How to Mine Zonaite and Upgrade Your Battery in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Zonaite is mined in the Depths. It does not directly upgrade Link’s battery: you trade it to Forge Constructs for Crystallized Charges, which increase the Energy Cell’s capacity at a Crystal Refinery. Zonai Charges serve a different purpose, mainly powering Device Dispensers.

How Zonaite becomes battery capacity

The progression is straightforward, although the resources are easy to confuse. Mine Zonaite in the Depths, trade it to a Forge Construct for Crystallized Charges, then use those charges at a Crystal Refinery to upgrade the Energy Cell.

One upgrade costs 100 Crystallized Charges. Three upgrades create one additional battery, extending journeys in vehicles and constructions that use Zonai devices. Zonaite is therefore a preparation resource: it becomes energy capacity while also funding Autobuild constructions when parts are missing.

Nintendo explains this loop in its official advice on Zonai resources. The official game page also introduces the Depths, Ultrahand and Fuse.

Keep the four Zonai resources separate

Zonaite is the raw ore collected from deposits in the Depths and traded to Forge Constructs. Large Zonaite chunks are worth saving when you are preparing a battery upgrade.

Crystallized Charges are used by the Crystal Refinery to increase the Energy Cell’s capacity. Zonai Charges do not serve that role: they are mainly used in Device Dispensers to obtain Zonai Device Capsules.

This distinction shapes your priorities. Spending all your Zonaite on secondary constructions can delay a battery upgrade, while Zonai Charges cannot replace Crystallized Charges for increasing the Energy Cell’s capacity.

Where to farm Zonaite in the Depths

Zonaite is found in the Depths, accessible through Hyrule’s chasms. Caves, tunnels and old mining areas often contain several deposits. Groups of deposits are more valuable than isolated chunks because they reduce the number of return trips.

Prepare a mining weapon before descending. A weapon fused with a rock or another solid object breaks deposits without unnecessarily wearing down combat weapons. Bring Brightbloom Seeds and meals that protect against the gloom. Lightroots illuminate the underground map, and their locations correspond to surface shrines.

1. Choose a chasm close to your next destination.
2. Prepare a mining weapon, Brightbloom Seeds and suitable meals.
3. Activate every Lightroot before leaving its area.
4. Follow deposits through caves and old mining areas.
5. Mark Forge Constructs and useful exits.

Activating a Lightroot before moving away from the chasm makes exploration easier to follow and reduces detours. An efficient route does not depend on one specific location; it relies on finding several groups of deposits, noting return points and heading back when weapons or light supplies become limited.

Focus your hits on groups of deposits to clear more ore before returning. Save large Zonaite chunks for battery-related trades.

Turn Zonaite into a battery upgrade

Crystallized Charges are used at the Crystal Refinery. Gather 100 units, then visit the Crystal Refinery near the northern exit of Lookout Landing. Each upgrade increases the Energy Cell’s energy reserve.

Three upgrades create one additional battery. The difference is especially noticeable during vehicle journeys or when several Zonai devices are combined. A rare machine cannot compensate for a reserve that is too small if it stops before reaching its destination, so energy capacity should keep pace with your building projects.

Spend the charges when you reach 100 units if you regularly use vehicles. There is no need to interrupt an important exploration trip at every threshold, but leaving enough charges unused can delay the next upgrade.