How to level up your engineering game in Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom players are ushering Hyrule into an industrial revolution – here’s how you can join them.

Every Tears of the Kingdom playstyle has its strengths and weaknesses – I don’t know about you, but I’m definitely not winning any awards for my use of the Ultrahand ability.

Since the game’s release in May, gamers have gone above and beyond in finding new and inventive ways of annihilating enemies, from merciless war machines to honest-to-god computers. And here I am fighting for my life to construct a working wagon.

But there is hope – you can learn a lot from online forums, and Hyrule’s best and brightest are more than happy to share their blueprints with the world. Join me on my journey to earn Link his master’s degree in engineering!

Know your basics

If you haven’t acquainted yourself with all the different Zonai devices, that may be a good starting point. IGN has a useful guide that lists each device, their uses, and dispenser locations. Depending on your intentions and your playstyle, you’ll likely use some devices more than others, but don’t forget to experiment!

Some useful non-Zonai items may be difficult to retrieve, such as the notorious propeller which is only available in the Gemimik Shrine. But not impossible! Fuse the item you’d like to keep to a shield or weapon, then find Pelison in Tarrey Town – for a small fee, he’ll remove the fused item without destroying it. Son and done.

Also, don’t be afraid to start small – some of the most ingenious builds are the simplest, such as the well-known hoverbike.

Sign up to zeldabuilds.gg

If you’re looking to replicate a cool build you saw online, or you’re in search of inspiration, look no further than zeldabuilds.gg. This website is for Tears of the Kingdom players to share their creations online, which you can filter by type, materials, or even use cases. The Use tab collects builds by which enemies they are best suited for, and is also marked for spoilers – pretty nifty!

The site isn’t quite perfect yet – there’s no search function from what I can see, and the Materials tab is cluttered with items such as armour and accessories that can’t be used in builds – that we know of, anyway! Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic resource, and many users also include how-to videos so you can make exact replicas.

Join r/HyruleEngineering

This subreddit is currently in the top 1% of Reddit communities, and for good reason. It’s a very active community, with each day seeing a new wave of innovative creations – and not just dicks, either!

Unlike Zelda Builds, you can use the Reddit comment section to discuss and workshop creations – plus, it has dedicated post flairs for complete disasters, big ‘splosions, and game-breaking builds. These may not be entirely helpful with teaching you more about the Tears of the Kingdom physics system, but they’re usually very fun to watch.

The subreddit hosts a monthly design contest that you can get involved with, complete with prompts to follow (or maliciously comply with). The Hyrule Engineering Club also have its own Discord, which is the perfect place to swap tips and tricks with fellow enthusiasts.

Autobuild is your friend

I have spent an embarrassing amount of time trying to recreate successful builds from previous sessions – even something as simple as aligning the wheels on a vehicle can prove incredibly finnicky, and obviously cannot be performed mid-combat. Don’t be like me – when you’ve struck gold with a build, save it to your Autobuild favourites.

The ability can hold up to 30 items in its history, so don’t worry if you’ve departed with your build since then. Autobuild also has the life-saving feature of producing items you may not have to hand (like that damn propeller) for a small Zonaite fee.

Get building!

Ultrahand is a top-tier ability that can help you out in practically limitless ways in Tears of the Kingdom. Whether you’re after tools, weapons of mass destruction or Korok transportation devices, you can bring your vision to life with a bit of know-how (and a lot of patience – failure is the best teacher, after all!) And don’t forget to share your inventions online – sharing is caring!

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