There are numerous resources and materials to collect in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Thanks to Fuse, they all have a purpose, whether it’s Brightbloom Seeds on Arrows to light the way or Puffshrooms to create smoke for sneak attacks.
However, Zonaite is arguably one of the most essential. It’s used for Autobuild, which makes constructing vehicles and other builds with Ultrahand much faster. You can also spend it on Zonai Charges, which grant a small amount of energy for your Zonai Energy Cell or obtain Zonai Capsules from a Dispenser.
It can also purchase Crystallized Charges in the Great Abandoned Central Mine (-0839, -1943, -0523), which can upgrade the capacity of your Zonai Energy Cell. Since one Crystallized Charge costs three Zonaite, you’ll need 100 to upgrade the Energy Cell. Don’t worry – there are other ways to get Crystallized Charges in bulk.
If you want to use more complex builds with lasers and whatnot, Zonai Energy Cell upgrades will be necessary. You’ll need plenty of Crystallized Charges, which means a hefty amount of Zonaite.
Fortunately, there are quite a few places to get them from.
How to Farm Zonaite
When you start on the Great Sky Island, you’ll first run into Zonaite in the Mining Cave. Fuse a branch or stick with a boulder to create a blunt weapon to break the ore nodes and harvest them. Bombflowers also work, but you should save them against threats like Talus.
Your best source for farming Zonaite is going to be in the Depths. Carry meals which can heal damage from Gloom, since some enemies are Gloom-afflicted and will quickly whittle your Heart Containers down. Make sure you also find some Lightroots to heal Gloom damage.
Ores for Zonaite can be found pretty much everywhere in the Depths. Look for enemy camps since they’re also busy mining Zonaite and will often carry some. Some enemies in the Depths, like Stalkoblins, also drop Zonaite, so keep an eye out for them.
However, if you want to farm Zonaite, it’s recommended to help the Gorons as soon as possible. It will grant the power of Yunobo, the Sage of Fire, who can launch himself into obstacles, including ore nodes, to break them apart. It’s the best way to farm Zonaite in the Depths without wasting weapons or materials. Head here for details on finding him (and other useful Sages).
How to Farm Large Zonaite
While farming Zonaite, you’ll sometimes receive Large Zonaite. If you want to farm it more reliably, take on enemies like Frox (found in the Gerudo Highlands Depths and Central Hyrule Depths), Obsidian Frox (Gerudo Desert Depths, Hyrule Ridge Depths) and Blue-White Frox (Hebra Mountains Depths, Tabantha Frontier Depths). These enemies also give Zonaite and Large Crystallized Charges. Gather five of the latter, and you can get a Huge Crystallized Charge, equal to 100 Crystallized Charges for upgrading the Zonai Energy Cell.
Large Zonaite can upgrade specific armor (like the Miner’s Set) and fuse with weapons for more attack and durability. You can also exchange them for Large Zonai Charges, which prevent your Energy Cell from losing power, and in Dispensers for lots of Zonai Capsules.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is available on Nintendo Switch. Check out our review here for more details.