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Like many modern open-world games,Forspokenmakes several sections and mechanics unavailable until certain criteria are met. Some of the most obvious instances of this inForspokenare the countless yellow crystals that dot the broken landscape from the beginning of Frey’s journey. They are obviously intended to be used to reach certain areas, but the game doesn’t do anything to explain how and when Frey will be able to interact with them.
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How to Unlock the ‘Zip’ Skill in Forspoken
Unlocking the ‘Zip’ spell is relatively straightforward, but the game does little to let Frey know when and how it will become available. ‘Zip’ is part of Tanta Sila’s arsenal of spells and, therefore, must be acquired through defeating her. Many areas are only accessible after acquiring this spell; Frey’s best bet is tomake her way to Tanta Silaas quickly as possible, as she will be able to return to all previously missed areas.
Frey will encounter Tanta Sila atthe end of Chapter 5, “Might and Main,” which can be a tricky fight if Frey is unprepared. So much ofForspoken’s early game is dedicated to building up to this fairly tricky first boss.
How to Defeat Tanta Sila
Keep. Your. Distance. With these three words, players will have the foundation of the best strategy to defeat Tanta Sila. As anyone who played the demo can attest, Sila’s magic is all about up-close and personal melee attacks. She does possess several longer-range spells, but the bulk of the multi-stage fight will be spent trying to maintain enough distance. This fight is manageable at all difficulty levels, but there is a significant jump in challenge levelbetween the normal and hardForspokendifficulties.
Consider these tactics when facing Tanta Sila:
Once she is defeated, Frey will automatically absorb Tanta Sila’s cuff into her own, essentially transferring all of Sila’s abilities over. This will unlock several important spells, though none have the wide-ranging benefits to exploration that ‘Zip’ does. There is a significant amount of “Metroidvania” style backtracking that can be done to acquire vast amounts of useful items.
How to Use ‘Zip’ on the Yellow Crystals
Anyone who is playingForspokenis no doubt wondering when Frey will figure out how in the world to use those yellow crystals. They are scattered everywhere throughout Junoon and Praenost, and couldn’t be less inconspicuous if they tried.
The good news is that once Sila has been defeated and ‘Zip’ has been acquired, Frey can use the yellow crystals to greatly increase her upward mobility. ‘Leap’does help get Frey up some small ledges, but ‘Zip’ will see her climbing massive cliffs.
To use ‘Zip,’ simply hold down the square button or the equivalent on PC. Once ‘Zip’ is acquired, Frey will notice a new emblem during Cuff scans; a small circle with arrows specific to crystal type, which represents an object that ‘Zip’ can latch to.
There are two types of crystals: A bulky, quartz-like version that launches Frey straight up and a slim, spiky version that lets Frey swing around it, gaining speed to send her forward. In several instances, these crystals will be specifically aligned to encourage linking, often letting Frey reach previously closed-off areas.
‘ZIP’ can also latch onto several other surfaces, though not all will work the same as the crystals. Keep experimenting to discover all the incredible uses for this extremely helpful spell.
Forspokenis available now on PS5 and PC.
