The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Autobuild is a special unlockable mechanic that speeds up your DIY crafting. With it, you can make use of Schema Stone designs or come up with your own. Here’s our guide to help you unlock and use Autobuild in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
How to get and use Autobuild in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
How to unlock Autobuild
To get the Autobuild ability in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you’ll have to progress further into the Depths/Chasm quest chain. These are the general steps:
Help Robbie in the Depths to obtain the Purah Pad Camera.Upon returning to Lookout Landing, you’re told about underground facilities, where statues point the way.Return to the previous location in the Depths (Hyrule Field Chasm), and follow the statues, starting with the one that you took a photo of earlier.Eventually, you’ll reach the Great Abandoned Central Mine. Interact with the terminal there and you’ll learn the Autobuild system. However, Master Kohga of the Yiga Clan also shows up to spoil your plans. You can learn how to complete all encounters against this fella in our Master Kohga boss guide.
How does Autobuild work
To use the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Autobuild system, you have to hold the L button and select it. From there, you’ll see various schematics that you’ve learned (usually after beating Kohga in the Depths). Likewise, you’ll notice a history list of things you’ve crafted using the Ultrahand. We’ll get to this tidbit in a while. For now, let’s focus on how this function works.
Basically, when you select an Autobuild design, it will create a purple aura around Link. Any valid item that’s part of that design will get moved closer to the center. Once you press the A button, that object/vehicle/contraption will get created, with all parts instantly attached.
However, if you lack the necessary items or objects, you’ll use up some Zonaite in the process. The cost of creating structures or vehicles from scratch (i.e. no valid items nearby) will increase depending on the complexity and the types of devices used. The parts you lack will have a bright green color to denote that difference.
Autobuild design tips and saving your favorites
Here are a couple of tips to consider as you continue to use the Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Autobuild system.
The things you create using Ultrahand will get saved – The last 30 things that you created “per action” will get saved under the history tab. For example:
You attached a couple of logs together before canceling the Ultrahand action. That counts as one entry in the history tab.You then attached a Zonai Fan to those logs. That counts as another entry.
If you like using a particular combination, save it as a favorite – Let’s say you love having a ready-made Zonai Balloon with a Flame Emitter. If you’ve recently made one, check the history tab and press the Y button to save it as a favorite. You can have up to eight favorite designs at any given time. If you need the extra space, you’ll have to delete one.
Pick something cost-effective and save it – When choosing among schematics or history tab designs, you’ll see their cost in Zonaite (assuming the objects aren’t nearby). As such, you might want something that’s cost-effective. For instance, a Cart combined with a Steering Stick lets you drive across the terrain, and the controls are a lot better compared to riding horses. This little car of yours only costs six Zonaite.
You can spawn objects when you need them most – One thing we like to have is fairly simple: a set of attached logs or planks that allow Link to climb higher ledges. If you save that structure as a favorite, you can spawn it to traverse areas.
Don’t detach anything built from scratch – If you lack certain items and they have a bright green color, you can still attach other objects. However, do not detach any of the green stuff, as that would disappear for good.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Autobuild system is just one mechanic that you can play around with. You can learn about other related concepts, such as the Ultrahand, Zonai Devices, and early-game Fuses.
There are numerous mechanics and facets to learn in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. For more information, you can visit our guides hub.