag multiple enemies even around corners. While the raw attack power still reads as a sad +1, the hidden magic multiplier and crowd-control chaos make this staff a certified game changer. In tight caves or against swarms of Keese, this thing is straight-up bonkers. One fan on the Hyrule Engineering subreddit even rigged a homing cart with a sapphire staff turret – talk about a cool welcome mat.

Ice-Breath Lizalfos Horn – The Workhorse Freezer

Now we’re cooking with gas – or rather, freezing with jagged horn. The Ice-Breath Lizalfos Horn adds a hefty +16 attack and imbues any melee weapon with ice elemental damage. One swing, one frozen enemy. It’s that simple. These sneaky lizards hang out in Hebra and the Gerudo Highlands, often camouflaged as ice blocks, so keep your eyes peeled. The horn’s damage is solid enough to make even a tree branch serviceable, but when you fuse it to something like a Royal Guard’s Claymore, you’ve got a boss-melting cryo blade. No wonder this has been a community favourite since Year One – it’s reliable, farmable, and hits hard enough to never feel like a compromise.

Naydra’s Spike Shard – Easy Bounty from the Ice Dragon

Naydra, the majestic ice dragon, casually carries dozens of Spike Shards along her back, and she’s totally chill about you borrowing them. Each shard adds respectable cold damage and the spike’s shape makes for a brutal-looking hammer or spearhead. Because these shards are common and sell for peanuts, they’re tailor-made for weapon fusion – no guilt about breaking them. Just hop on Naydra as she cruises over Lanayru, whack the spikes, and collect a pocketful. In the current economy, this is still the most no-brainer method to keep a steady supply of ice weapons flowing.

Naydra’s Claw – Sharper, Deadlier, Cooler

Step up from the shards and you get Naydra’s Claw, worth a +18 fuse attack boost. These require a bit more patience since you have to position Link near the dragon’s claws and snag one during the 10-minute material cooldown. The claw has a broader blade profile, making it ideal for swords and greatswords. The frost aura it imparts is so intense that enemies sometimes get a chill just looking at it. Veteran players note that the claw’s slightly higher damage threshold can make the difference between one-shotting a silver enemy and leaving it with a sliver of health. Don’t sleep on it.

Naydra’s Horn – The Crown Jewel of Frost Fusions

If the claw is great, the horn is god-tier. Adding +26 attack, this is the strongest part you can farm from Naydra without touching a boss enemy. The horn’s wicked shape gives any weapon an intimidating look and a massive hitbox. Farming it requires a bit of a dance – Naydra moves quickly through the sky, so mark her path on your Purah Pad and drop in when she’s gliding low. Because of the 10-minute respawn timer, serious monster-part collectors tend to rotate between Naydra, Dinraal, and Farosh. But if pure ice devastation is your goal, Naydra’s horn fused to a pristine Gerudo Claymore should be your white whale. It’s a walking freeze ray.

Frost Gleeok Horn – The Absolute Unit of Ice Damage

Crowning the list is the undisputed heavyweight champ: the Frost Gleeok Horn. This monstrosity adds the highest ice-based damage in the game, dwarfing every other material. The horn constantly spews arctic gusts, and a single swing can send a Lynel skating across the room. Defeating a Frost Gleeok is a rite of passage – you’ll need strong bows, elemental resistance, and a stomach for a lengthy scrap. But bag that horn and you’ll craft a weapon so broken that even the Depths’ toughest horrors flinch. In 2026, the community still debates whether a Frost Gleeok Horn on a Lightscale Trident (active Water Warrior) or on a Gerudo weapon is the true peak. Either way, you’re staring at a freeze machine that makes the Blood Moon feel like a minor inconvenience.

Putting It All Together – Pro Strats for 2026

Here’s the drip: match high base damage with the strongest ice material you can afford. For everyday exploring, a Royal Guard’s Claymore + Ice-Breath Lizalfos Horn handles 99% of encounters. When you’re feeling fancy, break out the Naydra Horn combo. And if you want to flex on the final boss, the Frost Gleeok Horn on a pristine Gerudo Claymore is the ultimate statement piece. Remember to carry a few Opals or Splash Fruit to trigger Water Warrior for Zora weapons – the wet multiplier is no joke. Keep your White Chuchu Jellies hotkeyed for quick crowd control, and don’t forget that ice weapons also help you cheese shrine puzzles and cross lava lakes with ease. The coolest part? With the ever-evolving glitch and ultrahand tech discovered by players every year, there are probably still frozen shenanigans we haven’t even dreamed of. What a time to be a Hyrule frost mage.

Stay frosty, heroes.