As Hyrule lies in peril, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom has become a playground for Zonai builds, with many players neglecting their duty to find Zelda in favor of crafting the meanest mode of transport or assault weapon.
Many of these impressive builds are used to annihilate Bokoblin camps, cover great distances at speed, or, surprisingly, terrorize the poor Koroks. Here are some of the best Zonai builds to come from Tears of the Kingdom.
Updated by Isabella Risoni on June 30, 2023: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom has been one of the biggest games of 2023. That being said, it's important to keep the information in the article up to date and relevant as time goes on. We have updated the related links to more recent ones as well as added a couple more recent in text links including one for the Zonai Device Dispenser Locations and a lighting up the Depths guide.
10 Monster Truck
The resilient monster trucks from @liccnuke deserve a low-ranking place on this list, simply for their ability to stay intact whilst navigating the sometimes challenging terrain of Hyrule. Trucks are the basic Zonai constructs to build in the game, but it’s another skill to build them for multiple purposes.
Dubbed as a “funky” looking addition to Mario Kart 9 and a DLC for Euro Truck Simulator, no plummet into the Depths is any match for these robust machines, and they’re also pretty handy for running over enemies.
9 Dog Petter
A common grievance that fans have had with Nintendo, since day one of Breath of the Wild, is the inability to pet dogs at stables. In order to combat this issue, @noah________a built a wonky, albeit functional, contraption to show the canines some love.
Using a variety of the Zonai devices you can receive from one of the Zonai device dispenser locations, including a hot air balloon combined with a giant log and a paddle, the good boys of the Kingdom were awarded a slightly aggressive pet, but it rewarded Link with that all-important bond in the end, which earned a place on this list.
8 Big Wheel
A second entry from @liccnuke offered perhaps the most inventive way to cross the plains of Hyrule on the side of a big wheel. The carnival was certainly in town when this massive construct rolled through, despite the avoidance of trees being an enormous issue.
Riding loyal horses to your next location is obviously out of trend in Tears of the Kingdom, but these inventive modes of transport deserve to be noted on our list — even though there are more efficient ways to travel.
7 Snowman
While there’s nothing more terrifying in Tears of the Kingdom than the theme of the Depths prior to being lit or the Blood Moon rising, this explosive snowman from @chocrab_1226 is certainly a contender for Hylian nightmares to keep you awake in your Malanya Bed.
Complete with a sinister smile and lidless eyes, this snowman can be seen skiing down a slope with a Bokoblin camp in sight, exploding the enemies and their base to smithereens as Link watches the carnage unfold. The Hyrule snowman is a solid, seventh-place entry in our list.
6 Attack Helicopter
Shared on Zelda Builds, Squishguin built an assault weapon for the sky in the shape of an Attack Helicopter, put together with wooden beams, propellors, and a couple of fierce canons to obliterate any ground enemy — just be careful not to catch the innocent horses.
This build is impressive and also practical in clearing out creatures from a safe distance and an applaudable effort that earns it a place in the middle ranking. Hopefully, the driver respects the dragons’ space in the sky as well.
5 President Hudson’s Windmill Of Fire
While helping out a number of workers around Hyrule by erecting a support construct to help the President’s sign stand on its own, Tears of the Kingdom players have also been using President Hudson for more chaotic means.
Redditor PhoebeD137 shared a build with the community that showed four President Hudson signs rotating together on a big wheel in Tarrey Town, except Flame Emitters were attached to the back. This produced a highly dangerous windmill of fire that would certainly cause some damage in the right place and earns fifth place in the ranks. Luckily, no one was injured.
4 The Worldbreaker 1
Steampunk arrives in Hyrule with this ZeldaBuilds creation by Akario, who created The Worldbreaker 1 - an airship that can be easily controlled by a steering stick that’s the perfect mode of transport to take between the kingdom and the Sky Islands and is therefore awarded fourth place on the list.
Using a pre-constructed boat as the foundation, this build required a number of fans and hot air balloons to keep it running, and a host of energy cells was also needed in order to use this vehicle for a lengthy time.
3 Master Cycle 2.0
If manning Link on the Master Cycle was your favorite way to get around Hyrule and win in Mario Kart, then this Master Cycle 2.0 will pique your interest. In a second entry by Squishguin on Zelda Builds, the sheer nostalgic novelty and slick design of this build is our perfect third place.
With so many vehicles to construct in Tears of the Kingdom, the Master Cycle is hardly missed, but the satisfaction of building your own to tear up the grass must be a rewarding experience to be tried at least once.
2 Megas XLR Tribute
Even though it’s frowned upon to create obscene mechas to terrorize Koroks, this particular version by @Andyblarg is a tribute to the 2000s cartoon Megas XLR, and no Koroks were harmed in the making of it.
An example of this mecha at work shows Link piloting the metal beast while attacking several Bokoblin camps with laser beams, and it’s truly a handy ally to have when you’re surrounded and is therefore awarded second place for its brute strength and geeky inspiration.
1 Trojan Horse
In first place is the most comical entry on this list that has won the hearts of many crafters in Tears of the Kingdom. @RobFletch1393 shared a Trojan horse that was built to invade nearby settlements, with Link hiding on the inside.
Captioned with “Ganondorf won’t know what hit him,” this brilliant idea was executed perfectly and gave the community an entertaining daydream of Link cruising up to Hyrule Castle to meet Ganon hidden within the historically inspired red herring.