Zonai Devices Complete Guide — Every Device, Best Uses & Build Combinations

Zonai Devices are the building blocks of TotK's construction system. Found in dispensers, on sky islands, and dropped by constructs, they power vehicles, weapons, traps, and traversal solutions. This guide covers every device type, optimal uses, and the most effective build combinations.

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Device Fundamentals

How Devices Work

Zonai Devices draw power from Link's Energy Cell (the battery). The battery is a shared resource — every powered device running simultaneously drains it. When the battery runs out, devices shut down.

Power management rules:

• More devices = faster drain
• Larger devices = more power per unit
• Devices can be deactivated by hitting them (toggles on/off)
• Upgrading the Energy Cell at the Crystal Refinery adds more battery — essential for complex builds

Getting Devices

Three sources:

1. Zonai Device Dispensers — capsule machines found on sky islands. Insert Zonai Charges to receive random devices from that dispenser's pool. Large Zonai Charges yield 3 devices.

2. Construct Drops — enemy constructs in the sky islands and Depths drop random devices on defeat.

3. Ground pickup — devices scattered on sky island surfaces, in chests, and in Zonai ruins.

Device capsules are the portable form — pull them from inventory when needed. Once placed and activated, they run until power runs out or you deactivate them.

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Complete Device Catalog

Fans

What they do: Generate continuous directional airflow in a cone.

Best uses:

• Attach to boats, sleds, or boards for water and ground propulsion
• Power gliders and wings for extended flight
• Create updraft columns for vertical lift (face upward)
• Chain multiple fans on a single vehicle for speed

Power cost: Low — one fan barely dents the battery.

Top build: 2 fans on a flat board = fast surface transport. 3 fans on a boat = fastest water traversal in the game.

Tip: Fans attached backward to a vehicle create braking force or reverse propulsion — useful for precision docking with platforms.

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Rockets

What they do: Provide a single burst of extreme thrust in the direction they're pointed.

Best uses:

• Strap to a shield for the rocket shield jump — equip the shield, rocket fires on dodge, launches Link into the air for fast altitude gain
• Attach to wooden boards for launched projectile vehicles
• Power build-and-launch contraptions to cross large gaps
• Emergency altitude gain when paraglider stamina is near zero

Power cost: High burst — single use, significant battery draw.

Top build: Rocket + Wing = a glider that launches to high altitude and glides far. Place rocket at the rear of a Wing device (the large flat glider), activate while riding.

Shield Rocket technique: Attach a rocket to the back of a shield. Equip the shield. Jump → the rocket fires and launches you 20–30 meters upward. Critical for reaching sky islands without a Skyview Tower nearby.

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Wings

What they do: Large flat glider platforms. Remain airborne on their own when moving forward, losing altitude gradually like a real glider.

Best uses:

• Long-distance aerial transport between sky islands
• Platform for carrying passengers and cargo through air
• Combine with fans for powered flight
• Use as a ground vehicle (wings on a flat surface become a slow sled)

Power cost: None (wings are passive) — fans attached to them cost power.

Top build: Wing + 2 Fans = a powered aircraft with substantial range. Add a steering stick for controlled direction changes.

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Zonai Sleds / Boards (Flat Platforms)

What they do: Flat platforms that serve as the foundation for most ground vehicles.

Best uses:

• Base layer for vehicles — attach fans, wheels, or rockets on top
• Shields against Gloom when riding across Depths floors
• Platforms for transporting objects

Power cost: None (passive).

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Wheels

What they do: Motorized wheels that spin continuously when powered, propelling attached vehicles.

Best uses:

• Ground vehicles — 2 wheels on a board = a basic car
• Off-road traversal — 4 wheels on a box = a Zonai all-terrain vehicle
• Pair with a steering stick for directional control

Power cost: Moderate — scales with number of wheels and load.

Top build: 4 wheels + flat board + steering stick = the standard Zonai car. Add a roof for protection and a fan for boost.

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Steering Stick

What they do: Allow Link to control attached vehicles by "steering" — Link enters the control interface.

Best uses:

• Essential for any vehicle you want to pilot (otherwise vehicles just go straight)
• Boats, cars, aircraft — the steering stick is the control interface for all

Power cost: Low.

Note: Only one steering stick per build is effective. Multiple sticks on the same vehicle cause control conflicts.

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Balloon (Hot Air Balloon)

What they do: Inflate with heat to provide lift. Work with a fire source below them.

Best uses:

• Vertical ascent platforms — place a Flame Emitter or campfire below a balloon for lift
• Slow, controlled altitude gain for taking photographs or scouting
• Combine with fans for directed balloon travel

Power cost: None on their own — requires a fire source for lift.

Top build: Balloon + Flame Emitter on a flat platform = a slow hot air balloon ride upward. Very power efficient for altitude gain.

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Flame Emitter

What they do: Emit a continuous stream of fire.

Best uses:

• Heat source for balloons
• Offensive weapon — attach to the front of a vehicle for a flamethrower
• Clearing tall grass, ice, or enemies in camps
• Cooking (aim at a campfire setup)

Power cost: Moderate to high when continuously firing.

Combat build: Flame Emitter attached to a shield facing forward = a flame shield that damages enemies on contact. Extremely effective against ice enemies.

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Hydrant

What they do: Emit a continuous stream of water.

Best uses:

• Extinguish fire hazards
• Create water pools to enable Zora Armor's waterfall climbing
• Stun and knockback enemies (water pressure is significant)
• Combat against fire-element enemies

Power cost: Moderate.

Tip: A Hydrant pointed at the ground creates a water puddle that electrifies enemies if you have an electric arrow or Farosh Horn Shard weapon nearby.

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Shock Emitter

What they do: Emit electrical bursts in all directions.

Best uses:

• Area control — place near enemy clusters for AOE stun damage
• Combine with a wet surface (Hydrant) for chain electric damage
• Defensive perimeter on a vehicle
• Stunning Gleeoks and other large enemies

Power cost: High — significant burst drain.

Combination: Hydrant → Shock Emitter = wet enemies take 3× electric damage. Devastating against most Depths encounters.

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Spring

What they do: Compressed coil that launches objects or Link when triggered.

Best uses:

• Launching Link to extreme heights — stand on the spring, activate
• Launching boulders or heavy objects as projectiles
• Rapid vertical traversal without battery drain
• Launching yourself onto sky islands from below

Power cost: Single burst.

Top use: Position a spring on a flat surface, stand on it, activate → Link launches 20–40 meters upward. Free altitude with no ongoing power drain. Critical for reaching low sky islands without other tools.

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Cart (Mine Cart)

What they do: Wheel-equipped platform that rides on mine cart tracks.

Best uses:

• Fast travel along Depths mine cart track networks
• Carry items through track systems
• Add a fan for powered cart travel

Power cost: None — carts roll on tracks without power.

Depths tip: Combine a Cart + Fan for fast underground traversal along track networks. The fastest way to navigate long Depths corridors.

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Time Bomb

What they do: Spherical explosive with a timed detonation.

Best uses:

• Mining ore — superior to standard bombs
• Combat against clustered enemies
• Breaking Brightbloom seed barriers
• Sealed treasure chests (rare cases)

Power cost: Single use per device.

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Portable Pot

What they do: A small cooking pot that allows cooking anywhere.

Best uses:

• Cook food in the Depths or remote areas without a stable or campfire
• Emergency cooking during exploration

Power cost: Minimal — single use to set up, no ongoing cost.

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Essential Build Combinations

The Hoverbike

Components: 2× Fans + 1× Steering Stick

The most famous TotK build. Two fans angled on a central platform with a steering stick creates a hovering vehicle that moves in any direction. Highly power efficient, works over any terrain including Gloom.

Build steps:

1. Place one fan on the ground pointing up-forward
2. Attach second fan at a parallel angle
3. Attach steering stick in the center
4. Sit on the steering stick — hoverbike activates

The War Wagon

Components: Flat Board + 4× Wheels + Steering Stick + Flame Emitter

A wheeled vehicle with a forward-facing flamethrower. Effective for clearing camps and rapid surface traversal in open areas.

The Sky Platform

Components: Flat Board + Balloon + Flame Emitter

A slow, stable aerial platform for high-altitude photography or Sky Island scouting. No combat capability — pure utility.

The Rocket Sled

Components: Flat Board + 1× Rocket + 1× Fan

Attach the rocket for initial burst acceleration, fan for sustained speed. Launch from cliffs for maximum range.

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Power Efficiency Tips

• Deactivate devices not in use — hit devices to toggle them off
• Fewer devices = longer runtime — minimize the device count for your purpose
• Upgrade your battery — each Energy Cell upgrade at the Crystal Refinery adds significant sustained runtime
• Use passive devices where possible — Carts, Wings, and Springs cost nothing ongoing; Fans and Rockets drain continuously

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Quick Reference

| Device | Power Cost | Best Single Use | |--------|------------|----------------| | Fan | Low | Propulsion | | Rocket | High (burst) | Altitude gain | | Wing | None | Long-range gliding | | Wheel | Moderate | Ground vehicles | | Steering Stick | Low | Vehicle control | | Balloon | None | Vertical lift (needs heat) | | Flame Emitter | Moderate | Heat source / weapon | | Hydrant | Moderate | Water / combat | | Shock Emitter | High | Area electric damage | | Spring | Low (burst) | Launch | | Cart | None | Track travel | | Time Bomb | Low (burst) | Explosives | | Portable Pot | Minimal | Field cooking |

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See also: Zonai Builds | Autobuild Guide | Battery Upgrades | Sky Island Exploration Guide