In the sprawling darkness beneath Hyrule, one inventive Tears of the Kingdom player turned the grind of collecting Zonaite into a mechanical spectacle. Reddit user Quirky_Image_5598 recently shared a clip of a custom Ultrahand creation designed to shatter the glowing ore deposits of the Depths with remarkable speed. Rather than walking from node to node with a sword or hammer, they built a rolling contraption with two enormous boulder arms that smash through rock and reduce Zonaite clusters to collectible chunks in seconds.

⚙️ The Machine in Motion

The machine itself is a study in practical chaos. Two heavy boulder arms are connected to a central unit, where a pair of wheels spin in opposite directions to generate a continuous swinging motion. Four additional wheels keep the machine moving forward, and a steering stick lets Link pivot the entire assembly with surprising agility. Before climbing aboard, the builder used Recall to hold the machine in place, making it easier to step onto the control platform without being struck by the swinging arms. Once active, the arms batter the Zonaite deposit until it crumbles into glowing fragments.

According to the creator, the build is an alternate take on the Whirling Basher schematic found inside a Yiga hideout. The original schematic already uses spinning parts to create a blunt-force weapon, but this version replaces the usual framework with boulder arms and adds a stable wheelbase for mining expeditions. The result is a vehicle that can drive directly into a large Zonaite cluster and tear it apart without needing Link to dismount.

🔋 Why Zonaite Matters

Zonaite is one of the most valuable resources in Tears of the Kingdom because it fuels Energy Cells. Those cells determine how long a player can operate their Ultrahand builds, from simple gliders to complex battle drones. Mining Zonaite in the Depths can be slow and dangerous, especially when enemies and Gloom are present. Quirky_Image_5598’s design offers a fresh solution by combining mobility with heavy, automated impact.

However, the demonstration also revealed a limitation in the game’s engine. Tears of the Kingdom caps the number of loose items that can exist on the ground at 21. When the machine mined more Zonaite than the cap allowed, some of the newly produced chunks simply vanished. A few players noticed that the machine worked so quickly that it outpaced the game’s ability to keep track of every dropped resource.

This created a bittersweet result. The mining machine was impressive and entertaining, but it also wasted Zonaite in the process. The builder and other players suggested that pausing after every 20 to 21 chunks would prevent the loss. That small adjustment could turn the machine into a genuinely efficient tool rather than a flashy but flawed prototype.

Approach	Speed	Safety	Resource Loss
Traditional melee mining	Moderate	Risky in enemy zones	Low
Whirling Basher mining machine	High	Higher while driving	High if item cap ignored
Machine with pauses every 21 items	High	Higher while driving	Low

🧭 Community Reactions and Future Tweaks

The clip has sparked renewed interest in specialized mining builds. Some players proposed adding a light source or a stabilizer to the central unit to prevent it from tipping in uneven Depths terrain. Others suggested attaching a fan or rocket to help the machine retreat from Gloom-infected areas. Even years after the game’s release, the community continues to refine Ultrahand engineering with a level of creativity that echoes the game’s own spirit of experimentation.

Quirky_Image_5598’s mining machine may not be perfect, but it highlights an important truth about Tears of the Kingdom: the line between a practical tool and a ridiculous invention is often very thin. For players who spend hours farming Zonaite, a machine that can smash ore at this speed is still a welcome sight. With a few adjustments, it could become one of the most useful builds for navigating the Depths. Until then, it remains a thrilling example of what happens when a player looks at a boulder, a wheel, and a problem, and decides to build an answer.