Expanding your Energy Cell capacity in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom can make the difference between a short flight and a smooth sky voyage. Here’s how to gather the right materials, find hidden resources, and power up your build potential across Hyrule.
It turns out that the Zonai, an ancient race of sky-dwelling magical engineers in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, had a pretty complex economy. So it’s natural that, as protagonist Link, it might take you some time to sort through the ins and outs of Zonaite, Zonai charges, crystallized charges, forge constructs, and crystal refineries as you take your first steps in, above, and below Hyrule.
Fortunately, we’re here to help. In this guide, we’ll explain how to gather the precious material Zonaite, how to turn it into crystallized charges, how to spend said charges to increase Link’s max energy cell power, and what to do with all of your leftover Zonai charges.
Where to find Zonaite
Zonaite appears mainly in The Depths as sparkling black-green deposits near boulders, enemy camps, and mines like Daphnes Canyon Mine (-1076, -0557, -0514). Break them with fused weapons or defeat foes such as Frox for drops, including large Zonaite. Early access comes from Great Sky Island’s Mining Cave (0388, -1623, 1412).
The first step toward increasing your max energy cell power in Tears of the Kingdom is fairly straightforward: Gather all of the Zonaite you can.
To do so, simply head into the Depths, the vast underground map that mirrors the world on Hyrule’s surface. You can access the Depths by diving into any of the red holes shown on the surface map. If you haven’t yet uncovered much of the map with Skyview Towers, follow Robbie the Purah Pad scientist’s quest line. He’ll lead you into the Depths once you speak to him at Lookout Landing.
Once you’re down in the Depths, gathering Zonaite is fairly simple. Keep an eye out for Zonaite deposits – those stone formations that are often clustered around larger boulders, like the one below:
After breaking them with a stone- or boulder-Fused weapon, they’ll drop at least three clumps of Zonaite a piece. Furthermore, any enemy you kill in the Depths – be they Bokoblins, Moblins, or Lizalfos – will drop Zonaite upon dying. Froxes, those froglike monsters wandering the Depths, will drop a large Zonaite after they die. (Large Zonaite serves the same function as its smaller counterpart, but we’ll get to that below.)
Simply put: If you spend any amount of time in the Depths, you’re likely to resurface with a healthy amount of Zonaite. Although it’s ultimately most useful for buying crystallized charges and increasing your max energy cell power (which we explain below), it can also be spent to make Autobuild creations that you don’t have the necessary parts for.
Where to trade Zonaite for crystallized charges
Trade Zonaite for crystallized charges at Forge Constructs, marked by brown jars on beige squares on the map. These appear in the Depths’ abandoned mines and the Great Sky Island’s Mining Cave. Popular spots include the Great Abandoned Central Mine at coordinates -0839, -1943, -0523, where you exchange three Zonaite per charge or three Large Zonaite for a Large Crystallized Charge worth 20 standard ones.
Once you have a good amount of Zonaite, it’s time to head to a forge construct. If you found one already, it will be marked on your map as a brown jar on one of those beige squares, as shown below:
While there is a forge construct on the Great Sky Island (Tears of the Kingdom‘s tutorial area), we’ve found it easier to fast travel to the Great Abandoned Central Mine, which you’ll unlock as a fast-travel point simply by following Josha and Robbie’s questline after first arriving at Lookout Landing. If you haven’t done that quest yet, fret not: You can simply head west after diving into the chasm at Eastern Abbey, as shown below (the yellow arrow shows Link’s location in the Depths as it relates to the surface):
There’s a forge Construct only a few feet from the Great Abandoned Central Mine fast-travel point. Speak to it (if you haven’t yet) and then walk over to its shelves, on which you’ll see an array of shiny blue/white items.
You’re looking for crystallized charges, the pyramidal items on the shelves on the right. Simply exchange your Zonaite for as many crystallized charges as you can. If you have any large Zonaite, swap those for large crystallized charges, which are worth 20 normal crystallized charges. (You can also spend Zonaite on Zonai charges and large Zonai charges, but those are so plentiful as Zonai enemy drops, and in defunct Zonai Constructs in the sky islands, that we don’t recommend wasting Zonaite on them.)
Once you have a total of at least 100 crystallized charges, you’re ready for the final step toward acquiring an energy well, and increasing the max power capacity of Link’s energy cell. (These names are getting confusing. But basically, the energy cell is the Zonai item on Link’s belt that powers Ultrahand creations and Zonai items when there are no Zonai batteries attached. Its the third “meter” Link can increase in Tears of the Kingdom, alongside the returning heart and stamina meters.)
It’s worth noting that you can also find crystallized charges and large crystallized charges by exploring other Abandoned Mines in the Depths, and by killing certain Construct enemies in the sky islands. However, using forge constructs is the easiest method we’ve found for gathering this valuable resource.
How to increase max energy cell capacity
To increase your max energy cell capacity, focus on collecting Zonaite in the Depths, then trade it at forge constructs for crystallized charges and large crystallized charges. Take these crystallized charges to a crystal refinery, such as the one near Nachoyah Shrine or by Lookout Landing, where 100 crystallized charges can be exchanged for one extra energy well, gradually extending your battery meter.
In order to finally gain an energy well, which will increase the max capacity for Link’s energy cell, you’ll need to head to a crystal refinery. If you did even a modicum of exploring during the Great Sky Island tutorial section, you may have stumbled upon one without noticing.
Fast travel back to Nachoya Shrine on the Great Sky Island – there’s a crystal refinery just to the west of the shrine, in the very same room. Speak to the Construct NPC, who will give you one energy well for every 100 crystallized charges in your inventory. Each of these energy wells will grant you one more green bar in Link’s battery-like energy cell meter.
Best places to farm Zonaite in the Depths
The best Zonaite farming comes from big, repeatable routes through rich mines and enemy camps in the Depths.
Top farming spots (early-mid game)
-
Great Abandoned Central Mine (under Central Hyrule): Loaded with Zonaite deposits and weak enemies, great first farm once you unlock the Depths under Lookout Landing.
-
Chasm south of Lookout Landing (Gatepost Town Ruins / Forest of Time): Drop in, then hit the three nearby mines; large “boulder” deposits here also give Large Zonaite.
-
Korok Grove encampments: Enemy camps northwest of Korok Grove in the Depths have many ore clusters and enemies holding Zonaite.
High-yield mines later on
-
Lindor Canyon Mine (beneath Hyrule Ridge): Dense mix of small and large ore deposits; bombs or Yunobo make clearing them fast.
-
Gerudo/ canyon mines (e.g., Gerudo Canyon Mine, Agaat Canyon area): Multiple mines close together mean you can glide from one to the next for long, efficient runs.
-
Hebra and other canyon mines: Similar clustered mines in the Hebra region’s Depths give long strings of deposits once you’ve lit nearby Lightroots.
General farming tips
-
Prioritize large, dark “boulder” deposits; they drop more Zonaite and Large Zonaite per hit.
-
Clear enemy mining camps: Depths enemies often carry Zonaite, and camps usually sit beside ore clusters.
-
Bring:
-
Brightbloom seeds to see ore from a distance.
-
Gloom-healing or gloom-resistant meals, since you will take constant gloom chip damage.
-
Hammer-type weapons or Yunobo to break deposits quickly; bombs help on big clusters.
-
If you tell me which Lightroots or regions you’ve opened (Central, Gerudo, Hebra, etc.), I can sketch a specific loop you can run for 10-15 minutes per farm run.
Fastest route to visit multiple Depths mines for Zonaite
You can chain several rich canyon mines together into one fast loop that you can repeat every Blood Moon for huge Zonaite gains.
Efficient central Hyrule starter loop
This works well once you’ve unlocked the Great Abandoned Central Mine and a few nearby Lightroots.
-
Warp to the Lightroot next to Great Abandoned Central Mine (under Central Hyrule).
-
Circle the mine:
-
Do a clockwise lap around the outer walls, breaking every small and large Zonaite deposit.
-
Clear any nearby enemy mining camps for extra Zonaite drops.
-
-
Glide to the next mine:
-
From the higher ground around the mine, glide toward the next visible cluster of lit structures or mine “rings” on your Depths map, breaking ore as you go.
-
-
When your lap feels long enough (10-15 minutes), warp back to your starting Lightroot, leave the Depths, and come back after a Blood Moon to repeat.
Late-game “canyon mines” loop
Once you have more of the map and Lightroots unlocked, a very fast and popular loop links multiple canyon mines that sit close together.
-
Start at a canyon mine Lightroot (for example, Hateno, Gerudo, or Hebra canyon mines once you’ve found their matching chasms and Lightroots).
-
Route: mine → glide → mine
-
Clear all ore in the first canyon mine (focus on the big boulder-like deposits for Large Zonaite).
-
Use the canyon walls’ height to glide directly to the next canyon mine marker you’ve pinned on your Depths map (they’re usually only a short glide apart).
-
Repeat until you’ve hit 3-4 mines in one run, then warp back to the first Lightroot.
-
General speed tips
-
Use a hover-bike or fast Zonai vehicle to move between mines along the canyon floor; glide when starting from high ground.
-
Mark mines and rich ore clusters with map pins as you discover them, then connect them into a simple loop you can follow without thinking.
-
Always prioritize:
-
Large, dark boulder deposits (more Zonaite per swing).
-
Enemy camps sitting next to ore clusters (Zonaite + materials together).
-
If you tell me which Lightroots and regions you’ve already unlocked (Central, Hateno, Gerudo, Hebra, etc.), I can outline a concrete “from X Lightroot go here, then glide here” route tailored to your map.
