Autobuild in Tears of the Kingdom is unlocked at the Great Abandoned Central Mine, in the Depths, during the main quest A Mystery in the Depths. The mine sits directly beneath the Temple of Time ruins on the Great Plateau, south of Lookout Landing, and there is one thing worth doing before you touch the altar: save your game.
Getting There
- Jump into the chasm south of Lookout Landing to drop into the Depths.
- Make your way to Nisoij Lightroot and light it.
- Head southwest from there. The path is fairly linear and leads to the Great Abandoned Central Mine.
Lighting Lightroots as you go matters more than usual here, because the Depths are pitch dark and this is a longer walk than it looks on the map. Our guide on how to farm Zonaite covers the mines generally, and this is the most important one to know.
The Altar
At the mine you will find two researchers standing in front of a green-highlighted altar. Interact with it, a Construct wakes, and a cutscene hands you Autobuild.
Save Before the Tutorial
Here is the part worth planning for. When the Autobuild tutorial ends, the game drops you straight into a boss fight. There is no warning and no opportunity to prepare between the two.
Save before you touch the altar. If you arrive with broken weapons and no food, you will be fighting with what you have.
Our guide on how to cook covers stocking up beforehand, and how to fuse weapons covers turning whatever you are carrying into something that hits properly.
What Autobuild Actually Does
It stores designs. Build something once and Autobuild can rebuild it from your materials, or from Zonaite if you are missing pieces.
That second part is the one that changes how you play: you can rebuild a vehicle far from where you first made it, spending Zonaite in place of parts you do not have. The cost scales with how much is missing.
It also comes preloaded with several schematics, and you find more scattered around the world, so you are not limited to your own designs.
Why It Is Worth the Trip Early
Building a flying machine by hand every time you want to cross a gap is the single biggest time sink in this game. Autobuild removes it.
Combined with a decent battery, it turns travel into a solved problem. Our guides on how to get more battery and how to use the Wing cover the two things it pairs with best.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Autobuild? The Great Abandoned Central Mine in the Depths, beneath the Great Plateau.
Which quest unlocks it? A Mystery in the Depths, part of the main questline.
Is there a fight involved? Yes. A boss begins immediately after the tutorial, so save first.
Can Autobuild work without the right materials? Yes, by spending Zonaite to substitute for missing parts.