Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom layers so much content onto the already massive formula change Breath of the Wild brought to the franchise that some elements might feel a bit overwhelming for players picking it up for the first time.
Thankfully, one of the game’s most freeform mechanics does have an “easy mode” since building vehicles can be done with an autobuild feature.
Right from the tutorial area, TotK teaches players how to use Ultrahand to combine items in the overworld. This applies to natural objects, Zonai Devices, and even stashes of building material left around Hyrule by Hudson’s construction team.
This feature is used to solve puzzles and create transportation at various points in the game, which means players will need to learn how certain objects go together to get the best—or worst—result. But doing this every time, especially when it comes to Zonai Devices, can get tedious. This is where the Autobuild ability comes into play.
Related: How to unlock the Paraglider in Tears of the Kingdom from GameSkinny
What is Autobuild in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
As the name suggests, Autobuild is a way to instantly create vehicles you have previously made or using select designs as long as you have access to the materials. It is one of the six core abilities TotK has in its ability wheel.
Related: All abilities and how to get them in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is especially helpful if you have Zonai Devices and other items stored in your inventory and want to get things done quickly. However, it is not something you unlock naturally, as it is part of a set of quests rather than an ability you are given during the tutorial.
Where to unlock Autobuild in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Players will become familiar with parts of an area of Hyrule called the Depths early on in their TotK journey—specifically if they follow Robbie and complete an early quest called Camera Work in the Depths. This questline expands further as you continue to explore with the help of Robbie and Hosha and learn more about what lurks below the surface.
As you continue to explore the Depths, the area you are aiming to reach is actually just under The Great Plateau. In the Central Hyrule Depths underneath that area, you can find the Great Abandoned Central Mine—a very dimly lit building that has a few people and a deactivated Steward Construct next to a Zonai Panel.
Once you activate the panel, you will unlock the area as a Fast Travel spot and the Construct will give you access to Autobuild. You can actually get here as soon as you reach the Depths even without following Robbie and Josha’s quests.
Just be aware, once you test the ability on some nearby structures at the request of the two Hylians standing nearby, you will kick off a battle with Master Kohga—as he survived your encounter in Breath of the Wild and is now roaming the Depths with the Yiga Clan.
He will be a recurring encounter at various areas in the Depths and you can chase him down to earn rewards tied to Zonai Devices and Autobuilding, such as a Huge Crystallized Charge.
How does Autobuild work in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom?
Autobuild can be described as a way to quickly use the material in certain areas or your inventory to create vehicles and other useful contraptions without needing to spend time putting them together.
Activating Autobuild and selecting a design will cause a purple ring to surround Link. As long as the parts needed to make your selected design sit within that ring, you can instantly put the device together at no cost. So whether you drop the items on the ground yourself or find them in the wild, this is how you start the autobuilding process.
If you don’t have all of the resources necessary for an autobuild, you can use Zonite from your inventory to craft the needed material automatically. You can tell what objects were created using this method for a build because they will glow green and will disappear when you detach them from the crafted design.
Occasionally you will get something called a Schema Stone too, which is a pre-designed blueprint that is instantly saved to the Autobuild ability. You can get a lot of these by exploring the Depths and selecting other areas of Hyrule.
Autobuild is not exclusive to vehicles either. You can craft a useful creation like a staircase or ladder and save it so you can use it while out adventuring later. You just need to make sure you actually save those custom jobs yourself.
How to save vehicle and build designs for Autobuild in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Autobuild has three core features, a section for recently built designs, one where Schema Stone designs are automatically saved, and a place where players can store favorites from their built monstrosities.
Every single build you create is saved in the Autobuild history, but it only holds 30 or so designs before dumping the oldest one.
As an important note, which I didn’t know until I checked for this guide, the Autobuild history will only save a design once Ultrahand is canceled, so as long as you don’t cancel Ultrahand while crafting something together it will only save that build. If you cancel it and then add something else to that build, it will save it as another device in the history.
If you want to save one of your recent builds or a Schema Stone design to your favorites, just hit the Y Button while in the Autobuild selection screen.
This is the only way to keep your custom builds from disappearing after you start creating more combinations and is just one of several ways customization is prioritized in the game, which includes Link’s appearance too.
