How To Build Vehicles In The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

In Tears of the Kingdom, you can embrace your inner designer. Here, we are going to go over the basics of building vehicles.

Shortly after beginning your adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you will gain some powers through your ghostly hand. With this, you can manipulate objects around you and create some truly fabulous vehicles. At first, you might find it difficult to make a vehicle that's both cool and practical.

Related: Why Isn't Zelda Playable In Tears Of The Kingdom?

Here, we are going to go over the basics of creating vehicles with the Ultrahand ability. In general, you don't need to make the flashiest creations, but it's important to know what's efficient. This will cover how to start building, what the vehicle parts are, creating flying vehicles, and how to speed up the building process.

Once you unlock the Ultrahand ability, you are free to start creating right away. By pressing L, you can bring up a menu with the abilities that you can use. Hovering over the red hand will select Ultrahand, which can then be used to pick up items around you that are glowing orange.

For more information on unlocking Ultrahand, be sure to check out this guide.

After picking up an item, you can rotate it freely and attach it to other items. This is done by simply pressing A, which attaches the held item to whatever item is near enough. Items that are attached have a sticky green goo acting as glue, so you can see the connection.

If you don't want the connection anymore, simply pick up a piece and give it a shake with the right analog stick. This will cause the piece that you are holding to detach from anything it's stuck to.

These basic rules apply to any building creation! Now, let's take a look at the parts that you can create vehicles with.

There are two general types of parts; normal and Zonai.

Normal parts are scattered throughout the entire map and for the most part, are made from wood. While exploring, you will come across little depots filled with flat wooden panels, as well as beams and wheels. These can be used to build, but on their own, can't be turned into a vehicle.

When combined with Zonai devices, these wooden pieces can help reinforce the structure. For example, you can attach the wheels and panels to make a cart of sorts, and then put a Zonai fan on the back that will cause the cart to move forward. This is not the most complex vehicle, but it gets the job done, especially if you are trying to move a Korok.

Zonai devices are unique items that often draw power from your Energy Cell. These pieces can be used to make defensive structures, as well as vehicles.

There are a lot of Zonai devices, and not all of them are great for building. Below, we will go over the Zonai devices that are great for vehicle creation.

Part Name

Description

How To Activate

Fan

Fans create a stream of wind in one direction.

Hit to Activate

Wing

The wing is similar to a paper airplane; it can be placed high in the air and used to glide down. Attaching other devices can turn it into a functioning plane.

No Activation

Cart

This is a flat surface with pre-attached wheels, serving as a great base.

No Activation

Balloon

By lighting a fire under the balloon, it will rise into the air.

Fire Source

Rocket

Rockets provide a quick burst forward. When attached to a vehicle, it will boost it forward.

Hit to Activate

Steering Stick

Placing this on a vehicle will control the direction you are going in.

Stand to Activate (this will cause all attached parts to activate as well)

Big Wheel

These are large wheels that can be attached to platforms.

Hit to Activate

Small Wheel

This is a smaller wheel that functions the same as the big version.

Hit to Activate

Sled

Slide down hills! This is great for going downhill very fast.

No Activation

Battery

By itself, this has no purpose. If you attach it to a vehicle, it will serve as a backup battery reserve.

No Activation

Big Battery

This is similar to a normal battery but with more power.

No Activation

Hover Stone

This will hover in the air, creating a base for flying devices.

Hit to Activate

Light

While this isn't a key vehicle part, it's a great device to put on vehicles if you are underground or in the dark.

Hit to Activate

Homing Cart

This is a bulky cart that aims at monsters.

Hit to Activate

Construct Head

The head will always face an enemy, allowing you to get a more precise attack.

No Activation

To make a simple car, all you need is wheels and a platform. Big and Small Wheels will automatically move forward, so you will not need another device to move you forward. From here, the complexity of the design is up to you. If you plan to go in a straight line, you won't need to steer. If, on the other hand, you plan on doing some navigation, it's highly recommended that you have the Steering Stick.

The Steering Stick will give you more control of the vehicle. To use it, just attach it to the vehicle and hop on. Rather than hitting the wheeling to activate them, the Steering Stick will turn everything on.

Zonai devices can also be used to make boats. Rather than wheels, all you need is a fan. The base of the boat can be made with wooden platforms, as well as logs. When stuck together, this serves as the base of the boat. From here, just attach a fan or two to propel forward.

Steering your boat may be a bit difficult if you are in fast-moving water (like a river), but you can dictate the general direction of the boat by leaning in the direction you want to go, or by using a Steering Stick.

Flying – we all want to do it. Thankfully, flying is possible in Tears of the Kingdom. The most basic way to fly is by using a wing. Wings are placed on a downward slope that ends in a drop, causing them to slide down. If you hop on the wing before it goes over the cliff, you will begin to glide. To 'steer', stand on a portion of the wing in the direction that you want to go. If you have a Steering Stick on hand, this can be used as well.

Overall, Steering Sticks are handy in just about every situation.

Aside from wings, you can use the following parts to make a flying vehicle.

While exploring the sky, you may come across giant square boxes that seem to hover. These will remain hovering regardless of your Energy Cells, which means they serve as great bases for your flying vehicles. If you attach just a Steering Stick, the platform will slowly move. With fans and rockets, you can dash around the sky.

Another flying option involves going straight up. This is done by placing fans, so they point downwards. When activated, the platform that they are attached to will lift into the air. You can use this to reach new locations, especially if the other option is to climb a wet surface in the rain.

With all these vehicle options, you may get a bit tired of placing wheels over and over again. Thankfully, there is an Autobuild feature that you can unlock! To unlock this, head to the Great Abandoned Central Mine, found in the Depths.

Once inside, head south to the Great Abandoned Central Mine. This is a large structure, where you will find two NPCs working on research for the auto-build feature.

This section involves a battle; we won't drop any spoilers, but be sure to have a powerful weapon, food, and plenty of arrows before setting out.

After unlocking the auto-build ability, you can now reference back on your past work. From the auto-build menu, you can look back on the past, as well as set favorites, such as a simple car.

Selecting the blueprint will build it will the materials you have, but don't worry if you don't have all the necessary parts. If you are short on material for a blueprint, your Zonaite ore will be used.

Next: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - FAQ Guide

Jacqueline Zalace is a writer for TheGamer, based in Austin, Texas. When she's not writing or playing video games, you can catch her doing yoga, reading, and painting.